Batman Detective Comics 1000

So Detective Comics is the second comic book to reach the 1000 issue Milestone, just behind Action Comics. And like that issue, DC comics created an oversized book and then a hardbound with extra pages.As you might imagine, DC enlisted some of the industry's best known talent to contribute to the celebration.The first story, Batman's Longest Case is a bit of a tease and ultimately little more than interesting because it really doesn't go anywhere. They did, however, find a find to use several of his past Detective Comics co-stars, so I give it points for being a bit clever on that point.Manufacture for Use, a Kevin Smith story, uses the pages better and while it is a bit inconsistent with past Batman continuity, tells a great little story in just 8 pages. It;s one of the better ones in the book.The Legend of Knute Brody by legend Paul Dini i another 8 page gem with an ending I could guess but was none-the-less really fun (if I am allowed to use the word fun in association with a serious Batman comic).The Warren Ellis written and Becky Cloogan drawn Batman's Design is light on words and heavy on visuals, which is fine. The dark coloring fits well with the reds and oranges wet the mood.Denny Oneil returns to Cirm Alley again, but I hate the fact that he starts by having Leslie Thompkins revealing the Dark Knight's identity by calling him by first name. And the sentimental end...feels wrong to me.I guess everyone gets just eight pages. Christopher Priest and Neal Adams tell a story that I think fits early in the Batman - Ra's Al Ghul storyline. And for that, it works. It;s always nice to see Adams draw Batman. Not much happens and it doesn;t add anything significant to the mythos.Bendis' and Maleev's I Know puts us in the future where the Penguin is an old man having a conversation and revealing...well I don;t want to spoil the story for you. This is a good one, an excellent use of eight pages, even with Batman not in the picture.In The Last Crime In Gotham, Geoff Johns and Kelly Jones tell the supposed story of the end of all villains. It;s fun to see the Batman family working together at the crime scene, and a heavy emphasis on family. But I guess the ending is supposed to show that Batman in the end stands alone, especially after all crime is eradicated. I didn't love the way this ended but I am sure that is exactly the point Johns was making.The Precedent and James Tynion with Alvaro Martonez-Bueno and team only got five pages but used them really well. They gave Robin, the Dick Grayson Robin, the spotlight he deserved. Another really good one.Tom King with Tony Daniel and Joelle Jones claim it;s Batman's Greatest Case. I;m not convinced it is, but the dialog fits a family who is never sure quite where they stand in his eyes.Medieval uses full page spash art and uses the Batman's history with villains to introduce a new one to tell. It feels formulaic and forced, and is probably the weakest piece n the book.The remaining stories are fine. The whole book is fine, lighting different aspects of Batman. It;s a fun romp.Like the Action Comics celebration, this hardcover includes all of the variant covers, which in itself is an honest thrill. Art done to model the different eras of Batman is fun, especially if you were buying comics through four or more of them.All in all, a nice celebration to be part of.

This issue was pretty much all short stories, the vast majority of which were character examinations of Batman. I loved pretty much everything about this issue, but my favorites were "The Precedent" (about Dick Grayson being the first Robin and how he can/will be different than Batman with proper guidance), "Heretic" (about the League of Shadows member who was killed for running an underground railroad for people trying to leave the organization), "The Batman's Design" (about the pre-planning that goes into the big showdowns and deliberately creating the mythos of the Bat), and "Manufacture for Use" (where Batman deliberately hunts down the gun that was used to murder his parents and puts it to more appropriate use). An honorable mention goes to "The Legend of Knute Brody," which I thought was absolutely hysterical. When it's easier for the batclan to sabotage the villains rather than fight them outright, why not? So they created 'the worst henchmen in Gotham' and this is all stories of how 'he' has ruined the plans of various villains (not that they realize it's a bat, just in a different mask). This is an excellent collection, and I'm happy to have purchased it. It is something that I would recommend or gift to someone.

