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Batman: The Dark Knight Detective #3
Batman: The Dark Knight Detective, Vol. 3
Every night Batman must confront the evil that he is responsible for creating, as well as the personal demons that have haunted him since that fateful day in Crime Alley.
The Dark Knight Detective usually works alone, but the threat of mass murder in the financial district forces him to team up with a bizarre private eye. Movies of death are being filmed in Gotham--and Batman may be the next star.
When Bruce Wayne refuses to allow illegal mind-control experiments to continue at Wayne Technology, he finds himself charged with being a traitor. During the police investigation, Wayne is forced to confront memories of the various people who trained him to become the feared Dark Knight. Wayne not only must clear himself, but also protect his secret and save his company from ruin.
Featuring an all-star cast of talent, including Sam Hamm (co-writer of Tim Burton's Batman), Denys Cowan (The Question), and the legendary Batman artist Norm Breyfogle (Detective Comics), Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Volume 3 collects Detective Comics #592-600!
The Dark Knight Detective usually works alone, but the threat of mass murder in the financial district forces him to team up with a bizarre private eye. Movies of death are being filmed in Gotham--and Batman may be the next star.
When Bruce Wayne refuses to allow illegal mind-control experiments to continue at Wayne Technology, he finds himself charged with being a traitor. During the police investigation, Wayne is forced to confront memories of the various people who trained him to become the feared Dark Knight. Wayne not only must clear himself, but also protect his secret and save his company from ruin.
Featuring an all-star cast of talent, including Sam Hamm (co-writer of Tim Burton's Batman), Denys Cowan (The Question), and the legendary Batman artist Norm Breyfogle (Detective Comics), Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Volume 3 collects Detective Comics #592-600!
344 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2020
25 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Norm Breyfogle
384 books17 followersNorm Breyfogle was an American artist, best known for his comic book art on DC Comics' Batman franchise.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 25, 2021
A ho-hum collection of Batman stories. It starts off with the first appearance of Cornelius Stirk who gains some more prominence during Knightfall. I didn't realize he had psychic powers. I thought he was just a crazy guy who ate people's hearts. Then there's the first appearance of private detective, Joe Potato, who appears a few times during Grant's run on Batman. There's an obligatory Invasion crossover where Batman heads to Cuba and fights some Khunds and Thanagarians. Then there's an interesting 2 parter about a guy making snuff films. Finally, there's a story by Sam Hamm, the writer of Tim Burton's Batman, and Denys Cowan that was previously published as Batman:Blind Justice. It had some interesting elements like the introduction of Henri Ducard as Batman's former mentor and now his opposite number. There's also a lot of strange things like Bruce Wayne being accused of being a traitor and secret Cabal's within Waynetech that are experimenting on the homeless with mind transference. I thought it was just OK. There's also a Batman tribute for his 50th anniversary with a bunch of writers talking about what Batman means to them.
February 20, 2023
A decent collection I was enjoying but then Blind Justice came in and shit man, if that didn't bore the hell out of me. I felt really bad dropping this from a 3 out of 5 to 2 but Blind justice really hurt it for me in terms of wanting to re-read this entire collection ever again.
October 30, 2020
This book has the first appearance of Cornelius Stirk. I first encountered him in the Knightfall event. He was one of the criminals who escaped Arkham, and I thought he was just a normal criminal who eats people's hearts. I didn't know he had hypnotic powers. This book also has the first appearance of Joe Potato, a detective who I didn't expect to see again after this book, but he does appear again in the Caped Crusader, Vol. 4. The stories in this book were okay (I am pretty sure Batman lowkey killed a guy in one of these stories), but the real reason why you should buy this book is because it collects Blind Justice, a book that was very difficult to find before the release of this book.
