Detective Comics #16 Review
***SPOILER FREE REVIEW***
Sometimes a creative change is all a title needs. Tony Daniel's run on Detective Comics always look quite good, but the stories Daniel's was writing went from solid (the Dollmaker arc) to sloppy (the Mr Toxic art) to just bad (The Penguin arc). However, with Layman and Fabok, we're getting a great series that's an absolute joy to read.
Layman has had a great handle on how to write a fun issue of Batman, and Issue #16 is no different. What's nice about this Death of the Family crossover is we get to see what effect Joker has on Gotham without the Joker being present. Considering that Joker is currently assaulting Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing, your next door neightbor, your 3rd grade teacher, and everyone in between, the Joker's absence is a breath of fresh air. What we get in his place are fun villains, with connections to Daniel's pro-Joker protest mob back in Issue #5.
I feel that Layman has a good handle on how to write Batman. It's nice to see Batman be a bit more of a badass with his dialogue in this issue. The villains also have fun dialogue as well. Combined with the narrative, we get a really nice story written by Layman. This is not surprising, as the writer of Chew clearly knows how to write a stroy that combines drama and plot progression to make an interesting and fun comic.
I really enjoy Jason Fabok's art each and every issue. Each panel is greatly detailed, with a great combination of shading as well as clarity. Fabok's art has a great amount of energy for fight scenes, yet looks great when characters are standing around and talking as well. The designs of the bad guys in this issue are fun, and Fabok clearly had a great time drawing this issue.
The backup continues the "Emperor Penguin" storyline very well. As I've stated above, Layman is a fine writer, and Andy Clarke's art is almost as sharp as Fabok's. While Clarke occasionally uses a little too much facial crosshatching, it's a minor quibble at best, and does look really good at times as well. It's nice to see even with Death of the Family, that the Emperor Penguin arc isn't being ignored, as the Emperor Penguin character is quite interesting. We've gotten to really see him grow and develop as a character, and I hope he's able to establish himself as an exciting new addition to Batman's Rogues Gallery.
Layman and Fabok's run on Detective Comics is quickly becoming one of my favorite series that DC publishes! If you've been enjoying Detective Comics so far, we will surely enjoy this issue, and if you haven't tried out Detective Comics, this is a decent starting spot. Better yet, go back and pick up a few of the older issues as well, it's well worth it! My choice for comic of the week!
