REVIEW: ‘Detective Comics,’ Issue #1058

Detective Comics #1058 closes its two big storylines, and there isn’t a single disappointment in sight. DC Comics publishes this title written by Mariko Tamaki and Matthew Rosenberg. Amancay Nahuelpan and Fernando Blanco provide artwork with Jordie Bellaire on full issue coloring. Ariana Maher and Rob Leigh finish off the issue with lettering. In the first story, two epic Gotham City finales for the price of one and with stark differences in storytelling.

Detective Comics #1058 kicks off the end of ‘Shadows of the Bat’. We left off with the mask of the Psycho-Pirate on the face of Koyuki Nakano, the mayor’s wife, and enough of a flash-forward was given to imply her words, ‘No more,’ ended the Arkham Tower chaos. This issue kicks off with reporter Deb Donovan getting the details (to an extent) of what went down directly from the Batman and Batwoman. So, some might read this issue as anticlimactic. I don’t see it this way. We’ve had several issues of strong, intense combat and chaos, so one issue of tying up loose ends makes perfect sense. Tamaki stayed on course, utilizing the same large cast and flashes of new scenes, brief dialogue, even circling back to the beginning with Deb. A lot goes down here as Batman leads the charge to clean up pieces from the fallout, but this is everyone’s story. The pacing and style of storytelling are tight, and the surprise twist of Koyuki finding her strength added that extra depth.

Nahuelpan delivers a strong, stalwart Batman and Batwoman, along with sharp lines throughout the issue with lots of attention to detail (even panels of up close laptops have detailed city skyline views). Bellaire dazzles with the colors and light glares from the start and never lets up (until he has to tone it down in ‘House of Gotham’). Maher offers a wide variety of fonts and lettering styles as the story runs across Gotham to show how the city and its heroes will change to adapt. This story gave us a con-man as the main villain. Not Joker. Scarecrow was a side piece. An amazing story but not dominated by the usual Rogues and that alone is a relief. Please more of this! But Arkham Tower is here to stay, and I can’t wait to see what other stories will be told there.

‘House of Gotham’ had me shook. The Boy reaches another stage in his development under Gotham’s nefarious tutelage as he confronts, at last, the Joker and the Batman. I have to say Rosenberg ended this story with masterful tension. The Joker is annoying, Batman is a failed father figure (again), the Boy shows he learned his lessons very, very well. This tale also deftly goes full circle in all the wrong ways but am I bad for loving it? Maybe so. But my goodness does this story, this issue, this entire run scream Gotham. 

Blanco was the one consistent artist through the twelve-issue gauntlet, and his level of quality never waivered. He kept Gotham in a state of perpetual ugly, sinister, and its citizens shaded enough to appear tainted. Bellaire followed suit with those Halloween hues and moody blues around Leigh’s skillful use of word balloons in many a tight panel. This was never going to be what anyone would expect, but it so fits the setting. 

If you never read these stories, get on it. If you can’t spare the time to track down all twelve issues, make a mental note to get the inevitable trade when it releases. This is expert Gotham storytelling with a massive cast that never makes either tale feel jumbled or lose focus. They are great exercises in the perfect intersections of writing, artwork, color letters, and editing to make sure quality comes out on every page and the middle is as satisfying as the beginning and end. I have loved every single issue and can do nothing more than praise the teams, the books and hope they give us more. An eight out of five for this issue. Ten out of five for all twelve.

Detective Comics #1058 is available now wherever comic books are sold.