In Gotham Nocturne Act 1, “Something In The Way” part 2, or more simply Detective Comics #1067, the curtain rises on Batman, frozen solid. The operatic drama resumes, with Mr. Freeze dragging Batman by his cape.
Writer Ram V keeps the dark tones, the serious dialogue, the constant tension in this Gothic tale. The names of characters, the soothingly logical rhetoric, the almost-hypnotic pace, all good. Ram V knows where he is going in this darkly-played drama, where the actors are as snakey as heck. They strut and deliver their lines, sporting masks to hide their true intentions. Are they crazy like cobras? Yes. But are they intelligent enough to make their insanity worth tolerating for the greater good? Ah, that is the question.
No question, Ivan Reis’ pencils are strong and expressive. Batman has rarely looked so ’human’, his eyes haunted, his face downcast and lost. Inks are by Danny Miki. Dave Stewart takes a thematic approach to his colour application here, using blues as dominant hues, contrasted dramatically with cool reds. Letters are by Ariana Maher, who keeps a wide variety of ‘voices’ active in the lettering; coding the captions to make us understand that we are ‘hearing’ different points of view.
An eight-page backup story written by Simon Spurrier, with art by Hayden Sherman and colours by Nick Filardi (Steve Wands on letters) ends a three-parter featuring Two-Face. It’s visually compelling, full of psychedelic colour effects, dramatic poses, and fascinating panel shapes. While the artwork becomes a bit overly warped for my tastes, it’s a blast to read.
DC Comics, Detective #1067, $4.99 for 30 pages of content. Teen
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