Detective Comics #43 Review

Written by: Brian Buccellato
Art by: Fernando Blanco and Brian Buccellato
Cover Price: August 5, 2015

Hitting the Fan

Brian Buccellato's run on Detective Comics is coming to a close and it's a shame because I've really enjoyed what he and Francis Manapul gave us during their brief stay.  I don't know if it's all because of the new Batman status quo, but the focus on Harvey Bullock and the Gotham Central vibe coming off this book has kept my interest and turned it into something so much more than just another Bat book.  Don't get me wrong, though, I love seeing Gordon/Batman and Buccellato has done a great job of showing the learning curve that Gordon is suffering through.  That lead to last issue's best moments, especially the great cliffhanger of Jim Gordon stepping out of the Robo Batsuit and facing La Morte gang mano y mano.  Did Gordon totally kick ass and did we get any closer to the explosive sneak peak from May?  Let's find out...

The answer to the first question is a big yes, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.  Gordon may have kicked La Morte ass, but it all seems to be part of their plan.  While he was throwing punches, the gang ran off with the robo suit's power core.  That's a million dollar mistake, Jim!  He knows it and the only thing that makes him feel any better is that Daryl has a way to track the core...if it's used. Now that's a pretty cool Catch-22 right there, kiddies.

I know I've said it over and over, but I love the way Buccellato is dealing with the new Batman in this book.  You really get the sense that while Gordon is doing the best he can, he is learning on the job and may well be in over his head already.

We then switch gears a bit for some street level GCPD action.  The whole department is still preparing for the big circus (it really seems like this circus should be long over by now) and the worst kept secret has come to the forefront...Yip is dirty.  Everyone and their mother seems to know it already and the question is what are they going to do about it.  The man closest to Yip has a plan and it involves Batman and will lead directly to the sneak peek.  Poor Bullock.

Up until this point, everything great, but was still pretty much by-the-numbers for this book.  Then Buccellato throws in a curveball that shocked the hell out of me.  I don't want to spoil it, but it involves one of my least favorite characters ever.  However, I trust Buccellato and the reason the character is here actually has me intrigued.

After Bullock confronts Yip and La Morte gets deeper in the Gotham crime scene, the issue ends by showing the reader why the power core was stolen and it is huge and pretty much awesome.  I really don't know how Gordon is going to deal with this very big problem.

This issue may be a whole lot of setup, but Buccellato gives us a crazy guest character, gets us closer to Yip meeting her maker and ends with an incredibly exciting cliffhanger.  That makes for a pretty damn good issue to me.  I was really hoping that Bullock would somehow still be able to save yip, but I can't see how that's happening now.

While I'm still bummed that Francis Manapul didn't finish the run with Buccellato, Fernando Blanco is a more than adequate relief pitcher.  In fact, it really seems like he's settled into this book and this issue is his best one yet.

Bits and Pieces:

Things are about to explode in Gotham...literally.  Brian Buccellato is making sure that the finish to his run is going to be huge by introducing crazy guest stars and a cliffhanger that is larger than life. He also doesn't forget what has made his run special by showing Gordon struggle as Batman while keeping the spotlight on Bullock as well.  It's all coming to a head and I will be there in the front row when the crap hits the fan.

8.5/10