DETECTIVE COMICS #33

[ SHOOTING FOR A SALE ] 

Now I know what you are thinking, punk. Did I read four issues or only three? Well, to be honest with you, in all of this excitement I kind've lost track myself. So go ahead. Make my day! A day kicked off by Brian Buccellato, Francis Manapul, and Published by: DC Comics, in August, 2014.

To QUOTE Alexei Sayle: 'People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs'.

THE STORY:

I've learnt the following five facts about the biker called Holster after reading this forth installment of 'Detective', entitled 'Icarus'. (1) By chance of fate he was good enough to help Batman out when he fought off 'the Squids' army of men. (2) According to Alfred he's in charge of a gang of bikers from New Orleans named 'The Kings of the Sun', whose lively hood is to courier guns and narcotics. (3) He has a very nice mustache. (4) Once upon a time he and Annie's Mum bumped ugliest. And (5) He has absolutely nothing to do with Harvey Bullock punching Batman in the face.  

THE GOOD:

Back in the day when I first started reading the Batman comic books, one of the first things I liked about him as a hero -- and as a man -- was how he came across like a matinee idol of old.  Honestly, dear reader. To me Batman was like a film-noir version of all those black and white gumshoe mysteries, where a brooding figure draped in a swirling trench coat, would go out into the night and fight the good fight no matter who or what attempted to bar his path.

And do you know what? To a certain degree that is how I perceived this comic book too. Even though its tone is obviously far more modern in temperament, at the center of this escapade is a gutsy, earthy, and fairly enticing mystery draped in a swirling trench coat, willing to do what it must to save the day and do the right thing.

It also helped that Brian and Francis can pen a pretty decent narrative -- one filled with unanswered questions and evolving developments at every flick of the page. Hint-Hint!

THE BAD:

I suppose my only problem with this adventure would be that it took quite some time for me to figure out what the main brunt of it was all about. Essentially the narrative conveyed a rather philandering tale about one man trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Yet I'm afraid to say this point wasn't clearly defined until you reached the half way stage, when Alfred -- plus the man in question -- says what he's doing and why he is doing it.

Nudge-Nudge! Wink-Wink!

THE MUSIC:

Whilst reading this tale I couldn't help but hum the theme tune from the popular television series, 'The Son's of Anarchy', mainly because they both share a similar vibe in both spirit and biker gangs, Hint-Hint!

THE COMPARISON:

In essence this tale was about a wayward father wanting to help out his poor little child in a somewhat unorthodox manner. So with that in mind, dear reader, how can I not compare it to the king of unorthodox fathers, Joe Jackson?

THE CONCLUSION:

At the very end of this book Batman and Harvey have a bit of a spat over something that happened between them quite some time ago. So just for fun, let's see if you can guess which one of the following seven scenarios is true or not. 

1. Batman refuses to believe that Harvey is in fact a human being.
2. One dark and lonely night Harvey made a pass at Batman, and he still won't forgive him for pushing him to one side.
3. Harvey wanted to be the next Robin yet Batman said to him, 'F*ck off you f*t b*stard. You'll never look good in spandex'.
4. Batman blames Harvey for framing his ex-partner for a crime he may not have committed.
5. Harvey left a very indelible impression on Batman's mind when he caught him in bed with Catwoman and a giraffe.
6. Batman accidentally mistook Harvey for the comedian, John Candy, even though he tragically passed away over twenty years ago. 
7. By accident they both clicked onto the website, http://www.cinemagates.com, without the use of their hands.  
8. Harvey is jealous of Batman because he's appeared in more movies than he has.

Nuff said.