Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 6: The Road to Ruin

Detective Comics by Peter J. Tomasi

by Peter J. Tomasi, Brad Walker (Illustrator), Bilquis Evely (Illustrator)

A CROSSROADS IN THE LIFE OF BATMAN.

In the aftermath of the Joker War, Bruce Wayne has lost his home, and is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Gotham City's citizens. A groundswell of anti-vigilante protests is popping up throughout Gotham, stoked by the mayoral candidacy of Christopher Nakano—a former police officer wounded in the Joker's war zone. All this, plus mysterious new villain in the Mirror is rallying others to the anti-vigilante cause, taking to the streets and leading violent encounters that show no true winner.

This final volume of Peter J. Tomasi's epic Detective Comics run culminates in a battle with Robin, a hostage crisis with Hush, and the dawn of a new era for Gotham City.

This essneital volume of Detective Comics collects Detective Comics #1028-1033—the final arc penned by seminal Detective Comics scribe Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Super Sons). It also features stunning art from Brad Walker (Aquaman), Kenneth Rocafort (Red Hood and the Outlaws), Bilquis Evely (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), Nicola Scott (Wonder Woman), and more!

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2021

About the author

Peter J. Tomasi is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, such as Batman And Robin; Superman; Super Sons; Batman: Detective Comics; Green Lantern Corps; and Superman/Wonder Woman; as well as Batman: Arkham Knight; Brightest Day; Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors; Nightwing; Black Adam, and many more.

In the course of his staff career at DC Comics, Tomasi served as a group editor and ushered in new eras for Batman, Green Lantern, and the JSA, along with a host of special projects like Kingdom Come.

He is also the author of the creator-owned titles House Of Penance with artist Ian Bertram; Light Brigade with artist Peter Snejbjerg; The Mighty with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee; and the critically acclaimed epic graphic novel The Bridge: How The Roeblings Connected Brooklyn To New York, illustrated by Sara DuVall and published by Abrams ComicArts.

In 2018 New York Times best-selling author Tomasi received the Inkpot Award for achievement in comics.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you wondered why there's a new mayor over in Tynion's Batman run, this arc explains how it happened. Most of this volume is setup for the events of Future State. The anti-mask sentiment is growing out of control. Mirror was a big letdown as an antagonist. He didn't really do much at all. I did like the Hush appearance. I was also glad we got to see Tomasi give us Batman and Robin one last time as they finally settled their differences.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so good!

It starts off with Bruce going after a guy whose killing cops to get justice for his father and that was a good one.

Then we have Nakano whose the new mayoral candidate having the anti vigilante stance and so Batman has to deal with that and finally there is a story with the new villain Mirror and so the Batfamily has to get involved and what happens when Hush enters and Batman is on the look for Damian? It all connects perfectly in a big story that will change the Bat mythos in a profound way.

I like how this volume had so much going on and lays the ground work for a lot of things to come for Damian and Bruce. And Bruce moving out. Nakano the mayor. And a great face off with Hush his childhood friend and all.

I like the art as usual but the writing was spot on and it's a perfect end to an amazing run and Tomasi certainly gets these characters unlike anyone. An amazing rin coming to a perfect end setting the stage for Infinite frontier.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent send off. I really enjoyed the moments with damien and Bruce. That felt like a goodbye to his Batman and Robin run. But hush returning as a villain was just annoying. But still decent.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Tomasi's final arc of Detective Comics is collected here, featuring appearances from The Mirror and Hush, as well as paving the way for the new world order as Christopher Nakano makes a run at the Mayor's office.

There's unrest in Gotham after the Joker War, and that's the impetus for most of the stories in this volume. The Mirror is a bit of a quick intro/exit, but the idea behind them is pretty neat, and plays nicely into what's going on in Gotham as a whole. This also helps propel Nakano on his new path, and he'll be a big player in Gotham going forward too, so even with Tomasi on the out, he's doing his bit for the next creative team to step in.

Then there's the Hush story, which also documents the breakdown of Batman and Robin's relationship. This counterpoints the final arcs of Teen Titans that were running at the same time here, and again both play into sending Damian on his next storyline in his solo series going forward. There's a lot going on, but it's all balanced really well.

Artwise, Detective's flying high. There's an issue by Nicola Scott, one by Kenneth Rocafort, two by Bilquis Evely, and then Brad Walker returns for the final two issues to close out the run. Nary a bad pencil between them.

