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Detective Comics (2011)
Batman – Detective Comics, Volume 5: Gothtopia
Gotham City is and always has been a crime-free utopia, where the heroes are celebrated through the streets of one of America's best cities. Batman is a universally beloved vigilante clad in white. His sidekick is Selina Kyle, otherwise known as Catbird. Who, or what, has created the Dark Knight's alternate hometown?This twisted take on Gotham City, written by John Layman (Chew) and illustrated by Jason Fabok ( Eternal), includes the monumental issue Detective Comics 27 that celebrates the 75th anniversary of Batman.Collecting: Batman – Detective Comics #25-29.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2014
13 people are currently reading
502 people want to read
About the author
John Layman
819 books586 followersJohn Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing Chew, published by Image Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
August 22, 2022
(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: The title track’s a load of wack, illogical and rough, and its special issue sometimes shines, but nowhere near enough.
Notes: The title track’s a load of wack, illogical and rough, and its special issue sometimes shines, but nowhere near enough.
July 10, 2015
3.5 stars
Not all of the stories were stellar, but overall I liked Gothtopia.
Gordon gets his turn to tell his Zero Year story, and it's one of the better issues in this thing. If you don't feel like reading the whole volume, I'd still say check that one issue out. Very nicely done!
The Man-Bat story is utterly forgettable. Kurt Langstrom has gone off the rails this time around to chase down his crazy ex-wife...Bat-Queen
*bangs head on desk*
Moving on...
The Gothopia storyline finally gave me the answers to all of the questions I had about Batgirl's alter ego Bluebell. I know I wasn't the only one curious to find out why Babs was wearing white and living in Mayberry!
For that alone I was excited to read those issues. Both Batgirl & Birds of Prey had crossovers with this...mysterious event, but you never really found out what exactly was going on.
Well, the bulk of the story happens here, people! And it's not just Barbara Gordon who's living an entirely different life...
Scarecrow has released an alternate version of his usual Fear toxin, and now the entire city is seemingly living in a contented state of being. Everyone's dreams are a reality, at least, in their own minds.
Why would Scarecrow want Gotham's citizens to think that they live in a utopia?
Spoilery Reasons!
But thanks to Poison Ivy (and her immunity to toxins), Batman wakes up and starts fighting back. He also manages to rack up quite a few smooches from the ladies in this one...
Unfortunately, there are massive plot holes in Gothtopia's storyline.
Such as, when Scarecrow uses the Fear Toxin, each person sees their own individual fear. Then they sit in a corner pissing themselves, or spend the next few hours fighting invisible monsters (or people they 'think' are monsters).
How the fuck did he not only get everyone to hallucinate the same thing at the same time, but how were they all functioning in a society of nothing but dreams? How were they all seeing Batgirl as Bluebell, and Catwoman as Catbird.
It makes NO sense on any level!
Alright, the next few issues are all to celebrate 75 years of Batman. So there are several different stories, and each of them varies in quality.
Brad Meltzer does a pretty cool re-imagining of the Joker's origins in The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.
Gregg Hurwitz does an excellent job showng Batman's transformation over the years in Old School. To me, this was one of the better ones in the bunch.
Better Days by Peter J. Tomasi was hands-down my favorite! There was a real joy to this story that the others just didn't have. Batman is retired, and everyone is gathered around for his 75th birthday.
Of course, as soon as they blow out the candles, trouble strikes!
Is Batman going to turn in early, or is he gonna sneak out and have one last hurrah?
I loved that this one didn't do the Lonely Old Bruce thing. This was the perfect story to celebrate this character and all of the fans who love him.
Rain is an extremely short story (4 pages) by Francesco Francavilla. I'm not even sure if I got the gist of it, but I think it shows Batman saving James Gordon Jr's life. Maybe.
Mike W. Barr writes The Sacrifice. The Spectre shows up and gives Bruce the opportunity to change the outcome of what happened in Crime Alley. Bruce never lost his parents & never became the Batman. Instead, he's a happily married father. But what is a world without Batman like?
Well, it's apparently gone to hell in a hand-basket.
Which version of his life will Bruce choose?
Last up is Scott Snyder'sTwenty-Seven
Well, that was just shit. Total shit. The art was shit, the story was shit.
Shit.
Every 27 years there's a new 'Batman clone' that pops out of the Bat-incubator. Each one has to choose if they want to serve the city as Batman, and a few years after the new guy pops up, the old one dies off. Of course, this is how the original Bruce engineered it, because he figured that you reached your maximum efficiency at 27. *gag*
Depressing, bleak, and ugly.
Everything a Batman comic should be!
It's a volume of hit-or-miss stuff, but there was enough good to outweigh the bad, in my opinion. Gordon's Zero Year & a few of the 75th anniversary issues are totally worth thumbing through this sucker!
Get this review and more at:
Not all of the stories were stellar, but overall I liked Gothtopia.
Gordon gets his turn to tell his Zero Year story, and it's one of the better issues in this thing. If you don't feel like reading the whole volume, I'd still say check that one issue out. Very nicely done!
The Man-Bat story is utterly forgettable. Kurt Langstrom has gone off the rails this time around to chase down his crazy ex-wife...Bat-Queen
*bangs head on desk*
Moving on...
The Gothopia storyline finally gave me the answers to all of the questions I had about Batgirl's alter ego Bluebell. I know I wasn't the only one curious to find out why Babs was wearing white and living in Mayberry!
For that alone I was excited to read those issues. Both Batgirl & Birds of Prey had crossovers with this...mysterious event, but you never really found out what exactly was going on.
Well, the bulk of the story happens here, people! And it's not just Barbara Gordon who's living an entirely different life...
Scarecrow has released an alternate version of his usual Fear toxin, and now the entire city is seemingly living in a contented state of being. Everyone's dreams are a reality, at least, in their own minds.
Why would Scarecrow want Gotham's citizens to think that they live in a utopia?
Spoilery Reasons!
But thanks to Poison Ivy (and her immunity to toxins), Batman wakes up and starts fighting back. He also manages to rack up quite a few smooches from the ladies in this one...
Unfortunately, there are massive plot holes in Gothtopia's storyline.
Such as, when Scarecrow uses the Fear Toxin, each person sees their own individual fear. Then they sit in a corner pissing themselves, or spend the next few hours fighting invisible monsters (or people they 'think' are monsters).
How the fuck did he not only get everyone to hallucinate the same thing at the same time, but how were they all functioning in a society of nothing but dreams? How were they all seeing Batgirl as Bluebell, and Catwoman as Catbird.
It makes NO sense on any level!
Alright, the next few issues are all to celebrate 75 years of Batman. So there are several different stories, and each of them varies in quality.
Brad Meltzer does a pretty cool re-imagining of the Joker's origins in The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.
Gregg Hurwitz does an excellent job showng Batman's transformation over the years in Old School. To me, this was one of the better ones in the bunch.
Better Days by Peter J. Tomasi was hands-down my favorite! There was a real joy to this story that the others just didn't have. Batman is retired, and everyone is gathered around for his 75th birthday.
Of course, as soon as they blow out the candles, trouble strikes!
Is Batman going to turn in early, or is he gonna sneak out and have one last hurrah?
I loved that this one didn't do the Lonely Old Bruce thing. This was the perfect story to celebrate this character and all of the fans who love him.
Rain is an extremely short story (4 pages) by Francesco Francavilla. I'm not even sure if I got the gist of it, but I think it shows Batman saving James Gordon Jr's life. Maybe.
Mike W. Barr writes The Sacrifice. The Spectre shows up and gives Bruce the opportunity to change the outcome of what happened in Crime Alley. Bruce never lost his parents & never became the Batman. Instead, he's a happily married father. But what is a world without Batman like?
Well, it's apparently gone to hell in a hand-basket.
Which version of his life will Bruce choose?
Last up is Scott Snyder'sTwenty-Seven
Well, that was just shit. Total shit. The art was shit, the story was shit.
Shit.
Every 27 years there's a new 'Batman clone' that pops out of the Bat-incubator. Each one has to choose if they want to serve the city as Batman, and a few years after the new guy pops up, the old one dies off. Of course, this is how the original Bruce engineered it, because he figured that you reached your maximum efficiency at 27. *gag*
Depressing, bleak, and ugly.
Everything a Batman comic should be!
It's a volume of hit-or-miss stuff, but there was enough good to outweigh the bad, in my opinion. Gordon's Zero Year & a few of the 75th anniversary issues are totally worth thumbing through this sucker!
Get this review and more at:
February 3, 2015
Batman awakens to a utopian Gotham - a “Gothtopia” (which sounds like a club for Cure fans) - where crime is all but wiped out and he has a happy existence with his partner in crime and in life, Catbird, aka Selina Kyle. But can this really be the White Knight’s real life - or is it a mirage?
Like a lot of the latter New 52 books, Detective Comics Volume 5 is a grab bag of issues. The opening chapter is a Zero Year tie-in where a younger Gordon deals with crooked cops and the emerging Black Mask gang while encountering Batman for the first time. Then we’re into a Manbat one-shot before beginning the three-part Gothtopia storyline. The book closes out with the bumper-sized New 52 Detective Comics #27, celebrating Batman’s 75th anniversary with this rehashed iconic numbering.
Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot here that’s worth reading. The Gordon issue was enjoyable in part and I liked Jason Fabok’s art on this and the Gothtopia opening chapter. There’s a couple of nice moments in the anniversary issue too, like the Peter J. Tomasi/Ian Bertram story where a 75 year old Bruce Wayne goes out one last time as Batman, and the Mike Barr/Guillem March has a Christmas Carol flavour to it as Phantom Stranger shows Bruce what his life - and the other lives he touched - would have been like if he hadn’t become Batman. It’s also sweetly dedicated to Batman’s creator, Bill Finger, who sadly almost never gets a mention because of Bob Kane’s shady legal hustling way back when.
Add it up though and that’s not a whole lot of positives. The Manbat issue was like every other Manbat story, involving Kirk’s wife and the serum, etc. The Gothtopia storyline feels played out as well - Batman’s hallucinating, who could it be? An experienced reader would go down the list, starting with Scarecrow, and who’da thunk it - it is! So even that’s your generic “Scarecrow experimenting with his toxins” storyline.
The anniversary issue is the real let down though. It should’ve been so much more considering the stature of the character we’re celebrating, and DC did go all out with the creators contributing: Bryan Hitch, Brad Meltzer, Gregg Hurwitz, Neal Adams, Francesco Francavilla, Sean Murphy and Scott Snyder all throw in some pages, alongside those I mentioned earlier. And yet the stories are so very meh. Even the Hitch/Meltzer retelling of the first Batman story from the original 1939 Detective Comics #27 felt lacklustre - I actually prefer the original, as corny as it is!
As much as I like John Layman for his work on the awesome Chew, his run on Detective was only so-so - though it was better than Tony Daniel’s inauspicious start with the first two volumes! Gothtopia is a very weak Batman book and Layman leaves the title with a whimper rather than a bang. Hopefully The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, who’ve taken up the reins for Detective Comics, will do greater things with the next volume.
Like a lot of the latter New 52 books, Detective Comics Volume 5 is a grab bag of issues. The opening chapter is a Zero Year tie-in where a younger Gordon deals with crooked cops and the emerging Black Mask gang while encountering Batman for the first time. Then we’re into a Manbat one-shot before beginning the three-part Gothtopia storyline. The book closes out with the bumper-sized New 52 Detective Comics #27, celebrating Batman’s 75th anniversary with this rehashed iconic numbering.
Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot here that’s worth reading. The Gordon issue was enjoyable in part and I liked Jason Fabok’s art on this and the Gothtopia opening chapter. There’s a couple of nice moments in the anniversary issue too, like the Peter J. Tomasi/Ian Bertram story where a 75 year old Bruce Wayne goes out one last time as Batman, and the Mike Barr/Guillem March has a Christmas Carol flavour to it as Phantom Stranger shows Bruce what his life - and the other lives he touched - would have been like if he hadn’t become Batman. It’s also sweetly dedicated to Batman’s creator, Bill Finger, who sadly almost never gets a mention because of Bob Kane’s shady legal hustling way back when.
Add it up though and that’s not a whole lot of positives. The Manbat issue was like every other Manbat story, involving Kirk’s wife and the serum, etc. The Gothtopia storyline feels played out as well - Batman’s hallucinating, who could it be? An experienced reader would go down the list, starting with Scarecrow, and who’da thunk it - it is! So even that’s your generic “Scarecrow experimenting with his toxins” storyline.
The anniversary issue is the real let down though. It should’ve been so much more considering the stature of the character we’re celebrating, and DC did go all out with the creators contributing: Bryan Hitch, Brad Meltzer, Gregg Hurwitz, Neal Adams, Francesco Francavilla, Sean Murphy and Scott Snyder all throw in some pages, alongside those I mentioned earlier. And yet the stories are so very meh. Even the Hitch/Meltzer retelling of the first Batman story from the original 1939 Detective Comics #27 felt lacklustre - I actually prefer the original, as corny as it is!
As much as I like John Layman for his work on the awesome Chew, his run on Detective was only so-so - though it was better than Tony Daniel’s inauspicious start with the first two volumes! Gothtopia is a very weak Batman book and Layman leaves the title with a whimper rather than a bang. Hopefully The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, who’ve taken up the reins for Detective Comics, will do greater things with the next volume.
June 2, 2016
Thank god Gothtopia is over. I was especially annoyed when the villains captured Batman and DIDN'T TRY TO KILL HIM or any of the Bat Fam.
Like, seriously, I understand Batman doesn't kill but the villains should've offed him and not carted him to Arkham expecting him to sit tight. I normally like Scarecrow stories but giving him villain sidekicks who should've tried to kill Batman but didn't because ... why, exactly? ... made zero sense.
Issue #27 was billed as a special mega-sized anniversary issue with over 80 pages, but I'll be honest I skimmed almost the whole thing because it didn't fit into any of the main storylines at all. This was more like an anthology I pick up because it has one or two stories that tie into series I'm in the middle of and just skip the rest.
Also, way to be a dick to Selina in the end, Bats.
Like, seriously, I understand Batman doesn't kill but the villains should've offed him and not carted him to Arkham expecting him to sit tight. I normally like Scarecrow stories but giving him villain sidekicks who should've tried to kill Batman but didn't because ... why, exactly? ... made zero sense.
Issue #27 was billed as a special mega-sized anniversary issue with over 80 pages, but I'll be honest I skimmed almost the whole thing because it didn't fit into any of the main storylines at all. This was more like an anthology I pick up because it has one or two stories that tie into series I'm in the middle of and just skip the rest.
Also, way to be a dick to Selina in the end, Bats.
February 12, 2020
A bit of a hodge-podge collection of comics, but still pretty wonderful. We start with a Lieutenant Gordon-focused story from the Zero Year arc (recreating the first encounter of Batman and Gordon). We segue smoothly into a brief Man-Bat interlude, wrapping up some loose ends of the Man-Bat second-feature of earlier New 52 issues.
Then Batman returns to Wayne Manor to meet Alfred and his long-time partner...
Catwom… er, Catbird!!!
I'll have to leave it to you, Dear Reader, to understand the ins and outs of Gothtopia, as the economy booms, crime plummets, and the city of Gotham flourishes. Except, of course, for a rash of mysterious suicides...
Finally, the volume wraps up with a small series of glorious celebrations of 75 years of the Batman. Well worth the price of this book, IM(n2)HO.
Third comic this year... with my estimated attempt of one volume each week, I have lost some ground.
Then Batman returns to Wayne Manor to meet Alfred and his long-time partner...
Catwom… er, Catbird!!!
I'll have to leave it to you, Dear Reader, to understand the ins and outs of Gothtopia, as the economy booms, crime plummets, and the city of Gotham flourishes. Except, of course, for a rash of mysterious suicides...
Finally, the volume wraps up with a small series of glorious celebrations of 75 years of the Batman. Well worth the price of this book, IM(n2)HO.
Third comic this year... with my estimated attempt of one volume each week, I have lost some ground.
February 20, 2021
I gave this series a poor chance on first read. This is some good stuff. Mostly strong art and entertaining stories.
March 6, 2018
Zero Year Gordon origin story is a massive trap. It gives you this feeling that what this volume has in store for you is going to turn out to be a classic in this New 52 Detective Comics run. The Zero Year story was definitely awesome. The way the story was told, the ideas that were confronted and the artwork to embellish the whole, it was definitely the main issue that ended up being the highlight in this volume.
The chapter after that? Something to bring a final conclusion to all the Man-Bat shenanigans that were being sprinkled around throughout the series. That is all that was. It wasn't spectacular, and it had one of those "superhero/villain moments" where... they just self-exclaim their name. Gosh... What a bland moment.
Gothtopia is the "big event" of this volume. Stretched out on three short chapters (and a teaser on another chapter), Gothtopia was disappointing. My biggest concern is the premise behind the whole storyarc. Something that affects everyone individually ended up bringing forth a synchronized and collective utopia? How on earth did that make sense. To top it off, Batman finds himself in more compromising situations where death could've been EASILY presented to him. But all these villains close their eyes on one of their biggest dreams.. to what end? Gothtopia didn't feel special at all. In fact, the "alliances" that Batman will have to make in this story is one that I've seen before with the Arkham Knight game. I don't know if it's cause the idea itself was over-used in Batman history or if they suddenly decided to inspire each other, but Gothtopia's version was a lot less interesting.
