DETECTIVE COMICS #765

Sasha learns the reason behind it all, and Josie gets a warning

By Tony Whitt     January 02, 2002

The Batman is mad. More so than usual, that is. The house of his good friend James Gordon has been burgled, and Batman is on a mission to find out who did it, leading Sasha to a greater understanding of the man behind the mask. Meanwhile, missing persons detective Josie Mac discovers that the case she's currently working has a lot more at stake than meets the eye as she's first nearly killed and then visited by Batman himself.

Get ready for another gush-fest, boys and girls, because I'm in a festive mood, probably from reviewing so many Christmas-related stories. But what's that, you say? "DETECTIVE COMICS #765 is not a Christmas issue"? Well, you're right, of course?apart from the snow falling throughout the main feature, there's not a trace of Christmas cheer in the book. Nice change, isn't it?

Besides, the fine writing of Greg Rucka on the main feature is enough to give anyone hope for the future. This story in many ways is far more touching than yet another "let's keep Santa from being killed" Batman story would have been. We discover that despite his hard-as-nails exterior, there are certain qualities that Bruce Wayne still possesses: an abiding respect and care for his closest friends, even if they don't think they're close to him at all; a need to protect people; and so on. I also officially throw my vote in for Bruce and Sasha getting together?this guy really needs a new romantic interest after getting rid of the reporter he was dating last issue, and wouldn't it be better to give him a partner who understands him? Even the post-DARK KNIGHT Batman could use that. On another note, the artwork on the main feature is just as impressive as ever, and the fact that two different inkers have worked on this issue proves that Rick Burchett's distinctive style is just about inker-proof?only the slightest of differences signal that a different inker is working, and I'll let you find those for yourself. If you can, that is.

It's also time to gush once again about Judd Winick, whose writing on the "Josie Mac" backup feature just gets better and better. I originally had my misgivings about a feature which seemed to rely more heavily on expository captions rather than dialogue, and whose no-nonsense artwork by Cliff Chiang seemed ill-suited to a book which normally features such stylized artwork otherwise. Turns out I was wrong on both counts. As welcome as the dialogue is when it finally shows up here, the story probably could have gone on the whole way with captions, and I'd have been just as happy. I'm also pleasantly pleased with Chiang's take on the Batman?despite Winick telling us that "he's actually bigger than she imagined," Batman here is drawn exactly the way he'd probably appear in the real world: he's a guy in a costume and cape, with nothing immediately scary about him except the way he stands so still, and those creepy opaque eye-slots. For a series that normally makes the Batman as otherworldly as possible, this is a nice departure.

As much as I hate crossovers, I'm almost looking forward to the "Bruce Wayne, Murderer" storyline that begins in this book next month. For one thing, it's this creative team that will get first crack at it, so at least we're guaranteed that it'll start well. Issues such as this one should prove that.

DETECTIVE COMICS #765

Grade: A

Issue: No. 765

Author(s): Greg Rucka, Judd Winick, Rick Burchett, Jesse Delperdang, Rodney Ramos, Cliff Chiang

Publisher: DC

Price: $2.50