Book Review for A-Z Title Challenge: Detective Comics vol #2 (New 52)

Book: Detective Comics volume #2: Scare Tactics (Issues #8-12, 0) by Tony S. Daniel with illustration by Tony S. Daniel (issues #8-9, 12), Ed Benes (issue #10), Julio Ferreira and Eduardo Pansica (issue #11)

Issue #0 by Gregg Hurwitz with illustrations by Tony S. Daniel
Short story by James Tynion IV with illustration by Henrik Jonsson

Edition: Read the single print issues

Rating: 2 stars

Review:

This wasn't much better than the first volume but there was a slight improvement which is why I gave it 2 stars. Batman still can't seem to do anything besides fight and certainly did not do a whole lot to solve any mysteries he continues to luck up on information or someone would give him a lead. The stories still continues to be underwhelming.

Issue #8 had Batman being manipulated by the Scarecrow to take down one his competitors. I was hoping that Bruce would try to figure things out on his own without the Scarecrow providing all the leads.

Issue #9 was a tie-in to the Night of Owls with Dr. Arkham being targeted by Owl assassins showing up at Arkham Asylum with Batman showing up to stop them.

Issues #10-12 had Batman trying to stop a very toxic villain who was trying to use an experiment to save his life regardless of who got killed in the process. Issue #10 also included reporter Charlotte Rivers who was still recovering from her injuries (vol #1) and has decided to move to Paris to try to start over.

Issue #0 was yet another tale of Bruce training to become Batman. In this story he was in the Himalayas learning new skills and being taught by a emotionless sensei who wanted Bruce to become like him and forgo all feelings because they will make him weak. In the end he was surrounded by more tragedy. This issue also includes a short story about Alfred still waiting and hoping that Bruce will eventually return.

None of these stories really did showed how smart Bruce is although the Toxic Man arc (issue #10-12) tried with a few scenes added in just so you don't forget that Bruce is supposed to be the World's Greatest Detective.

There was also a Two-Face story at the end of a few issues, it was okay and definitely could have been better. The artwork for it was also just okay, with the color being so dark that it was hard to tell what was happening in the story.

Overall, the second volume was okay. I really wish the stories had been better.

Currently Reading for A-Z Title Challenge: Detective Comics vol #2 (New 52)

I didn't like the first volume so I'm hoping this one will be much better. The New 52 is so hit or miss with quality that there is no way to really know if a book will be good or not.

Book: Detective Comics volume #2: Scare Tactics (Issues #8-12, 0) by Tony S. Daniel with illustration by Tony S. Daniel (issues #8-9, 12), Ed Benes (issue #10), Julio Ferreira and Eduardo Pansica (issue #11)

Issue #0 by Gregg Hurwitz with illustrations by Tony S. Daniel
Short story by James Tynion IV with illustration by Henrik Jonsson

Edition: Read the single print issues

Description:

Batman must face the madness of the Mad Hatter, and then take on the Talons of the Court of Owls! But even if he survives that, he must face a whole new set of fears when the Scarecrow returns! Can the Dark Knight overcome the terror the Scarecrow brings? And explore the bizarre similarities between these two enemies and how the idea of fear has shaped their lives!

Book Review: Detective Comics vol. #1 (New 52)

Book: Detective Comics volume #1: Faces of Death (issues #1-7) written and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel

Rating: 1 star

Review:

I read the single issues and not the trade edition shown.

I feel like Tony Daniel is better as an artist than a writer because in these seven issues the writing was rather bland and there was no real story. It's not to say he's a bad writer because I loved "Batman: Battle for the Cowl", "Batman: Life After Death" and "Batman: Eye of the Beholder" but this story wasn't good. For some reason it didn't really have a feel of Batman, the characterization just felt off while the story felt stale and generic.

This was not Batman at his best, his detective skills seem to be lacking and only knows how to use force instead of using his brain. Batman's not known for being the World's Greatest Detective for nothing. So, it would have been nice to actually see him using his detective skills because most of the clues he finds he just somehow lucked upon instead of actually doing any work to find them.

The first issue had Batman dealing with the Joker and issues #2-4 found Batman trying to find the Joker after he escaped Arkham but ended up stumbling into an ambush by Dollmaker and his group of crazies. This also includes a new character Olivia who may or may not end up becoming one of the monsters that prey on Gotham in the future. She was probably one of the only new interesting characters or interesting characters period in this volume. The last three issues had Batman in the middle of a plot that involved the Penguin. It also wasn't that interesting.

Nothing could improve these stories not even the Joker and Penguin because neither high profile villain could add anything at all. The newly introduced villains such as Dollmaker, Snakeskin and Jill Hampton (one of the crooked Mayor's daughters) were not any better.

There was even a new love interest love (yet still allusions to Batman's continued involvement with Catwoman). His new love interest is a reporter named Charlotte Rivers (who has ties to one of the new criminals) but to me she just felt like a Lois Lane rip-off, and she was not interesting to the story at all. 

Overall, this was truly disappointing. Reading this felt like something was missing from the story. It just wasn't good at all. Sad to say there was absolutely nothing worth reading from this volume except for the artwork, which was quite amazing.