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Detective Comics (2011)
Batman – Detective Comics, Volume 6: Icarus
When his newest business associate is murdered on the doorstep of Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne finds himself at the center of the GCPD’s investigation. Batman’s own detective work uncovers a much more devious plot: a city-wide conspiracy involving corrupt politicians, rival gangs and a deadly designer drug known as Icarus flooding Gotham’s streets.
But a personal stake has Detective Harvey Bullock coming hard after the man he believes to be behind the dangerous drug ring—can the Dark Knight uncover the truth before his alter ego ends up in handcuffs?
The critically acclaimed creative team behind THE FLASH, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, reach a stunning new height of comics collaboration in DETECTIVE COMICS: ICARUS—a bright new chapter for the Dark Knight!
Collects: Detective Comics #30-34 and Annual #3.
But a personal stake has Detective Harvey Bullock coming hard after the man he believes to be behind the dangerous drug ring—can the Dark Knight uncover the truth before his alter ego ends up in handcuffs?
The critically acclaimed creative team behind THE FLASH, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, reach a stunning new height of comics collaboration in DETECTIVE COMICS: ICARUS—a bright new chapter for the Dark Knight!
Collects: Detective Comics #30-34 and Annual #3.
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2015
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About the author
Francis Manapul
545 books231 followersFrancis Manapul is a comic book artist living in Toronto, Canada currently working for DC comics. His list of credits include the forthcoming Adventure Comics, and Superman Batman. In the past he's worked on titles like Legion of Super-Heroes, Iron and the Maiden, Necromancer, Sept Guerrieres, Tomb Raider, Darkness, G.I Joe and of course Witchblade.
Photo by Luigi Novi.
Photo by Luigi Novi.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
July 17, 2021
(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: The plot's a leaden snooze, it's the art that gives it juice, although Batman's not well-suited to such garish berry hues.
Notes: The plot's a leaden snooze, it's the art that gives it juice, although Batman's not well-suited to such garish berry hues.
April 20, 2018
3.5 stars
Icarus is basically where we learn that Drugs are bad, M'kay...
Honestly, I'm just not a big fan of the Batman fights Drug Dealers stories, so right away this one lost big points with me. And it's not because I think a crack pipe make you look more distinguished, or that giving $5 blowjobs behind a dumpster is classy.
It's just... Well, I was a child during the 80's, and I was literally saturated with cheesy anti-drug propaganda.
I'm full! Seriously.
No thank you, Nana. I don't want another helping. Please, for the love of God, don't put any more on my plate, woman!
But for some reason, it seems like it's mandated that superheroes fight the evil drug lords every now and then. And who knows? Maybe Manapul is the sacrificial lamb who drew the short straw a few months ago?
*sigh*
Or perhaps he really thought this was a groundbreaking story...
But.
Unbelievably, once you scrape all of the cheese off of the top, this has a decent Batman story underneath it.
Icarus ain't what your granny used to get high, kids (so you can stop rummaging around in her medicine cabinet), 'cause this shit is da bomb!
Literally.
Like, your insides will catch on fire, and you'll explode.
A woman who wants to help change Gotham is found dead of an overdoes on Bruce Wayne's front steps. Naturally, he becomes a prime suspect in her death, and Harvey Bullock is determined to bring him down. Of course, he also wants a piece of Batman, and with Gordon behind bars, there's no one to reign in Bullock's distrust of the Dark Knight.
Believe it or not, the Harvey/Batman showdown was actually pretty good!
This is a Bullock-heavy volume, and you kind of get a better peek at the man who was constantly at Gordon's side for all of these years. Manapul does an excellent job with this character, and I enjoyed reading more about the different aspects of his personality.
Ok, now let's talk about the real star of the show.
The art.
It is honestly one of the best things about this volume. Beautiful!
The colors, the expressions, and even the page layouts were just fantastic. I can't say enough how much I visually loved the way this was put together.
There's an issue at the end called Chaos Theory that ties together random events from the volume, and puts everything in a new light. It was very well done and centers on Batman helping a young mentally challenged boy who is being abused & neglected by his father. Unbeknownst to Bruce, this ends up being a pivot point for the entire plot.
In the end, I'd say this is not required reading, but it turned out to be an impressively decent Batman story. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for quite a while, and I'm leaning closer to 4 the more I think about it.
However, I'm just so biased against the anti-drug stuff that I don't think I can actually stomach giving a full 4 to anything with that as the underlying plot.
Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for a digital copy to review.
Get this review and more at:
Icarus is basically where we learn that Drugs are bad, M'kay...
Honestly, I'm just not a big fan of the Batman fights Drug Dealers stories, so right away this one lost big points with me. And it's not because I think a crack pipe make you look more distinguished, or that giving $5 blowjobs behind a dumpster is classy.
It's just... Well, I was a child during the 80's, and I was literally saturated with cheesy anti-drug propaganda.
I'm full! Seriously.
No thank you, Nana. I don't want another helping. Please, for the love of God, don't put any more on my plate, woman!
But for some reason, it seems like it's mandated that superheroes fight the evil drug lords every now and then. And who knows? Maybe Manapul is the sacrificial lamb who drew the short straw a few months ago?
*sigh*
Or perhaps he really thought this was a groundbreaking story...
But.
Unbelievably, once you scrape all of the cheese off of the top, this has a decent Batman story underneath it.
Icarus ain't what your granny used to get high, kids (so you can stop rummaging around in her medicine cabinet), 'cause this shit is da bomb!
Literally.
Like, your insides will catch on fire, and you'll explode.
A woman who wants to help change Gotham is found dead of an overdoes on Bruce Wayne's front steps. Naturally, he becomes a prime suspect in her death, and Harvey Bullock is determined to bring him down. Of course, he also wants a piece of Batman, and with Gordon behind bars, there's no one to reign in Bullock's distrust of the Dark Knight.
Believe it or not, the Harvey/Batman showdown was actually pretty good!