This was a lot of fun, and an excellent exploration of Batman’s character by a group of very talented writers and artists. There’s a lot of stories in this anthology, so they’re all fairly short, but only a few of them suffer for it. The order doesn’t make a lot of sense, though, constantly jumping back and forth chronologically. Let me just go over each one and give my general, non-spoiler thoughts on them.Batman’s Longest Case: A good intro to the collection. The story itself has a good opening with Batman investigating a mystery dating back to his earliest adventures (love the Easter Egg reference to Detective Comics No. 27), but the ending felt like it came too soon. Still, if this is canon, it sets up a welcome new element to Batman’s mythos and the DC Universe as a whole.Manufacture for Use: Very strong emotional core with good accompanying art, made stronger on a second read through (pay attention to how everyone attacks Batman’s logo).The Legend of Knute Brody: Lighthearted and fun. Recommend it to anyone who thinks Batman has no sense of humor.The Batman’s Design: Batman lures a gang of terrorists into a warehouse he’s booby-trapped the heck out of. Normally, I’m a critic of the “Batman is Prepared for Everything” mentality, but this works, because everything feels reasonable for the character. Still, the best part is the psychological confrontation at the end with the enemy leader. Very good.Return to Crime Alley: Another one that suffers from being too short. It feels like it ends at the climax, and nothing is resolved. Sad, since it had a lot of potential, dealing with some interesting themes and character dynamics.Heretic: Has nothing to do with the Damian clone. This is honestly the weakest story, I think. Nothing is resolved, expect Batman threatens some bad guys who will probably ignore him and keep doing what they’re doing. Again, good idea, bad execution.I Know: Set farthest in the future, the last confrontation between Penguin and Batman. Great central idea. Good emotional and plot buildup. The ending is a little unclear. Is Penguin trying to kill Batman, or did he get tased for no reason?The Last Crime in Gotham: Might be my favorite. Short but sweet, as the name implies it covers Batman’s final adventure many years in the future, offering an optimistic view of the future of Gotham and Batman. The twist at the end is a little annoying, but it works thematically. Otherwise, feels like how Batman’s story should end.The Precedent: Another good one. Bruce debates with Alfred the consequences of making Dick Grayson Robin. Very strong emotions here, and it shows the best of all three characters.Batman’s Greatest Case: Actually feels like a sequel to the last one. Once more we have a strong emotional core and central idea, but this time with almost the entire Batman family—minus a few fence-sitters like Harper Lane, Clayface, and Man-Bat (But with Huntress for some reason; maybe it was the Helena Wayne version). Another favorite.Medieval: Not so much a story as it is a teaser for the new Arkham Knight, and it works that way. Sets up why the character hates Batman, and it’s an interesting new idea—one that feels appropriate for a celebration of 80 years of Batman.Table for Two: Also good, but this one is more of a downer. It’s an exploration of Bruce Wayne’s burden of loneliness and loss. Again, sad but well done.Through the Keyhole: Features a heroic version of Anarky. Not a bad story, but I wish the guest-star had gotten more to do at the climax. Doesn’t feel appropriate for the ending (yes, I know it was added to the deluxe edition, but it would have been better to insert these two in the middle. Then, at least we could have gotten the bookend of “Batman’s __ Case” and the epilogue of The Arkham Knight, which were both very strong).The variant covers and pinups are all excellent, too. Very good Batman art.

I was really excited for this one but it feels kind of slapped together overall. Some interesting stories, some boring ones that re-tell the origin story (which I’m pretty over by this point). The many splash pages tacked on to fill it out are good artwork but don’t really add much.

This is an Awesome anniversary issues. This is one going to be the measuring stick for all other anniversary issues for me.The book contains 13 short stories. Each worked on by a different Bat writing and Bat artistic team. Usually it is difficult to rate a book of short stories as I might like one and not a couple of others. I think this is the first time I have liked every single one.On top of the bonus Pinup pages the book contains covering gallery that contains full page spreads of all the varient covers. This is must have for all Batfans.

This book I really enjoyed. The stories were good, the artwork excellent. The variant covers at the end were superb. I really liked the take on Charlie’s Angels with Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn and Catwoman posing!I think this is a must for any Batman fan.

No

I looked forward to this but the several stories, by different authors and artists really do not do justice to the 1,000 edition of Dectective Comics or Batman. Yes art is good, but stories are weak.

Bought as a gift for Xmas. Recipient was pleased with it and the hard cover is a bonus.