“What you’re capable of borders on miraculous. But did he deserve your miracle?”
Fresh off the heels of his award-winning Nightwing run, scribe Tom Taylor takes over writing duties on Detective Comics for DC’s All In initiative. Having previously written issue #1017 of the title back in 2020, Taylor returns to Gotham with a script realized by veteran Batman artist Mikel Janín for a detective story that seeks to reexamine Bruce Wayne’s past and the Dark Knight’s future.
Aptly titled Mercy of the Father, the first part of this arc tackles an aging Batman as he reflects on his life and ideals. The story, which starts in the near future and jumps back and forth in time, follows Bruce’s investigation into a serial killer targeting young criminals, while in the past Dr. Thomas Wayne has his Hippocratic oath challenged after a fateful accident puts a morally bankrupt man on his operating table. Taylor seems intent on exploring the uncompromising vow to protect life Bruce inherited from his father, a theme that is worn on the issue’s sleeve, however it uses surprising tactics to open up a number of questions with the potential to challenge how we view the relationship between Bruce’s family and his morality.
Now, the plot elements presented are cohesive and organically set up the mystery just in time for the last page’s stinger. However the opening flash forward, while it provides a sense of direction for the unfolding mystery, feels out of pace with the rest of the issue since it immediately dives into a long stretch in the past before touching on the present. Regardless, the ticking clock complements the throughline of Bruce wishing he were a younger man with more time left at his peak.
Dr. Thomas Wayne is in, courtesy of DC Comics.
There is also the matter of Asema. Though little is yet known about the new Gotham rogue beyond having ties to Bruce’s father, there is plenty of room for early speculation even in the presence of a possible answer that feels too easy too soon. In South American folklore, an Asema is a vampiric entity that wears the face of an old person during the day before concealing itself to hunt humans in the night, which fits the motif of this story’s premise. Though the social commentary presented through this narrative feels very on the nose, it is nonetheless an interesting concept surrounded by an engaging mystery with dramatic implications.
Visually, this book is just short of a marvel. Mikel Janín showcases some of his finest Batman art to date with some truly gorgeous and dynamic shots of the Dark Knight in action. His darkened yet almost neon lit Gotham is diverse in its colors from panel to panel, channeling the very best of 90s Batman comics which complements Taylor’s approach to a relatively contained detective story. The past sequences, while not as contrasting with colors, are given a light classical feel that contrasts perfectly against the gritty vibrance of modern Gotham. Cutting from images of a younger and softer Bruce with his parents to dark and broody motion shots of Batman will never fail to move the needle. However, it should be said that Janin clearly thrives with the more vibrant scenery where the color is also dictated by the action rather than just the setting, as evidenced in the stillness of the gala sequence.
Boasting vibrant art and a clever script that realize a rather straightforward yet ambitious thematic throughline, Detective Comics #1090 is an excellent debut for the team of Taylor and Janín that drips with their creative chemistry. Though the issue has minor problems, it makes up for them with its strong focus on the Wayne family and the atmosphere that it sets up surrounding this new mysterious antagonist—and to top it off, it presents a twist with long term narrative potential to boot.
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