Batman: Blind Justice was written By Sam Hamm. If you're not familiar with him, he co-wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton's Batman and, I must say, he created one hell of a story in Blind Justice. I don't want to talk about the plot because, for me, it is best to go in blind (pardon the pun). I will say though that it gave a lot of flashbacks that showed how Bruce trained before his return to Gotham City. This book also introduces us to Henri Ducard, the character that Liam Nelson played in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. I think Blind Justice is the greatest book that no one talks about. It's better than some of the books that you'd find in the list of top Batman books.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
Batman: Blind Justice was written By Sam Hamm. If you're not familiar with him, he co-wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton's Batman and, I must say, he created one hell of a story in Blind Justice. I don't want to talk about the plot because, for me, it is best to go in blind (pardon the pun). I will say though that it gave a lot of flashbacks that showed how Bruce trained before his return to Gotham City. This book also introduces us to Henri Ducard, the character that Liam Nelson played in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. I think Blind Justice is the greatest book that no one talks about. It's better than some of the books that you'd find in the list of top Batman books.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
March 3, 2020
This is a solid collection of classic Batman tales from Grant and Norm Breyfogle. The stories don't stand out too much in terms of classics or "benchmarks" in terms of Batman lore but were very entertaining. The gem of this collection is the three part 100+ page tale at the end by Sam Hamm and AMAZING art by Denys Cowan. Get it for his art alone - it is breathtaking and one of the best examples of his work outside of The Question run he did. The story - I remember at the time it came out, was worthy of the 3 part treatment but reading it now doesn't hold up as much and interesting (to me) the idea of Batman being sidelined with a back injury was taken even further later by Knightfall. It is still a solid story but is a bit clunky in a few parts (how a house guess stumbles into the Batcave - for example - heard of combination locks, Bruce?). The best part are the flashbacks of Bruce training - I am always a sucker for good training stories and I wish those parts had been expanded.
Overall - one of the better of these Batman collections I have read - primarily due to solid writing by Alan Grant and a classic three parter by Denys Cowan.
Overall - one of the better of these Batman collections I have read - primarily due to solid writing by Alan Grant and a classic three parter by Denys Cowan.
December 30, 2020
Finally, a non-interrupted chunk of Detective Comics, #592-600. They're hard to find in all the DC collected Batman offerings but it kinda illustrates why. The first three issues are drawn by Norm Breyfogle and are also in the Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle vol. 1. The next one is an Invasion event tie-in and we've only got 5 issues left in the book, a little more than half. Two of these tell a decent story about snuff videotapes, and the last three compose a Blind Justice arc which has Bruce Wayne's back broken (yeah, he broke his back at least once already before this Bane dude did it again 4 years later) and him using a cyberpunk helmet to control another guy that dresses up as Batman while Bruce is sitting in a wheelchair. If that doesn't sound awesome, you're reading the wrong book. Anyway, it also introduces the mysterious all-powerful Cartel that has its tendrils everywhere, which, as is common in the comic books, appears out of nowhere, ready and willing to do evil stuff. Bruce Wayne is also investigated as a commie spy in that one, which got me chuckling. Overall, this is not a particularly consistent or compelling book, so probably DC's strategy to group the Batman collections by other attributes has its merits.
June 11, 2024
I originally said "Review coming soon" on May 22nd... I'm not sure June 10th counts as soon, but here we are. Oops.
Since it's been a bit since I read this, I'm gonna have a little less input than normal.
The Fear is exactly the kind of grim Batman story I expect from Wagner and Grant. It's not particularly remarkable, but a very solid story! 4 stars. I love the page layouts from this era.
Ecstacy is similar to the first story in tone and quality, but with more dry comedy in the form of Joe Potato, so it's arguably even MORE of a representation of Wagner and Grant Batman stories. Another 4 star.
Next is an Invasion tie-in issue that I really thought about skipping, because, like everyone, I HATE tie-in issues in the middle of a character collection. The context was pretty easy to read, though, and it actually wasn't a bad issue. It's just your average Batman fun, which is always a good thing. Honestly? Might be a 4 star too!
I have mixed feelings on Cold Cuts. Like the Ivy issue in the last one, this is a departure from our normal creators, and it's not quite as good because of it. I hate the Mr. Freeze design with the white eyebrows. Blech. The story isn't terrible, though, so I'd probably go with a 3.5, if not a 3.
And then we're back to our regularly scheduled program with the PERFECT title for a British takeover era Batman story about snuff films: Video Nasties! It's good, but I was hoping it was going to get more intense than it did, and the ending was entirely unconvincing. I had 4 star level enjoyment with it, though, so I have to give it 4 stars.
