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DETECTIVE COMICS #762
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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DC Comics
"Passings"
Writer: Greg Rucka
Pencils: Rick Burchett
Inks: Dan Davis & Rodney Ramos
Colors: Wildstorm FX
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Bob Schreck
"Slam Bradley: Trail of the Catwoman, Part 4"
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Darwyn Cooke
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Sean Konot
Editor: Matt Idelson
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
Passings: Rucka finally gets around to tying up some loose ends left over from the "Officer Down" event in the Bat-books a few months ago. Still, the connection that mini-crossover shouldn't be a problem for those who missed it, as the writer delivers a thoroughly accessible and riveting script.
Sasha Bordeaux, outfitted with a costume and mask all her own, is finally ready to accompany Bruce Wayne on his nocturnal patrols of Gotham as Batman, even if she doesn't think so. Meanwhile, an internal affairs inspector has decided to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Jordan Rich, the man who shot former police commissioner James Gordon, and he recruits Detective Renee Montoya to help him with the investigation.
The main plot -- Montoya and Esperanza's investigation of the Rich case -- is really the main plot here, and it's quite dark. How odd but appropriate that the Batman/Sasha plotline should serve as a nice balance, adding a brighter tone to the issue. Sasha's frustration with her charge is dispelled when she finally experiences a night on the rooftops of Gotham, and through her, the reader is carried into the Batman's world, into the thrill and adventure.
Burchett's simple style always astounds me with its effectiveness when it comes to conveying darker tones, such as the gritty cop drama we get here. Of course, reinforcing that darker mood is the monochromatic coloring job. Though some readers have expressed dissatisfaction with that approach, I have yet to tire of it.
There was only one thing missing from this issue: James Gordon. We've seen so little of him since his retirement, and this would have been the perfect time to bring him back into the fold. The plot revolves around a traumatic event in his life, yet he's nowhere to be seen. A shame, but then again, Rucka would have had to scale back the Batman/Sasha scenes to make room, I suppose.
Slam Bradley: Brubaker and Cooke's four-part film-noir story comes to a close this month. It's a safe bet it has succeeded in its primary goal: to get readers chomping at the bit over the upcoming Catwoman series, set to relaunch in November. Brubaker's interpretation of Bradley has been a load of fun, as has Cooke's thoroughly cinematic art.
The object of Slam Bradley's latest case has come looking for him, and in meeting Selina Kyle, he knows he can't carry out his mission from the mayor. There's something special about Selina, something that sticks with him long after she's gone.
Cooke's art comes off as a series of storyboards, giving the reader the sense of movement, that s/he is watching a 1940s private-eye film. Of course, Hollingsworth's moody colors add a lot to that gritty atmosphere as well. As for Brubaker, he manages to pull the key task of making Selina Kyle seem like a woman worth doing almost anything for. And as for that scene with Bradley and the cops... well, the serenity of the dialogue made for a rich contrast with the brutality seen in the art itself.
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