Batman: The Detective
The biggest story in the development of movies in the twenty-first century, at least the first quarter of it, was the domination of comic-book action films. Not just the MCU, but almost any action movie started seeming more and more like a comic book through the heavy use of CGI and generic comic-book tropes.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable though to think that some influence went the other way. That’s certainly the feeling I had reading Batman: The Detective, which plays very much like the graphic-novel version of a Hollywood movie of the period, from the storyboard flavour of the action sequences to the iconic European locations.
Of course one of those comic-book tropes I mentioned as bleeding into film is that of the deathless hero. Despite all the scars on Batman’s tank-like frame (he’s huge in this comic), he just keeps going along. I mean, how does he crack a rib and dislocate his shoulder and keep on fighting when he crashes out of the hospital window and falls to the street? And even more to the point, how do the mooks he falls on keep going? And how does Beryl Hutchinson (Knight) survive falling from a plane and then being shot at point-blank range by Equilibrium? It’s not like Equilibrium wants to spare her, as Hutchinson must have been on the kill list and we know Equilibrium is a homicidal maniac. But the next time we see here she’s sitting up in a hospital bed, and by the time we get to the end of the series she’s ready for action again. I feel like I was missing something there.
Still, this is a really good comic that kept me interested all the way through. The action is great, and the writing moves us along quickly, even though I thought the plot was ridiculous. Equilibrium’s motivation seemed sketchy to me, but she was a strong villain, enforcing some kind of amoral order against Batman as agent of chaos. I thought of her as the anti-Joker in this regard.
I just don’t know why it was called The Detective since Batman doesn’t do much detecting here aside from plugging into his continental network (the European Alliance of the Bat) and getting status updates. I was also wondering when Batman started wearing goggles. I’m not enough of a Batman stan to know that bit of trivia.
One minor point: the use of @#$%$@# for cuss words seems out of place in a contemporary comic. Either don’t use bad language (there’s no need for it here) or spell it out. This isn’t Asterix.
Alex Good 
This isn’t Asterix
Ha! That’s what THEY want you to think. All these storylines are rejects that weren’t good enough for Asterix and Obelix, so Batman has to do some shoveling now.
Also, is Batman your imaginary friend?
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Batman has no friends, imaginary or otherwise. He walks alone.
Is Batman Asterix and Robin Obelix? I have trouble seeing that. They probably had some trouble translating the storylines from the French.
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Does he walk alone down the boulevard of broken dreams?
I think Robin has a secret weight problem. That would fit with DC’s new “every hero is actually a tragic person on the edge of destruction” style.
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He walks down that boulevard with goggles on.
Maybe Obelix/Robin can get on Ozempic. There’s always a quick fix for everything in comic books.
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They survive their unsurvivable injuries just like John Wick does, by being not real people.
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But what if they’re real to me?
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If they are, you need to find a reputable psychiatrist.
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Dang. They’re kind of thin on the ground, I’m afraid.
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Then you be f**ked. Just get a sticky note, write on it THIS IS FICTION and stick it on the front of your comic, that should help.
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Hm. Isn’t this the paradox of the Cretan liar? I mean, if the note says it’s fiction, then the note can’t be true.
You know who would be able to figure this out? Batman. I should ask him.
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Sigh.
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I think that is the most sensible line of action. I mean, who are you going to trust? some rando who claims to understand you and your “psyche” or Batman, who has a proven track record?
Seems simple to me…
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Yep, we’re on the same page. Batman has experience dealing with all kinds of psychological problems.
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Sigh. The beauty of the system of swearing , you c**k, is that if used properly, you can f8*king well show exactly what words you are leaving out.
I kind of like Batman being a detective, so the title might draw me into this. Even though he doesn’t do much actual detecting…
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What am I a cask of?
The best Batman detective story I’ve read was The Long Halloween/Dark Victory series. Maybe the best Batman story I’ve read period.
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A cook, I’m suggesting that you are one of the biggest cooks that I know.
I’ll investigate your suggestion.
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