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Batman: The Dark Knight Detective #2
Batman: The Dark Knight Detective, Vol. 2
The streets of Gotham City seemingly get darker and more twisted as each night passes over the city, if it weren’t for the one beacon of hope fighting against the darkness—Batman. With a never-ending stream of villains stalking the city, can the Dark Knight hold the darkness back?
While the Ventriloquist is peddling a new designer drug called Fever, Batman sets his sights on cleaning up the streets and silencing the gangster’s dummy. As the fever breaks, rats swarm out of the sewers, marching to the commands of the mysterious Ratcatcher. Plus, can the Dark Knight survive the touch of the villainous Corrosive Man?
Writers Alan Grant (Batman: Shadow of the Bat) and John Wagner (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight) and legendary Batman artist Norm Breyfogle (Detective Comics), present Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 2, collecting Detective Comics #583-591 and Detective Comics Annual #1!
While the Ventriloquist is peddling a new designer drug called Fever, Batman sets his sights on cleaning up the streets and silencing the gangster’s dummy. As the fever breaks, rats swarm out of the sewers, marching to the commands of the mysterious Ratcatcher. Plus, can the Dark Knight survive the touch of the villainous Corrosive Man?
Writers Alan Grant (Batman: Shadow of the Bat) and John Wagner (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight) and legendary Batman artist Norm Breyfogle (Detective Comics), present Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 2, collecting Detective Comics #583-591 and Detective Comics Annual #1!
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2018
18 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Alan Grant
1,712 books144 followersAlan Grant was a Scottish comic book writer known for writing Judge Dredd in 2000 AD as well as various Batman titles during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is also the creator of the character Anarky.
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 30, 2019
Judge Dredd writers Alan Grant and John Wagner bring their brand of gruff darkness to Gotham. They keep the stories shorter as they introduce the Ventriloquist, Ratcatcher, and Kadaver to Batman's rogues gallery. I particularly liked Kadaver and his obsession with death. The way he kept trying out different horror makeup cracked me up. Norm Breyfogle is one of my favorite Batman artists. I just like his use of shadows and how athletic he draws Batman. All in all this is one of my favorite Batman creative teams from the 80's.
February 12, 2023
This is the kind of dark and cold world of Batman I love to read sometimes.
This brings in a lot of new villains, ones older now like Ratcatcher, but brings them in a much more human way. Which makes the way Batman deals with them in a more detective and hands on approach. These villains are ground level, and that makes it just much more exciting for me. The Ratcatcher storyline is the strongest of the bunch but most of the stories here are solid, good characterzation Bruce, and excellent art that moves nice and smooth though the fights.
Overall, this is a great read for Bat fans who want to know how the Dark Knight really formed into the Dark Knight.
This brings in a lot of new villains, ones older now like Ratcatcher, but brings them in a much more human way. Which makes the way Batman deals with them in a more detective and hands on approach. These villains are ground level, and that makes it just much more exciting for me. The Ratcatcher storyline is the strongest of the bunch but most of the stories here are solid, good characterzation Bruce, and excellent art that moves nice and smooth though the fights.
Overall, this is a great read for Bat fans who want to know how the Dark Knight really formed into the Dark Knight.
January 31, 2022
Omg, reading through the accents was terrible! Now I have to read through the Ra’s al Ghul arcs so I can understand this Talia al Ghul drama (which eventually leads to Damian).
May 8, 2024
YES! The first half of this had some of the best post-crisis Batman I've read! First appearances, a great balance of silly and brooding, flawless Batman art, and more. Unfortunately, it falls off in the second half. The first few stories are just so good that they outshine the rest and make this a very positive experience. The biggest flaw overall is the lack of Robin and the fact that they don't address it. The creators were focusing on getting back on track with their plans for the Caped Crusader rather than pointing out the major event.
"Fever" is the first appearance of The Ventriloquist, which I was pretty surprised about. I didn't know he was created in the 90s, I figured he had to have been a classic Batman rogue. His first appearance is a good representation of all the character is about, and it was a really fun story. I'm not so fond of Scarface's sheet-white design, though. 4 stars.
"The Ratcatcher" is similar to the first story, not in a repetitive way, but just in consistently good writing and art. I like this even better than Fever. I've been interested in Ratcatcher for a long time, especially after reading Arkahm City: The Order of the World, and the whole tone of this story was just perfect for me. 4.5 stars!