The main attraction is Blind Justice, and I see a lot of people saying that it bored them, but I LOVED it. I think Sam Hamm knows my Batman sweet spot, because he consistently writes him well for me. There's a good amount of classic Batman action, but even more gripping drama, especially political. It's FANTASTIC. I expected it to get further into fantasy territory, but it was just great sci-fi/political drama/action... Just all around great Batman. 5 stars!
So another solid collection and an essential for Batfans!
Since it's been a bit since I read this, I'm gonna have a little less input than normal.
The Fear is exactly the kind of grim Batman story I expect from Wagner and Grant. It's not particularly remarkable, but a very solid story! 4 stars. I love the page layouts from this era.
Ecstacy is similar to the first story in tone and quality, but with more dry comedy in the form of Joe Potato, so it's arguably even MORE of a representation of Wagner and Grant Batman stories. Another 4 star.
Next is an Invasion tie-in issue that I really thought about skipping, because, like everyone, I HATE tie-in issues in the middle of a character collection. The context was pretty easy to read, though, and it actually wasn't a bad issue. It's just your average Batman fun, which is always a good thing. Honestly? Might be a 4 star too!
I have mixed feelings on Cold Cuts. Like the Ivy issue in the last one, this is a departure from our normal creators, and it's not quite as good because of it. I hate the Mr. Freeze design with the white eyebrows. Blech. The story isn't terrible, though, so I'd probably go with a 3.5, if not a 3.
And then we're back to our regularly scheduled program with the PERFECT title for a British takeover era Batman story about snuff films: Video Nasties! It's good, but I was hoping it was going to get more intense than it did, and the ending was entirely unconvincing. I had 4 star level enjoyment with it, though, so I have to give it 4 stars.
The main attraction is Blind Justice, and I see a lot of people saying that it bored them, but I LOVED it. I think Sam Hamm knows my Batman sweet spot, because he consistently writes him well for me. There's a good amount of classic Batman action, but even more gripping drama, especially political. It's FANTASTIC. I expected it to get further into fantasy territory, but it was just great sci-fi/political drama/action... Just all around great Batman. 5 stars!
So another solid collection and an essential for Batfans!
December 20, 2025
I hated “Blind Justice” as a kid, & I still hate it although I now dig Denys Cowan’s art, but both as a kid & now, I adore Alan Grant’s & Norm Breyfogle’s Sensational Character Find of 1989: Cornelius Strik
February 1, 2025
Hungering for more Batman comics from the 1980s? I enjoyed the first two volumes in this series that collect older Batman issues together in trade paperback form so it seems natural to proceed to read volume three. This volume picks up where volume two left off (Detective comics # 583-591), covering Detective Comics issues #592-600. This would have been comics that were originally published from November 1988 to May 1989. I read this book aloud to my kids. It is our nightly family reading adventures after we finish our family Bible study; and they love it!
The first story took two issues to cover and it is titled “The Fear.” I thought this story was a bit too dark for my taste involving a guy who is seriously demented who has the power of making people think he looks like someone else ranging from Abraham Lincoln to even a woman and he has the problem of trying to make people be in fear and he murders them horrifically. It is though very 80s comics. The next story is rather short (one issue) and it is about someone taking a new drug call ecstasy and Batman has to stop him with the things he’s doing; here we see in this story a private investigator introduced in earlier issues appear name Potato. Next issue involves Batman having to go to Havana Cuba to protect his beloved Gotham followed by the next issue with a story about Mr. Freeze and even as Batman stops him Batman also saves him from death. The next story spans two issues where Batman stops a criminal syndicate that makes profit with video recording of everyday people getting beaten up and getting hurt by thugs; Batman is not satisfied with just stopping the hoodlum but goes to the top and also those who are the clients of these videos. There is a strong moral lesson with this story and I like that. The last story is rather long, coming in with seven chapters with a total of 147 pages and it is called Blind Justice. Here is a story of a secret cabal that leeches off of Wayne Tech company to make a military use of minds taking over a host body. When a girl comes to Wayne Tech to try to find her long separated brother it lead Bruce Wayne to asks further question of how did the brother go missing which threatens the secret military industrial cartel with exposing their secret program. There’s twists and turns in this story, Bruce Wayne is falsely accused of betraying his country, Batman gets seriously injured, there’s a tragic love story that disappoints and also Bruce Wayne’s battle with his past while also in the present he’s fighting from being exposed as the Batman. It’s an incredible story and it’s the best one in this volume.
