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Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition
Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition, Book 2
This latest Rebirth Deluxe Edition features two of the most critically acclaimed arcs in the Dark Knight’s history in hardcover for the first time in Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2.
Batman’s newest allies both have histories they’d rather forget, but when figures from their respective secret origins appear in Gotham, will Cassandra Cain and Azrael be able to keep their pasts from destroying their present lives?
When the League of Shadows—led by Cassandra’s mother, the deadly Lady Shiva—comes to take down the team and bring Cassandra home, Orphan must weigh the life that was planned for her against the new path she’s forging for herself. But what place can society ever have for someone with her violent pedigree?
Then, Azrael’s former masters, the Order of St. Dumas, send the perfect assassin—an artificial intelligence named Ascalon—to hunt their ex-disciple and all who stand with him. Batman and Zatanna need the power of a mystical artifact called the God Machine to turn the tide, but will the Machine’s promise of absolute power corrupt even the World’s Greatest Detective?
Collecting issues #950-962 in hardcover for the first time, Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2 features Batman’s new recruits in a trial by fire from an all-star team led by writer James Tynion IV (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dark Days: The Forge) and artists Alvaro Martinez (Batman Eternal) and Marcio Takara (Nightwing)!
Batman’s newest allies both have histories they’d rather forget, but when figures from their respective secret origins appear in Gotham, will Cassandra Cain and Azrael be able to keep their pasts from destroying their present lives?
When the League of Shadows—led by Cassandra’s mother, the deadly Lady Shiva—comes to take down the team and bring Cassandra home, Orphan must weigh the life that was planned for her against the new path she’s forging for herself. But what place can society ever have for someone with her violent pedigree?
Then, Azrael’s former masters, the Order of St. Dumas, send the perfect assassin—an artificial intelligence named Ascalon—to hunt their ex-disciple and all who stand with him. Batman and Zatanna need the power of a mystical artifact called the God Machine to turn the tide, but will the Machine’s promise of absolute power corrupt even the World’s Greatest Detective?
Collecting issues #950-962 in hardcover for the first time, Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2 features Batman’s new recruits in a trial by fire from an all-star team led by writer James Tynion IV (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dark Days: The Forge) and artists Alvaro Martinez (Batman Eternal) and Marcio Takara (Nightwing)!
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2018
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,696 books2,222 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 30, 2019
My only feeling upon completing this tome is relief. Relief it's over.
So many characters, so much saving the world from malignant AI the exact same way superheroes always do it- punching a robot with a magic "malware" fist.
As for Batman, he's barely a supporting character in his own title here. Which is great if you came for Orphan, Clayface, Batwoman, Batwing, Spoiler or Azrael. Not so much if you were hoping to see much Batman-ing in honour of the character's 80th anniversary last month.
I frankly probably would've even rated it a 2-star read if it hadn't been for the refreshing and endearing inclusion of my absolute fave-in-fishnets character, Zatanna. (Sorry Black Canary fans).
Honestly, there's probably better ways to get your fix of the Dark Knight out there.
So many characters, so much saving the world from malignant AI the exact same way superheroes always do it- punching a robot with a magic "malware" fist.
As for Batman, he's barely a supporting character in his own title here. Which is great if you came for Orphan, Clayface, Batwoman, Batwing, Spoiler or Azrael. Not so much if you were hoping to see much Batman-ing in honour of the character's 80th anniversary last month.
I frankly probably would've even rated it a 2-star read if it hadn't been for the refreshing and endearing inclusion of my absolute fave-in-fishnets character, Zatanna. (Sorry Black Canary fans).
Honestly, there's probably better ways to get your fix of the Dark Knight out there.
November 29, 2019
A two-part tale - Cassandra Cain meets her evil mother and the history of Azrael comes to light.
Great artwork and a very good story to good dialogue.
MY GRADE: B plus.
Great artwork and a very good story to good dialogue.
MY GRADE: B plus.
June 5, 2018
Really enjoyed Azrael being back in the comics as I've enjoyed him as an interesting character. The story focusing on him and Zatanna was the best part of the book for me though I am enjoying Cain and Clay Face's storyline's as well.
September 19, 2020
For some reason I just haven't been able to get into Batman and Detective Comics for the last several years. Even going back to the New 52 I've found these titles to be hit and miss. I think I just have such high expectations for Batman stories that if they aren't great I feel let down.
This volume has two storylines. The first is the League of Shadows and deals with the origin of Batgirl aka Cassandra Cain. Lady Shiva shows up as well as Ra's Al Ghul.