Volume 5 also contains an anniversary collection of issues (#27) with some really amazing writers and artists. Some of these were atrocious. Others were tolerable. A couple were fun and managed to be a nice little homage for Batman. I definitely liked the one where the Bat-family celebrate Bruce Wayne's anniversary. I liked the Old School story with its throwback artwork. Scott Snyder's story was interesting too. Definitely unusual, but it felt like a S. Snyder story. Even the artwork had something going. It just somehow felt pleasant to the eyes.
In the end, Gordon's Zero Year story was the biggest highlight, while the rest had plenty of problems stuck to them. Have to give credits to Jason Fabok's artwork too. Dude can draw.
P.S. Full review to come.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
The chapter after that? Something to bring a final conclusion to all the Man-Bat shenanigans that were being sprinkled around throughout the series. That is all that was. It wasn't spectacular, and it had one of those "superhero/villain moments" where... they just self-exclaim their name. Gosh... What a bland moment.
Gothtopia is the "big event" of this volume. Stretched out on three short chapters (and a teaser on another chapter), Gothtopia was disappointing. My biggest concern is the premise behind the whole storyarc. Something that affects everyone individually ended up bringing forth a synchronized and collective utopia? How on earth did that make sense. To top it off, Batman finds himself in more compromising situations where death could've been EASILY presented to him. But all these villains close their eyes on one of their biggest dreams.. to what end? Gothtopia didn't feel special at all. In fact, the "alliances" that Batman will have to make in this story is one that I've seen before with the Arkham Knight game. I don't know if it's cause the idea itself was over-used in Batman history or if they suddenly decided to inspire each other, but Gothtopia's version was a lot less interesting.
Volume 5 also contains an anniversary collection of issues (#27) with some really amazing writers and artists. Some of these were atrocious. Others were tolerable. A couple were fun and managed to be a nice little homage for Batman. I definitely liked the one where the Bat-family celebrate Bruce Wayne's anniversary. I liked the Old School story with its throwback artwork. Scott Snyder's story was interesting too. Definitely unusual, but it felt like a S. Snyder story. Even the artwork had something going. It just somehow felt pleasant to the eyes.
In the end, Gordon's Zero Year story was the biggest highlight, while the rest had plenty of problems stuck to them. Have to give credits to Jason Fabok's artwork too. Dude can draw.
P.S. Full review to come.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
May 5, 2016
This was a great read. I really enjoyed the three Gothtopia stories & the Jim Gordon stories at the very front. The only thing I didn't like we're the few short stories at the very end that I thought really brought down an otherwise excellent installment of Detective Comics.
June 6, 2015
Meh.
The best of the bunch I've already read...the Zero Year Gordon story.
Other than that, it feels like the Dark Knight series...throw villains at Bat, rinse, lather, repeat.
Man Bat, a really meh 3 parter about Scarecrow and feat toxin turning everyone but Ivy...that part was OK, and Ivy got tongue action!
Then the 75th Anniversary with the "new" issue 27 where it all started. Each tiny story by a different creator. The best? The one where Phantom Stranger shows Bruce his life if his parents lived, and like George Bailey, he decides things were fine the way they were...
John Layman did some good work, specifically with Emperor Penguin...I think that was him....but this was his last piece of DC...much better than Tony Daniel still.
The best of the bunch I've already read...the Zero Year Gordon story.
Other than that, it feels like the Dark Knight series...throw villains at Bat, rinse, lather, repeat.
Man Bat, a really meh 3 parter about Scarecrow and feat toxin turning everyone but Ivy...that part was OK, and Ivy got tongue action!
Then the 75th Anniversary with the "new" issue 27 where it all started. Each tiny story by a different creator. The best? The one where Phantom Stranger shows Bruce his life if his parents lived, and like George Bailey, he decides things were fine the way they were...
John Layman did some good work, specifically with Emperor Penguin...I think that was him....but this was his last piece of DC...much better than Tony Daniel still.
July 3, 2023
This was a good volume. We get a Zero Year story starring James Gordon, and the Gothtopia storyline was pretty cool for something different. Various and sundry other stories combine for a nice read.
December 31, 2020
I wish Levoir had it's version on goodreads. Instead I have to figure out what I am reading on my own.
Anyway, really liked this issue, even though scarecrow isn't my favourite villain.
Anyway, really liked this issue, even though scarecrow isn't my favourite villain.
May 11, 2019
2.5>
Maybe I should have read the other volumes as well? Would it be more clear why the Penguin plays mayor in this strange hallucination of a bright and happy Gotham or why the Joker is the owner of an ice cream company but both are not part of Scarecrow's plot or the story? And what is that story line with Catwoman getting out of the drug infused happiness and then in again and in the end it's Batman who cuts the connection? Always preferred it the other way around.
The base idea about a happy Gotham and Batman as a bright knight is compelling (even if it never would work in our time) and Scarecrow is always an opponent I like to read about but there are so many little details that don't fit together and I doubt most would if I read the previous volumes.
Maybe I should have read the other volumes as well? Would it be more clear why the Penguin plays mayor in this strange hallucination of a bright and happy Gotham or why the Joker is the owner of an ice cream company but both are not part of Scarecrow's plot or the story? And what is that story line with Catwoman getting out of the drug infused happiness and then in again and in the end it's Batman who cuts the connection? Always preferred it the other way around.
The base idea about a happy Gotham and Batman as a bright knight is compelling (even if it never would work in our time) and Scarecrow is always an opponent I like to read about but there are so many little details that don't fit together and I doubt most would if I read the previous volumes.
May 23, 2015
John Layman's Detective Comics run has been the best the book has seen up to this point, so it's a bit disappointing to see it go out with a whimper rather than a bang.
The volume opens with the Zero Year tie-in, which is good fun and a nice look at one of Commissioner Gordon's earliest investigations, though I'd already read this issue in the Zero Year trade. Next up is the conclusion to the Man-Bat storyline which had been bubbling along in the back-ups of the past few issues, so issue 26 is devoted to tying up that loose end in time for Gothtopia, plus the back-ups were removed from almost all DC titles at that time so it kinda had to move into the main story or be forgotten.