"The Night People" simultaneously feels like a good Batman story and a rainy night drive. It's pretty great, and hindered only by the radio tidbits interrupting a little too much. I'd just skip them if I re-read. It's also probably the best instance of balancing comedy and action (with some morality mixed in). Definitely interesting, and yet another glowing 4 star.
Then things go downhill with For the Love of Ivy. The only good thing about it is the fact that it tries to tackle the AIDs crisis, but obviously it's not done very well. Plus, it's just boring, and the art is pretty ugly. I don't really have a compliment for this, so... 1 star.
The Monkey Trap is also a 1 star, because either it isn't written well enough or there's just not enough context, either in the story or the collection, to make it make sense. What is happening in this story?? Am I stupid? What is the significance of the nickname given to Batman? This is an annual, there is absolutely time to flesh things out, but it ended before it felt like it began.
An American Batman in London is surprisingly decent. It's a middle-eastern terrorists story, so it's naturally tough ground to cover, but it does an okay job. It attempts to be empathetic and condemn terrorism at once. I'm not knowledgable enough to tell you how successful it is, but I liked the story okay. 3 stars.
Aborigine! is a 1 star. No.
But, again, the early stories in the collection are just SO good. Check it out!
"Fever" is the first appearance of The Ventriloquist, which I was pretty surprised about. I didn't know he was created in the 90s, I figured he had to have been a classic Batman rogue. His first appearance is a good representation of all the character is about, and it was a really fun story. I'm not so fond of Scarface's sheet-white design, though. 4 stars.
"The Ratcatcher" is similar to the first story, not in a repetitive way, but just in consistently good writing and art. I like this even better than Fever. I've been interested in Ratcatcher for a long time, especially after reading Arkahm City: The Order of the World, and the whole tone of this story was just perfect for me. 4.5 stars!
"The Night People" simultaneously feels like a good Batman story and a rainy night drive. It's pretty great, and hindered only by the radio tidbits interrupting a little too much. I'd just skip them if I re-read. It's also probably the best instance of balancing comedy and action (with some morality mixed in). Definitely interesting, and yet another glowing 4 star.
Then things go downhill with For the Love of Ivy. The only good thing about it is the fact that it tries to tackle the AIDs crisis, but obviously it's not done very well. Plus, it's just boring, and the art is pretty ugly. I don't really have a compliment for this, so... 1 star.
The Monkey Trap is also a 1 star, because either it isn't written well enough or there's just not enough context, either in the story or the collection, to make it make sense. What is happening in this story?? Am I stupid? What is the significance of the nickname given to Batman? This is an annual, there is absolutely time to flesh things out, but it ended before it felt like it began.
An American Batman in London is surprisingly decent. It's a middle-eastern terrorists story, so it's naturally tough ground to cover, but it does an okay job. It attempts to be empathetic and condemn terrorism at once. I'm not knowledgable enough to tell you how successful it is, but I liked the story okay. 3 stars.
Aborigine! is a 1 star. No.
But, again, the early stories in the collection are just SO good. Check it out!
December 26, 2024
Hungering for Batman comics from the 1980s? I enjoyed volume one in this series that gather older Batman issues together in trade paperback form so I picked up the second volume. I enjoyed volume one which collects Detective Comics #568-574 and #579-582 from 1986-1987. This volume picks up where volume one left off, covering Detective Comics issues 583-591 and Detective Comics Annual #1. This would have been comics from 1988. I read them aloud to my kids. It was great and my kids actually looked forward every night to me reading this book after our family devotionals!
The first story took two issues to cover and its called “Fever” that involves a new drug being distributed and the villain Ventriloquist. Next is a story involving a villain I never heard of before name Rat-catcher and it spans two issues. Rat-catcher is a deranged criminal that can control rats to do what he wants using certain whistles. My kids found this story quite gross. The next three issues is one long story involving the Corrosive Man and it involves criminal drug enterprise and a man going out for vigilante justice; various elements in the story that doesn’t seem to come together comes together in the conclusion. Next is a short one-issue story involving Poison Ivy having a disease condition and is dying and while Batman is engaged in crime fighting against her, he also wants to save her life. Following this is Batman Annual #1 that begins with a story in the 1800s in Japanese occupied China and it then travels to modern day where a mysterious old man and his student travels to Gotham to deliver a cryptic riddle to the Batman which later unfolds itself as true when Batman is fighting Penguin and there’s also showing up on scene Talia the daughter of Batman villain Ra's al Ghul. The next story is of Batman fighting crime in London (I love the little details of London in the illustration!) and finally a story of an Aborigine going to Gotham to get something back that was old and precious to his people.
