DCnu - Detective Comics #1 from DC's New 52

Here's a review I never would have thought I'd be writing. Detective Comics #1.

Tony S. Daniel handled both writing and pencil duties on this one. And Tony S. Daniel has a great feel for the Batman. And the Joker.

Daniel's Batman comes off as hyper-competent, but yet not the "BatGod" you sometimes see people complain about, who has a contingency for everything, and can never be surprised.

He does his homework, is in peak human condition, is smart and quick, but can still make mistakes. This is Batman the way I like to read him.

Daniel's Joker is... well... crazy, for one. But brilliant. And physically, he may not be Batman's equal, but his unpredictability still makes him dangerous. He is nearly impossible to track down, also due to his brilliance and unpredictability.

The first confrontation between the two in the DCnU was excellent. The pacing of the story and the action were spot on. Daniel gave us some insight into Batman's character (protecting the innocent is more important than punishing the guilty), showed us some of his relationship with Alfred and with Jim Gordon, and used narration boxes to show us how Batman's mind works.

In fact, it is interesting to compare and contrast these with Batgirl and Batwing, also both out in the first week. Batgirl thinks about more - there are more words, and definitely more doubt and questions in her internal monologue. Batwing, on the other had is more telling the story of what has happened. Part of that is necessity - while all of these are #1's, Batwing is the only truly new title. And it is set somewhere that most readers are not familiar with, with different customs and cultural mores. His narration helps those who don't know anything about where he is from understand a little better.

There is no uncertainty in Batman's narration. Even when he does err, he just vows "Never again. Never. Again." and moves on. No self-doubt. Only acknowledgement that he missed something and moving on. Batman is the confident, competent character he should be. And seeing him at a point where much of the police force is actively hunting him is fun.

And the ending of this book... well... let's just say, I am very curious to know what is going to be happening next. Several of the books this week have had real cliffhanger endings, and in most cases, it is accomplishing exactly what it is supposed to. I'll definitely be picking up the next issue of Detective Comics.

Oh, and our Lady in Red from Flashpoint #5? She shows up here as well, at the bottom of page 15 of the digital version, in the crowd shot. I still don't know what her purpose is in-story, but am having fun picking her out in all of these books.