Detective Comics #1001
Recap
After 1,000 issues, you’d think Batman could finally have a break…but no: as a new era dawns, he’s facing the most dangerous threat of his career! The Arkham Knight has arrived in Gotham City with an entire round table of deadly allies, and their first encounter will leave Batman shaken to his core!
Review
The Arkham Knight rises in the first arc after DC’s historic Detective Comics issue #1000, bringing a fan favorite character into comics for the very first time!
Tomasi follows his short story from last issue with a fully realized epic introducing the Arkham Knight into comic lore. It’s a curious choice overall, but not all that surprising given the overwhelming popularity of the both the character and the 2015 game he appeared in titled ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’. There was a huge surprise regarding the identity of the the Arkham Knight in the video game, so it will be interesting to see if Tomasi and crew decide to follow that same path in comics.
The Arkham Knight receives a solid introduction in the form of a new mystery centered on the death of hundreds of bats all across Gotham. As Batman searches for answers, even bringing in Francine Langstrom (Kirk is away in the pages of Justice League Dark), he is soon confronted by armored Knights. This battle ends with the reveal of the Arkham Knight stomping an arrow-ridden Batman into the ground. The story is fast paced, action packed and never loses sight of its mysterious roots making for a great read overall.
My only problem so far is simply how long it’s taken to get to this point. After last issue’s brief introduction, I was hoping for a more in depth story about the Arkham Knight. This issue is essentially a continuation of the same buildup from issue #1000 though. Luckily the ending doesn’t fail to deliver the character in all his armored glory though!
With Brad Walker taking over for Doug Mahnke, I had some trepidation about the artistic direction in this new arc, but all of that was put to rest very quickly. The visuals in this book are stunning. There are epic shots, adeptly handled fighting sequences and concise lettering.
Overall, this is an exciting start to a new chapter in the World’s Greatest Detective mythos. With industry veteran Tomasi at the helm, it looks like this could be a truly enjoyable arc!
Final Thoughts
Detective Comics #1001 kicks off the Arkham Knight's introduction with a dark mystery and ends with an action-packed confrontation that will undoubtedly have readers excited for what’s to come!
Detective Comics #1001: I Got a Bat Problem
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9.5/109.5/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