Overall a fun read. There’s quite a bit of creatively with the story telling. I do like the 1980s artwork with comics. I’m really eating that up! I thought reading about new villains I never heard of before also made things fun and interesting. At the time I’m writing this review I am currently reading 1940s Batman and that made me appreciate the 1980s comics on the Batman as being more sophisticated and less corny. I recommend this book!
The first story took two issues to cover and its called “Fever” that involves a new drug being distributed and the villain Ventriloquist. Next is a story involving a villain I never heard of before name Rat-catcher and it spans two issues. Rat-catcher is a deranged criminal that can control rats to do what he wants using certain whistles. My kids found this story quite gross. The next three issues is one long story involving the Corrosive Man and it involves criminal drug enterprise and a man going out for vigilante justice; various elements in the story that doesn’t seem to come together comes together in the conclusion. Next is a short one-issue story involving Poison Ivy having a disease condition and is dying and while Batman is engaged in crime fighting against her, he also wants to save her life. Following this is Batman Annual #1 that begins with a story in the 1800s in Japanese occupied China and it then travels to modern day where a mysterious old man and his student travels to Gotham to deliver a cryptic riddle to the Batman which later unfolds itself as true when Batman is fighting Penguin and there’s also showing up on scene Talia the daughter of Batman villain Ra's al Ghul. The next story is of Batman fighting crime in London (I love the little details of London in the illustration!) and finally a story of an Aborigine going to Gotham to get something back that was old and precious to his people.
Overall a fun read. There’s quite a bit of creatively with the story telling. I do like the 1980s artwork with comics. I’m really eating that up! I thought reading about new villains I never heard of before also made things fun and interesting. At the time I’m writing this review I am currently reading 1940s Batman and that made me appreciate the 1980s comics on the Batman as being more sophisticated and less corny. I recommend this book!
November 13, 2022
2.5 stars
While the Ventriloquist is one of the more intriguing villains in Batman's Rouges Gallery, I found the introduction to be a bit underwhelming. It gave no real interlude and I only realized after the fact, that it was, in fact, the first appearance of the Wesker incarnation.
That being said, the "Fever" double issue plot was the best storyline in this volume and I find myself questioning the thinly-veiled, bordering on Reagan era propaganda plots within the Detective Comics run. It was interesting to find out that The Ratcatcher was actually one of Batman's foes but I do want to clarify that does not mean the storyline involving said character was any good. Solid rat drawings but that's about it when it comes to quality.
The remaining plots read very... dated (racist) but it was informative in terms of seeing the beginnings of certain motifs and characters but I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone wishing to read Batman for enjoyment or wanting to start out with the character. I read this more for the purposes of character studies and my expectations were fairly low in terms of plot quality.
While the Ventriloquist is one of the more intriguing villains in Batman's Rouges Gallery, I found the introduction to be a bit underwhelming. It gave no real interlude and I only realized after the fact, that it was, in fact, the first appearance of the Wesker incarnation.
That being said, the "Fever" double issue plot was the best storyline in this volume and I find myself questioning the thinly-veiled, bordering on Reagan era propaganda plots within the Detective Comics run. It was interesting to find out that The Ratcatcher was actually one of Batman's foes but I do want to clarify that does not mean the storyline involving said character was any good. Solid rat drawings but that's about it when it comes to quality.
The remaining plots read very... dated (racist) but it was informative in terms of seeing the beginnings of certain motifs and characters but I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone wishing to read Batman for enjoyment or wanting to start out with the character. I read this more for the purposes of character studies and my expectations were fairly low in terms of plot quality.
November 18, 2023
Darker tone with stories relating to drug deals, kidnapping, terrorism, murder, and revenge. The penguin, talia, poison ivy, ratcatcher, the ventriloquist, and others show up and overall this is solid stuff. The only goofy part is when Bruce Wayne comes to the realization that the US is not a benevolent super power but then the concept is dropped.
April 14, 2022
Dark Age Batman.
Lots of drugs. Lots of innocent bystanders getting killed (not to mention the not-so-innocent).
Please put the Corrosive Man out of MY misery.
Lots of drugs. Lots of innocent bystanders getting killed (not to mention the not-so-innocent).
Please put the Corrosive Man out of MY misery.
May 4, 2021
Of the post-Crisis compilations released recently (Second Chances/Caped Crusader, The Dark Knight Detective), this one is easily my favourite. It begins with the very first story by the great Grant/Breyfogle team and is mostly very high quality (one clunker notwithstanding).
