Review: Detective Comics #2 (Daniel)

Someone has broken the nefarious Joker out of Arkham, but not all of him has left the building. Joker's face has been pinned to the wall of his cell, and not even the Batman knows why – or even if the Joker is still alive. By the time James Gordon, Harvey Bullock and Batman can wrap their heads around just what is going on in Gotham, one of them may lose more than just face!

The second installment of Tony Daniel's Detective Comics continues it's stride of eerie manipulations from a criminal mind that may just be too much for Batman to handle. All the while, Daniel dives into the day to day life of Bruce Wayne; making the duality of the character that much more poignant than in years past. And I have to say, the division between hero and man is alarmingly good. The "playboy/adventurer" aspect of Bruce has been heightened to a crescendo, while the detective side of the Batman persona has begun to take center stage. Long gone are the days when an intimidating stance and a few broken bones would extract any information needed to save the day. Now, there is a straight focus on the cerebral side of the coin, teaming with the police for information and gathering clues along the way are par for the course these days – and I wouldn't want it any other way!

But besides the duality of the hero, the best part of this book — is the villains! Sadistic, twisted and overtly creepy, these are the denizens of Gotham that will garner in a new age – one of fear and pain! They say that a hero becomes better due to the villains they face, well if that is true, Batman will become the greatest hero in the DCnU before issue five hits the stands! 

Daniel has really sunk his teeth into the meat of the Bruce Wayne/Batman character. Evolving him for older readers of the book, while not alienating those newcomers that have strapped in for the ride. I am enthralled with this book and have only Daniel to thank for my ever growing bill at the local comic shop!