The “Elegy of Sand” story arc begins this week in Detective Comics #1081 as Batman tries to find himself after dying. Ram V is joined by Riccardo Federici, who delivers a fever dream of a main story, with a backup not to be missed by Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman.
The visuals in the main story are mesmerizing. They range from hauntingly beautiful to just plain haunting. The story is a kind of journey through a dreamlike place with a river of bones to start, rock faces that look like screaming ghouls, and a tree made up of twisted bodies. Federici makes this journey look and feel supernatural on all levels. They are painterly and gorgeous enough to hang on your walls.
Intercut with these strange worlds and creatures are scenes with The Question in Gotham, told in a more standard comic visual style. These scenes help break up the fever dream that is Batman’s story with more detective-style tales that are easy to follow. That eases the mind and helps the reader get a few wins as Renee Montoya suits up to solve a murder in the police force. It’s a bit odd how little this connects with everything else, but it’s some respite from the weirdness and confusing nature of the main story.
These visuals are killer.
Credit: DC Comics
My biggest gripe is how hard it is to understand what is going on in the main story. The visuals are incredible, and there are some intriguing things Batman encounters, but it’s unclear what it all means or why Batman needs to endure it at all. The cliffhanger does leave you waiting for a potential Gotham of a different sort, but I found myself mostly frustrated as characters speak in confusing riddles. The story reminds me of the famous David Lynch quote, “I don’t know why people expect art to make sense. They accept the fact that life doesn’t make sense.” It’s too obtuse for my liking, but I respect the artistry of it.
I can’t say enough good things about Watters and Sherman’s backup story. I won’t say the title of the story as it gives away quite an intriguing twist ending. The story is told from different perspectives of people in a support group. The first is a woman tricked into marrying someone she thought she knew. Another is a man who is trained to be a hero. Yet another is kidnapped and tortured. Each tale is intriguing in its own right and masterfully told by Watters via captions. These lives feel lived in and real. In a way, it’s like we’re getting an anthology of tales from the perspective of Gotham residents.
Customary of Sherman — go read Dark Spaces: Dungeon to see what I mean — layouts are exciting and mix things up nicely. The man who leaves the woman who loses everything is seen in a stark went rendering with only the bottom of his face showing as his chest cuts across the page dividing panels. Curved panels draw your eye downwards in another, while a zig-zagging panel creates a sense of falling as a man jumps from a high ledge. The visuals are always enticing.
Expect to be satisfied with your read of Detective Comics #1081. This story features three different stories, each of which accomplishes something different. There is mystery, intrigue, and plenty of impressive visuals to satisfy your Batman fanaticism.
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