Gothtopia itself is a good idea, but poorly executed. There's hardly any mystery around what's happened to Gotham, and the explanations for how Scarecrow is able to do what he's done are full of a lot of scientific names which don't add anything to the plot. The idea of having all of Batman's friends and foes come together for this story is a good one, but the artwork in the second two issues by the usually reliable Aaron Lopresti falls flat, especially when compared to the Jason Fabok issues earlier in the volume.
Then, crammed in the back of this volume are all the extra back-up materials that were in the oversized Detective Comics #27 which range from excellent (Francesco Francavilla's 4 page story) to clever but poorly executed (the Neal Adams story which is meant to span lots of different eras but comes across as nonsensical), with a few middle ground stories that are all ultimately forgettable.
As I said, it's a shame to see Layman leave this title on a low after the past two volumes of high points, but I assume by this point he had told the story he wanted to tell, and it paves the way for the excellent Buccellatto/Manapul run to begin in Volume 6.
The volume opens with the Zero Year tie-in, which is good fun and a nice look at one of Commissioner Gordon's earliest investigations, though I'd already read this issue in the Zero Year trade. Next up is the conclusion to the Man-Bat storyline which had been bubbling along in the back-ups of the past few issues, so issue 26 is devoted to tying up that loose end in time for Gothtopia, plus the back-ups were removed from almost all DC titles at that time so it kinda had to move into the main story or be forgotten.
Gothtopia itself is a good idea, but poorly executed. There's hardly any mystery around what's happened to Gotham, and the explanations for how Scarecrow is able to do what he's done are full of a lot of scientific names which don't add anything to the plot. The idea of having all of Batman's friends and foes come together for this story is a good one, but the artwork in the second two issues by the usually reliable Aaron Lopresti falls flat, especially when compared to the Jason Fabok issues earlier in the volume.
Then, crammed in the back of this volume are all the extra back-up materials that were in the oversized Detective Comics #27 which range from excellent (Francesco Francavilla's 4 page story) to clever but poorly executed (the Neal Adams story which is meant to span lots of different eras but comes across as nonsensical), with a few middle ground stories that are all ultimately forgettable.
As I said, it's a shame to see Layman leave this title on a low after the past two volumes of high points, but I assume by this point he had told the story he wanted to tell, and it paves the way for the excellent Buccellatto/Manapul run to begin in Volume 6.
November 5, 2018
I enjoyed this collection of Batman stories. Starts with a cool backstory of Jim Gordon. This leads into a fun Man-Bat vs Batman story as well as a handful of shorter Batman adventures until we get to the finale which is entitled Gothiopa, a story which showcases many of Batman’s rogue gallery of villains.
Some great art in this book too. All in all a fun Batman read.
Some great art in this book too. All in all a fun Batman read.
February 9, 2016
5 stars
Another good Batman Detective comic. Gothtopia was very nice except not very realistic. Glad Batman was able to figure it out. Nice that he was in a relationship with Selina there.
Another good Batman Detective comic. Gothtopia was very nice except not very realistic. Glad Batman was able to figure it out. Nice that he was in a relationship with Selina there.
May 17, 2025
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: Gothtopia
When Batman and Cat Bird receive commendations from Mayor Cobblepot for bringing the crime rate in Gotham City to a record low, only Poison Ivy seems to realise that something is terribly wrong.
A collection which showcases the potential for the uncanny in 'Batman', the artwork Shiite the story well and, by changing Gotham City, Layman works to show how embedded the hero is in his home.
When Batman and Cat Bird receive commendations from Mayor Cobblepot for bringing the crime rate in Gotham City to a record low, only Poison Ivy seems to realise that something is terribly wrong.
A collection which showcases the potential for the uncanny in 'Batman', the artwork Shiite the story well and, by changing Gotham City, Layman works to show how embedded the hero is in his home.
May 29, 2018
A fun read, but nothing major. I did enjoy the premise that Gotham was finally a happy place, until it of course turns out to be one of Scarecrow’s tricks.
December 31, 2024
Solid compilation of stories with Gordon and Man-Bat’s stories definitely being the best of the bunch. Still a lot of good stuff here to read.
September 12, 2017
Some fun and interesting things happen in this book. ..not enough.
The art is well done but..not all of the art.
I liked it.
I thought I was missing something without reading it but..I could have skipped it if I was worried about real plot points.
I wouldn't have missed anything.
The status of our hereoes stays the same.
The art is well done but..not all of the art.
I liked it.
I thought I was missing something without reading it but..I could have skipped it if I was worried about real plot points.
I wouldn't have missed anything.
The status of our hereoes stays the same.
October 23, 2019
Detective Comics: Gothtopia picks up where the previous volume left off and collecting the next five issues (Detective Comics #25–29) of the 2011 on-going series and mainly collects three stories and an anthology issue: "Whistleblower’s Blue", "Crown of Fears", and "Gothtopia".
"Whistleblower's Blue" is a Zero Year tie-in (Detective Comics #25) and has Lieutenant Jim Gordon of the G.C.P.D. as he and the mysterious new Batman takes on Black Mask, the dirty cops within, and the Red Hood Gang. "Crown of Fears" is a one-issue storyline (Detective Comics #26) has Batman taking on She-Bat, who just happens to be the wife of Kirk Langstrom – the original Man-Bat.
"Gothtopia" is a two-issue storyline (Detective Comics #28–29) with an introduction in (Detective Comics #27) where Jonathan Crane as Scarecrow creates a Contentment Sedative and let it loose on Gotham City and turns Gotham City into a utopia where the only way to survive was to believe, which made Gotham City the safest and happiest city in the United States of America.
Detective Comics #27 is an anniversary issue celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of Batman. It contains seven short-stories by various writers and pencilers with five pin-ups.
John Layman penned the trade paperback with Brad Meltzer, Gregg Hurwitz, Peter Tomasi, Francesco Francavilla, Mike W. Barr, and Scott Snyder who wrote a short story for the seventh-fifth anniversary issue in Detective Comics #27. For the most part, it was written rather well. However, it is still plagued with the same problem of multiple foci. It didn't help matters that there was one tie-in issue and anniversary issue that took precedent over the main story.
