Yep, I'm here to review Detective Comics yet again. Why? Because it is the BEST BOOK on the shelf right now that no one is apparently reading. Seriously, go out and buy them all NOW.
Scott Snyder, Jock, and Francesco Francavilla present the astounding conclusion to the "Black Mirror" saga, and boy, is it a doozy. In these pages we finally get to see James Gordon, Jr. to be the terrifyingly sadistic individual that he has been teased to be, and Dick Grayson's hunt to stop him before time runs out for Barbara Gordon. After this issue, James Jr. definitely stands as one of the best new villains in the Bat books, and was the perfect foil for the Dick Grayson Batman. Scott Snyder adds some brilliant touches to past Batman events (such as The Killing Joke), and his portrayal of Gordon Jr. makes the Gordon family all the more tragic.
Both Jock and Francavilla handle the art duties in this book, and while the differences between them do get a little jarring, they both deliver their A game for this finale. I particullarly loved Jock's full page of Grayson Batman assuring Gordon that they'd catch his son, and the haunting "reveal" of what James Jr. has done to his sister Barbara.
The best thing about this issue is not only does it tie into the beginning of Snyder's run, but how well Snyder writes James Jr., an individual who figures out Dick's identity as the new Batman, simply from the fact that he's known him for so long. That and his reason for returning to Gotham make this book a must read, and goes down as one of the greatest Batman stories of all time. Yes, of all time.
Hey! Stuff actually happens in this issue of Fear Itself! It's about time that things started to heat up, and Fraction's script definitely brings the action, as Thor throws down with The Thing and The Hulk, who have both been possessed by the Serpent's evil hammers. Stuart Immomen draws these action scenes incredibly well, and it's no surprise that these scenes are the best of the issue. Captain America's face off with both Sin and The Serpent doesn't end too well, but the scenes at the end with Spider-man are so out of character (in my opinion) that I wonder if Fraction even likes the character. This one thing aside, this issue is very good, and the action alone makes up for the slow start of this series.
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