Book of the Week 9/4/08 Detective Comics #848

Written by Paul Dini
Pencils by Dustin Nguyen
Inks by Derek Fridolfs
Colors by John Kalisz












The older I get, the more forgiving I'm getting about continuity issues. I tend to try and make my own continuity in my head, its the only way to make things work sometimes. It also helps me get past small glitches in timelines and just enjoy the story being told. As soon as I stopped trying to make Paul Dini's "Heart of Hush" story work within the confines of RIP and just let it run on its own steam, it really became a great Batman story.


Paul Dini's writing on DC has always been great and a little reminiscent of the old animated series. However, with stories such as the Joker/Zatanna arc along with the current Hush story, the tone of the book has become seemingly darker. Detective Comics now closely resembles the old Shadow of the Bat title of the 90s (which was one of my favorites). Dini has done a wonderful job of taking Hush into an even scarier realm than explored in the Jeph Loeb storyline, really turning Thomas Elliot into the mad surgeon. We've also been given more glimpses into his childhood and life at home. While not terribly original, it does provide more substance for the character. The addition of Selina Kyle is always welcome in this title as well. Selina's reaction as she saw Hushs face shows that Dini still has a few surprises up his sleeve.


Nguyen's art is outstanding. I love his stylized approach to the characters. There's a simplicity that when combined with Fridolfs' inks, the visuals become almost eerie and frightening. This is the Batman that I remember as a kid.


It's been a good year to be a Batman fan and while Morrison is pushing the boundaries of weird in the main title, it's been great to have Dini write a proper, scary sendoff for Bruce Wayne.