Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Detective Comics #840
DC Comics
Dini, Nguyen & Fridolfs
I know this issue came out last month. I didn’t pick it up and it sold out. I was encouraged to pick up the issue once the reorders came in and I did, so here I am. This issue is everything I would have expected from the main crossover of the Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul. This issue was fantastic in every single way. I had forgotten how good a Batman comic could be. Wow! Never mind that the crossover needed some ten issues to tell a story that wasn’t nearly as good and was undone with this one issue. It’s not important. What is important is that this issue is fabulous.
For those of you who either didn’t read the crossover or bailed out on it, this issue picks up with Batman back in Gotham doing his thing when he runs into the newly born Ra’s. This issue starts with Batman tracking down some villain who is obsessed with maps & globes. Of course, the guy is called the Globe and is shaped like one. Batman has a throwdown with the guy and in the midst of it, Ra’s shows up because Globe stole one his globes. Not a bad intro.
Batman beats up Globe and is left with Ra’s and all his ninjas. Ra’s informs Batman that he plans to stick around in Gotham. Batman plays with Ra’s by attempting to “drop” Ra’s globe. Batman successful baits Ra’s into revealing why that globe is so important to him. When Ra’s opens the globe it shows where all of the Lazarus pits are located around the world. Batman makes a snide comment and takes a picture of it. This whole sequence was outstanding. It was better than any sequence in the entire crossover.
Ra’s sicks his ninjas on Batman. Batman wins. Ra’s escapes. Batman’s car blows up. Batman uses his Bruce Wayne persona to hail a cab. This was another brilliant sequence using Bruce Wayne in this way. Even the follow up when Batman and Alfred are talking in the cave and Bruce tells exactly how much money to reimburse the store for the broken window and clothes he stole to turn into Bruce Wayne. It was a third outstanding sequence in this comic.
Batman does some Detective work to figure out where Ra’s is holed up. He battles him and tosses Ra’s out of a window. That ends the Resurrection I’d say. Ra’s isn’t dead of course, so Batman has an idea for his body.
Batman goes to Arkham in disguise and brings in Ra’s as Terry Gene Kase. He goes through this whole list of what Kase had done and how much he should be sedated. This whole ending was brilliant as well. Four sequences, all of which were outstanding in this comic. I was so impressed with this whole comic.
What didn’t I like about this comic? Well, at the end when the Arkham worker talks to Batman’s alias he says “Arkman”. That’s it. That’s all I got. All else was perfection.
This issue has outstanding artwork as well. Batman takes three shapes in this issue and all three are so cool. The husk of Ra’s at the end is also very cool and I loved the Globe character’s size and shape. How awesome was Batman’s face when he took the picture of Ra’s globe? Excellent art.
This issue was just a whole level above the entire crossover. How is it possible that the crossover couldn’t capture the same magic that this issue has? If you haven’t read this I whole-heartedly recommend it.
5 out of 5 geek goggles.
