Detective Comics #878 Review

DC Comics
Detective Comics #878 Review
By Dan Horn
June 30, 2011 - 18:03

DC Comics
Writer(s): Scott Snyder
Penciller(s): Jock
Inker(s): Jock
Colourist(s): David Baron
Letterer(s): Sal Cipriano
Cover Artist(s): Jock
$2.99 US

While I'm left lamenting how brutally obvious both of this issue's reveals turned out to be, I still have to admit to admiring the conclusion to Scott Snyder's "Hungry City." As Batman is in the clutches of the strange new villain, Tiger Shark, Snyder imbues his narrative with the kind of depth you never expect to find in a comic book. Everything from circus acts to the history of walking the plank make their way into this tale, making for a heady, mature (not in the "adults only" sense) climax. Jock's fantastic shadowplay and line work don't hurt either. This is one of Jock's best performances yet, aided by David Baron's wonderful atmospherics.

But, like I stated earlier, I felt burned by the lack of imagination in the epiphanies that closed the book on two of Detective's mysteries. While the last page had many critics gasping and giddily applauding, I was rolling my eyes. So much for Snyder's ability to lay genre cliches and overused plot devices to rest. I don't want to spoil anything, but it would take some serious counter-intuition to think that this chapter's two disclosures could have ended any differently. It was so staggeringly apparent since the very beginning that I was sure Snyder wouldn't take the easy way out. I was positive it was all just a ploy to throw us off someone else's trail. Alas, it wasn't, and I really can't say that it's that great of an ending to this story. Even the character of Tiger Shark is a bit inconsistent, just within the few pages that he graces, going from forcing lackeys to speak for him to suddenly having no qualms about speaking for himself. It's all good fun, but I was always under the impression that this Detective run was more than simply fun. I always thought this would eventually push boundaries and go someplace interesting. Here, it seems as though I was wrong.

Rating: 7/10