DETECTIVE COMICS #24

[ BATTLE FOR THE BARGAINS ] 

Before 'The Wrath' called himself 'The Wrath', he once considered calling himself 'The Naughty'. Then again, that was quite sometime after he ran into John Layman, Jason Fabok, and the Publisher: DC Comics. I think it was in October, 2013. Round about the same time Batman did the splits with a banana. RIIIIPPPPP!!!

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'State of Shock'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Against the clock, Batman has to short-fuse the Wrath's electrifying plan of killing off everyone in the Gotham City Police Department.
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Now without giving too much away, let's just say that Bat's, Wat's, and the G.C.P.D. have a right shocking time.
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: We discover that it was Jim Gordon who nabbed the Cadwells killer.
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With an apology and a statement of fact wafting in the breeze.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

The zinger for me in this issue was when Officer Wallace apologized to Batman. Here, check out this extract to see what I mean...

'I never much liked you, Batman. You and the rest of your "Bat Family". I always figured for every psycho you guys took down, another got inspired and popped up in their place. And that is an opinion I ain't shy about making known. Hell, when Scorn showed up and started offing cops, I half expected you were in league with him'.

... and then, after a slight plot recap, he say's sorry.  

Wow! Wasn't that a blast to read, dear reader? Wasn't it rather refreshing to hear someone say they're wrong for a change? It doesn't happen very often in my household. Ha!

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) How do you do it Jason Fabok? How do you create such magnificent and cinematic visuals each and every month? Are you and Mikel Janin a part of the same blood pact or something? Lavishing every page you create to the nth degree! If so, where do I sign up, Jay? A pact like that is nothing to frown at. Ha!

(+) I did enjoy the straight forward manner in which this concluding chapter was told in. It started off with a plot recap. It then segwayed into the dilemma. After that there was the main brunt of the piece. Before concluding with a classification and an epilogue. Great stuff, John Layman. To paraphrase Hannibal from the A-Team, 'I love it when a tale comes together'.  

(+) Now if you're a big fan of the 'James Bond like' Batman, my God, are you going to love this issue! You have the gadgets. You have the body armor. And you have the glider too. Honestly. It is one of those larger than life yarns. However, if you are not too keen on this sort of thing...

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) ... Ops! You're sh*t out of luck, pal. Because it can also be said that 'this sort of thing' is a mite too much for an earthy narrative such as this one! Heck, I'm sure if you took all of that 'jiggery-boo' out of the equation, this tale would have ended in the same way.  

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to WELL KNOWN WOMEN.

ANGELINA JOLIE AS BATMAN: If you think about it for a moment, folks, Angie and Bat's are tied together by one man and one man alone. Clint Eastwood. Angie did a mean impersonation of him in 'Wanted', plus he was the inspiration for Frank Millers 'Dark Knight Returns'.

MEGAN FOX AS THE WRATH: The only real reason why I'd like to see Megan play this bad guy is because it would be nice to see her and Angie in a scrap. Wouldn't you?

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'Ready, ready for the big ride, baby!' -- Castor Troy (Face Off)

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'MY ENEMY' BY SKID ROW: Hey! The title of this song says it all, folks. And in my opinion complements this tale in both tone and taste. Rock on!!!!

ANYTHING Else?

Now if you've read the last couple of my 'Detective Comic' reviews, you might have guessed by now that I have a strange fascination with the name, 'The Wrath'.

Alright. I know that it's not the worst villain's name I've ever heard. 'Kite-man' wins in that department, hands down. It's just that it's too overt a name to be treated with any respect. And that is why I can't help but wonder how he came up with it in the first place! Was it after...

• He hit his thumb with a hammer, whilst doing household repairs.
• Waiting in line for hours at the Post Office.
• Digging a cesspit with a toothbrush.
• Reciting the Belgium national anthem in Welsh.
• Being voted out of X-Factor.
• Catching his knob in a door.
• Feeding his cat to his dog.
• Voting for a reduction on taxes, and an increase in butter.

Anyway. That's enough of my cr*p for this month, folks. All I have left to say is that this issue of 'Detective' was a pretty decent read. The art was amazing. The story was fairly keen. And the only thing that let it down was its somewhat gimmicky nature.

Nuff said.