Detective Comics #1097: Bullock on the Beat

Tom Taylor has had an up-and-down reception to his overall style of run pacing in recent years. While well-received at first bite, his Nightwing run grew notorious for dragging out its villain plots to the point of dissatisfaction. While Elixir, the overarching villain of the run (seemingly), continues to grow with each issue, Detective Comics #1097 is a brilliant point of difference in pacing philosophy on that title. With a focus on Harvey Bullock and a deepening extension of previous plotlines, the start of this new arc feels as equally fresh as it is directly tied to his debut story on the title.

Elixir may lean into the recontextualization of Batman’s history—something we’ve seen so often over the last decade that it’s become as much a trope of modern Batman as the death of the Waynes—but the subtle scale of their intrusion is far more effective than the Joe Chill overhaul from the last arc. Their evil is the kind that could exist in any world, at any time, and prove just as dangerous and intriguing precisely because of its small scale. It makes sense—without the need for justification—that Batman wouldn’t know about their actions, because their crimes blend into the background noise of the chaos Gotham has endured since Bruce first donned the cowl. It’s what makes Penguin a perfect ride-along character for this story: someone just as embedded in Gotham’s history as Bruce himself.

Having Harvey here as a co-protagonist definitely gives the book more narrative color than it otherwise would’ve had. Even if just for a moment, this issue explores the grayness of corruption that was prominent in the first arc but lacked a sense of realism in its depiction. Seeing the moral dilemma of the last arc baked into the ethos behind Elixir’s ability to corrupt law enforcement is so damn delicious—and it only lands because of Bullock. With him on the front lines, the story feels even more grounded in Gotham’s grime than before, a feeling hammered home by Lee Garbett’s visuals.

Garbett’s penciling draws out so much personality from these characters in a way that’s tonally appropriate but far more “cartoonish” than Janín ever would have been. It brings him toe-to-toe with the previous arc’s art, which I absolutely glazed over. His work is just as stellar—noticeably different, yes—but it doesn’t break the visual continuity or delicacy of a run like this. It’s top-notch stuff. The only thing that doesn’t quite match up is the coloring style Janín introduced in his arc, but the coloring here is still strong. Lee Loughridge’s work oozes a Spawn-like fog that rolls over the book—maybe not as punchy as Janín’s, but still tonally infectious.