Detective Comics #1025
DC Comics
Written by: Peter J Tomasi
Art by: Kenneth Rocafort
Colors by: Dan Brown
Letters by: Rob Leigh
With the Joker is control of the city, Gotham needs a soldier help take back the streets.
Bullock and his forces are pinned down against a barrage from Joker’s goon. The only person who can help them is Batwoman. As Kate leaps into action to give the police time to move in, the Joker’s men deploy a new weapon. A series of repurposed Bat Drones take to the sky to stop the police and it will take Batwoman and Batman to infiltrate Wayne Enterprises to stop their production and the man cranking them out, Lucius Fox.
Will Bruce be able to reach his friend in time to stop him from destroying the city under the influence of the Joker or will he lose another friend in the Joker War?
While there are some great moments in this issue, the biggest gripe I have about it is that there is a stunning lack of tension. Joker War is supposed to be something big, monumental and Earth shaking for the Dark Knight and this issue feels like the status quo continues for the character. Nothing in this plot reflects the stakes that the character is supposed to be overcoming and it just feels like any other Batman story. The main Joker War story has established some stakes that I have been wanting to see explore. This issue takes away many of those stakes and the tension they created.
As a Batman story, this is fine. As a part of the bigger Joker War storyline, it wraps things up too easily.
Kenneth Rocafort’s beautiful artwork is a saving grace for this issue. The action is fantastic and Batwoman’s presence in it is a welcome one. The panels are brilliantly composed and the progression of the action is awesome. Rocafort does some interesting and engaging things with the art. I just wish the story was as engaging.