“Fever” (10/10) – what we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the best comics EVER. Ventriloquist and Scarface are delightfully demented villains that add a very British touch to the whole affair. Grant and Breyfogle handle the dialogues masterfully – virtually every line uttered by the Demented Duo is a knee-jerker. The story toes the line between the macabre and the Monty Pythonesque and does so with ease. It’s worth buying the book for this story alone.
“Ratcatcher” (8/10) – this one is mostly about atmosphere. “Fever” typifies the crime fighting Batman with a layer of gleeful dementia underneath; “Ratcatcher” is the more brooding, hopeless kind of affair. It’s all gloom, rain, and darkness. What I like about the story is how it is supposed to be about miscarriage of justice but really it’s not. (I have to give a special mention to Ricardo Villagran, the inker in part 1, his style fits Breyfogle better than anyone else’s in my opinion).
“Night People” (9/10) – another brilliant Grant/Breyfogle story, with excellent plotting and setup. They also manage to give a special twist to the very Marvelesque Corrosive Man, who is anything but your typical ‘superpower by mishap’ character. Again, lots of rain, a demented villain as supporting cast, a bit of the macabre, some dry humour, and an increasingly confused Batman. A classic.
“For the Love of Ivy” (3/10) – this is where comprehensiveness kills quality. I think DC should have decided not to include the “Bonus Books” in these post-Crisis compilations, as they are mediocre at best, but usually really bad. This one is borderline acceptable, with a contrived plot, ugly Ivy, and a ridiculous, uninteresting villain. Admittedly, it is not downright awful, but still a huge HUGE letdown after three excellent stories.
“The Monkey Trap” (6/10) – the story has a nice underlying philosophical thread, ok artwork, but –strangely enough – it’s too short. It has a rushed feeling and so feels underdeveloped. Still, it fits nicely with the development of Batman as a troubled character and is psychologically perceptive.
“An American Batman in London” (6/10) – any story with superheroes fighting terrorism is bound to fail, but luckily this one has several redeeming qualities. First of all, Grant and Breyfogle are British, so London is London, not an American perception of London. They also manage to remain vague on the final judgement of the issue at hand, which is unusual for American media. Finally, the story is short and nicely drawn. Still, a lesser portion of the compilation.
“Aborigine” (7,5/10) – one of what I call ‘failure stories’ that Grant/Breyfogle will excel in in a year or two. Again, we have lots of rain, darkness, a tiny bit of gore, social injustice, and a confused Batman. I think this issue is when Gotham start to acquire sort of a flesh-and-bone identity of a real world city that happens to have a caped vigilante in it. A typical high-quality story by the British team.
So, overall, an extremely strong beginning (which comprises over a half of the book), a short clunker, two mediocre stories, and a return to form at the end. Despite the few flaws – highly recommended. 4,5/5
“Fever” (10/10) – what we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the best comics EVER. Ventriloquist and Scarface are delightfully demented villains that add a very British touch to the whole affair. Grant and Breyfogle handle the dialogues masterfully – virtually every line uttered by the Demented Duo is a knee-jerker. The story toes the line between the macabre and the Monty Pythonesque and does so with ease. It’s worth buying the book for this story alone.
“Ratcatcher” (8/10) – this one is mostly about atmosphere. “Fever” typifies the crime fighting Batman with a layer of gleeful dementia underneath; “Ratcatcher” is the more brooding, hopeless kind of affair. It’s all gloom, rain, and darkness. What I like about the story is how it is supposed to be about miscarriage of justice but really it’s not. (I have to give a special mention to Ricardo Villagran, the inker in part 1, his style fits Breyfogle better than anyone else’s in my opinion).
“Night People” (9/10) – another brilliant Grant/Breyfogle story, with excellent plotting and setup. They also manage to give a special twist to the very Marvelesque Corrosive Man, who is anything but your typical ‘superpower by mishap’ character. Again, lots of rain, a demented villain as supporting cast, a bit of the macabre, some dry humour, and an increasingly confused Batman. A classic.
“For the Love of Ivy” (3/10) – this is where comprehensiveness kills quality. I think DC should have decided not to include the “Bonus Books” in these post-Crisis compilations, as they are mediocre at best, but usually really bad. This one is borderline acceptable, with a contrived plot, ugly Ivy, and a ridiculous, uninteresting villain. Admittedly, it is not downright awful, but still a huge HUGE letdown after three excellent stories.