Aaron Lopresti (Detective Comics #26, 28–29), Jason Fabok (Detective Comics #25 and 27), Bryan Hitch, Neal Adams, Ian Bertram, Francesco Francavilla, Guillem March, Sean Murphy, Patrick Gleason, Jock, Kelley Jones, Graham Nolan, and Michael Alfred (Detective Comics #27) are the pencilers of the trade paperback. With a baker's dozen different pencilers with a varied of different styles made this trade paperback hard to read as the artistic flow is wildly turbulent.
All in all, Detective Comics: Gothtopia is a somewhat good continuation to what would hopefully be an equally wonderful series.
"Whistleblower's Blue" is a Zero Year tie-in (Detective Comics #25) and has Lieutenant Jim Gordon of the G.C.P.D. as he and the mysterious new Batman takes on Black Mask, the dirty cops within, and the Red Hood Gang. "Crown of Fears" is a one-issue storyline (Detective Comics #26) has Batman taking on She-Bat, who just happens to be the wife of Kirk Langstrom – the original Man-Bat.
"Gothtopia" is a two-issue storyline (Detective Comics #28–29) with an introduction in (Detective Comics #27) where Jonathan Crane as Scarecrow creates a Contentment Sedative and let it loose on Gotham City and turns Gotham City into a utopia where the only way to survive was to believe, which made Gotham City the safest and happiest city in the United States of America.
Detective Comics #27 is an anniversary issue celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of Batman. It contains seven short-stories by various writers and pencilers with five pin-ups.
John Layman penned the trade paperback with Brad Meltzer, Gregg Hurwitz, Peter Tomasi, Francesco Francavilla, Mike W. Barr, and Scott Snyder who wrote a short story for the seventh-fifth anniversary issue in Detective Comics #27. For the most part, it was written rather well. However, it is still plagued with the same problem of multiple foci. It didn't help matters that there was one tie-in issue and anniversary issue that took precedent over the main story.
Aaron Lopresti (Detective Comics #26, 28–29), Jason Fabok (Detective Comics #25 and 27), Bryan Hitch, Neal Adams, Ian Bertram, Francesco Francavilla, Guillem March, Sean Murphy, Patrick Gleason, Jock, Kelley Jones, Graham Nolan, and Michael Alfred (Detective Comics #27) are the pencilers of the trade paperback. With a baker's dozen different pencilers with a varied of different styles made this trade paperback hard to read as the artistic flow is wildly turbulent.
All in all, Detective Comics: Gothtopia is a somewhat good continuation to what would hopefully be an equally wonderful series.
July 28, 2018
Gothtopia compiles the end of the Man-bat story from the previous trade, a run of Scarecrow, plus some history of Gordon and some alternate stories of Batman to celebrate the character's 75th anniversary.
I loved Gordon's story, which is the first in the trade. It shows how he initially encountered Batman and got the idea for the bat signal.
Scarecrow's plot was also really awesome. When it first started I was really confused because Catwoman was there but and I thought I might have missed some major plot points in another issue or something. Turns out, Pretty sad moment between Selina and Bruce after the whole thing.
Issues at the end were just a bunch of throwbacks. The diary of Batman under the super-overtold Red Hood/vat of chemicals story; campy Batman and Robin complete with dot-art; Bruce as a septuagenarian; Bruce undergoing a "It's a Wonderful Life" type world where his parents survived; and a weird clone(?) Batman history.
I loved Gordon's story, which is the first in the trade. It shows how he initially encountered Batman and got the idea for the bat signal.
Scarecrow's plot was also really awesome. When it first started I was really confused because Catwoman was there but and I thought I might have missed some major plot points in another issue or something. Turns out, Pretty sad moment between Selina and Bruce after the whole thing.
Issues at the end were just a bunch of throwbacks. The diary of Batman under the super-overtold Red Hood/vat of chemicals story; campy Batman and Robin complete with dot-art; Bruce as a septuagenarian; Bruce undergoing a "It's a Wonderful Life" type world where his parents survived; and a weird clone(?) Batman history.
December 8, 2014
I really enjoyed the stories here in this volume of the Detective comics series. The James Gordon zero year stories were intriguing. I think John Layman captured Jim's thoughts well. We got to see the heroic side of Jim when dares to be the good guy in such a corrupt city. He really seemed to be fighting alone and this story proves that Batman can not be everywhere all the time and that is good to know there are people like James Gordon willing to fight on against the forces of evil. The Gothopia storyline was amazing as well. I always like stories that show that to be the hero at times cost you something and Gothopia just proves that for Batman nothing is more important than the mission. Scott Snyder's issue # 27 was a great bonus to this collection as well. Please read Scott Snyder run on Batman it is worth all the buzz it is generating.
November 16, 2015
Maybe 2.5 This one is all over the place. The Jim Gordon zero year story is pretty Good but I'm not sure what it has to do with anything that else in the New 52 Detective comics story line except perhaps to shift the focus off off Batman all of the time, I would support taking Batman out of thy title and making it Detective Comics again or even changing it to Gotham Detective Comics. That would be a cool shift.
While I didn't like the Gothtopia arcs in Birds of Prey or Catwoman, it works here. I think it is because you get a more complete story. The other titles tried to weave in and out of the Batman story line and can leave the reader wanting.
I didn't care for the 75th anniversary stuff at the end of the collection.
While I didn't like the Gothtopia arcs in Birds of Prey or Catwoman, it works here. I think it is because you get a more complete story. The other titles tried to weave in and out of the Batman story line and can leave the reader wanting.
I didn't care for the 75th anniversary stuff at the end of the collection.
July 11, 2021
I loved everything about this story, I adore the idea of an alternative universe (even one perpetuated by a certain toxin wielding sociopath) where everything is this idealistic utopia. I just wish that version of events was explored more. As someone who ships Batman and Catwoman hard, I would have loved to have seen them as an idealistic couple a little longer.
