The Good
Anarky's white masks are controlling the people of Gotham and he wants Mad Hatter to pay for his crimes, as well as take care of Batman. Can Bullock and Batman solve this case working together?
The last issue as well as this one has some great twists that elevate the story as a whole. Prior to this issue, this was more about Anarky resetting everyone's past in Gotham. It almost seemed like a noble cause but done in a not-so-nobel way. As this issue unfolds, we realize that not only are there other motives, but there's even more secrecy behind all of this.
What DETECTIVE COMICS does exceptionally well is build a solid foundation, in this case, Anarky's story, but adds layers upon layers of depth to it, so by the time the reader gets to the end of the story, they can look back at the arc as a whole and have this larger appreciation for the build and reveal. "Anarky" offers a higher level of re-readability because of this and readers will want to start this all over to see Anarky's plan of action unfold again, with a greater understanding of the character's motivations.
There is something incredibly intriguing and compelling about Anarky. I am not too familiar with his Pre-52 counter-part, but I always enjoy an antagonist that flat-out states that they are the hero of the story, which we get while Batman and Anarky are fighting. Anarky is trying to be like Batman and right the wrongs, but he goes about it in a way that puts other people at risk and that's why Batman has to stop him. Aside from using mind control on the citizens of Gotham, Anarky has no problem killing off people for the greater good, which is where Batman draws the line.
As far as creative teams go, Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul are not only one of the best teams at DC, but one of the best in comics. On the page, these two work sensationally well together at telling a compelling story and keeping it look breathtaking. The page layouts are always exciting and unique, even when they seem to look a bit more traditional, and there's a lot of fantastic movement on each page. It all flows as the reader peruses the book.
One thing that the creative team pulled off well was the ending. There's no cliffhanger moment or giant reveal. The story just ends. Sure, within those final pages, there are some loose ends which could turn into other stories, but all-in-all, the readers are treated to something that feels final. Obviously, a lot of that has to do with CONVERGENCE coming up next month as well.
The Bad
This was a fantastically satisfying ending to the story. No real problems here.
The Verdict
"Anarky" wraps up exceptionally well. There was no real doubt that this final issue would falter, but the natural progression of the reveals and the story itself raised the bar for how story lines should wrap up, especially when butting up against publisher-wide events which force books to wrap-up early. Overall, this was the most enjoyable story Manapul and Buccellato had to offer thus far during their run. Because of the layers within the story, the high quality of the writing and art, and the fact this book moves so well, "Anarky" is a story Batman fans need to read.