“The Monkey Trap” (6/10) – the story has a nice underlying philosophical thread, ok artwork, but –strangely enough – it’s too short. It has a rushed feeling and so feels underdeveloped. Still, it fits nicely with the development of Batman as a troubled character and is psychologically perceptive.
“An American Batman in London” (6/10) – any story with superheroes fighting terrorism is bound to fail, but luckily this one has several redeeming qualities. First of all, Grant and Breyfogle are British, so London is London, not an American perception of London. They also manage to remain vague on the final judgement of the issue at hand, which is unusual for American media. Finally, the story is short and nicely drawn. Still, a lesser portion of the compilation.
“Aborigine” (7,5/10) – one of what I call ‘failure stories’ that Grant/Breyfogle will excel in in a year or two. Again, we have lots of rain, darkness, a tiny bit of gore, social injustice, and a confused Batman. I think this issue is when Gotham start to acquire sort of a flesh-and-bone identity of a real world city that happens to have a caped vigilante in it. A typical high-quality story by the British team.
So, overall, an extremely strong beginning (which comprises over a half of the book), a short clunker, two mediocre stories, and a return to form at the end. Despite the few flaws – highly recommended. 4,5/5
August 29, 2023
This is like one of the best Batman collection of stories I have read and just peak Batman for real, its got some new and dorky villains that really show the type of crime that Batman has to fight and it doesn't always have to be the biggest thing ever and then some valid social commentary in the end and that was awesome.
The first story is some drugs breakout and all, and how Batman has to stop its spread and he meets Scarface and Ventriloquist and his men and fights against them and I love how the writer explores that and how crazy these people are, and the challenges Batman faces through them.
Then the Ratcatcher story which was so fun lol and yeah you feel bad for the villain, seeing how he was wronged but going after people and killing them and how Batman defeats him is interesting, but its the peak Batman has been for a while and I love it.
The one after it is vs "Corrosive man" and we see his origins and again escaped prisoner and all but you feel pity for the dude, and how he is after someone else, whose himself holding someone hostage and black mailing him, so its a situation of a three way handoff and how Batman handles both these elements was awesome. Just seeing how crime has so many aspects and like hitting on the characters motivations in such a manner highlights the writers strengths.
The Poison ivy story was okayish and also the one after it vs Penguin and also involving Talia and it was written by Denny O'Neil so its cute and shows how perfect they are for each other, but can never be together and its sad yep. But then again the best part is seeing the will-they, won't-they and I loved it, though idk why Question was there and that part with Lady Shiva doesn't go anywhere, maybe in some other issue or volume it did.
And the last 2 stories offering characters offering meta commentary was well done and its not the type of story you generally see in Batman comics these days, but they drive hard arguments and that character Umbaluru was quite interesting, and then again its showing Batman how his country people are, and how he deals with it. Its interesting like I said, and hit hard that much considering the great depth thats been put into these kinda stories.
So overall good stories, great threats to Batman and an interesting read overall! I highly recommend it!!
The first story is some drugs breakout and all, and how Batman has to stop its spread and he meets Scarface and Ventriloquist and his men and fights against them and I love how the writer explores that and how crazy these people are, and the challenges Batman faces through them.
Then the Ratcatcher story which was so fun lol and yeah you feel bad for the villain, seeing how he was wronged but going after people and killing them and how Batman defeats him is interesting, but its the peak Batman has been for a while and I love it.
The one after it is vs "Corrosive man" and we see his origins and again escaped prisoner and all but you feel pity for the dude, and how he is after someone else, whose himself holding someone hostage and black mailing him, so its a situation of a three way handoff and how Batman handles both these elements was awesome. Just seeing how crime has so many aspects and like hitting on the characters motivations in such a manner highlights the writers strengths.
The Poison ivy story was okayish and also the one after it vs Penguin and also involving Talia and it was written by Denny O'Neil so its cute and shows how perfect they are for each other, but can never be together and its sad yep. But then again the best part is seeing the will-they, won't-they and I loved it, though idk why Question was there and that part with Lady Shiva doesn't go anywhere, maybe in some other issue or volume it did.
And the last 2 stories offering characters offering meta commentary was well done and its not the type of story you generally see in Batman comics these days, but they drive hard arguments and that character Umbaluru was quite interesting, and then again its showing Batman how his country people are, and how he deals with it. Its interesting like I said, and hit hard that much considering the great depth thats been put into these kinda stories.
So overall good stories, great threats to Batman and an interesting read overall! I highly recommend it!!