Then we have blast from the past when the Order of St. Dumas shows up to antagonize Azrael. The order has been taken over by a group of radical members who have created a robotic Azrael to enforce their new, even nuttier agenda.Nomoz shows up from the old 90s Azrael series. I had completely forgotten about this guy, but he's a cool character. Too bad he...well, no spoilers here. We do get appearances by Zatana, which are always great. Gotta love those fishnets!
The art is the volume is good, but the stories just seem a little overdone. I think sometimes the creators feel like a Batman story needs to be epic or it won't work, but the truth is the smaller, more grounded Batman stories tend to work best.
I wouldn't say this was bad, or even mediocre. It just feels like it could be so much better.
This volume has two storylines. The first is the League of Shadows and deals with the origin of Batgirl aka Cassandra Cain. Lady Shiva shows up as well as Ra's Al Ghul.
Then we have blast from the past when the Order of St. Dumas shows up to antagonize Azrael. The order has been taken over by a group of radical members who have created a robotic Azrael to enforce their new, even nuttier agenda.Nomoz shows up from the old 90s Azrael series. I had completely forgotten about this guy, but he's a cool character. Too bad he...well, no spoilers here. We do get appearances by Zatana, which are always great. Gotta love those fishnets!
The art is the volume is good, but the stories just seem a little overdone. I think sometimes the creators feel like a Batman story needs to be epic or it won't work, but the truth is the smaller, more grounded Batman stories tend to work best.
I wouldn't say this was bad, or even mediocre. It just feels like it could be so much better.
January 31, 2024
Tynion and the talented artists working with him really did some fun stuff in this second of four volumes. I miss Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown, the main reason I started reading this book, but the exploration of Azrael and Batwing, a truly epic showdown between Orphan and the League of Shadows, and a really great turn by Zatanna made this a fun ride.
November 27, 2019
I've already made note of the fact that I've been reading the "DC Rebirth" Detective Comics collections because it was a re-introduction to the Batwoman character in the lead up to her returning to her own book, but after reading The Victim Syndicate arc, I decided to keep reading as lead writer James Tynion IV had impressed me with Batman and his army of heroes. Since I have an inclination to read "deluxe" editions and omnibuses as opposed to individual comics, I moved to the "deluxe" edition, vol. 2 of Tynion's Detective Comics run.
Even though The Victim Syndicate contained a side arc called "Batwoman Begins" that ostensibly was the launching point for Marguerite Bennett's Batwoman title, Batwoman has been a vital part of Tynion's Bat-team (for lack of a better term) and since Rise of the Batmen feeds directly into the narrative of the first arc in this collection, Tynion still has Batwoman as a core member of the team even if she did move on to her own book. However, the real focus in this first arc is Cassandra Cain (Orphan), whose mother, Lady Shiva, is the primary antagonist of the arc. One of the things I have enjoyed about Tynion's run to date is that he goes to great lengths to feature different members of Batman's team in each arc (the following arc features the one time Batman replacement Azrael--more on that in a moment) and yet is somehow able to do this without Batman totally overshadowing the members of the team, especially the character that is the focus of that arc. Having seen many a Batgirl story arc overshadowed by Batman, I think this is a more difficult proposition than one can imagine. And yet time and again Tynion accomplishes it. I think that is why I kept his run, even after Batwoman got her own book back.
Let's go back to that Azrael thing for a second. Azrael, having been associated with Knightfall which was one of those mid-90s attempts to "revise" Batman (along with Superman's "death, Hal Jordan becoming Parallax, etc. it was a messy time for "classic" superheroes), probably inspires mixed feelings in readership that probably came to the conclusion that they didn't want a Batman that wasn't Bruce Wayne. But Tynion is so good at handling this character that there is a moment (which I will leave for you to see yourself) that is so well done, it actually has me pondering reading Knightfall again.
When given the freedom to do what he wants, Tynion has been delivering with this run on Detective Comics. There are revelations in this volume that build on previous story arcs, and I'm interested to see where that goes. Also, kudos to Tynion to making the seriously underrated Zatanna a big part of the second arc of this volume and linking it to the previous arc in an interesting way. The idea that Batman wouldn't let any possible skill that he felt could give him an advantage had him cross the paths of Zatara and Zatanna in his pre-Batman days is so obvious, and yet could be handled so poorly. That is not the case here and this is some of the best Batman related stuff out there.
