DETECTIVE COMICS #770

"Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" goes on...and on...and on...

By Tony Whitt     May 14, 2002

Someday I'll finally come to some peace with the idea of multi-book crossovers. Someday. Until then, what can't be cured must be endured, and no one seems to have come up with a shot to get rid of "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" just yet. Granted, it's a lot better than the "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" crossover that preceded it, but as with that storyline, not every chapter has anything to do with the story arc, and some of the best issues have nothing to do with it. This one almost qualifies.

In part three of "Purity" - yes, it's a multi-part story within a multi-part story arc, believe it or not - the Batman finally tracks down the source of poisoned heroin that's spreading through the underworld of Gotham City. In doing so, he runs into Ekin-Tzu, the former crimelord turned birdman, who now wants to kill him, and he's also run into Checkmate agent David Said - who, not surprisingly, also seems about to kill him. Living without a secret identity just became the least of Batman's problems.

Whether you'll enjoy the issue as a whole depends on what you expect. If you're expecting a continuation of "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive," of which this issue is part eight, forget it: there's exactly one scene that refers directly to Wayne's supposed flight to Santa Prisca. If you're expecting a riveting story that recalls the Jim Aparo and Neal Adams eras of Batman's career, you'll be thrilled. As usual, Greg Rucka rivals Ed Brubaker for his deft handling of the Batman, especially a Batman trying desperately to ignore the "man" at the end of that name. There's also a wonderfully ironic scene in which Batman reflects on the fact that Ekin-Tzu has done the same thing as he's trying to do, making them far more connected than he's comfortable admitting.

A lion's share of the credit for this story must go to artists Steve Lieber and Mark McKenna, who create some of the most stunning art this series has seen in a long time. I can't help missing Shawn Martinbrough and Jesse Delperdang's work on this book, but Lieber and McKenna manage to capture both the sparseness of Martinbrough and Delperdang's style and inject an amazing depth into the imagery that was often missing from the earlier team's minimalist approach.

That minimalist approach still seems to work for Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang, whose back-up feature "Josie Mac: Lost Voices" kicks into high gear this issue. Despite Winick's name attached to this feature - or depending on how one feels about GREEN LANTERN lately, perhaps because of it - readers may have been tempted to skip this seemingly simple series with its lengthy first-person exposition and subdued artwork. But the story arc about a police detective with the ability to "read" objects really packs a wallop - especially this issue, in which Josie's Dad is murdered in connection with the case she's been following. The Batman decides to take an interest, much to Josie's surprise (if not to ours - after all, who better to help someone whose parent has been killed by a criminal?), and the two of them investigate to find out who's been behind it all. Very few final panels are as surprising as this one - pity it couldn't have been on the very last page so the effect isn't spoiled. Anyone missing this series because it looks "boring" should have their head examined.

In short, DETECTIVE #770 succeeds despite being part of the interminable "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" crossover, and succeeds very well, too. All crossovers should be this enjoyable. Oh, if only...