Review: Detective Comics #1002
By Philip Schweier
April 24, 2019 - 08:26
DC Comics
Writer(s): Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller(s): Brad Walker
Inker(s): Andrew Hennessy
Colourist(s): Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer(s): Rob Leigh
Cover Artist(s): Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Nathan Fairbairn; Mark Brooks
The Knight battles Batman to a
standstill, partly because they’re evenly matched, partly because both have a
regard for life that prevents them from endangering the innocent. All very
nice, but the battle ended with a sequence we’ve seen in movies a hundred
times. 
The camera switches back and forth among various faces – friends, foes, non-combatants, innocent children, etc. – as the two opposing faction weigh their respective options. They can either continue the challenge or back down and resume later. In this case, that jumping – from police to assassin to Batman to Knight to innocent bystander, back to Batman to Knight to police to assassin to innocent bystander, back to Batman to Knight – takes two entire pages, with nary a bit of dialogue. I wouldn’t blame a reader for feeling cheated.
Later, back at the batcave, a recuperating Batman sends Robin on a retrieval mission to Aparo Bay. Much as I LOVE the work Jim Aparo did on Batman back in the Bronze Age, and appreciate DC Comics and Tomasi sending him some long overdue love, it seems to me they’re trying too hard. I’d prefer something more subtle. (See Action Comics #1,010 for an example.)
The chapter ends with the Knight revealing himself. We see him from behind as he removes his helmet, so readers are not yet permitted to know his identity. I’m assuming it’s a Bruce Wayne from an alternate universe, or perhaps one of the Robins having time traveled from a possible future. Either way, it’s a variation on the evil twin cliché, so I’m particularly impressed (yet). Hopefully, next issue will change that.
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