And Then I Read: DETECTIVE COMICS 33

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

I’m not a fan of cop shows, I don’t watch any on TV. Don’t read murder mysteries either. For a story about guns, gangs and drugs in Gotham City to work for me, there has to be great writing and characters first, and this one has it. Tops in my estimation is the handling of Harvey Bullock vs. Batman. The story takes place early in the careers of both, when they’re completely at odds, and it makes for fascinating reading. We also see Batman doing actual detective work, something this title has often lacked, and the art by Francis Manapul manages to make even the most brutal and abhorrent criminal activity somehow lush and appealing to me. Quite a trick. Quite a team, Manapul and Buccellato.

Recommended.