Detective Comics #998

I'm excited to see what happens. The reveal at the end could be anything. I'm sure the next issue is going to be one of the most interesting Batman stories of all time. And I can't wait. This team is doing stellar work and this is something special indeed. I can only imagine where it's going to go from here. Read Full Review

Highly ambitious and entertaining, Tomasi and Mahnke leave their competition in the metaphorical dust as they deliver a true to form Caped Crusader for all readers. As the secrets behind Bruces assailant grow, so does the heavy anticipation for #1000 and newly canon villain, The Arkham Knight, leaving many to speculate on their identity as well as their connection to this first arc of the run. With only more more issue before the 80th anniversary of the Dark Knight, the wait is almost over. Read Full Review

This arc has been a lot of fun and has come off worthy of leading in to issue 1,000. Detective Comics is definitely building some strong momentum for the big milestone. Read Full Review

If you're a fan of surprise twists and cliffhangers, you'll love this issue. Once again I have nothing even remotely bad to say. This is DC's oldest, longest running comic, and the latest issue continues the title's tradition of excellence. In a universe full of horrors, monsters and demons, this title stands out. Detective Comics #998 is one hell of a great read. Read Full Review

Detective Comics is marching toward #1000 with Batman on a deadly version of a scavenger hunt: Who is responsible for creating the monster? Is it a villain? Who is the monster? Batman? I encourage readers who love Batman and DC to jump on board this series. Read Full Review

Peter J. Tomasi continues to build momentum as the one-thousandth issue ofDetective Comicsdraws nearer, and, thanks to a well-paced script and stunning illustrations,Detective Comics (2016-) #998 offers an exciting and enjoyable reading experience. Read Full Review

The Mythologies arc has been a fun exploration of Batman. The ever-changing nature of the through-line has taken us to a lot of weird places, and while I'm still waiting for satisfactory answers, I'm enjoying the ride. Read Full Review

Detective Comics #998 is an action-packed thrill ride with a twist at the end that is both weird and surprising. Whether this pays off remains to be seen. Read Full Review

This is still a solid, fun book, even though it takes a radically different direction than what you might be expecting, and the emergence of the Hell Bat suit is sure to please fans of that particular piece of powerful equipment in Batman's arsenal. But overall this feels like a bit of a slouchy kitchen sink of ideas trailed out toward the millennium climax in a run that had otherwise been escalating by crisp degrees thus far. Read Full Review

The art in this issue is great but the story left me really confused. I don't hate that I'm confused because we're supposed to be confused and I enjoyed reading it. Because of that, I can't wait to find out what is actually going on. Read Full Review

DETECTIVE COMICS #998 features some revelations, but two-thirds of the book is taken up by a story that, ultimately, doesn't factor in to the broader narrative much. It's fun, well-drawn and well-written overall, but doesn't feel as vital as previous chapters. Read Full Review

Thus far, this arc is raising some interesting questions, but it feels more like a series of strange vignettes than a full story. Given how many characters it's killed off, Read Full Review

I have noidea how this particular turn of events came about, or even if I am correctlyinterpreting the final page. But in a comic book where a guy can create abattle suit for fighting supernatural creatures, and manages to actually throwone back into the demonic underworld, you have to forgive a lot. Just go withit. Read Full Review

Mythology has been a bit up and down, and this month's issue seems to be somewhere right in the middle. Read Full Review

Exploring Batman's past is a lot of fun. Reaching back to Hugo Strange is a nice touch that connects the story with the history of the character. What seemed to be a trip right back to Detective Comics #27 veers off this path a bit and the Demon is not a character one usually associates with core Batman characters. Wedging Silas Stone into Batman's origins feels a little off as it distracts from the history trip that it appeared this story would be. Despite this the final page suggests a real confrontation between the Batman and the boy who would become the Bat which IS at the center of Batman's narrative. Read Full Review

Batman gets no more answers, so the comic continues treading water while showcasing various allies, including an appearance by Cyborg's father, one more time as it inches ever closer to Detective Comics #1000 which, I assume, will likely offer the reveal the arc has been teasing for several issues now. For fans. Read Full Review

A fun action issue to be sure, but aside from the last few pages, it feels like filler material. Batman's encounters are entertaining in a sense, but the big picture seems to be we're biding our time for a massive explanation. Read Full Review

I am worried about the future of Tomasi's run, but intrigued by the concept that Batman's greatest enemy is his own fear. Read Full Review

What could have been an interesting use of vignettes featuring these characters of Bruce’s past has instead turned into a non-plot to string them all together. I really don’t see this arc delivering on anything other than getting us to the big #1000. I really hope I’m wrong, of course, but we only have one more issue to see how any of this fits together. Read Full Review

Doug Mahnke's art is gorgeous. There are so many beautifully detailed panels and pages that the eye is constantly in motion. The art perfectly captures the tone and dark gravity of the story. Read Full Review

Psycamorean

Feb 15, 2019

Still really enjoying this series, but the ending was off putting.