Tomasi's run doesn't really end on a huge note, but he's had some big milestones as part of it (1000 and 1027 especially), so I don't think it really needed it. These final arcs work well on their own, but there's an undercurrent of preparing for the changing of the guard that keeps the momentum flowing through to the next volume and beyond.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Bad blood between two individuals is always a burden to lug around. Sometimes it’s also what’s needed for each of the concerned parties to walk down a path of self-reflection and unravel deep and complex issues. For Batman, the recent events have flipped his life upside down and led him to rethink his vision of Gotham and the peace he wishes for it. Although his grief-stricken life requires an additional effort of introspection, it is an intricate emotional and psychological journey that he doesn’t need to partake in alone. But will he be able to look beyond his habits to begin a new chapter in his life? Collecting issues #1028-1033, the latest volume in the Detective Comics series is the final story arc written by Peter J. Tomasi as he introduces a new mayor and new villains into the lives of the slowly-recuperating Batfamily.

What is Batman: Detective Comics: Road to Ruin about? Set after the events of The Joker War, Bruce Wayne looks to take a blind leap into a new future where his capital is without reach, and grief following the loss of a dear friend is behind him. Unfortunately, Gotham isn’t yet ready for any peace and quiet as a new series of gruesome murders reveals a trail of headless corrupt citizens with the Dark Knight also targeted by this deranged maniac. As Bruce Wayne also tries to figure out what Damian has been up to, fleeing to find a new resolution follow the recent tragedies, a new villain surge from the shadows and wishes to unmask the vigilantes who are roaming the streets, lining up his vision for Gotham similar to the mayoral candidate Christopher Nakano who wishes to rid the city of the masked and dangerous.

I am overly thrilled that this will be writer Peter J. Tomasi’s final story arc on this series. It was about time that he got off that road to ruin and found inspiration elsewhere. Thankfully, compared to the previous volumes, this turned out only forgettable. An overall sense of choppiness in the desire to introduce new characters and a new climate of conflict between political entities and masked vigilantes and villains makes for a rough and unengaging reading experience but the story doesn’t dwell long enough on any part to allow further criticism. The overarching themes of identity and trust do help tie together the narrative but the failed attempt to properly emphasize the mayor’s or the villain’s relevance forbids any of the subplots to bloom under his penmanship. While it was an ambitious decision to bring into play Hush’s character, there’s very little depth to the decision nor the finale to justify the decision in the end.

Unfortunately, as is often the case, this story arc collects the artistic vision of multiple illustrators and combines for an uneven and uninspiring visual experience. While each individual artwork can be appreciated for its respective strengths, the collected work simply emphasizes the absence of cohesion and the multiple plot threads that are sequentially and rapidly introduced to be later developed in future story arcs. Nonetheless, the colouring remains standard in its execution and strongly plays around darker tones and shadows. Although there isn’t a lot of action sequences, the final moments strongly compensate for the earlier absence, which was in fact mostly filled with detective work (after all, these stories had to cleverly tie into the series’ title). Hopefully, the next writer will be able to do something better with this series and the cards that have been dealt.

Batman: Detective Comics: Road to Ruin is a forgettable story arc introducing the rise of mayor candidate Christopher Nakano and the mysterious new villain The Mirror in Gotham city.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hush is Batman’s lamest villain, but at least Tomasi's integrated Batfamily members into the story.

[Kyle Berk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well constructed and heartfelt send off to what feels like the Tomasi stories that started with his Batman and Robin run. He always included Damian when he could and I love that. He deals with some threads left hanging by the Tom King stories.

Also brilliantly illustrated.

[Michael Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting storyline looking at an uprising within Gotham that is anti-vigilante, especially after the events of Joker War. This group believes Batman and his allies cause more problems than they're worth. They have "The Mirror" as a spokesmen who pushes their agenda, and also have Detective Nakano, running for mayor on a similar platform. Meanwhile, Batman has to track down Damian Wayne, who has stolen his Black Casebook and attempts to solve a mystery from within it.

Its a fun storyline, that turns into a Hush punchiest in its conclusion. If it kept asking questions on the nature of vigilantism, law and regulations, and on what makes a hero, then this could've been higher rated. Hush felt very forced into the narrative in the end, but it was still enjoyable overall. Tomasi's run isn't one worth writing home about or highly recommending, but it was consistent and engaging throughout. Can be skipped by non completionists, but for those wanting more Batman, you can't go wrong with Tomasi's tenure on Detective Comics.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Comics Vol. 6 The Road To Ruin collects issues 1028-1033 of the DC Comics series written by Peter J. Tomasi and art by Brad Walker, Kenneth Rocafort, Bilquis Everly, and Nicola Scott.

Former police officer Christopher Nakano, who survived The Joker War but lost an eye, has decided to run for mayor of Gotham City on the platform of No More Masks, both villain and vigilante. Meanwhile The Mirror makes his debut in Gotham an an instigator in Gotham's growing distrust of the Batfamily.

This was a pretty solid ending to Tomasi's run on Detective Comics. I wish he had more flexibility in telling original stories without having to write around Tynion's Joker War. It was great revisiting Robin and his amazing run on Batman & Robin. The art was pretty strong throughout but it still baffles me how many artists work on Batboiks. Can we get some consistency?

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

There a new villain in town stirring up Gotham against all of the masked vigilantes. Damian solves an old mystery and everyone's still dealing with the fallout of the Joker War. Not a bad volume, but feels very transitional.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

The more "political" part with Nakao and The Mirror started off quite well. The Batman/Damian relationship was pretty interesting - and I've always hated Damian from the bottom of my heart.
And then Tomasi had the bright idea of bringing Hush out of his bag of ideas...

Sigh...

[Dave Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another solid, if not spectacular, set of issues from Tomasi and friends. Seeing him get to revisit the Bruce/Damian relationship in a substantial way ends his Detective Comics run in satisfying fashion. It also feels like he leaves the right amount and kinds of unresolved threads for those who come after him to pick up. Once again, I'm never blown away by Tomasi's writing, but I always enjoy his work. He gets his characters, and he rewards the reader for paying attention to his previous runs and current Batman continuity.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still reeling from the aftershocks of Joker War, a couple subplots covered in this volume:
Bruce is dealing with the loss of his fortune
A new candidate for mayor is running for election
A rift occurs between Bruce and Damien, but this happens in another title. You get filled in here, and the ramifications are explored (one of the highlights).

One things I liked is that public opinion has grown against the Bat family to a level that I don't think has ever been seen before. Adds a new wrinkle and a new problem, although I'm not sure how long it will be kept as an obstacle.

Overall, not bad. Both the art and story are about average.

[Matty Dub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomasi ends his run on a good note, finding his voice for a Batman again and delivering a great one-shot to start followed a good Hush story arc. Kev Walker, Bilquis Evely and Nicola Scott illustrate the volume beautifully.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting Hush tale gets buried amid pandering pro-riot crap.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, I totally didn't realize this was the end of Tomasi's Batman Detective Comics runs. Aw.

I'm going to miss Tomasi's cool gadgets (like the super cool portable X-Ray-ish Tablet thing he had in the graveyard in issue #1028, and the very cool pointy ear darts from his cowl (#1029) and costume powerwash thing in the cave, which is just so smart), and his emotionally immature Batman (he feels, he just doesn't know how to express).

The first story in this volume is a cool murder revenge plot that kills some dirty cops (and a DA?). We get to see Batman on a black horse, and it is majestic!

#1029 introduces us to The Mirror who is leading an anti-vigilante movement (more like an anti-bat movement) in Gotham. What's new, am I right?
But this time, post-Joker Wars, there's a lot of traction in the populace for a no more mask movement.
The mayoral candidate, Christopher Nakano, (the police officer we met at the end of Joker Wars) is now running for Mayor on a super anti-mask platform as well.

#1030 -everything in this issue (it apparently happened in Teen Titans) was new to me. Damian quitting being Robin, him punching Batman(!!), him going off the grid, all of it! I knew I hadn't seen him in a long while (since Alfred's "wake"), but I was so sad to learn all this! I really like Damian (Ever since Tomasi's "Batman & Robin" series) and my heart breaks that he is so alone and broken right now. Batman is on the hunt for Damian though, trying to find him after Damian snuck into the cave and stole Batman's Black Casebook (i.e. his book of unsolved crimes).
There's a little batfamily reunion on a rooftop in Gotham and Batman asks everyone to let him know if they see Damian. (╯︵╰,)
But! Uh-oh, none of the batfamily actually called the meeting. Their comm-link frequency was hacked and they were lured into a trap by The Mirror and his gang! Dun dun dun!
(They're fine, don't worry!)
And we see Damian's first unsolved Black Casebook case is... a contained period of a bunch of unsolved murder attempts on Bruce Wayne's life!

Issue #1031 has a cool Bat-loving citizens of Gotham vs. the Mirror et al. showdown.
The Mirror: "And just what do you expect to achieve wearing those?"
Citizen in a Batman mask: "To show that there's a large percentage of Gotham that knows how necessary heroes have been! The monsters they've kept at bay --the sheer number of souls they've saved over the years. We expect you to take a closer look at the good of what they've achieved --the service they've provided to those in danger --the crazies with masks and makeup they've kept off the streets. You say they have to go --we say they have to stay! And we'll happily raise our voices to show our support!"
AW <3 <3 <3

We get the awful Batman/Damian showdown in #1032.
There's a really weird scene where Christopher Nakano is literally about to get fitted for a fake eye and then smashes it on the ground when he hears it was bought for him by Bruce Wayne. Does he super hate Bruce Wayne, and I missed it before?
Oh, and the whole Batfamily was kidnapped by Hush in the last issue.

Batman and Damian team up to go save the fam (#1033). LOVE the nod to Batman and Robin! Gosh, that was a good Tomasi series!
Anyway, Hush is lame-o, as per usual. Complaining how his Mommy didn't die when he tried to kill her, blah blah blah.
Damian saves the batfamily, and Batman knocks Hush out. They finally have their talk, though it is very abrivated, and more sad than angry.

The very end of the volume (#1033) is Bruce packing up the Batcow, dogs, cat, and finally Alfred's things, and moving them out of Wayne Manor (which is still a F*ing insane plot point to me). HOW in the world will Batman/Bruce live outside the manor? What if someone discovers the Batcave? How is this a good idea DC?!).

Altogether, this vol. gets a 3-star rating from me. Things happen, but in a little vacuum with lame-o villains and new mayor drama. Fine reading, but it def. suffered from last-volume-in-the-run vibes.

ONE TEENY-TINY COOL JEWISH THING at the end. On the last page, Bruce puts a stone on Alfred's grave before he leaves the manor, which is a Jewish custom (instead of flowers, which die, rocks/stones are placed on Jewish graves to symbolize the circle of life in a bit more of a permanent representation), and I just think that's so cool, even though it confuses me a little bit. (Is the nod to Bruce's Jewish fam on the Kane side? Is my fav, Alfred, Jewish?! Who knows!)

On to the next run!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a bit of the back story of this I already knew from being further ahead in the main Batman title, but with this being Peter J Tomasi's last story on Detective Comics, I knew I had to read this anyway. Looking forward to seeing what's next for this very long running title.
Highlights:
- We start with a good old fashioned detective story where Batman is investigating a cop killer. This mounted killer chops off heads with a police issued saber, and of course Batman finds him. Steven Holman, son of accused corrupt cop, only wants to clear his father's name and make sure the crooked cops get what's coming to them. Case solved, but Steven goes off to jail too, for the murders he did.
- Anti-mask sentiment is rising strongly throughout the people of Gotham, and head of that movement is a masked man who calls himself "The Mirror". Leading chants of "Unmask" while he himself is masked, is odd... but I'm anxious to see who he is soon.
- Running on an anti-mask, anti-vigilante campaign is Christopher Nakano, a former cop who lost his eye during "Joker War". He makes good points and is, by Volume's end, elected the new mayor of Gotham.
- Bruce has begun packing up Wayne Manor to move into the city. Lots of reflection on his life with Alfred.
- Damien steals Bruce's black book of unsolved cases and begins to work one. But... he will have to assume a Robin-like role again to help Batman when...
- Hush makes his return here, having both hired "The Mirror" and abducted the rest of the Bat Family. He wants to sell their organs on the black market. Of course he is stopped, but Tomasi does a great job creating suspense and action. Always good to see Bruce to go toe to toe with his childhood friend.

Overall, a good Volume. Art could have been better or at least more consistent.
Recommend.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are at least three plots running through this volume, handled without much conviction. First, we have the worn out trope of anti-vigilante sentiment by Gotham's citizens and leaders even though the vigilantes have saved more lives than caused deaths over the years. Yes, in the real world if someone dressed up as a bat and took the law into his own hands, he would be quickly arrested. But this is a fantasy world full of superpowered beings and I think you just have to accept that if you're going to have any kind of interesting story. The second plot line has Hush making an appearance in some kind of crazy effort to kill all the Bat-Family members. Hush was a great one-time villain, but to keep bringing him back dilutes his character for no real good reason other than the writers seem to think readers want to see the same villains over and over. The third plot line is Damian Wayne throwing a tantrum and going off on his own, but not before helping Batman for a second. This seemed like editorial deciding that Damian needs to be an independent agent for some upcoming project, not organic character development. The artwork by a variety of artists is good, but I wish one person could do a whole run and give some consistency to the book's look.

Kindle edition, 137 pages

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book. In the aftermath of the Joker War, Gotham has changed, people's opinions have changed and Bruce has lost most of his fortune.

It say a new direction and it really delivers. It is not just Batman who the city has turned against. Bruce Wayne is no longer the favorite son. Seeing Bruce pacing up his home and memories is hear breaking.

