Detective Comics #995: Murder at Wayne Manor!

Detective Comics #995 is a near-perfect exploration into the emotional depths of the World’s Greatest Detective, bringing both his struggles and triumphs to the forefront of a new mystery surrounded by death.

To begin, Tomasi tells an exhilarating and ultimately heartbreaking, story surrounding Bruce’s relationship with Leslie Thompkins as they attempt to save her from the Joker’s laughing gas. Though she eventually succumbs to the toxin, she is able to provide a lot of valuable insight into the impact of Batman and even the dangers of his fight to save the city. This seems to give Bruce not only direction, but inspiration to continue.

Unfortunately, within moments of her passing, a random stranger pierces Alfred’s lung with a rapier. This forces Bruce to rush to the aid of yet another person he cares deeply for, continuing his decent into a very dark place, even for Batman. It’s a beautifully crafted narrative that puts Bruce Wayne through emotional torment while furthering a truly intriguing mystery.

With Alfred taken care of, Batman makes his way to Arkham Asylum where the worst of Gotham’s villains are currently locked up. In a moment that is strikingly similar to Rorschach’s time in jail in the Watchmen, Batman announces to the villains that he is the only monster locked in there with them. It’s a moment that is nothing short of awesome and serves as a thrilling ending to such an emotional issue.

The artistic direction from Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, David Baron and Rob Leigh is once again precise and very appealing throughout the whole issue. I personally appreciate their willingness to show Bruce in the costume with only his cowl removed, as it helps to add visual complexity to the duality between his two personas. Overall, the artwork is everything you could want in a Detective Comics book, it’s just beautiful.

Detective Comics #995 epitomizes excellent story telling for the series. It has mystery, action and emotional depth, and it is visually stunning. Tomasi, Mahnke and company are delivering one of the best arcs in years, so don’t miss out.