ScorpioDarkArachnoid8

Feb 19, 2019

I was hoping Batman would be set free of this torture but... Sigh. And what is this Child Batman? But no complain given, because execution, the artwork is quite great. The story though feels ridiculous but is rather great. I'm still excited for the next issues.

Linkush

Feb 13, 2019

Another impressive issue. I honestly couldn't ask for a better arc leading to issue 1000. Once again, Mahnke delivers with the art, it's just beautiful, especially the parts when batman wore that awesome hellbat suit. But the best part in my opinion was that cliffhanger, I did not expect something like that whatsoever and it was just great. That being said, i'm a bit dissapointed that strange wasn't a big part of the story and just a minor part in it. It makes last issue's cliffhanger kind of meaningless and less exciting. Anyways, Tomasi and Mahnke delivered once again and i'm really excited to see how it all ends next issue (holy shit we are just two issues away from issue 1000!).

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myconius - Feb 13, 2019

yeah the Strange scene fizzled pretty quick. the overall plot in this issue moved a tad too fast. ....at least the plot is moving, so that's a good thing. drives me nuts when a plot gets spread way too thin.

egonnn244

Feb 13, 2019

"What makes you think I'm afraid of Hell?!" Only Batman can deliver lines like this and sound like a total badass doing it. And Pete Tomasi loves his Hellbat suit, doesn't he? While reading this issue something peculiar happened to me, something that never happened before. When reading Batman's speech bubbles I started to hear the dialogue in my head, but it sounded like it was Kevin Conroy reading it. There is a possibility that I should consult a doctor, on the account of hearing voices, but I prefer to think it's the testament to how good this story is. It must be good when it subconsciously makes you think about the best "live-action" version of Batman. I'm realizing also that this is the type of Bat stories I want to read. No existential crises or weird cosmic beings, just good mystery with solid dialogue and wonderful art. The fear monster looked amazing. Like a cross between Killer Crock, Xenomorph and Venom. I am loving this arc. more

Simon DelMonte

Feb 14, 2019

Taken as a series of vignettes, Mythology has been amazing. Taken as a story, the verdict is still out. But man that is great art.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

Feb 22, 2019

Good character work, but the plot is a bit lost.

Spacey Medicine

Feb 22, 2019

This comic is still interesting and I like the story as a whole, but there’s something about the writing that just doesn’t quite sit right with me.

I Review Comics

Sep 14, 2020

I own a Facebook Nerd Group that has over 260,000 members. The group touches on DC comics from time to time and we often see "Versus" posts. One of the verses matches that comes up often is who would win Batman in the Hellbat armor vs. Iron Man? Batman #998 is the first time I've seen the Hellbat armor in action. After reading the issue I wasn't all that impressed and honestly think Iron Man would make light work of it. The Hellbat armor does look cool though. The issue picks up with the cliffhanger from #997. Batman confronts Hugo Strange who has no idea what's going on. Strange offers to help but Batman declines, slaps the shit out of him, and then leaves. At this point, Batman calls don's the Hellbat suit and checks in with Et rigan: The Demon who is currently under attack by another monster that is apparently a physical manifestation of the fear Batman has created throughout his career. Detective #998 is another solid issue in the leadup to the #1000 milestone. The art direction and action are great but this is the first issue in this arc that felt padded. I've read stories featuring Etrigan over the years and have never been a fan. It was interesting to see his interactions with Bruce and their relationship but this entire segment of the book feels more like an extended cameo than something that was necessary to push the story forward. The issue deepens the mystery of who is targeting Batman as well as my knowledge of Batmans circle of allies. I had no idea of Batman's relationship with Etrigan nor did I know that _ Stone had provided Bruce with technological support early on in his career. All of this insight is great but I feel like its time for answers. The arc has been running for a while now and I know the ultimate will be provided in issue #1000. I just hope Detective #999 will have more to offer than another extended Boss Fight. more

