Peter Tomasi returns to a Batman comic as DC Comics’ namesake makes its way to an historic issue.
Detective Comics 994
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils by Doug Mahnke
Inks by Jaime Mendoza
Colors by David Baron
Just as ACTION COMICS had a story that utilized the roots of its main character, Superman, as it counted down to 1,000 earlier this year, its darker counterpart is putting Batman in a similar situation in the run-up to its fourth digit. More importantly, it gives Peter Tomasi another opportunity to write the character, which is always welcome.
Batman is called on a case of a murdered couple discovered in the city aquarium who were set up to look like Thomas and Martha Wayne on the night they were murdered. With Commissioner Gordon right there – this is clearly not happening at the same time as the story in BATMAN – Bruce has to be a little more careful showing off his knowledge of the Waynes, who had to have died more than a decade before the Caped Crusader debuted.
The opening part of the issue is a great display of the Bat’s detective skills, and the slow pace of the story gets shattered about midway through when Bruce’s confidant, Dr. Leslie Tompkins, is attacked and Batman has to rush to her rescue, kicking off some nice action sequences. The doctor’s attacker is a mysterious monster who hits Tompkins with Joker gas, leaving us with a pretty terrifying cliffhanger.
I really enjoyed Tomasi’s story, and it was accentuated by my favorite penciller, Doug Mahnke, being on the book. I am always happy to see his name on a comic, and this is no exception. This should be a great final arc before Batman’s next big event.