I do recommend this though I think some of the stories made me more cautious as a parent. Still it beats the woke and dull story telling in some of the contemporary comics today.
The first story took two issues to cover and it is titled “The Fear.” I thought this story was a bit too dark for my taste involving a guy who is seriously demented who has the power of making people think he looks like someone else ranging from Abraham Lincoln to even a woman and he has the problem of trying to make people be in fear and he murders them horrifically. It is though very 80s comics. The next story is rather short (one issue) and it is about someone taking a new drug call ecstasy and Batman has to stop him with the things he’s doing; here we see in this story a private investigator introduced in earlier issues appear name Potato. Next issue involves Batman having to go to Havana Cuba to protect his beloved Gotham followed by the next issue with a story about Mr. Freeze and even as Batman stops him Batman also saves him from death. The next story spans two issues where Batman stops a criminal syndicate that makes profit with video recording of everyday people getting beaten up and getting hurt by thugs; Batman is not satisfied with just stopping the hoodlum but goes to the top and also those who are the clients of these videos. There is a strong moral lesson with this story and I like that. The last story is rather long, coming in with seven chapters with a total of 147 pages and it is called Blind Justice. Here is a story of a secret cabal that leeches off of Wayne Tech company to make a military use of minds taking over a host body. When a girl comes to Wayne Tech to try to find her long separated brother it lead Bruce Wayne to asks further question of how did the brother go missing which threatens the secret military industrial cartel with exposing their secret program. There’s twists and turns in this story, Bruce Wayne is falsely accused of betraying his country, Batman gets seriously injured, there’s a tragic love story that disappoints and also Bruce Wayne’s battle with his past while also in the present he’s fighting from being exposed as the Batman. It’s an incredible story and it’s the best one in this volume.
I do recommend this though I think some of the stories made me more cautious as a parent. Still it beats the woke and dull story telling in some of the contemporary comics today.
May 20, 2024
This was a fun volume, you get to see real wild stories here and not as good as the previous ones but its got some good new villains like Cornelius Stirk, shapeshifter kinda guy and that story goes some places and gets nuts for Batman and the reader both lol, there was that "Bling Justice" story in the end which is kinda the big one I am guessing as its filled with mind swaps, crazy killers and villains like "Bone crusher" and this doc called Harbinger and involves Batman falling in love with a woman named Jean and there is her brother Roy and its quite a long story too, its the most 90s story ever, so much soap opera and all that and even in the end you see how its like that woman doesn't want Bruce anymore.
Soap opera to the far extent lol, but other stories like the one with Joe Potato was fun, that was a fun character and then the Thanagarian invasion tie-in was meh and even Dr Freeze is there, but this was a few years before his "best known" origin story so yeah, it works well and all.
Not the best volume, but still got some good stories here and there and really fleshes out this period of Batman in some crazy directions and even has the hallmark Soap opera story lol, lets see how people enjoy it. But yeah the tribute in the back for Batman's 50th anniversary was awesome, some real gems of peoples comments/opinions on Batman collected there and I love it!
Soap opera to the far extent lol, but other stories like the one with Joe Potato was fun, that was a fun character and then the Thanagarian invasion tie-in was meh and even Dr Freeze is there, but this was a few years before his "best known" origin story so yeah, it works well and all.
Not the best volume, but still got some good stories here and there and really fleshes out this period of Batman in some crazy directions and even has the hallmark Soap opera story lol, lets see how people enjoy it. But yeah the tribute in the back for Batman's 50th anniversary was awesome, some real gems of peoples comments/opinions on Batman collected there and I love it!
January 1, 2023
A very mixed bag collection of story arcs...
I feel repetitive in saying this but I also feel it necessary to restate; these collections were definitely a product of their times. However, in that, they truly showcase the fact that comics were inherently political... Although, it does hurt the soul to see the Caped Crusader be used as a puppet for the Reagan's ill-conceived War on Drugs.