This is a Bullock-heavy volume, and you kind of get a better peek at the man who was constantly at Gordon's side for all of these years. Manapul does an excellent job with this character, and I enjoyed reading more about the different aspects of his personality.
Ok, now let's talk about the real star of the show.
The art.
It is honestly one of the best things about this volume. Beautiful!
The colors, the expressions, and even the page layouts were just fantastic. I can't say enough how much I visually loved the way this was put together.
There's an issue at the end called Chaos Theory that ties together random events from the volume, and puts everything in a new light. It was very well done and centers on Batman helping a young mentally challenged boy who is being abused & neglected by his father. Unbeknownst to Bruce, this ends up being a pivot point for the entire plot.
In the end, I'd say this is not required reading, but it turned out to be an impressively decent Batman story. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for quite a while, and I'm leaning closer to 4 the more I think about it.
However, I'm just so biased against the anti-drug stuff that I don't think I can actually stomach giving a full 4 to anything with that as the underlying plot.
Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for a digital copy to review.
Get this review and more at:
September 20, 2015
A friend of Bruce Wayne dies after being injected with the drug Icarus and that means that his alter ego Batman goes on a revenge spree to catch the sons of bitches that is behind it before more people die.
The art is the best part in this book; I just wish the story had been as good. But I admit that I personally just don't find stories involved drugs and gangs that interesting and I found this book suffered because there wasn't any really interesting villain for Batman to face. I mean I sit here a couple of days after I had read the book and I can't think of anything really memorable about it. No funny one-liners or anything to screenshot or any great battles with some enemy, well the octopus was a bit cool, but beside her was everything just meh!
I received this copy from DC Comics through Edelweiss in return for an honest review!
The art is the best part in this book; I just wish the story had been as good. But I admit that I personally just don't find stories involved drugs and gangs that interesting and I found this book suffered because there wasn't any really interesting villain for Batman to face. I mean I sit here a couple of days after I had read the book and I can't think of anything really memorable about it. No funny one-liners or anything to screenshot or any great battles with some enemy, well the octopus was a bit cool, but beside her was everything just meh!
I received this copy from DC Comics through Edelweiss in return for an honest review!
June 2, 2023
A solid beginning for Francis Manapul's Batman run. I have to say I'm going to miss him on Flash. His beautiful pencil and inks with Brian Buccellato's amazing colors blended together to make museum quality art. I liked what Francis was trying to do with this book. It just needed a little better pacing and a bit more connective tissue to make the story flow more smoothly. With some more time under his belt, I'm sure this will be another great run. Detective remains one of DC's shining stars of the new 52.
February 5, 2016
Batman breaks up a child smuggling ring in the Gotham docks leading to Bruce Wayne deciding to renovate the Gotham waterfront in an effort to gentrify it and eliminate the criminals who’ve marked out the area for their own. Which of course doesn’t go down well with the gangsters - especially the ones who’re making a mint selling a potent new drug called Icarus.
I didn’t love this volume of Detective Comics but I was surprised that Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato’s first arc wasn’t that bad. Detective is traditionally the series where Batman gets to be the character he was right at the beginning: a sleuth who solves crimes by looking for clues and thinking. And, for the most part, that’s exactly what Manapul/Buccellato do. In fact, they go even further here and make this a story about two detectives: Batman and Harvey Bullock. (Where’s Gordon you ask? He’s in the slammer because Batman: Eternal - it’s not worth it, I promise.)
Bullock is the aspect of the book I liked the most. He’s a character who’s too often written off as some middle-aged fat cop who takes payoffs… well, at least he doesn’t take payoffs anymore! I like the guy anyway - he’s not incompetent or stupid and he more than proves himself as a detective worthy of his badge in this book. He even gets into an ill-advised fist-fight with the Dark Knight and then redeems himself by saving his life later!
While Harvey shines, I didn’t think much of Elena Aguila, aka Bruce Wayne’s Meaningful Friend For Plot Reasons #275 or her bratty daughter Annie whose story was a flatline the whole way through. And bikers got the better of Batman? Come on - bikers? Oh yeah, and Icarus, this new street drug - it sets you on fire? How the hell would that be popular with anyone?! “I wanna get high but what if I don’t self-immolate? Finally a drug for me!”
It’s good to see Batman being just the detective though unfortunately Manapul/Buccellato can’t help but go down the superhero route at the end. We see some nothing character get stupid superpowers so Batman can put on the Bat-Iron-Man suit and close out the book in some dumb overblown action scene. Come on guys, Sherlock Holmes never needed to pull that crap!
There’s a tacked on annual to round out the collection which contains the stupid origin of Julian Day aka Calendar Man (though the character himself is stupid so I guess it’s approps!) and Batman fighting more Icarus dealers. Meh. I suppose the Matches Malone cameo was cool.
I haven’t a whole lot to say about the art which isn’t bad but it’s your usual bombastic superhero fare. It’s refreshing to see a creative team who draw and colour the book also sharing co-writing duties too. Buccellato’s use of colour is interesting and Manapul’s Batman looks fine.
Icarus isn’t an amazing Batman book but it’s a perfectly decent Dark Knight detective story, especially if you like Bullock. And any comic with Batman fighting a giant squid is ok with me!
I didn’t love this volume of Detective Comics but I was surprised that Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato’s first arc wasn’t that bad. Detective is traditionally the series where Batman gets to be the character he was right at the beginning: a sleuth who solves crimes by looking for clues and thinking. And, for the most part, that’s exactly what Manapul/Buccellato do. In fact, they go even further here and make this a story about two detectives: Batman and Harvey Bullock. (Where’s Gordon you ask? He’s in the slammer because Batman: Eternal - it’s not worth it, I promise.)
Bullock is the aspect of the book I liked the most. He’s a character who’s too often written off as some middle-aged fat cop who takes payoffs… well, at least he doesn’t take payoffs anymore! I like the guy anyway - he’s not incompetent or stupid and he more than proves himself as a detective worthy of his badge in this book. He even gets into an ill-advised fist-fight with the Dark Knight and then redeems himself by saving his life later!
While Harvey shines, I didn’t think much of Elena Aguila, aka Bruce Wayne’s Meaningful Friend For Plot Reasons #275 or her bratty daughter Annie whose story was a flatline the whole way through. And bikers got the better of Batman? Come on - bikers? Oh yeah, and Icarus, this new street drug - it sets you on fire? How the hell would that be popular with anyone?! “I wanna get high but what if I don’t self-immolate? Finally a drug for me!”
It’s good to see Batman being just the detective though unfortunately Manapul/Buccellato can’t help but go down the superhero route at the end. We see some nothing character get stupid superpowers so Batman can put on the Bat-Iron-Man suit and close out the book in some dumb overblown action scene. Come on guys, Sherlock Holmes never needed to pull that crap!
There’s a tacked on annual to round out the collection which contains the stupid origin of Julian Day aka Calendar Man (though the character himself is stupid so I guess it’s approps!) and Batman fighting more Icarus dealers. Meh. I suppose the Matches Malone cameo was cool.
I haven’t a whole lot to say about the art which isn’t bad but it’s your usual bombastic superhero fare. It’s refreshing to see a creative team who draw and colour the book also sharing co-writing duties too. Buccellato’s use of colour is interesting and Manapul’s Batman looks fine.
Icarus isn’t an amazing Batman book but it’s a perfectly decent Dark Knight detective story, especially if you like Bullock. And any comic with Batman fighting a giant squid is ok with me!
October 5, 2015
I received this from Edelweiss and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars.
The story was very routine, nothing really outstanding or new. Even the back and forth banter between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Harvey Bullock seemed forced. The entire storyline seemed forced.
The artwork is really what carried this volume, and is the reason it didn't get 2.5 stars. Looking forward to see what else Francis Manapul does with the Detective.
3.5 stars.
The story was very routine, nothing really outstanding or new. Even the back and forth banter between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Harvey Bullock seemed forced. The entire storyline seemed forced.
The artwork is really what carried this volume, and is the reason it didn't get 2.5 stars. Looking forward to see what else Francis Manapul does with the Detective.
April 20, 2018
Francis Manapul’s Batman is predictable, impersonal, and downright boring. There’s no heart in the hero whose pain should drive him—he just pummels baddies. Alfred is merely his conscience and tech sidekick. And the plot involves bikers, drugs, and a brutalitizing, womanizing Harvey Bullock who’s in a pointless pissing match with Batman. The illustrations? Just okay, if overdone. This deserves a hard pass.
November 13, 2014
It just came to my attention that Francis Manapul is a Filipino. I'm quite happy about that now, considering I had no idea the entire time I have reviewed his Icarus story arc earlier this afternoon. It was only after I looked at his Goodreads profile that I discovered it. I'm both pleased and embarrassed about this information. Pleased because this is the first time I ever encountered a Filipino writing and illustrating for an internationally recognized industry like DC comics. Embarrassed because I should have known in the first place. Still, this is the best surprise I've ever received this year, and that's because I connected with this story so readily and not just because of one of the writers' nationality--I connected with it because it was genuinely goddamn beautiful. Knowing Manapul is a fellow Filipino is just a bonus treat.
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's debut collaboration is one of the best visual experiences I've ever had in New 52 for a Bat-title since Capullo-Miki-FCO brought me Batman: Zero Year, and I'm telling you that there is nothing more thrilling to peruse through than a comic book with such fluidity in the motion of its panels, and this issue has plenty of that to share. I ate up every gorgeous scenery as I read this! I was that hypnotized by the artwork.
For just one night, I was able to read and finish all five issues of Icarus, and my eyes have been seduced and pleasured sufficiently by Manapul and Buccellato because their complimentary visual style had a deftness and vibrancy to it that intimately captures the essence of what Batman has been in the pages of comic books since his conception; a lone shadowy figure lingering across skyscrapers in the dead of night, a creature in the darkness who fights crimes and punishes the cowardly lot who commit them.
A lot of this team's illustrations reminded me of his earlier roots so much, and even more so now because there is a more varied color palette available these days than decades ago when Batman first appeared. It's just a great experience to look at Batman in their depictions and remember with an assaulting clarity why I fell in love with this timeless caped crusader. There is nothing like being reminded about why your first love is your first love to begin with.
It's so easy to neglect sometimes that Batman originally debuted in Detective Comics and that this title is DC's flagship after all. We've been celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight this year and I believe that means we should remember Batman's early days which are elegant in its simplicity. We live in a very technologically advanced world that a great amount of stories I read in Batman comic books these days now reflects what superhero movie franchises are about: gadgets, special effects, entertaining action and some humor in between, and more gadgets. John Layman incorporated lots of eye-candy gadgetry in his sixteen-issued run but this was luckily balanced by his superb storytelling which do emphasize Batman's sleuth skills as oppose to predecessor Tony Daniel's kick-the-shit-out-of-thugs characterization of Batman that was one of the reasons why his issues became an utter failure.
Manapul and Buccaletto's groundwork for their story is reminiscent of old-school Batman in the most flattering sense where we see the Dark Knight rely on his abilities and not merely on his gadgets and that foremost includes his mental acuity.
Manapul and Buccelatto's visual approach in telling this story is quite cinematic in such a way that they omitted narration boxes altogether and allowed Batman's actions in panels to show as oppose to tell the sequence at hand. It's marvelous! There was no need for speech bubbles for readers to understand Batman's process of thinking which is a welcome change for me because comic books after all are supposed to be primarily visual and it's been a while since I've gotten exactly that from a Batman story. I also enjoy the fact that we see him gathering evidence and connecting events using his own reasoning without always relying on machines to give him the answers which most Batman stories often do for a long time now just for the sake of moving things along. I'm happy these two did not take that route and truly put some great effort to make most of sequential storytelling which should be visual more or less. Hey, I love a great dialogue and narrative (Snyder's prose always gets to me) but for a title that emphasizes the 'detective' side of Batman, this is probably the best approach to tell all his cases from now on.
This is Gotham and the darkest hour is all upon us, and yet Manapul and Buccaletto, thankfully enough, are able to depict such an ugly world with their beautiful colors. The only downside, truthfully, is the last issue. It ended with a generic comic-book pay-off that's merely passable in a good day and disappointing at best. It totally defeats the purpose of its conception and development in the first place. But it did not truly diminish it. Icarus is still one of the best things I've read in a Bat-title, and you should still read it. I encourage you. I appeal to your sensibilities even. Who knows, maybe you'll be fine with the ending because that's what it was ultimately: It was FINE.
For a story that unfolded with a great command of its scenery, characters and exposition, it just went out with a whimper (or, in this case, with a series of literal explosions and misplaced action sequences that underhanded its more intimate and intellectual aspects). But that flaw should not undermine your enjoyment for Manapul and Buccaletto's volume. It was unique and daring; it packed a lot of punches. It also brought back a lot of the old-school Batman that we don't experience as often now in New 52, while also innovating the way comic books are illustrated as a sequential storytelling tool. Detective Comics Volume 6: Icarus will always have a special place in my shelf.
RECOMMENDED: 9/10
DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's debut collaboration is one of the best visual experiences I've ever had in New 52 for a Bat-title since Capullo-Miki-FCO brought me Batman: Zero Year, and I'm telling you that there is nothing more thrilling to peruse through than a comic book with such fluidity in the motion of its panels, and this issue has plenty of that to share. I ate up every gorgeous scenery as I read this! I was that hypnotized by the artwork.
For just one night, I was able to read and finish all five issues of Icarus, and my eyes have been seduced and pleasured sufficiently by Manapul and Buccellato because their complimentary visual style had a deftness and vibrancy to it that intimately captures the essence of what Batman has been in the pages of comic books since his conception; a lone shadowy figure lingering across skyscrapers in the dead of night, a creature in the darkness who fights crimes and punishes the cowardly lot who commit them.
A lot of this team's illustrations reminded me of his earlier roots so much, and even more so now because there is a more varied color palette available these days than decades ago when Batman first appeared. It's just a great experience to look at Batman in their depictions and remember with an assaulting clarity why I fell in love with this timeless caped crusader. There is nothing like being reminded about why your first love is your first love to begin with.
It's so easy to neglect sometimes that Batman originally debuted in Detective Comics and that this title is DC's flagship after all. We've been celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight this year and I believe that means we should remember Batman's early days which are elegant in its simplicity. We live in a very technologically advanced world that a great amount of stories I read in Batman comic books these days now reflects what superhero movie franchises are about: gadgets, special effects, entertaining action and some humor in between, and more gadgets. John Layman incorporated lots of eye-candy gadgetry in his sixteen-issued run but this was luckily balanced by his superb storytelling which do emphasize Batman's sleuth skills as oppose to predecessor Tony Daniel's kick-the-shit-out-of-thugs characterization of Batman that was one of the reasons why his issues became an utter failure.
Manapul and Buccaletto's groundwork for their story is reminiscent of old-school Batman in the most flattering sense where we see the Dark Knight rely on his abilities and not merely on his gadgets and that foremost includes his mental acuity.
Manapul and Buccelatto's visual approach in telling this story is quite cinematic in such a way that they omitted narration boxes altogether and allowed Batman's actions in panels to show as oppose to tell the sequence at hand. It's marvelous! There was no need for speech bubbles for readers to understand Batman's process of thinking which is a welcome change for me because comic books after all are supposed to be primarily visual and it's been a while since I've gotten exactly that from a Batman story. I also enjoy the fact that we see him gathering evidence and connecting events using his own reasoning without always relying on machines to give him the answers which most Batman stories often do for a long time now just for the sake of moving things along. I'm happy these two did not take that route and truly put some great effort to make most of sequential storytelling which should be visual more or less. Hey, I love a great dialogue and narrative (Snyder's prose always gets to me) but for a title that emphasizes the 'detective' side of Batman, this is probably the best approach to tell all his cases from now on.
This is Gotham and the darkest hour is all upon us, and yet Manapul and Buccaletto, thankfully enough, are able to depict such an ugly world with their beautiful colors. The only downside, truthfully, is the last issue. It ended with a generic comic-book pay-off that's merely passable in a good day and disappointing at best. It totally defeats the purpose of its conception and development in the first place. But it did not truly diminish it. Icarus is still one of the best things I've read in a Bat-title, and you should still read it. I encourage you. I appeal to your sensibilities even. Who knows, maybe you'll be fine with the ending because that's what it was ultimately: It was FINE.
For a story that unfolded with a great command of its scenery, characters and exposition, it just went out with a whimper (or, in this case, with a series of literal explosions and misplaced action sequences that underhanded its more intimate and intellectual aspects). But that flaw should not undermine your enjoyment for Manapul and Buccaletto's volume. It was unique and daring; it packed a lot of punches. It also brought back a lot of the old-school Batman that we don't experience as often now in New 52, while also innovating the way comic books are illustrated as a sequential storytelling tool. Detective Comics Volume 6: Icarus will always have a special place in my shelf.
RECOMMENDED: 9/10
DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:
October 19, 2020
A Batman arc with some different art and, I think, an change in writers as well. The art and coloration is decent, although pastel shadings, even the somber ones, were an odd but acceptable choice for a Batman book.
Story needs some work, as the motivations are often implied (and when revealed, without drama). I think they are milking the loss-of-a-child-makes-Bruce-more-relatable shtick a bit too far?
Book also contains a story from Batman Annual #3. The editors but it out chronological order and the art, writing and color are horribly disconnected from the rest of the book. Not a problem, except the stories and characters are supposed to match...
Story needs some work, as the motivations are often implied (and when revealed, without drama). I think they are milking the loss-of-a-child-makes-Bruce-more-relatable shtick a bit too far?
Book also contains a story from Batman Annual #3. The editors but it out chronological order and the art, writing and color are horribly disconnected from the rest of the book. Not a problem, except the stories and characters are supposed to match...
July 16, 2016
Icarus is a new drug that is hitting the streets of Gotham. Batman is trying to figure out where it is coming from. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne wants to help a do-gooder build a bunch of free rehab clinics along the harbor. The do-gooder has a drug addled daughter who is a X-games star and a rude, annoying teenager. The Do-Gooder gets murdered on Wayne's property and Detective Bullock suspects Bruce Wayne. Batman finds out who is supplying Icarus, as well as the do-gooder's connection to a time when she wasn't so good after all. The druggie daughter is dating a druggie biker gang prospect- well read the story and you'll figure it out.
This is a good detective story. I got a chance to see Batman look over crime scenes and use analysis to trace the crime. The conflict with Bullock was interesting, even as Batman, since I assumed Bullock was a Batman fan, but I guess not.
The artwork is gorgeous, at least for the first half of the story. The second part is just ok. But still after a lot of piss poor Batman stories I've read recently, this one was good. Not great, but good. I'll take that.
This is a good detective story. I got a chance to see Batman look over crime scenes and use analysis to trace the crime. The conflict with Bullock was interesting, even as Batman, since I assumed Bullock was a Batman fan, but I guess not.
The artwork is gorgeous, at least for the first half of the story. The second part is just ok. But still after a lot of piss poor Batman stories I've read recently, this one was good. Not great, but good. I'll take that.
February 8, 2015
The story probably deserves a 3. But the art, holy shit Manapul!
December 17, 2015
The creative team behind the Flash gets a chance to take over the #2 Batman book of them all...and surprisingly? It's a vast improvement from Vol. 5, John Layman's turgid last effort.
I'm not worried about the drug dealer plot, because every so often you need realism, not crazy assassins and megalomaniacs, just a good old fashioned Biker Gang.
The events I guess take place during Jim Gordon's stay in Blackgate, so we get a solid dose of Harvey Bullock, who I love here, other than being a crAyzee Cat man. He and Bats don't like each other much, but there's a begrudging respect, and Bullock already knows what Icarus can do after losing his partner years back.
The art is wow. Just tremendous. Elevates the book to just under 4 stars.
My favourite story is the new origin of the Calendar Man...turns out Julian Day was hired muscle for a gang, and treated his son like shit. But his son saw things, and was able to help Batman with info...Bats found out Day was physically abusing his young son...
This enraged Bruce, who is still dealing with the loss of his own son Damian, and when on top of it all, Day misses his son's birthday? Well shit son, you get a goddamn Bruce In disguise Beatdown. It warmed my heart to see the soft spot for kids, and saddens me how they still manage to show just how deeply his loss still affects him.
It's after the Beatdown that he tells Day to "buy a calendar" that we see how the Calendar Man will come to be...
I'm not worried about the drug dealer plot, because every so often you need realism, not crazy assassins and megalomaniacs, just a good old fashioned Biker Gang.
The events I guess take place during Jim Gordon's stay in Blackgate, so we get a solid dose of Harvey Bullock, who I love here, other than being a crAyzee Cat man. He and Bats don't like each other much, but there's a begrudging respect, and Bullock already knows what Icarus can do after losing his partner years back.
The art is wow. Just tremendous. Elevates the book to just under 4 stars.
My favourite story is the new origin of the Calendar Man...turns out Julian Day was hired muscle for a gang, and treated his son like shit. But his son saw things, and was able to help Batman with info...Bats found out Day was physically abusing his young son...
This enraged Bruce, who is still dealing with the loss of his own son Damian, and when on top of it all, Day misses his son's birthday? Well shit son, you get a goddamn Bruce In disguise Beatdown. It warmed my heart to see the soft spot for kids, and saddens me how they still manage to show just how deeply his loss still affects him.
It's after the Beatdown that he tells Day to "buy a calendar" that we see how the Calendar Man will come to be...
December 3, 2018
DCU freashly out of New 52, just after Damian died in Batman Inc before Batman: Superheavy.
It was nice. Nice detective work, good bussiness man Bruce Wayne and Bullock and criminal underworld use. The art was fine. The metahuman who the criminal underworld gang used to produce the Icarus drug, what happened to him, idk... i mean Batman came in his mecha armor and punched him, and that was it.. Did he die ? or taken under custody or something... ? Other than this, it was fine. Even if the metahuman and the short bits of the two different armor Batman use, it felt street level enough. Nice work.
I would love to see Bullock's cats become a thing btw. I love cats.
It was nice. Nice detective work, good bussiness man Bruce Wayne and Bullock and criminal underworld use. The art was fine. The metahuman who the criminal underworld gang used to produce the Icarus drug, what happened to him, idk... i mean Batman came in his mecha armor and punched him, and that was it.. Did he die ? or taken under custody or something... ? Other than this, it was fine. Even if the metahuman and the short bits of the two different armor Batman use, it felt street level enough. Nice work.
I would love to see Bullock's cats become a thing btw. I love cats.
May 17, 2015
Batman goes back to being a detective, which is great considering that the book series is called "Detective Comics". That being said, it was incredibly dark, and the amount of blood that Harvey Bullock lost bordered on the physically impossible.
October 20, 2015
Lovely art but the storytelling felt discombobulated, at one point I stopped to double-check I hadn't skipped or missed a volume. Overall, I'm not disappointed to have read it, but think it's the weakest of the Detective Comics series.
PS Drugs are bad, especially drugs named after ancient Greeks.
PS Drugs are bad, especially drugs named after ancient Greeks.
June 5, 2015
I wanted to give this 3 stars but the writing just kept getting worse. I didn't mind the art and I think the colorist did awesome work but the story itself just wasn't great.
July 22, 2015
This was an interesting series. Has its moments and the art is good at times. Good Batman series Or at least, some I read so far. Good volume.
October 25, 2019
Detective Comics: Icarus picks up where the previous volume left off and collecting the next five issues (Detective Comics #30–34) of the 2011 on-going series with Detective Comic Annual #3 and mainly collects two stories: "Icarus" and "Icarus: Chaos Theory".
"Icarus" is a four-issue storyline (Detective Comics #30–33) with a conclusion (Detective Comics #34) and a tie-in story in Detective Comics Annual #3 and has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on the Squid (Lawrence Loman), who is a drug lord, who is spreading the drug: Icarus through the streets of Chinatown.
Brian Buccellato penned the entire trade paperback with Francis Manapul co-writing the core issues of the story (Detective Comics #30–34). For the most part, it was written somewhat well. While I appreciate the central theme of the trade paperback – it was rather underwhelming. Batman takes on a drug ring and while the narrative is complex – it stars villains that are rather minor or recently created.
Francis Manapul (Detective Comics #30–34), Werther Dell’Edera, Jorge Fornés, and Scott Hepburn Jason Fabok (Detective Comics Annual #3) are the pencilers of the trade paperback. With the exception of the annual, there was basically one penciler. Since Manapal was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well and for the most part, I enjoyed his penciling style.
All in all, Detective Comics: Icarus is a somewhat good continuation to what would hopefully be an equally wonderful series.
"Icarus" is a four-issue storyline (Detective Comics #30–33) with a conclusion (Detective Comics #34) and a tie-in story in Detective Comics Annual #3 and has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on the Squid (Lawrence Loman), who is a drug lord, who is spreading the drug: Icarus through the streets of Chinatown.
Brian Buccellato penned the entire trade paperback with Francis Manapul co-writing the core issues of the story (Detective Comics #30–34). For the most part, it was written somewhat well. While I appreciate the central theme of the trade paperback – it was rather underwhelming. Batman takes on a drug ring and while the narrative is complex – it stars villains that are rather minor or recently created.
Francis Manapul (Detective Comics #30–34), Werther Dell’Edera, Jorge Fornés, and Scott Hepburn Jason Fabok (Detective Comics Annual #3) are the pencilers of the trade paperback. With the exception of the annual, there was basically one penciler. Since Manapal was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well and for the most part, I enjoyed his penciling style.
All in all, Detective Comics: Icarus is a somewhat good continuation to what would hopefully be an equally wonderful series.
April 17, 2019
The art is amazing! AMAZING! AND there's a literal squid in this, plus Harvey Bullock's soft, cat-owning sides comes out a little. It is nice getting the Bullock-Batman dynamic a bit as we are so used to the Gordon-Batman one. I also like the overarching Batman-as-dad theme throughout. There's still a lot of grief from Damian, which is brought up throughout, but there are also just parts about parenting and kids and family. Batman's reaction to those things is more emotional because of what recently happened.
However, Batman fights drugs and gangs is tired and although the drug of choice is much more comic-booky than say, meth, it's still just Batman fights drugs and gangs.
However, Batman fights drugs and gangs is tired and although the drug of choice is much more comic-booky than say, meth, it's still just Batman fights drugs and gangs.
May 17, 2025
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 6: Icarus
When a new business associate overdoses at Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne is the main suspect. Batman must identify who has framed him and get the lethal drug and it's dealers off the streets.
A fabulous collection. The idea of Bullock leading by example shows how well this iteration of the character has been developed and the story of an abused child reminds us how much Damian's death haunts his father.
When a new business associate overdoses at Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne is the main suspect. Batman must identify who has framed him and get the lethal drug and it's dealers off the streets.
A fabulous collection. The idea of Bullock leading by example shows how well this iteration of the character has been developed and the story of an abused child reminds us how much Damian's death haunts his father.
June 17, 2018
Not a fan of the art in the flashback sequences.
January 1, 2025
Overall just great drug story set in Gotham that doesn’t have a lot of popular Batman villains involved but does a great job at showing off Harvey Bullock.
June 8, 2015
I think the artwork, with exception to the final issue in this collection(the annual I believe) is the best part of this volume. While it's not a bad story, nor an un-interesting story. It's just an okay Batman story to me. Solid, but not overly memorable. I will say the friction, or dynamics between Bullock and Batman was good. The artwork is great and I really enjoyed that aspect of this collection.
I received an advanced copy of this from Netgalley.com and the publisher.
I received an advanced copy of this from Netgalley.com and the publisher.
February 19, 2016
This ... This just wasn't good. It starts with a lot of promise but at some point it gets so convoluted that you feel like you're just reading it to finish.
Your villains are drugs, gangs and a squid.
Your reason for reading is because you're invested in Batman.
After its finished you say, "Shit. That was bloody terrible. There's no meat here. Even the veggies sucked."
The artwork is the most redeeming quality of this set. I'm honestly afraid of opening up volume 7 at this rate.
Your villains are drugs, gangs and a squid.
Your reason for reading is because you're invested in Batman.
After its finished you say, "Shit. That was bloody terrible. There's no meat here. Even the veggies sucked."
The artwork is the most redeeming quality of this set. I'm honestly afraid of opening up volume 7 at this rate.
October 18, 2015
A very solid book. The story is decent enough, proving you don't need huge villains to pull off a Batman arc, even though it ends in a bit of a mess. The annual is an odd duck, and doesn't fit in that well with the rest of it. But the art. Oh man, the art. It's breathtaking, and oftentimes feels like a 3D movie.
July 4, 2023
We get an updated version of The Squid, one of the villains from the early 80s Batman comics. The story is decent but gets confusing at times. The art, however, was really good. It was a new look for the title and very well done. Not a bad volume, looking forward to more from this creative team.
