The Doll Maker
Tony S. Daniel continues his great work of writing and drawing Detective Comics with issue three. Picking up immediately where issue two left off, Batman is captured by the Doll Maker and his deranged family and standing over the body of Jim Gordon, who has several different victims skin stitched together onto his. Batman quickly picks up that the body before him is clearly not his friend Gordon and the Doll Maker confirms that but says he is captured. And that soon, Batman would be his next victim. He paralyses part of Batman's body in hopes of not harming or bruising him so that his value will remain high for those funding him. Naturally Batman escapes and Gordon uses the little girl Olivia to help Batman find him. But first, Batman discovers who the Doll Maker really is.
By now, you either like or dislike this Doll Maker story line. I for one am enjoying it. It's dark but yet feels like a Batman story. The Doll Maker is a 'killer' villain and he's even given a small back story and origin. One that almost makes you feel for him. He and Gordon have more in common than he does with Batman. Also, things happen with Olivia that we may not have seen coming. And Gordon is a brave man and even knows how to send a warning to Batman without talking to him.
The art is what you've come to expect from Daniel. Dark and detailed, but we don't have any two page slashes this go round. Jack-In-The-Box is especially cool and disgusting!
There's no shocking ending to this one, thank goodness. Three shocking endings in a row would have been too much. But it does set up the next issue nicely. By now, you know how you feel about this Daniel's run of Detective Comics. Again, I have no complaints with this issue.
