Detective Comics #30 – Review

By: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato (storytellers)

The Story: If Francis Manapul wants to draw motorbikes he is going to draw motorbikes and you are going to like it.

The Review: Though I adored his extended Emperor Penguin arc, John Layman’s Detective Comics had lost a bit of energy by the end and, while it’s sad to see a writer with a great sensibility go, the title was ready for some new blood. Well this week it gets it in the form of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.

This is a version of Tec with very different feel. There aren’t any major supervillian battles, nor is there all that much sleuthing, instead Batman is simply following his promise to make Gotham a better place. That goal leads us into an impressive battle through the heart of Gotham’s China Town.

Though the art doesn’t play with the comics form the way that early issues of Manapul and Buccellato’s Flash did, they’ve somehow managed to make this comic look even more beautiful than their last collaboration. Where Flash did some amazing things with bright primary colors, the shift to a cooler palette proves a great move. There’s a level of incredibly fine detail in this panels and all Gotham looks as if it’s cloaked in a thin mist, perfect for a detective story. The opening splash is especially impressive but all throughout the panels are moody, the faces are detailed, and the colors are beautiful.