Detective Comics #1006
DC Comics
Written by: Peter J Tomasi
Art by: Kyle Hotz
Colors by: David Baron
Letters by: Rob Leigh
On a dark and stormy night in Gotham City, detective Jim Corrigan and his partner are sitting in a diner waiting. When the call comes in that there has been a murder, the detective’s race to the crime scene to investigate.
Unfortunately, the perpetrators are still in the area and they are targeting Corrigan specifically. When Spectre appears to stop the killers, they use the opportunity to take Corrigan and disappear. With no host to return to, Spectre seeks out the only man he knows can help him find his host and partner, Batman. The relationship between the spirit of vengeance and the dark knight detective is not one of friendship, but they will need to look beyond their ideological differences if they are going to save Jim Corrigan from a fate worse than death.
The best part of this issue is Peter J Tomasi forcing Batman and Spectre together and how their clash of ideas create the central conflict of their investigation. There are some dark and interesting elements to this story and great drama to be mined from it. The dialogue is well done and both the pace and dark tone of the story are spot on.
Kyle Hotz perfectly matches the dark tone of the story with the art. All of the characters have a gritty, exaggerated look to them that lets the reader know that this story is going to be bloody and brutal.