Hamm and Cowan’s 1989 arc "Blind Justice" was the best of the volume, with the most compelling plot involving mind-controlled killers, corporate espionage, a shadowy government group and the first appearance of one of Batman's old mentors, Henri Ducard (as well as cameos of the Bat's other former teachers).
Blind Justice was a pivotal read as it showcased one of the rare instances of failure on the part of Batman, and perhaps hubris. There was a level of flawed tragedy that made the arc so gripping and it honestly saved this read from being truly awful as it was perhaps the only good arc in the volume.
I feel repetitive in saying this but I also feel it necessary to restate; these collections were definitely a product of their times. However, in that, they truly showcase the fact that comics were inherently political... Although, it does hurt the soul to see the Caped Crusader be used as a puppet for the Reagan's ill-conceived War on Drugs.
Hamm and Cowan’s 1989 arc "Blind Justice" was the best of the volume, with the most compelling plot involving mind-controlled killers, corporate espionage, a shadowy government group and the first appearance of one of Batman's old mentors, Henri Ducard (as well as cameos of the Bat's other former teachers).
Blind Justice was a pivotal read as it showcased one of the rare instances of failure on the part of Batman, and perhaps hubris. There was a level of flawed tragedy that made the arc so gripping and it honestly saved this read from being truly awful as it was perhaps the only good arc in the volume.
April 17, 2024
The missed opportunity here is that Bruce Wayne bodyswaps with some dude, but then has to be Batman while occupying this other dude's body, and this other body is NOT in Batman shape because, to be fair, nobody is in Batman shape.
What a great premise. An out of shape Batman has to swing above Gotham on a rope, but with 90-second breaks between buildings to catch his breath. A somewhat portly Batman has to add a hair tie to the closure on his utility belt. A less sharpened Batman has to resort to very artless fighting styles in order to beat up some punks.
This is the Batman we all want to see. Basically Batman '66 thrown into the comics of the late 80's.
What a great premise. An out of shape Batman has to swing above Gotham on a rope, but with 90-second breaks between buildings to catch his breath. A somewhat portly Batman has to add a hair tie to the closure on his utility belt. A less sharpened Batman has to resort to very artless fighting styles in order to beat up some punks.
This is the Batman we all want to see. Basically Batman '66 thrown into the comics of the late 80's.
August 12, 2025
This volume covers an engaging set of high-concept, tounge-and-cheek storylines by Grant, Wagner, and Breyfogle that preface the more dramatic five-parter "Blind Justice" from Hamm and Cowan.
The latter storyline revolves around a rogue research and development branch of Wayne Industries, headed by an aging and frail scientist who utilizes his brain projection technology to inhabit research subjects and live out his darkest fantasies. Hamm does a stellar job at developing the various motivations of newly introduced characters, giving them multi-dimensional personalities and satisfying arcs that provide for surprisingly compelling drama. The dialogue and narration is rather wordy but doesn't engage in needless exposition, instead adding richness and insight into the mindsets of the characters and their relationships. Cowan's art is also quite good but suffers when consuming right after Breyfogle's dynamic and distinctive visuals.
Speaking of, the preceding storylines were largely a blast and grimly playful in a way that reminded me of Morrison's Doom Patrol (though not quite as madcap). My favorites being "The Fear" about a villain who kidnaps and tortures Gothamites after utilizing his psychic powers to disguise himself as various reputable figures, and "Video Nasties" about a high-society criminal club that funds violent crime for their entertainment and betting pleasure. You can feel Grant and Wagner had a great time writing these stories and the end product is playfully cynical and creative.
While there is a less engaging story revolving around mech suit soldiers in Cuba, and a heavyhanded yet inventive anti-drug ecstasy issue (still better than venom), the collection as a whole was a ton of fun.
The latter storyline revolves around a rogue research and development branch of Wayne Industries, headed by an aging and frail scientist who utilizes his brain projection technology to inhabit research subjects and live out his darkest fantasies. Hamm does a stellar job at developing the various motivations of newly introduced characters, giving them multi-dimensional personalities and satisfying arcs that provide for surprisingly compelling drama. The dialogue and narration is rather wordy but doesn't engage in needless exposition, instead adding richness and insight into the mindsets of the characters and their relationships. Cowan's art is also quite good but suffers when consuming right after Breyfogle's dynamic and distinctive visuals.