A new tide is coming in to Gotham. The city is divided on their opinions of the masks/vigilantes. The Batfamily is also divided. An old enemy could use this to take advantage. Old cases, wounds and difficult conversations will be met head on. On a personal note I am really glad that a "personal" battle was finally done here.

I really enjoyed this book a very good powerful storyline, heartbreaking in places and definitely shows the changes coming to Gotham. After this things cannot go back the way they were. The artwork is great. I love the gritty and dark images. The fights are brutally well done. I can't wait to see what is next. The book finishes with a varient full page cover gallery.

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the abysmal last volume, that forcefully tied into The Joker War storyline, this book was a significant step up and a welcome surprise.

It collects the last issues of Peter Tomasi's Detective Comics run that, while not exactlyt stellar, was nonetheless overall a very fun read with pretty good artwork, and it closes out his run in a high note.
It further fleshes out the ani-vigilante sentiment that is brewing in Gotham that ties to Tynion's work in the Batman title, while telling its own story without getting derailed or sidetracked. It also ves us a Batman and Robin team up, somethig we have not seen in a while, and its well handled (hardly surprising, as Peter Tomasi is one of the few writers who can actually write Damian Wayne as a compelling character instead of just an annoying brat).

Artwork varies, but its mostly good, particularly Brad Walker's pages, which seems to be back in his A-game.

Overall, a good end to a fun, if unremarkable run, that's very worth reading if one is looking for some self-contained Batman stories.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Gotham is starting to show serious anti-mask sentiment, Damian has quit being Robin, and Hush takes advantage of the chaos.

There is a lot going on in this arc. Joker War has left Bruce packing up the manor and Batcave, plus it has left Gotham with some very understandable conflict over the presence of masks in the city. The action was good, and I felt like even with all of the various elements of the plot, it all felt very cohesive. The art was good, and there were some very striking panels, especially when Bruce and Damian were interacting. The end ties up nicely before Future State begins.

[Robby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The initial chapter is a great one-off detective story for Batman with clean artwork by Nicola Scott. The main story is fairly interesting, following both the anti-vigilante movement in Gotham in parallel with Damian trying to solve an early Batman case on his own. Unfortunately, the climax involves a sudden villain reveal that should have been set up in the Damian storyline, but actually is almost totally unrelated. It's also a bit jarring to have different lead artists in nearly every issue.

[Sarospice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give this four stars for Tomasi run over all. He's done what any writer can do with a character like Batman: Play in the sandbox and keep it interesting. All the other setup with new mayors, no Robin, and anti mask sentiment is gravy. The art has awesome moments, especially the fight with Hush.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best but it was good. Nice art and introducing some storylines I imagine will carry through for a while to come.

The bad in this and the use of Hush didn't really land for me, they just felt a little generic to carry the story development of wider Gotham events.

The Damian/Bruce parts were good, I miss their Batman and Robin run.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Bruce Wayne prepares to leave Wayne manor, officer Nakano has begun a campaign for mayor, running on a ticket to end masked vigilantes. At the same time, a new villain calling himself Mirror has riled up the public to demand an end to all masks as well. Meanwhile, an old foe is using the distractions to take down Batman and family in an effort for revenge.

[Will Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tea by the rolling Ballard

This was a great instalment of barman detective comic
Like watching a whale perform the classic guitar solo for the 1960s
Or a hedgehog winning the Paris marathon after years of training and coming last
Watching an elephant finish its first memoir
A duck sailing the world 🌎
All these things are an amazing feat so pick up this excellent book today.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked everything until the short Hush arc. Those two issues really felt rushed abd had poor characterisation to allow the plot to happen.
Otherwise, it was good. Some great art with Nicola Scott and Bilquis Evely too.

The Nakano set up was good. I didn't appreciate him in Tamaki's run, maybe I shoudl try that again? Life is short though.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A smaller and much better story than joker wars- Mayor Nakano seems like an interesting character and expect his “feud” with Batman and masked vigilantes to continue.

The Mirror is a great new character (I will be so mad if it’s hush or the joker or something under the mask). Leading a protest against vigilantes-

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best volume by Tomasi. The Mirror story was good; we had the whole family together, and even though The Mirror himself was not given a proper conclusion, his movement gave us a good opposing force. But then finishing with Hush… I don’t know. I still struggle to see Hush as a big villain. I liked Nakano as a new character. Ps. Give me more Bilquis Evely Batman stories, please!

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t enjoy the steps towards future state. The ending makes really no sense to me. Abs I fell like 2 stories are jumbled here with the rise if anti-maskers in Gotham (huh that’s got a whole new meaning now) and a Villain story (name redacted).