AUTHOR: WARREN ELLIS, PAUL DINI, TOM KING, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, PETER J. TOMASI, VARIOUS, JAMES T TYNION IV, SCOTT SNYDER, KEVIN SMITH, CHRISTOPHER PRIEST, DENNIS O’NEIL, GEOFF JOHNS | ARTIST: ALVARO MARTINEZ, JOËLLE JONES, DUSTIN NGUYEN, ALEX MALEEV, JIM LEE, KELLEY JONES, STEVE EPTING, TONY S. DANIEL, GREG CAPULLO, NEAL ADAMS, DOUG MAHNKE | PUBLISHER: DC | FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Who is the Batman? After 80 years of running across rooftops and punching criminals in the face, the Dark Knight means different things to different people. For every fan of Batman the master-tactician slash mixed martial-artist, there’s someone who’ll insist that Batman the ‘70s adventurer is the best; a Scott Snyder for every Zack, arguing vehemently on the flexibility of Batman’s no-kill rule. Who is the Batman? A deranged loner taking out his frustration on the world with a billionaire’s budget full of weapons, or a sad orphan desperately trying to protect Gotham City from the very violence which created him?
Wherever one stands, there’s something for (almost) everyone in Detective Comics #1000, a landmark celebration of the Bat. The line-up reads like a veritable who’s who of Batman artists and writers past and present, taking in the likes of Denny O’ Neil, Kevin Smith, Neal Adams, Jim Lee, Scott Snyder, and Tom King, among (many, many) others. There’s barely a dud amongst this collection of short stories, each of which explores a different side to the Batman and his world. Admittedly, there’s not a lot here for Zack “wake the f*ck up” Snyder and his ilk, as most of the stories skew towards the heartwarming and thoughtful – Batman the inspiration, rather than the murderous psychopath of his ‘grittier’ portrayals.
Still, Detective Comics #1000 delivers action, humour and emotion in equal measures; including alternate universe Batmen, a re-telling of Dick Grayson’s adoption, and even a fun Matches Malone story from Kevin Smith (who this time refrains from having Batman piss himself, thankfully). Batman the detective gets his dues in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s opening piece, while Warren Ellis and Becky Cloonan pay tribute to the man’s skills as a master tactician. Among the most entertaining of the stories is the Animated Series-flavoured The Legend of Knute Brody, which tells of a bumbling henchman inadvertently ruining the best-laid plans of some of Batman’s greatest foes.
If there’s a dud, it’s in the book’s coda, which breaks ever so slightly from the one-shot nature of the other stories to set up what is sure to be an enormous storyline in the future. Fans of the Arkham City videogame series should be pleased, but it sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest, even if it is magnificently illustrated by Doug Mahnke.
Even bearing in mind different strokes for different folks, Detective Comics #1000 is a wonderful, heartfelt tribute to one of the greatest comic book characters of all time. A collection of stories which celebrates the Batman from almost every angle – Batman the detective; the hero; the crime-fighter; the master tactician; the father figure. Batman the inspiration.