March 11, 2022
É muito interessante a dupla Batman/Catwoman na história "Gothtópia". Mas as duas histórias curtas introdutórias (sobre o comissário Gordon) são ainda mais interessantes e têm um desenho muito detalhado mesmo nas partes mais negras (em todos os sentidos). A DC Comics nunca foi conhecida pela leveza dos seus contos e aqui temos mais uma prova de quão intensos e profundos estes podem ser.
July 3, 2022
Outstanding outing the world of Batman. The main story was great, particularly the relationship of the Bat and Cat but the star of the book for me was at the end when they looked in on ‘retired’ Bruce for a few stories. Outstanding.
November 17, 2014
Yep, this book was just as stupid as it sounds, and even more of a disappointment than I imagined. It truly was an utter and complete waste of time.
October 18, 2015
A decent collection, if rather scattered in terms of story, for it collects two arcs and a bunch of shorts. The two arcs were nothing to shout home about, but some of the shorts were delightful.
February 21, 2020
Po naprawdę fajnym trzecim tomie, spadku formy przy okazji Wrath, oczekiwałem ponownie naprawdę dobrej intrygi. W końcu dorobku Laymana jest The Chew, ale widać, że autor niezbyt dobrze "czuję" Batmana przez co następny tom powierzono już komuś innemu (a to nie ostatnia zmiana). Takie podmienianie autorów z jednej strony zapewnia różnorodność stylu, ale i stawia pod znakiem zapytania ogólną jakoś, a seria Detective Comics pod egidą New 52 do tych z najwyższych lotów nie należy.
Początkowy zeszyt to chyba najlepsze co ma do zaoferowania cały tom. To historia Jamesa Gordona, z czasów kiedy dopiero zaczynał pracę i wszędzie miał pod górę. Jako jedyny nieprzekupny glina musiał się zmierzyć z ogólną niechęcią, z jaką darzyli go zarówno współpracownicy czy przełożeni. Tu też zaczyna się współpraca z Batmanem i Bullockiem. Niemniej praworządność doprowadzi tutaj Gordona nad przepaść... którą zobaczy z mostu.
Potem jest mniej ciekawie. Kontynuacja zamieszania jakie wywołał Man-Bat swoim serum jest zwyczajnie nuda. Coraz częściej w mieście dochodzi do makabrycznych znalezisk, przyjmujące formę wysuszonych z krwi zwłok. Trop wiedzie do żony naukowca, co też nie jest spoilerem, gdyż przy okazji poprzedniego tomu wiadomo, iż łyknęła ona nieco zmodyfikowane serum i bawi się z ludźmi nieco inaczej niż mąż. Z ulgą przywitałem clue tomu, czyli tytułową Gothtopie.
Niestety dobrze zapowiadająca się fabuła okazała się tak przewidywalna jak myślałem. Utopijna wizja miasta, w którym nie ma zwariowanych przestępców, a odsetek występków sięga prawie zera, była czymś świeżym i interesującym, zwłaszcza że herosi wyglądają nieco inaczej, a i noszą inne imiona. Bawiła mnie ta zmiana barw z czerni na biel, ale jak zwykle to bywa, dalszy rozwój fabuły poszedł w sztampę. Twórca ponownie sięga po Stracha na Wróble (który był już nadużyty w serii The Dark Knight), co było moją pierwszą myślą, jeżeli chodzi o to kto mógł za całą hecą stać.
Pojmanie Batmana, rola Poison Ivy, wygląd sidekicków Wayne'a w szatach "Stracha". To były plusy reszty zeszytów i aż mnie dziw bierze, dlaczego nie zabito tu Batka, mimo przewagi jaką mieli Ci źli. Naprawdę, taka okazja się nie trafia w zasadzie, aby Wayne był bezbronny, ale w trakcie lektury oczywiście dowiemy się, iż większość zajść była już z góry zaplanowana. Naiwne było też "użycie" Batka do pozyskiwania esencji strachu od randomowych ludzi (w ciemno zakład poszedł, że to byli jacyś przestępcy...) i nie zakładanie, że Batman nie oprze się działaniu nowej toksyny Stracha...
Takie naiwności fabularne psuły mi odbiór, tym bardziej że w końcu następuje ta prezencja Gothtopia jako jednego z ważniejszych wydarzeń, ale Nocy Sów to butów nie czyści nawet. Czułem zawód i to spory. Nawet fajne, króciutkie historyjki nawiązujące do klimatu przygód Batmana na przełomie dawnych lat (75 rocznica "urodzin " postaci) nie są w stanie wywindować oceny na lepszą. Graficznie bywa naprawdę różnie. Były momenty naprawdę fajne, ale w większość była to zwykła "wyrobnicza" krecha. Fabok się nie popisał.
Gothtopia rozciąga się też na kilka innych serii, ale jest tam równie nudna jak w omawianym tomie. Można to przeczytać, ale po co skoro zaraz obok mamy serię Batman i będę rekomendował o sięgnięcie po tamte zeszyty, przynajmniej do siódmego tomu. 2.5/5
Początkowy zeszyt to chyba najlepsze co ma do zaoferowania cały tom. To historia Jamesa Gordona, z czasów kiedy dopiero zaczynał pracę i wszędzie miał pod górę. Jako jedyny nieprzekupny glina musiał się zmierzyć z ogólną niechęcią, z jaką darzyli go zarówno współpracownicy czy przełożeni. Tu też zaczyna się współpraca z Batmanem i Bullockiem. Niemniej praworządność doprowadzi tutaj Gordona nad przepaść... którą zobaczy z mostu.
Potem jest mniej ciekawie. Kontynuacja zamieszania jakie wywołał Man-Bat swoim serum jest zwyczajnie nuda. Coraz częściej w mieście dochodzi do makabrycznych znalezisk, przyjmujące formę wysuszonych z krwi zwłok. Trop wiedzie do żony naukowca, co też nie jest spoilerem, gdyż przy okazji poprzedniego tomu wiadomo, iż łyknęła ona nieco zmodyfikowane serum i bawi się z ludźmi nieco inaczej niż mąż. Z ulgą przywitałem clue tomu, czyli tytułową Gothtopie.
