Batman The Detective #3 is published by DC Comics, written by Tom Taylor, with art by Andy Kubert, inks by Sandra Hope, colors by Brad Anderson, and letters by Clem Robins. With Bruce failing to stop his enemies from attacking Ducard in the last issue, he now rushes his old friend to the hospital in the hopes of saving his life.
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Being Batman is a complicated thing. To walk the path that Bruce Wayne has chosen to walk all but eliminates the possibility of anything being simple. This is doubly true for his personal associations. Whether his interest in them is love, or work, knowing either Bruce Wayne or Batman is a complicated affair. These complexities are on full display throughout Batman The Detective #3.
As Batman arrives at a local hospital with the dying Ducard in his arms, the situation is clearly grim. When an attendant inquires how Batman knows Ducard, the story jumps back to a time many years ago before Batman. When a young Bruce Wayne first met the world-famous manhunter known as Ducard.
Taylor’s exploration of Bruce’s first meeting with Ducard delivers a well-paced story that helps the reader understand who Ducard is to Bruce and why his survival seems to be of particular importance to the Dark Knight.
While there is a lot to learn about Bruce through Batman The Detective #3, this story also delivers a couple of genuinely enjoyable moments that surprised me. As ever, Bruce is always the serious, determined personality in this flashback story. However, seeing him taking the role of the serious one over the much older Ducard is a humorous sight. Taylor continues to balance the grimness Batman is so well known for with a bit of levity. Not so much as to kill the drama, but enough to make this take on the iconic character stand out for it.
The only drawback to this exploration of Bruce’s past is that it does put the present-day story on a hard pause till the last couple of pages. While I would say that the story is worth the delay, Taylor has crafted such an interesting tale until now that I can’t say its absence doesn’t bring a certain amount of frustration in me. The sudden change in time period does nothing to hinder Kubert’s continuing top-notch line work in Batman The Detective #3. The trademark power that is always so striking in Kubert’s style is on full display throughout this story. Coupling Kubert’s lines with Hope’s inks provide the art with a strong foundation to present its story with.
This foundation is built upon thanks to colorist Anderson’s strong work. As this is easily the brightest issue thus far of the series, Anderson takes full advantage of the change in lighting to let this informative story stand out visually with the much brighter color palette it deserves. Rounding out the book’s presentation is Robins’s letter work. The story is delivered with great placement, and I really liked the letterer’s sound effect design throughout this story. The hits land a little better thanks to the letterer’s great designs and placements.
When all is said and done, Batman The Detective #3 delivers a bit of a detour that, while it left me wishing for more of the main plot, is still a strong tale that takes a peek into the Dark Knight’s past.
Batman The Detective #3 is available now wherever comics are sold.
Batman The Detective #3
TL;DR
When all is said and done, Batman The Detective #3 delivers a bit of a detour that, while it left me wishing for more of the main plot, is still a strong tale that takes a peek into the Dark Knight’s past.
