Detective Comics #0

The Final Lesson

I’ve only read one issue of the DCNU Detective Comics previous to this one, but I was not impressed by the last issue. I thought Daniel’s writing was awful, and the art was a long way from good. Did issue zero fair any better?

In this issue, we get to see Bruce go to Japan and learn martial arts from a great master.

Disaster Once More

This issue was not as slipshod as the last one, but it was boring. This issue followed a classic (tired) Batman formula…admittedly, with a slight twist. Batman finds a love interest, a father figure, and a mother figure all in this one issue, and I bet you would never guess what ends up happening to them by the end of the story.

A large part of this issue revolved around Bruce learning bits of pseudo wisdom from his master, but ninety percent of the master’s teaching fell flat as far as I was concerned. If you read this issue, you’ll hear about darkness and light and burying emotions to become more than a man, but these are all old concepts, and they are not put together in such a way as to frame the role of Batman in a new light. The whole story is a throwaway.

My Compliments to the Artist

The art is very good in this issue. Richard Friend did a less than stellar job last time, but it seems he has handed the penciling back over to Tony Daniel. Daniel might be a poor writer, but his artwork is very nice.

I'm Calling Backup!

The backup story covers Alfred’s struggles during Bruce’s time away from Gotham. Once again, James Tynion IV does a great job with the backup story, and I wish that DC would make him the lead writer for this series.

Conclusion

There is really not much to say about this issue other than save your money for something better.