Speaking of, the preceding storylines were largely a blast and grimly playful in a way that reminded me of Morrison's Doom Patrol (though not quite as madcap). My favorites being "The Fear" about a villain who kidnaps and tortures Gothamites after utilizing his psychic powers to disguise himself as various reputable figures, and "Video Nasties" about a high-society criminal club that funds violent crime for their entertainment and betting pleasure. You can feel Grant and Wagner had a great time writing these stories and the end product is playfully cynical and creative.
While there is a less engaging story revolving around mech suit soldiers in Cuba, and a heavyhanded yet inventive anti-drug ecstasy issue (still better than venom), the collection as a whole was a ton of fun.
June 26, 2022
The Fear - 4 stars: good 2-issue story about a deranged killer
Ecstasy - 2 stars: I guess it's supposed to be some kind of "all drugs are bad" type of story, but the premise is pretty ridiculous
Our Man in Havana & Cold Cuts - 2 stars: a story about alien invaders in Cuba + a Mr Freeze short tale; both rather passable
Video Nasties & Private Showing - 3 stars: not a novel idea in 2022, but still solid execution
Blind Justice - 5 stars: the highlight of this book; even though it has its few holes, you get a coherent 100+ page tale with great art, flashbacks and a satisfying end.
Ecstasy - 2 stars: I guess it's supposed to be some kind of "all drugs are bad" type of story, but the premise is pretty ridiculous
Our Man in Havana & Cold Cuts - 2 stars: a story about alien invaders in Cuba + a Mr Freeze short tale; both rather passable
Video Nasties & Private Showing - 3 stars: not a novel idea in 2022, but still solid execution
Blind Justice - 5 stars: the highlight of this book; even though it has its few holes, you get a coherent 100+ page tale with great art, flashbacks and a satisfying end.
August 17, 2021
Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle show readers that a good Batman story doesn't need to involve his normal rogues gallery. Here, we get a few different tales showing off different sides of Bruce's character. While they all don't hold up great due to the ravages of time, it was still entertaining. The last three chapters (by Sam Hamm) severely drug on with two separate 80 page issues. The best part for me was Breyfogle's art. It was classic. Overall, nothing spectacular but a decent read.
May 7, 2024
Harbinger story takes center stage
Batman fights fire with fire using a foreign weapon that has traces to his very own wayne tec organization. Sound wave manipulation went well with ‘the batman’ se1 ep6 ‘pets’ when penguin gets a similar weapon using a remote controller portable device. In this comic the host wears the device on their head to control another living body through frequencies waves.
Batman fights fire with fire using a foreign weapon that has traces to his very own wayne tec organization. Sound wave manipulation went well with ‘the batman’ se1 ep6 ‘pets’ when penguin gets a similar weapon using a remote controller portable device. In this comic the host wears the device on their head to control another living body through frequencies waves.
February 9, 2022
I enjoyed this solid collection.
March 8, 2022
A celebration of Batman’s fiftieth anniversary and the 600th issue of Detective Comics. Plenty of great art and gritty 80’s action.
April 2, 2022
The fifty anniversary special didn’t do anything for me. It was just really weird.
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September 5, 2023blind justice arc is soooo good. same with the two part Video Nasties story
February 13, 2021
The individual stories are a little weaker than in the previous volume, maybe because of how hokey some of them are - ecstacy turning a yuppie banker in to a crazed multiple-personality-disorder killer (um... okay... lol); a violent video ring that probably had to stop short of snuff because omg what about the kiddies reading and the naughty rich people apologizing lolol I cannot...
The collection is anchored by a decently-solid graphic novel-length arc Blind Justice, which starts off intriguing but ends up with kind of lame villains and supporting characters, but thankfully is still entertaining enough.
The collection is anchored by a decently-solid graphic novel-length arc Blind Justice, which starts off intriguing but ends up with kind of lame villains and supporting characters, but thankfully is still entertaining enough.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews