Detective Comics #1046

Detective Comics #1046 ended 2021 by saying goodbye to the over-the-top stories that dominated the Batman line. It laid out the future in an accessible way and I look forward to 'Shadow of the Bat.' Read Full Review

Dan Mora delivers some breathtakingly beautiful art throughout the issue. The characters are dynamic and stunning to look at and the panels capture the imagination. I also really enjoyed the cameo from another story Mora does the art for. Read Full Review

Wow… the last issue of Detective Comics of 2021, what a year it's been! I hope you've all enjoyed the books, and my reviews, as of the first 12 weeks of next year; DC's oldest series is going weekly! So, be sure to keep reading and enjoying one of the milestone titles of comic book history. After a thousand plus issues, I'm still hooked, and Detective Comics #1046 is the end of one road and the first step along the next! Read Full Review

Detective Comics #1046 is a wonderful lead-in to next month's "Shadows of the Bat." It features an outstanding focus on character and genuine feeling of family and relationships between the Bat characters. Gotham may "need" Batman, or maybe it's vice versa, but there's an incredibly competent group of heroes to safeguard the city in his absence. Read Full Review

Detective Comics continues to be the Batman comfort food I need in the current landscape of comics. Fun, tried, and true to the world and characters. Read Full Review

With this issue we're delivered an ending that is also a solid beginning, casting an eye towards what is to come in Detective Comics for 2022. The character-centric street-level focus of this book continues to make it one of the best runs of this book in quite some time, and should only get better as it delves deeper into the bat-family as a whole very soon. Read Full Review

Grounded in characters like Nanako and Deb Donovan, it's an intriguing run and this feels like the calm before the storm. Read Full Review

The art is top-notch, and I loved the action. I actually liked everything about this issue from the story to the character interaction. The Batfamily involved are great here, and true to their individual character. I just don't like the idea of Arkham Tower and don't really care about whatever is going on with Deb Donovan. Good stuff, though. It ended this thing with a good one. Read Full Review

Next week begins Shadows of the Bat, and I can't wait. Tamaki used this issue to perfectly set up the next few months of a Gotham City without Batman. It's now time to get things started. See you next week. Read Full Review

Detective Comics is still searching for a clear angle. Maybe its in a team book? It worked before and it could succeed again. For now this Fear State epilogue wasnt worth revisiting. Read Full Review

This comic is mostly setting up the next major arc of the Batbooks, with more mood setting and piece laying than actual story. Read Full Review

I don't want to be this negative, but I can't recommend this comic in good conscience. It's trying too hard to be too many things at once and as a result nothing really works. This is another setup for "Shadows of the Bat" at best. At least you get to see many Bat Family members in one issue, though. That's still pretty cool. Read Full Review

Comics Code Authorities

Jan 16, 2022

Maybe it's the optimism I've had from the fact Batman is doing better since Tynion left or maybe that the whole fear State thing is over (I'd say both), but I'd say this was pretty good for a prelude. While I'm not thrilled about Batman being gone through most of this, I guess it makes sense to show what's happening back in Gotham while he's out of town. It's amazing how Gotham learns so little from its mistakes. But without some kind of Arkham, what will it do? Letting the Justice League take matters into their own hands proved to be a disaster as proven in Salvation Run many years ago. So I guess their options are limited. Sucks to be that city. I am truly glad Fear State is over, so now maybe we can see this series pursue its own stori es without having to always follow what's happening in Batman all the time like over the last couple of years. I'd say Tamaki does better writing when allowed to stay original and not have to follow the other title. The art was also very good. All-in-all, this has been one of the better Detective issues I've read in a while. If the upcoming Tower saga is decent enough as well I may stick with Batman a while longer. more

Psycamorean

Jan 04, 2022

This was a slower issue, and not really necessary, but for what it was, it was well written, and I liked the art.

Reaper74

Jul 05, 2022

Standard filler issue with all setup for the next arc. Only important to set up Batman leaving Gotham. The art is nice so it helps the “story”.

UxasIs

Dec 31, 2021

Detective Comics - 6.5/10, yeah this one just didn't do much for me. Nice art but the story just felt repetitive here and wasn't very additive to the experience. Arkham Rising - 5.5/10

Lal

Dec 28, 2021

While the art is beautiful, this was by far the weakest issue in this run so far. Most of the characters didn't really do anything important and overall the story wasn't very clear or compelling. I really hope the shadows of the bat event would be better written and have a clearer direction.

