Detective Comics #821
July 2006
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Paul Dini
Artist: J.H. Williams, III
Colorist: John Kalisz
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Associate Editor: Michael Siglain
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover: Simone Bianchi
Batman created by Bob Kane

22 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Premise: Someone is targeting Gotham’s high society. The World’s Greatest Detective uses his skills and connections to crack the case.

Synopsis:

Gotham’s elite are being attacked by well-dressed hoodlums. Kidnappings, hijackings, grand theft - nobody has been harmed, but a lot of stuff has been stolen. Lucky for Batman, he’s got a few connections in the high-rent part of town.

The M.O. doesn’t really fit any of the established criminals in Batman’s rogues’ gallery. Robin wants in, but Batman keeps him out until he can figure out this new adversary.

As Bruce Wayne, he attends events and parties to try to scare up some criminals. Bruce eventually picks up the trail. He’s able to track a trio of them back to their hideout where, as Batman, he comes upon a new villain.

Battle ensues, and Robin comes out of nowhere to lend a hand. The villain gets away, but Batman’s already figured out the rest of the story and goes to head him off at the pass. The day is saved, Batman reveals how he figured out the villain’s identity, and we end with a moment between Batman and Alfred.

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Review:

This is Paul Dini’s first issue on Detective Comics. He’s an old hand at telling Batman stories, though, since he was an Emmy Award-winning writer (and producer) on Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond. So yeah, the guy’s pretty good.

As far as single issue Batman stories go, this may be one of the best I’ve ever read. We’ve got a setup, some detective work, and a resolution. Beginning, middle, end - it doesn’t get any better than that.

There’s a lot going on in this book, and it’s fairly wordy. But that’s okay. The dialogue flows very well. There’s also a lot of stuff going on in captions (that would have been done in thought balloons in the old days), but it’s alright with us, because it’s more about how Batman’s figuring this stuff out than it is about telling us what’s going on in the story. Besides, we all know Batman’s all in his own head anyway, so the internal monologue works.

Williams’s artwork is pretty amazing. Let it never be said that the guy can’t fill a page. There’s so much going on in what would normally be gutters and empty space that adds to the atmosphere and gives additional depth to the story. From the bats flying in the margins to wide establishing shots that are covered by smaller panels that contain the finer parts of the story, this book is all about mood.

Dini and Williams are definitely pulling some of the feeling of the Silver Age Batman into this book. Just the fact that the villain has a lair goes a long way towards that feeling. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more of Dini’s work on the series. From what I understand, they’re all intended to be single-issue stories featuring various villains. Now that’s a plan I can get behind.