Nihilist

Feb 13, 2019

I always try to base my final ratings on writer and series' standards, their potential and of course, my subjective perception of them. That being said, a 7.5/10, for someone like Peter J. Tomasi is definitely not a high score, even if normally it would be considered just good. The problem lays in the fact not much really happens in this issue - yes, there's plenty of action, and multiple characters show up to have their own 5 minutes. Story-wise, however, it feels a bit fillery at times, and similarly to Detective Comics from before Tomasi's takeover, I feel like I'm more interested in the end goal rather than what's happening here and now, meaning it's the exact opposite of what you can witness in, let's say, The Lod of the Rings, wher e the journey overshadows its destination, or even classic mythologies, just to mention the nordic one, with Ragnarok being the inevitable end to what we actually care about, which are adventures of the gods. That's the first minor letdown from Tomasi's Detective Comics. Hopefully the series will soon pick itself up and the next issue will be as good as #996 or #997. more

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Darkseid24 - Feb 13, 2019

I think 7,5 is good for Tomasi, because not all of his stories are great. Arkham Knight And Arkham War were a big disappointment. Detective Comics is thankfully a big improvement, but I’m wondering how long he can deliver good storylines.

egonnn244 - Feb 13, 2019

He's Batman and Robin run was pretty solid. I think he can pull it off long term. 7.5 is good, I think not every issue has to be 8.5 or 9.0

Darkseid24 - Feb 13, 2019

He has to write more than 4 good issues to make me think he can do it long term. But Detective Comics is pretty good currently.

Nihilist - Feb 13, 2019

Yes, absolutely, consistently good writing is the key. This one wasn't bad, or even unenjoyable, but I had a feeling it's the weakest from the arc so far.

waltgator93

Feb 13, 2019

This story arc is taking too long to finish that and this issue makes it very confusing at various points. Artwork is great but the writing would have been great if overall this issue made sense. Especially towards the end of the issue.

bucswin611

Feb 13, 2019

Frustrating...three key points: - The arc has escalated significantly from the methodical pace of the first few pages. - Some inner monologue text was not consistent with recent characterizations of Batman. - Mahnke seemed to go from hyper-detailed to completely flat backgrounds in panels, and it seemed to vary more than your average DC issue. David Baron did a *wonderful* job coloring the issue, however.

KFuqua

Feb 14, 2019

Usually a big fan of Detective, but this issue was definitely not for me. I hate the armored Batman.

Darkseid24

Feb 15, 2019

This issue wasn’t that great. Batmans confrontation with Strange was very underwhelming& Batman currently doesn’t have a clue what’s going on.The ending also was pretty weird. Hope Tomasis run doesn’t turn mediocre so fast like his AK run was.

myconius

Feb 13, 2019

this series continues to be very enjoyable. but i do have a few gripes with this issue. if we are talking about people that helped make Batman, WHERE is Lucius Fox???! i renjoy Tomasi’s version of Batman. he gives a great voice for Batman and continues to make him a bad-ass. Mahnke’s art continues to shine. his Batman, Hellbat and Etrigan all looked great. even though the fights ended quickly and the plot is moving a bit fast, the action was still fun. i really felt Silias Stone was out of place here. the story SHOULD HAVE used Lucius Fox! Lucius has a long standing history of developing Batman's tech. choosing to go with Silias stone made absolutely no sense. it felt very forced and took me out of the story. i was a lso confused at the ending. is that supposed to be... ((((((SPOILERS))))))((((((SPOILERS)))))) ((((((SPOILERS))))))((((((SPOILERS)))))) ((((((SPOILERS))))))((((((SPOILERS)))))) ((((((SPOILERS))))))((((((SPOILERS)))))) ...some kind of manifestation of young Bruce Wayne? it was really weird. and doesn't have me all that excited. ((((((END SPOILERS))))))((((((END SPOILERS)))))) ((((((END SPOILERS))))))((((((END SPOILERS)))))) ((((((END SPOILERS))))))((((((END SPOILERS)))))) ((((((END SPOILERS))))))((((((END SPOILERS)))))) more

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Linkush - Feb 13, 2019

couldn't agree more.

myconius - Feb 13, 2019

thanks! :)

Spider-Man Prime - Mar 16, 2019

I think it's the kid from the Batman title that is delusional and believes he really is Bruce Wayne. As the issues of both titles come out I've been rereading the previous ones so it's been making more sense as I've been reading them multiple times. Very good reads tho