Even though The Victim Syndicate contained a side arc called "Batwoman Begins" that ostensibly was the launching point for Marguerite Bennett's Batwoman title, Batwoman has been a vital part of Tynion's Bat-team (for lack of a better term) and since Rise of the Batmen feeds directly into the narrative of the first arc in this collection, Tynion still has Batwoman as a core member of the team even if she did move on to her own book. However, the real focus in this first arc is Cassandra Cain (Orphan), whose mother, Lady Shiva, is the primary antagonist of the arc. One of the things I have enjoyed about Tynion's run to date is that he goes to great lengths to feature different members of Batman's team in each arc (the following arc features the one time Batman replacement Azrael--more on that in a moment) and yet is somehow able to do this without Batman totally overshadowing the members of the team, especially the character that is the focus of that arc. Having seen many a Batgirl story arc overshadowed by Batman, I think this is a more difficult proposition than one can imagine. And yet time and again Tynion accomplishes it. I think that is why I kept his run, even after Batwoman got her own book back.
Let's go back to that Azrael thing for a second. Azrael, having been associated with Knightfall which was one of those mid-90s attempts to "revise" Batman (along with Superman's "death, Hal Jordan becoming Parallax, etc. it was a messy time for "classic" superheroes), probably inspires mixed feelings in readership that probably came to the conclusion that they didn't want a Batman that wasn't Bruce Wayne. But Tynion is so good at handling this character that there is a moment (which I will leave for you to see yourself) that is so well done, it actually has me pondering reading Knightfall again.
When given the freedom to do what he wants, Tynion has been delivering with this run on Detective Comics. There are revelations in this volume that build on previous story arcs, and I'm interested to see where that goes. Also, kudos to Tynion to making the seriously underrated Zatanna a big part of the second arc of this volume and linking it to the previous arc in an interesting way. The idea that Batman wouldn't let any possible skill that he felt could give him an advantage had him cross the paths of Zatara and Zatanna in his pre-Batman days is so obvious, and yet could be handled so poorly. That is not the case here and this is some of the best Batman related stuff out there.
October 27, 2019
I dig Azrael being apart of this team Tynion has built but at the same time it sort of disappoints me. Azrael was so awesome in the Knightfall run taking over from Batman when he was broken by Bane. Any story I’ve read with him in it since hasn’t been as good or as impactful for me.
As for the trades in this volume. The first one is an easy 2/5 stars for me. I loved Cass Cain’s angle in it but it is so hard to build meaningful development with a character who can’t talk so 6 issues of it became a little long in the tooth. As for the second one, 3/5 for me. I loved the little Zatanna flashback and the Azrael story was mostly tidy other than the disappointment of the lack of impact this story had.
Im really digging his DC run from Tynion but there’s things in it that make me think ‘why?’. Like for me, Steph and Tim were the most interesting characters of the squad and they’re ousted almost immediately after the first trade which makes the whole team vibe suffer as a result. It’s hard to make orange juice out of apples and it seems like that’s what they’re trying to do. Not to say that Kate Kane and Cass Cain are bad characters because I like both of them. I just don’t think they’re half as interesting as the characters they inexplicably nixed
As for the trades in this volume. The first one is an easy 2/5 stars for me. I loved Cass Cain’s angle in it but it is so hard to build meaningful development with a character who can’t talk so 6 issues of it became a little long in the tooth. As for the second one, 3/5 for me. I loved the little Zatanna flashback and the Azrael story was mostly tidy other than the disappointment of the lack of impact this story had.
Im really digging his DC run from Tynion but there’s things in it that make me think ‘why?’. Like for me, Steph and Tim were the most interesting characters of the squad and they’re ousted almost immediately after the first trade which makes the whole team vibe suffer as a result. It’s hard to make orange juice out of apples and it seems like that’s what they’re trying to do. Not to say that Kate Kane and Cass Cain are bad characters because I like both of them. I just don’t think they’re half as interesting as the characters they inexplicably nixed
May 31, 2021
So far, I think I actually prefer the storylines in the Rebirth Detective Comics over the self-titled Batman Rebirth book.
Tynion builds a great team book in the Batman line that has great character moments and development with a good mixture of drama and humor.
These two arcs have a ton of action and Tynion works to bridge the pre-New 52 DC world to the current status quo quite well here. (At least in the opinion of this more novice DC reader.) The nod to the iconic mecha-bat suit from Knightfall was a fun, surprising callback, too.
The art is fairly strong throughout, fairly standard house style with some interesting layouts that play with the medium and page a bit.
Detective Comics Rebirth continues to be a strong entry into the line for me.
Tynion builds a great team book in the Batman line that has great character moments and development with a good mixture of drama and humor.
These two arcs have a ton of action and Tynion works to bridge the pre-New 52 DC world to the current status quo quite well here. (At least in the opinion of this more novice DC reader.) The nod to the iconic mecha-bat suit from Knightfall was a fun, surprising callback, too.
The art is fairly strong throughout, fairly standard house style with some interesting layouts that play with the medium and page a bit.
