DC Comics reviews – Nightwing #90, The Flash #780

Detective Comics #1057

This wasn’t so much an off week for The Tower and House of Gotham storylines, but this was the first where both felt like they were stretched too long.

For The Tower, that was largely due to the arrival of Batman. Ironically, writer Mariko Tamaki’s best work on Detective has been with Batman sidelined. It was a little disappointing that the rest of the Bat Family needed Batman to come and save the day despite them spending so long trying to diffuse the chaotic situation. Putting Scarecrow as the final obstacle was a surprise considering his high profile in Fear State.

Tamaki introduced the idea that the main benefit of this arc will be to help Mayor Nakano’s wife find some comfort and ease from her anxiety and depression. That’s an unexpected twist, but one that should help the title going forward. Amancy Nahuelpan’s art was solid this issue with dynamic perspectives and a better flow of the fight scenes from previous issues. Jordie Bellaire’s color work continues to be tremendous.

The House of Gotham’s story wasn’t as engaging as it’s been in the previous 10 chapters. This time it seemed writer Matthew Rosenberg didn’t have much to say and had Batman and his first three Robins tracking down The Joker. This segment needed more of a spark and for the first time, it came up short. Fernando Blanco’s art remained consistent with the heavy linework to add another dramatic layer. Bellaire keeps the tone locked in with more toned-down hues of red, black and green.

Next week marks the finale of both arcs. As good as these storylines have been, hopefully the ending is memorable to make the 12-week saga worth the investment.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10