Hydro-Man

Dec 29, 2021

DC Comics. Where great artists (Dan Mora, Ivan Reiss) go to die. Hopefully Mora finds greener pastures on Mark Waid’s World’s Finest run. That is if Waid can get out of his own way and I am confident he can. Poor Ivan Reiss is taking over ‘Tec. Guy has the worst luck ever. Great, event-level artist punted from one shitty comic to the next…

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Mingthemerciless - Dec 29, 2021

Agreed Mora was the only consistent aspect of this run that was enjoyable. Reiss is great too. I'm not expecting Tamaki to deliver much with shadows of the bat.

Hydro-Man - Dec 29, 2021

Me either. Not even original. They already did a ridic story where they relocated Arkham back in 2014 (Arkham Manor). Oh well. If nothing else, the photo-realistic covers look nice.

Mingthemerciless - Dec 30, 2021

I'm not if they're going for a Gotham knights approach to line up with the game or if it's another battle for th3 cowl. Either way I'm sticking with Williamson on the main book as long as he has the right idea. Tamaki is way too inconsistent and the way she voices the characters doesnt quite work for me.

RKS - Jan 1, 2022

You're far too kind to this book.

Merlyn

Dec 28, 2021

Both stories are just awful.

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Mingthemerciless - Dec 29, 2021

Mora the only redeeming aspect of Tamakis run so far.

Bats44121 - Jan 2, 2022

The only plus side is without Mora's art, there really is no reason to waste money on Detective Comics anymore. Let's see how Tamaki does when we stop spending money on Detective Comics.

RKS

Jan 01, 2022

Ugh. Let me ask you this, is it even really a Batman book anymore if Batman only appears in 5 pages of a 22 page story? It's obvious that Tomaki wants to prominently feature "Strong female characters" but this doesn't have to mean that you make Batman a secondary character in his own comic book. What is planned for the next 12 months looks even worse...The back up story isn't any better. It's hard to find a decent story being published by DC currently. Save your money kids.

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Bats44121 - Jan 2, 2022

Absolutely right. The entire goal here by Mariko Tamaki is to get rid of the Batman. OK. Then why should any Batman fan by Detective Comics anymore? Agree on the disasters by DC.

Bats44121 - Jan 2, 2022

"buy"

Psycamorean - Jan 4, 2022

Remember Tynion's Detective run? Or that Detective run by Greg Rucka? Detective Comics only has to be bat-adjacent. Also, I'm glad you can see the future, as the next 12 months haven't been revealed yet.

Bats44121

Jan 02, 2022

Yes, 2022 can get worse. Horror Comics writers and Mass-Murder Apologist Comics writers now control DC Comics so-called "Detective Comics" in Detective Comics Issue # 1046. Horror Comics writer Mariko Tamika writes for character Spoiler aka "Batgirl" Stephanie Brown: "Maybe its one thing to be the Dark Knight. It's something else to be a hero." The EC Comics Gotham Books gang would know who is a "hero" alright. In "Out and Gone," Mariko gleefully kicks The Batman out of Detective Comics. Watch the sales of Detective Comics without Batman, Mariko. Other than that, some Dr. Meridian is supposed to keep an eye on a crank Dr. Ware who is creating a new Arkham Tower to help psycho criminals get loose... or as they will call it "heal." Stephan ie Nicole Phillips, the writer of that ever popular mass-murder character, Harley Quinn, provides a backup story in "Foundations" where killer Harley believes she deserved "a second chance." In a responsible world, a "second chance" starts with accepting responsibility for your actions during your "first chance." But EC Comics doesn't believe in that. Does anyone remember the issues where child mass-murderer Harley Quinn got a life sentence for all of the children that she murdered in Detective Comics #23.2, or all of the police that she has murdered? How many children did she murder in Tec 23.2? 50 children? 100 children? More? But hey... "you gotta understand." She is a "heroine" now. Right. In "Foundation" backup story, mass-murderess Harley Quinn, The Batman, and some insane guy from Arkham are trying to stop the insane guy from trying to blow up/spread drugged gas/destroy (?) the Arkham Tower under construction. Speaking of drugs, writers, there are these drugs that help you get from the beginning to the end of a story. Not interested? You like chaos? But of course, it is EC Comics after all. We'll see how Detective Comics does without Batman for a while. My expectation would be that without the crutch of Batman, Detective Comics sales will plummet. The DC Gotham Books gang can't "kill" Batman (cause they need the $$$), so the goal was to "pervert" what Batman is and represents, but they have to create replacement characters first, and that will be the goal of Detective Comics in 2022. Good luck with that Gotham Gang, hope your "World's Most Psychotic Mass-Murderer/Detective" Harley Quinn stories work out for you. Glad I won't be spending any more money on them. Happy New Year! more