Detective Comics #1035: Sarah Won’t You Smile Awhile for Me

First off: the cover of Detective Comics #1035 is very misleading. There is no huge fight between Batman and this robust man with the Yosemite Sam mustache (spoilers!!!!), so don’t go into the issue expecting to see this exchange. We do find out Sarah Worth’s fate in this issue, but like most comics, it’s not exactly what you think it is.

Mariko Tamaki and Dan Mora continue to work this mystery of who killed Sarah Worth, a well connected Gotham socialite from a family of generational wealth and privilege. Bruce seems to try to ingratiate himself with his new neighbors as this murder case goes on. Meanwhile Batman has a run-in with the police in the sewers, who are still very much into the anti-vigilante wave of popular opinion. Also there’s a cliffhanger that will have you going, “Huh?”

It’s a theme that Batman writers will pull out once or twice a decade, and can work incredibly well if the creative team have a very concise plan for it, but I’m not sure if this is the case with Tamaki, at least not yet. It’s only the second issue in, so I’m willing to give Tamaki and Mora the first arc to see how I feel about it.

Mora’s art is very energetic, and full of motion and life, and is a good companion to Jorge Jimenez on the main Batman title. I am really curious to see if Dan will modernize Gotham, or will it be a more classic take that we’re used to, only time will tell.

One of the highlights from Mariko’s new cast members is the Meryl Streep-looking character, Deb Donovan, owner of the Gotham Gazette. She seems like a great source of information for Bruce to have now that his resources are limited, and I am living for her.

Tamaki’s biggest strength this issue was her Huntress, both in the main and in the backup. She really brought a different voice that we’re used to with Helena. Didn’t dull her edge, just humanized her a bit more than she normally is, which was a treat.

Clayton Henry’s art was excellent here. While I usually associate his style with a more whimsical, less serious tone, was able to surprise me with how he was able to convey the emotional depth and impact that the story needed. I hope to see more Huntress from this team in the near future. His maturation as an artist is very evident with his work here, and I’m glad to be able to see it.

Tamaki and Mora are going for a very low key run, more entrenched in Gotham’s upper middle class, which is ripe with potential, but the biggest problem with the book is you just don’t care about the victim. There’s so many chances to snag the reader, but the issue just misses the mark.