January 21, 2016
Batman the pinnacle of morality and justness would like you to know that if you do drugs you will implode and turn to cinders. Like a candle in the wind... mmmkay.
March 23, 2021
The art in the first 2/3rd is incredible. Unfortunately the story never rose to any heights to come close to the art.
March 16, 2020
Mam niemały zgryz, bowiem po duecie Manapul - Buccellato spodziewałem się dwóch rzeczy. Że będzie wyglądało fantastycznie i fabularnie mocno średnio. I w sumie trafiłem w sedno, choć fabularnie nie było tak nijak, jak się spodziewałem. W serii New 52 wspomniany duet zrobił już mały run dotyczący przygód Flasha i nie był wprawdzie zły, ale nie wybijał się fabułą ponad to co widzieliśmy.
Przeglądając stronicę szóstego już tomu Detective Comics można się dać łatwo zauroczyć. Kreska jest fantastyczna, kolory wręcz bajeczne. Nie mogłem się nadziwić, jak jaskrawe kolory, gdzie w wielu miejscach króluje róż, mogą pasować do postaci jaką jest Mroczny Rycerz. A jednak da się. Wystrzały, wybuchy, efekty towarzyszące bójkom. Matko jedyna, chyba w najbliższym czasie nie będę widział niczego lepszego. Naprawdę. A trudno mnie zaskoczyć.
Tym bardziej, że w kwestia całego zamieszania fabularnego też okazała się sprawą wartą poświęcenia uwagi, mimo iż nie jest ona zbytnio skomplikowana. Na ulice wraca narkotyk, potocznie nazywany Ikarem. Jest on dość specyficzny, bowiem działa jak tzw. "Krokodyl". Wymieniony, istniejący narkotyk wyniszcza użytkownika tak, że skóra odchodzi od ciała. Ikar zaś pali. Dosłownie. Ćpun staje w ogniu i dostaje kopa, ale kosztem jest jego życie. Niezbyt to dochodowe dla dystrybutora tego specyfiku...
Elena Aguila, działaczka społeczna wokół której początkowo kręci się fabuła, to anioł nie kobieta. Poznajemy ją w momencie, gdy namawia Bruce'a podczas występu motocyklowego własnej córki do bezinteresownego i mało rentownego poświęcenia masy pieniędzy. Czyn ten ma się jednak przysłużyć lokalnej wspólnocie i pomóc w walce z przestępczością poprzez zagospodarowanie tzw. Wschodniego Wybrzeża. Tyle, że kilka osób sobie tego nie życzy, w tym wpływowi politycy i kilka gangów. Kobieta ginie na wskutek przedawkowania Ikara, tyle że na wycieraczce drzwi frontowych domu Wayne'ów. Inspektor Bullock zaczyna podejrzewać multimiliardera o jakąś tajemnicę i udział w tragedii, a nawet o czerpanie ze sprzedaży narkotyków zysku.
Zaczyna się więc swoista gra w kotka i myszkę, którą podejmuje Batman, ale musi się wyrobić zanim jego dzienna przykrywka trafi do więzienia. Śledztwo nad zamordowaną kobietą prowadzi kilka stron, przez co prędzej czy później wszelkie nitki doprowadzą bohaterów w jedno miejsce. Zaskoczył mnie wątek Bullocka ponieważ jako jedyny doczekał się tutaj jakiegoś porządnego pogłębienia swojego charakteru i w sumie da się lubić tą postać, nawet mimo kilku uproszczeń. Postać Annie choć niewątpliwie mająca potencjał, nie została jednak należycie wykorzystana.
Całość jest przewidywalna, choć to mi akurat nie przeszkadzało, bo jest sprawnie poprowadzona, choć nie obyło się bez kilku zgrzytów. To z czego pozyskiwali narkotyk i jak się całość rozwinęła. NO I TA KAŁAMARNICA. Serio? Czemu? Annual podobał mi się. Batman ma własne problemy i musi sobie z nimi radzić (strata syna), a drogą do wewnętrznego spokoju w jego przypadku jest zdecydowanie działanie. Dlatego też chęć pomocy pewnemu chłopcu jest zrozumiała i zaskakująco dobra (kreską nieco odstaje, ale fabularnie jest fajniej, coś za coś).
Po takim sobie Tony S. Danielu, nieco lepszym Layman'ie, przyszła pora na odświeżenie i jest ono widoczne, choć mam nadzieję, że nie chwilowe. Nie jest to historia najwyższych lotów, ale nie odstrasza jak nieco siermiężne wcześniejsze tomy (poza trzecim). Mniej tutaj zabawy w detektywa, do czego przecież zobowiązuje tytuł, ale akcji zaserwowano nam aż nadto. No i jestem ciekaw jak poprowadzą wątek z literką A w kolejnym tomie... Mocne 3.5/5, naciągnięte.
Przeglądając stronicę szóstego już tomu Detective Comics można się dać łatwo zauroczyć. Kreska jest fantastyczna, kolory wręcz bajeczne. Nie mogłem się nadziwić, jak jaskrawe kolory, gdzie w wielu miejscach króluje róż, mogą pasować do postaci jaką jest Mroczny Rycerz. A jednak da się. Wystrzały, wybuchy, efekty towarzyszące bójkom. Matko jedyna, chyba w najbliższym czasie nie będę widział niczego lepszego. Naprawdę. A trudno mnie zaskoczyć.
Tym bardziej, że w kwestia całego zamieszania fabularnego też okazała się sprawą wartą poświęcenia uwagi, mimo iż nie jest ona zbytnio skomplikowana. Na ulice wraca narkotyk, potocznie nazywany Ikarem. Jest on dość specyficzny, bowiem działa jak tzw. "Krokodyl". Wymieniony, istniejący narkotyk wyniszcza użytkownika tak, że skóra odchodzi od ciała. Ikar zaś pali. Dosłownie. Ćpun staje w ogniu i dostaje kopa, ale kosztem jest jego życie. Niezbyt to dochodowe dla dystrybutora tego specyfiku...
