The Deed is Done
Writer: V. Ram, Simon Spurrier
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque, Dani
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 23, 2022
While it seems that I am one of the few people who haven't fallen head over heels for Ram V's writing, I was cautiously optimistic after reading the last issue of Detective Comics, his first of the series. Yea, it didn't hurt that he is following Mariko Tamaki's less than stellar time on the book, but the horror-tinged Story felt like it was a good fit for him and Rafael Albuquerque. So let's see if Detective Comics #1063 continues the upward trend...
Detective Comics #1063 opens with a nightclub scene with Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne exchanging pleasantries and some over-the-top pretentious dialogue. The voices of both characters felt off, but I have to admit, it is refreshing to see Batman being a little more assertive than he has been lately.
We then head to sea to see a couple of the (maybe) villains of the story, Shavhod, Arzen, and Neang. The names roll off the tongue! We get a better look at their land title deed for Gotham and more odd-sounding names ending in the more familiar Arkham. The overall concept Ram V is giving us is not new (Curse of the White Knight dealt with a similar deal), but more disquieting is that it's not that exciting either.
Continuing with Batman sneaking into Blackgate Prison, Ram V is pushing the Bat-Narration big time. While he might be going for a noir feel here, it just reads like someone trying too hard to get a classic Batman voice. If you read it out loud, it sounds so silly and overdone.
The Dark Knight is in Blackgate to show Maestro the music box he found in the last issue and see if he can identify the melody. While I like seeing underused characters get some spotlight, the scene plays too quickly, especially for the result to be so big...maybe.
I say maybe because Ram V is again giving readers a lot to digest but playing it so loose that by the end of the issue, I wasn't sure if I got too much or too little... or even anything! Ram V seems more concerned with atmosphere and feel than the story and plot progression, which doesn't jive with me.
The ending gives me hope of the return of a classic villain, but again, Ram V muddies it up way more than he needs to.
I was not fond of this issue much at all. Ram V is busy giving the readers a slew of new characters that aren't very interesting and are taking page space away from Batman. This issue looks excellent thanks to Rafael Albuquerque's art, but right now, the story is a bit of a convoluted and ill-defined mess.
I did not include the Si Spurrier backup story in my score below because I don't think it would be fair to Ram V. The story is not good and isn't worth the extra dollar. What I'm saying is it stinks!
Bits and Pieces:
Detective Comics #1063 is a downer as Ram V throws a lot at the reader but struggles with character voices and overall focus. It looks great thanks to Rafael Albuquerque's stylized art, but it's a bit of a slog overall.
5.0/10
