Detective Comics

By KURT AMACKER     August 04, 2006

DETECTIVE COMICS now has one thing going both for and against it Paul Dini. To clarify: as in his revered BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, Dini shows a thorough understanding of both the title character and his rogues' gallery in relatively short stories, be they 22-minute animated shows or 22-page comic books. But, like the animated series, Dini occasionally shortchanges the story for length. In this case, Batman and a reformed Riddler investigate the murder of a wealthy heiress that Bruce Wayne dated sporadically. While her jealous boyfriend seems guilty enough, Dini throws the reader by revealing the real culprit a character not shown until Batman explains the crime to him-or-her at the end of the issue. It feels like a catch-up written for lack of space, a la the Architect's lengthy explanation at the end of THE MATRIX: RELOADED.

Still, Dini's writing almost envisions his animated series sans network censorship the same striking characterizations and classic portrayals in a Gotham where the villains kill people. Dini understands both Batman and Edward Nigma, and the reader knows it immediately. I really enjoy reading his work when he doesn't have to worry about the Parents' Television Council sending him hate mail. And, normally, he writes well enough in small spaces. In this case, however, it feels like he stops telling the story and just spoils the ending. It's very abrupt, and it just makes me wish the story could've had more room to breathe.

Don Kramer draws in a restrained style reminiscent of 1980s Marvel and DC titles. I wouldn't call it an intentional throwback, but his characters portray an appealing humanity. Several parts with the Riddler left me with an oddly sympathetic feeling, not so much because of the character's turn, but because he's so well-drawn that I can't help but see the humanity in his face. This is a nice-looking comic.

Fans of Dini's work on BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES will probably want to check out DETECTIVE COMICS these days. Dini's writing a series of one-shots, so I can't think of a better time to start reading.

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