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DETECTIVE COMICS #767
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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DC Comics
"Timeless"
Writer: Greg Rucka
Pencils: Steve Lieber
Inks: Mick Gray
Colors: Jason Wright & Wildstorm FX
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Bob Schreck
"Josie Mac: Lost Voices, Part Five"
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: John Workman
Editor: Matt Idelson
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
In the previous chapter of "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" we got to see how Bruce Wayne acclimated to prison life, and now it's Sasha Bordeaux's turn, which is rich story territory for Rucka and Lieber to play with. I knew that seeing the acclaimed team of Whiteout reunited would bring us even stronger stories, and they didn't let me down, as Sasha's story of dealing with prison life as well as her own building guilt was terrific. The confined space and surreal day-to-day routine of prison come through quite clearly, and Sasha's crisis of faith builds throughout, with a solid payoff. With the always-enjoyable "Josie Mac" as backup, Detective Comics once again provides the best read of the Batman line.
In recent months, we've seen
more of Sasha than we have of Batman in this title, and I've found that to be a
good thing. Sasha is a professional with impressive capabilities, but she's more
human than Bruce Wayne, and her doubt and fear makes for some impressive
narration throughout the issue. The reader gets a sense of what it's like for
Sasha in prison; she's in no physical danger, really, but her imprisonment is
giving her time to consider the murder of Vesper Fairchild, and her lack of
answers is believably frustrating.
The conflict that Sasha has
been facing, keeping a secret that essentially proves her innocence, gets more
interesting with each wrinkle. Her conversation with her attorney this issue was
fantastic, as Sasha reveals her willingness not just to remain silent but to lie
for Bruce, and it was interesting to watch her frustration and anxiety over
keeping the secret grow throughout the issue. It's a nice build, complete with a
brief moment that makes absolute sense as a conclusion to this growing worry,
and has interesting implications for the Sasha-Bruce relationship.
I've wondered how Steve
Lieber's artwork will look with the unusual color scheme of this book, and it
seems I'll be waiting a little longer to find out. However, it's no surprise
that his work looks this good in full color, as he draws on a strong study of
anatomy and a strong synergy with Rucka to portray the confined spaces of the
prison and the subtle emotional interplay of the characters very well. There's a
realism to Lieber's work that helps reinforce the down-to-earth nature of the
story, and makes an issue devoted to introspection and personality conflict more
than fights and action just as interesting as an action-packed comic.
Meanwhile, Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang continue to impress with "Josie Mac," another look into the cops of Gotham, which is my favorite part of Detective Comics. Winick does an excellent job conveying the difficulties that Josie
has in using her abilities without being labelled a wacko, and Chiang's artwork,
particularly his work on Josie and her partner, is fantastic. His use of shadows
and a relatively simple line reminds me of Guy Davis or Darwyn Cooke, and it's
not only a perfect match for Winick's grounded script but a nice tonal match
with the Lieber artwork in the rest of the book.
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