Detective Comics #1027, Compilation Tome!

Detective Comics

Brethren! Seek not to ponder the Batman himself, instead, feast yourself on this massive volume of his stories! Behold the book of Detective Comics, chapter 1027, verses 1-144!

This is the scripture according to: Peter J. Tomasi, Scott Snyder, Greg Rucka, Tom King, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, James Tynion IV, Mariko Tamaki, Marv Wolfman, Grant Morrison, Dan Jurgens, Kelly Sue DeConnick
(Queue a dramatic inhale!) Illustrated by: Eduardo Risso, Lee Bermejo, Walter Simonson, David Marquez, Jim Cheung, José Luis García-López, Olivier Coipel, Riley Rossmo, Dan Mora, Chip Zdarsky, Jamal Campbell, Chris Burnham, Dan Jurgens

The official plot:

“Light the Bat-Signal, because Detective Comics #1027 is here! In honor of Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27, this special, book-size celebration brings you the biggest names in comics as they chronicle the most epic Batman adventures Gotham City and the DC Universe have ever seen! The World’s Greatest Detective has a mountain of cases to crack: Who murdered Gotham’s most corrupt police officer? What does The Joker’s annual visit mean for Bruce Wayne? And most importantly, what WayneTech mystery will sow the seeds of the next epic Batman event? All this and more await you within the pages of the biggest Batman issue of them all!”

DC Comics

“Most epic Batman adventures…?” Not so much. “Seeds of the next epic Batman event?” Sure, I’ll give them that one. Look, it’s a collection of short stories, some good, some bad, mostly adequate. It all depends on your personal flavor.

Detective Comics
The obligatory supernatural Batman story!

My Impressions:

  • Be careful where you set this issue down, it’s so heavy it could cause some damage
  • Exactly what you would expect from a Batman anniversary issue…a collage of art and words. A chance for some folks to try new styles etc.
  • Initially intimidating…but it should be, it’s lighter fare. Easily skipped if you don’t want to invest the time.
Detective Comics
The obligatory period piece!

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • I am not even going to attempt to list everyone appearing in this thing!
  • The Silver Ghost (Detective #26) – We will probably never see him again, but I liked him!

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

This thing is a BEAST to get through…144 pages. Seriously a multi-session read. In addition, it’s one of the better milestone compilation issues I’ve seen recently, including some sections that tie into currently running story lines. Of course there are those that go for the “deep” or “shock” stories as well, though none are specifically memorable.

Superman #25, “Mythological” part 1

Superman

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Learn the perils of jealousy in Superman, chapter 25, verses 1-32!

Harken to the words of Brian Michael Bendis. Feast your eyes on the vision of Ivan Reis.

The official plot:

“A colossal new threat to Superman, the planet Earth, and the DC Universe arrives on the scene in this special issue! The unique warrior called Synmar was created to represent an entire alien race. He’s trained his entire life – but for what purpose? As the antithesis of everything Superman stands for, Synmar launches his aggression toward Earth – to destroy the Man of Steel and every being on the planet! This is what Superman was born to protect us from!”

DC Comics

For the record, much of this solicitation doesn’t come through. At least not in this issue. In fact Synmar is kind of silly looking and pathetic until the last page of this issue. No doubt there’s a fight coming…I just hope it is more exciting than this issue.

Superman
Mid-fight and Superman can pick out his high school crush snapping a photo!

My Impressions:

  • Head Scratcher: Um…Lana is a professional competitor of Clark Kent, why would he give her an interview? I mean…he can literally write the article for his own paper, himself, right???
  • Having two stories presented side-by-side is just annoying. I’d have rather seen Synmar’s back story as a flashback somewhere down the line.
  • Error!: Lana gushes about some high school times with Clark. (Except it isn’t THIS Clark! This Clark is from the pre-New52 universe!!! Her Clark is dead!!!
Superman
Flashback to Lana as Superwoman.

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Superman (Kal-El / Clark Kent)
  • Synmar Utopica (Eisno Alkor) 1st Appearance!
  • Superwoman (Lana Lang)
  • Lois Lane
  • Lex Luthor (cameo)

Bottom Line: 2 Stars!

If it wasn’t a first appearance issue, I’d say skip it. My money says that unless you’re a huge Superman fan, you won’t care about anything in this issue. Additionally, Bendis should avoid trying to comment on social issues like platonic relationships, he isn’t good at it. Oh, and if he’s trying to set up a love triangle with Superman, he really doesn’t understand the character.