Niestety dobrze zapowiadająca się fabuła okazała się tak przewidywalna jak myślałem. Utopijna wizja miasta, w którym nie ma zwariowanych przestępców, a odsetek występków sięga prawie zera, była czymś świeżym i interesującym, zwłaszcza że herosi wyglądają nieco inaczej, a i noszą inne imiona. Bawiła mnie ta zmiana barw z czerni na biel, ale jak zwykle to bywa, dalszy rozwój fabuły poszedł w sztampę. Twórca ponownie sięga po Stracha na Wróble (który był już nadużyty w serii The Dark Knight), co było moją pierwszą myślą, jeżeli chodzi o to kto mógł za całą hecą stać.
Pojmanie Batmana, rola Poison Ivy, wygląd sidekicków Wayne'a w szatach "Stracha". To były plusy reszty zeszytów i aż mnie dziw bierze, dlaczego nie zabito tu Batka, mimo przewagi jaką mieli Ci źli. Naprawdę, taka okazja się nie trafia w zasadzie, aby Wayne był bezbronny, ale w trakcie lektury oczywiście dowiemy się, iż większość zajść była już z góry zaplanowana. Naiwne było też "użycie" Batka do pozyskiwania esencji strachu od randomowych ludzi (w ciemno zakład poszedł, że to byli jacyś przestępcy...) i nie zakładanie, że Batman nie oprze się działaniu nowej toksyny Stracha...
Takie naiwności fabularne psuły mi odbiór, tym bardziej że w końcu następuje ta prezencja Gothtopia jako jednego z ważniejszych wydarzeń, ale Nocy Sów to butów nie czyści nawet. Czułem zawód i to spory. Nawet fajne, króciutkie historyjki nawiązujące do klimatu przygód Batmana na przełomie dawnych lat (75 rocznica "urodzin " postaci) nie są w stanie wywindować oceny na lepszą. Graficznie bywa naprawdę różnie. Były momenty naprawdę fajne, ale w większość była to zwykła "wyrobnicza" krecha. Fabok się nie popisał.
Gothtopia rozciąga się też na kilka innych serii, ale jest tam równie nudna jak w omawianym tomie. Można to przeczytać, ale po co skoro zaraz obok mamy serię Batman i będę rekomendował o sięgnięcie po tamte zeszyty, przynajmniej do siódmego tomu. 2.5/5
September 21, 2024
3 stars. This was fairly enjoyable, but quite flawed. Aaron Lopresti ends up taking over the art from Jason Fabok and it is pretty good.
There is a Jim Gordon Zero Year story in here that is good. It shows him dealing with the crooked GCPD and they try to throw him off a bridge but Batman rescues him and it is basically the start of their relationship. Then there is a story that sort of wraps up the Man-Bat stuff as Batman works with Kirk Langstrom to locate his wife, who has been the really dangerous one.
Then the main story is Gothtopia, which was a fun read, but it really does not make any sense. Everybody in Gotham is in this state of contentment, and you get some neat, more whimsical takes on some characters. Batman is supposedly nice and happy with Catwoman and there is very little crime in Gotham. Everyone took down Poison Ivy because she was saying this is all a lie. Batman eventually realizes this is all fake and he plays along with it to find the culprit. Turns out Scarecrow has poisoned the whole city into this peaceful state, that way he can do his fear toxin on people to get a more pure fear release. I like that concept, except this initial contentment toxin is supposedly making everyone see what they want to see, so how on earth is everyone having the exact same vision and functioning as a society?? Because of her powers, Ivy is not affected by any of this, and Batman teams with her to save the day, and I enjoyed them having to work together. The other major problem is Crane takes Batman into Arkham, which is fine, but at no point do him or the villains he is working with try to unmask Batman or kill him. I struggle to see how they made no attempt. Ultimately Batman creates an antidote and saves the day after playing along for a while and Crane ends up in Arkham. Fun concept with some good moments, but actually made no sense when you think about it.
Lastly there was a special for issue 27 to celebrate the original Detective Comics 27. A bunch of meaningless short stories are in here. As expected, these range from bad to enjoyable, with the art also ranging from bad to good, but none of it matters. Overall solid volume that had its moments.
There is a Jim Gordon Zero Year story in here that is good. It shows him dealing with the crooked GCPD and they try to throw him off a bridge but Batman rescues him and it is basically the start of their relationship. Then there is a story that sort of wraps up the Man-Bat stuff as Batman works with Kirk Langstrom to locate his wife, who has been the really dangerous one.
Then the main story is Gothtopia, which was a fun read, but it really does not make any sense. Everybody in Gotham is in this state of contentment, and you get some neat, more whimsical takes on some characters. Batman is supposedly nice and happy with Catwoman and there is very little crime in Gotham. Everyone took down Poison Ivy because she was saying this is all a lie. Batman eventually realizes this is all fake and he plays along with it to find the culprit. Turns out Scarecrow has poisoned the whole city into this peaceful state, that way he can do his fear toxin on people to get a more pure fear release. I like that concept, except this initial contentment toxin is supposedly making everyone see what they want to see, so how on earth is everyone having the exact same vision and functioning as a society?? Because of her powers, Ivy is not affected by any of this, and Batman teams with her to save the day, and I enjoyed them having to work together. The other major problem is Crane takes Batman into Arkham, which is fine, but at no point do him or the villains he is working with try to unmask Batman or kill him. I struggle to see how they made no attempt. Ultimately Batman creates an antidote and saves the day after playing along for a while and Crane ends up in Arkham. Fun concept with some good moments, but actually made no sense when you think about it.
Lastly there was a special for issue 27 to celebrate the original Detective Comics 27. A bunch of meaningless short stories are in here. As expected, these range from bad to enjoyable, with the art also ranging from bad to good, but none of it matters. Overall solid volume that had its moments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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