March 5, 2019
First - let's get this out of the way - the description for this book in goodreads is WRONG. This volume collects Detective comics 583-591, not Batman issues. And no Tim Drake in sight. But yes - it is after the death of Robin (Jason Todd) but oddly, even though Robin does indeed disappear from the stories (he was just there in the last collected volume) the writer Alan Grant doesn't bother to mention him or have Batman dwell on that fact - but Batman is working alone in these stories. We get Alan Grant as writer (a strong writer for Batman in the late 80's) and NORM BREYFOGLE an exciting new artist who I really like. Yeah - his style is a tad bit loose at times, but I loved his flow and how he was able to create a good atmosphere of darkness.
Overall - no exciting stories that will stand out but for the time they were interesting and had points to make. I mean Ratcatcher and the Corrosive Man are NOT villains I care if they ever use again but the art is worth the trip of nostalgia. Fun for a rainy Sunday morning but nothing to rush out and buy.
Overall - no exciting stories that will stand out but for the time they were interesting and had points to make. I mean Ratcatcher and the Corrosive Man are NOT villains I care if they ever use again but the art is worth the trip of nostalgia. Fun for a rainy Sunday morning but nothing to rush out and buy.
December 8, 2020
I found this book on sale so I grabbed hoping I had found some classic Batman comics treasure. All this did was remind me how much I disliked most of what Marvel and DC were putting out in the late 80's. Not much of a fan of Norm Breyfogle or Dean Haspiel's art. But on the other hand, I did like the Klaus Janson drawn story with Talia as well as the story where the thug turns into a toxic monster. These faint glimmers of talent and well-told stories are not quite enough to rescue these stories from the crap the the late 80's cranked out onto comic book shelves. Really like Batman, but not all Batman stories are gold.
May 9, 2025
Great collection of stories. I included more notes on the specific issues included in this trade but I loved the introductions to scarface and ratcatcher. The corrosive man story was a bit rougher but it came in for a strong finish, and this trade concludes with some more strong detective comics stories. I did read the annual way before this as it ties into the O'Neil question series but that fables storyline is pretty bad.
For this collection I included more notes on:
Detective Comics 583-591
Detective Comics Annual 1
For this collection I included more notes on:
Detective Comics 583-591
Detective Comics Annual 1
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2021
Some old school Batman tales by Grant & Breyfogle deliver. Mostly, these stories hold up well, especially the introductions of Scarface, The Ventriloquist, & The Ratcatcher. The art is superb and timeless. The dialogue isn't as cheesey as I expected but it doesn't hold up as well as the art. There were a few issues that were less impressive but not terrible. Overall, a solid look into Gotham's finest.
August 14, 2025
I only read the issues I hadn’t previously read in the DC Finest: The Killing Joke volume. Whilst I much prefer the more completionist approach that the DC Finest line takes, this is still a fine selection of stories, including the first appearance of the villain The Ventriloquist. This volume also benefits from the inclusion of pages from DC’s Who’s Who series which provides character profiles for some of the heroes and villains featured in the book.
April 20, 2020
Here Detective Comics begins a new run by British writers Alan Grand and John Wagner where they introduce new villains like Scarface & the Ventriloquist and the Ratcatcher. Norm Breyfogle's art really cements him as one of my favourite Batman artists, along with Jim Aparo. In these stories Batman is alone tackling less colourful foes and more noir-ish criminals.
June 30, 2019
This book has the first appearances of the Ventriloquist, Ratcatcher and Corrosive Man. While the stories collected in this book are entertaining, none of the stories substantially impact the Batman mythos.
December 24, 2018
Half good, half bad. The good stuff in this is excellent and some of the best Batman moments. The bad stuff lowers the quality of the book but isn't overly terrible
January 31, 2021
A grittier Batman, compared to the previous volume. Rather enjoyable.
April 15, 2021
Not a bad collection, and I liked the Scarface story, but some of the characterisations felt a little dated, even for the late 80s.
April 7, 2022
Artwork from great to horrible depending on the artist. Writing mediocre at best.
May 1, 2022
I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection with the exception of the Corrosive Man storyline.
March 11, 2023
There are some VERY underrated Batman artists doing cover work for these volumes. Norm Breyfogle, which sounds like a made up name but isn't? Damn!
December 19, 2025
1988 gems despite some dated cringe include the debuts of Ventriloquist & Scarface, Rhino, Ratcatcher, Corrosive Man, Kadaver, & Grip
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