The “Elegy of Sand” story arc continues this week in Detective Comics #1083, while in the backup, Dr. Hate continues to meddle with real people’s lives. The two stories probe the psychology of their characters, and Batman continues on a trek that is as trippy as it is scary. Ram V and Dan Watters are crafting some of the more thought-provoking Batman comics in some time.
Starting with the main story by Ram V and artists Ricardo Federici and Stefano Raffaele, Batman continues to be haunted by visions as he treks the desert. The story opens with Batman in a wartorn city, escaping into a tunnel with three men who somehow know who they are. They fear another Batman who kills without a care in the world. Batman is well aware that this is all a test of his mind, and soon, he faces off against this other Batman who uses weaponry to take out his enemies.
The story takes a bit to get going, but once it does, it’s highly entertaining. Federici continues to render these nightmarish visions of a possible Gotham in great painterly detail. As Batman faces threat after threat, the story feels like it’s hitting a turning point.
In a beautiful scene well written by Ram V, Batman argues with the demon that’s after him he’s never afraid to fall. And the fact that it was never about winning. The sentiments shared here get at the core of what Batman fights for and how he’s misunderstood, but in a way, that’s an edge he can use. By making Batman face these lies, the creative team recontextualizes his personal fight against crime and helps define him.
Fear the Batman!
Credti: DC
Intercut with the scene of Batman is the Question who knows the Orghams are evil and need to be stopped. The problem is she can’t take them out without evidence that the people will care about. There’s a somewhat scary notion at work here that’s similar to real-life dealings with politicians today, as people tend to shrug off shady or illegal acts by those in power. It’s a satisfying look at Montoya’s ongoing journey as the Question and her need to enact justice. It’s also nice to see this story come around as it connects to Batman’s struggle.
Jorge Forness takes over on art in part three of Dan Watters’ Dr. Hate backup story. Picking up where we left off, one of Dr. Hate’s victims believes she is Dr. Fate. Things get trippy as identities are questioned, and Dr. Hate’s master plan seems to reach a conclusion. That is until it doesn’t with another surprising twist. Watters is masterfully capturing the utter horror, evil, and genius that Dr. Hate is capable of. He may not be formidable physically, but he’s clearly capable of truly horrific things that can ruin lives all because he likes to toy with people.
It’s also fascinating to see how the story takes a bit of a supernatural turn. Fornes pulls off some tricky things involving a sentient pocket dimension, for instance, with striking use of color to convey the utter chaos.
Detective Comics #1083 is another great chapter in an ongoing epic that’ll surely go down as one of the best story arcs in the series ever. The questions of identity, psychology, and what is real are all in question as characters in both the main story and backup story struggle to find truth. This is a masterful psychodrama with twists and turns no one could anticipate.
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