Elena Aguila, działaczka społeczna wokół której początkowo kręci się fabuła, to anioł nie kobieta. Poznajemy ją w momencie, gdy namawia Bruce'a podczas występu motocyklowego własnej córki do bezinteresownego i mało rentownego poświęcenia masy pieniędzy. Czyn ten ma się jednak przysłużyć lokalnej wspólnocie i pomóc w walce z przestępczością poprzez zagospodarowanie tzw. Wschodniego Wybrzeża. Tyle, że kilka osób sobie tego nie życzy, w tym wpływowi politycy i kilka gangów. Kobieta ginie na wskutek przedawkowania Ikara, tyle że na wycieraczce drzwi frontowych domu Wayne'ów. Inspektor Bullock zaczyna podejrzewać multimiliardera o jakąś tajemnicę i udział w tragedii, a nawet o czerpanie ze sprzedaży narkotyków zysku.
Zaczyna się więc swoista gra w kotka i myszkę, którą podejmuje Batman, ale musi się wyrobić zanim jego dzienna przykrywka trafi do więzienia. Śledztwo nad zamordowaną kobietą prowadzi kilka stron, przez co prędzej czy później wszelkie nitki doprowadzą bohaterów w jedno miejsce. Zaskoczył mnie wątek Bullocka ponieważ jako jedyny doczekał się tutaj jakiegoś porządnego pogłębienia swojego charakteru i w sumie da się lubić tą postać, nawet mimo kilku uproszczeń. Postać Annie choć niewątpliwie mająca potencjał, nie została jednak należycie wykorzystana.
Całość jest przewidywalna, choć to mi akurat nie przeszkadzało, bo jest sprawnie poprowadzona, choć nie obyło się bez kilku zgrzytów. To z czego pozyskiwali narkotyk i jak się całość rozwinęła. NO I TA KAŁAMARNICA. Serio? Czemu? Annual podobał mi się. Batman ma własne problemy i musi sobie z nimi radzić (strata syna), a drogą do wewnętrznego spokoju w jego przypadku jest zdecydowanie działanie. Dlatego też chęć pomocy pewnemu chłopcu jest zrozumiała i zaskakująco dobra (kreską nieco odstaje, ale fabularnie jest fajniej, coś za coś).
Po takim sobie Tony S. Danielu, nieco lepszym Layman'ie, przyszła pora na odświeżenie i jest ono widoczne, choć mam nadzieję, że nie chwilowe. Nie jest to historia najwyższych lotów, ale nie odstrasza jak nieco siermiężne wcześniejsze tomy (poza trzecim). Mniej tutaj zabawy w detektywa, do czego przecież zobowiązuje tytuł, ale akcji zaserwowano nam aż nadto. No i jestem ciekaw jak poprowadzą wątek z literką A w kolejnym tomie... Mocne 3.5/5, naciągnięte.
July 23, 2023
While not precisely breaking any new grounds (literally, in the plot sense, or figuratively in the gneral review sense), there is a lot of promise in this book that I didn't feel during Layman's tenure on the title. Part of it is, of course, the art. There has been nothing wrong with Detective's art during any portion of the New 52 era but Manapaul's art and Brian Buccellato's colors are perfect here. I love the panel breaks. There are at least a couple times where there are full single page spreads of Batman looking over the city while the right hand pages show the plot advancing, giving the impression that batman sees all, even though he is nowhere near the action of the right hand page.
The art is five stars. Easily, the most aware I've been of how good Bat-adjacent art has been since Greg Rucka and JH Williams's superlative run of Batwoman: Elegy.
There's a perfect small panel in the first issue where a character mentions how Bruce will raise his son, who died in a previous book but whose death has been kept a secret from the rest of the world. With just a single look at nothing, Manapaul expresses more emotion than was in the entire book where his son actually died.
The writing is okay. It starts off very much exposition heavy, with each character describing the plot and their motivations to each other rather than having conversations. But by the end, there are some back and forths between Batman and Harvey Bullock that flow just as easily as any of their interactions in The Animated Series.
While the "drugs are bad" and "strong female woman is murdered in front of Batman who must now vow revenge" tropes are super tired, they were at least new drugs and new characters, which is a bit refreshing since a lot of the New 52 storylines have just been complete retreads of previous Batman stories.
I've been slowly putting together a fun continuity of the best Batman stories, including some that aren't heavily revered, for some friends, and I spent a while considering whether or not to include it. While I ended up deciding not to, it was more consideration time than I'd given to any of the New 52 batbooks aside from the main title and Nightwing.
If you want gorgeous art and a book where you don't run into any of the main Bat-rogues, definitely give this book a look.
The art is five stars. Easily, the most aware I've been of how good Bat-adjacent art has been since Greg Rucka and JH Williams's superlative run of Batwoman: Elegy.
There's a perfect small panel in the first issue where a character mentions how Bruce will raise his son, who died in a previous book but whose death has been kept a secret from the rest of the world. With just a single look at nothing, Manapaul expresses more emotion than was in the entire book where his son actually died.
The writing is okay. It starts off very much exposition heavy, with each character describing the plot and their motivations to each other rather than having conversations. But by the end, there are some back and forths between Batman and Harvey Bullock that flow just as easily as any of their interactions in The Animated Series.
While the "drugs are bad" and "strong female woman is murdered in front of Batman who must now vow revenge" tropes are super tired, they were at least new drugs and new characters, which is a bit refreshing since a lot of the New 52 storylines have just been complete retreads of previous Batman stories.
I've been slowly putting together a fun continuity of the best Batman stories, including some that aren't heavily revered, for some friends, and I spent a while considering whether or not to include it. While I ended up deciding not to, it was more consideration time than I'd given to any of the New 52 batbooks aside from the main title and Nightwing.
If you want gorgeous art and a book where you don't run into any of the main Bat-rogues, definitely give this book a look.
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