Detective Comics Rebirth continues to be a strong entry into the line for me.
September 2, 2018
The second hardcover of James Tynion's Dectective Comics run continues the quality established from the first while continuing to effectively develop the ensemble cast. This book has done an excellent job of distinguishing itself from Tom King's Batman while continuing to tell engaging and well developed stories. I really enjoy seeing characters like Orphan, Batwoman, Batwing, and Clayface interact. Each character has been able to get some solid development within the broader narrative arc. This book really demonstrates the joy of mainstream superhero comics with effective plotting, beautiful artwork and exciting action.
August 25, 2020
A very interesting follow up to Book 1. I felt that "The League of Shadows" story was missing something, a better explanation as to what the League actually was, might have helped. Overall though it was still a nice look at Cassandra Cain's character. And I especially had a geek out moment when Ra's hinted at Zatanna!?
"Intelligence" was the stronger of the stories, that looked at Zatanna and Bruce's relationship while also focusing on a more modern telling of Azeral's character. The best part being when Luke Fox reveals the Knightfall suit!
Having read King's Batman and Tynion's Batman, I feel that Tynion is doing a far better job at humanizing the character than King has.
"Intelligence" was the stronger of the stories, that looked at Zatanna and Bruce's relationship while also focusing on a more modern telling of Azeral's character. The best part being when Luke Fox reveals the Knightfall suit!
Having read King's Batman and Tynion's Batman, I feel that Tynion is doing a far better job at humanizing the character than King has.
May 22, 2019
I really enjoy the team aspect of this series, particularly the development of certain characters: Spoiler’s personal crusade, Clayface helping Orphan learn to express herself through Shakespeare, the friendship between Batman and Zatanna. The superhuman talents of these ostensibly unpowered vigilantes and the absurd escalating power levels of the threats they face are harder to take. My willing suspension of disbelief is quite strained. I would enjoy more detective work and down-to-earth heroing with my street vigilantes and their entertaining team dynamics.
November 4, 2018
Superb story with lots of action. I am goanna have to reread Red Hood and start Nightwing after this, since they all seam connected. I feel like this is completely unrelated to Batman, wich bugs me a bit cause come on, they are both Batman... But, other than that, really good and I like where the story is going.
May 17, 2021
Really into these two arcs. We're talkin' League of Shadow Assassins and AI for the Lord and both I enjoyed. Focusing on different characters in the Batmen army, but all of them were around for interesting storylines.
Also, big fan of Clayface in this series! He's become so interesting and a nice journey!
Also, big fan of Clayface in this series! He's become so interesting and a nice journey!
May 16, 2019
Liked better than Vol 1 (by quite a bit). The first arc highlights Orphan/Cassandra Cain and the second Azrael, both have moments but I found the second to be better (I just came off of Knightfall, though). The Spoiler issue is good but could have been much better.
May 21, 2020
A decent, but not amazing addition to detective comics. I love Cass and her storyline with Shiva, and Clayface's growth is heartwarming. I got pretty bored with the Azrael storyline, as religion doesn't interest me and I only vaguely remember Azrael as an abusive batman/ partner to Tim.
May 28, 2018
I really enjoyed this, especially the second half with Zatanna and Azrael.
September 1, 2018
This was GOOD. Far less cringe than the first collection, and a more consistent storyline throughout.
The art was better too.
The art was better too.
November 8, 2018
It was an amazing read. Detective comics has not let me down yet.
December 21, 2020
This is one of the better sets of stories by Tynion. But not the best Batman I have read this year. Still the first half was good the second was okay. I would read the next one
January 31, 2021
Unfortunately a very forgetful book. I read it in the course of 12 days and have already forgotten most of what has happened in it.
September 10, 2022
Who knew Azrael and Luke would be a thing that i would love??
July 24, 2018
For a comic called detective comics theres almost no detective work done in this. I dont mind large scale threats and big team up books but this collection is nothing but that. Its exhausting to read, way too many characters, not too focused and it begins juggling too much.
This book could benefit from having a smaller scale and more personal arc for more of it. Something like breaking the team into a much smaller group as a result of the major arc then focusing on that smaller group's pain, growth and reaction when dealing with a more personal threat would have been much better.
The art is still pretty great, dialogue is ok. It's just exhausting and so large scale that it becomes boring and exhausting to read.
This book could benefit from having a smaller scale and more personal arc for more of it. Something like breaking the team into a much smaller group as a result of the major arc then focusing on that smaller group's pain, growth and reaction when dealing with a more personal threat would have been much better.
The art is still pretty great, dialogue is ok. It's just exhausting and so large scale that it becomes boring and exhausting to read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews