Review: Detective Comics Vol. 3- The League of Shadows

Quick Summary

Pros: The story here is entertaining and very exciting. All of the characters are written well and bring more emotion than ever before. The book ends with a solid tease to get readers excited for more.

Cons: The visuals range from average to slightly below average.

Overall: This volume is a prime example of what happens when you make an already good series even better. The action is nonstop, the emotions and raw and powerful, and the narrative is positively addicting. In particular, there is a great focus here on character development that lets the Bat-family shine in the best way possible. Anyone who has been reading this series should read this volume and anyone not reading should jump in as soon as possible.

Story

Detective Comics Vol. 3: The League of Shadows, by James Tynion IV, sets itself apart as the most entertaining and exciting volume of this series so far. The two preceding books featured wonderful character development woven around a pretty good storyline. This book features even more emotional character development woven around a storyline that is great all on its own. This deadly combo allows for thrilling action in some places and meaningful conversations in others. All in all, this is a solid volume from beginning to end.

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This volume starts out with an introduction to the story through the mind of Cassandra Cain. Though she has been a part of this team for a while now, her trademark silence has prevented readers from connecting with her in the same way they connected with the other members of the team. This makes her intro here more powerful and instantly gives her character emotional appeal. The intro is also a clever way to sneak in a recap of previous volumes without boring longtime readers.

Shortly after readers get their bearings, the League of Shadows attacks and the book’s primary conflict begins. Here, Lady Shiva and her acolytes threaten to tear Gotham apart at the seems. What follows is an all-out war, where even Batman is unable to stop the worst from happening. It is only through an insanely impressive display of skill from Cassandra that the Bat-family is able to survive at all. This portion of the narrative is incredibly exciting and constantly keeps readers wondering how the heroes will be able to survive.

Mixed in with this action is the wonderful character development that this series has now become famous for. Batwoman has some great interactions with her father, Batwing is coming into his own as a member of the team, and even Azrael has a fair share of good moments. Though all of these help readers become more invested in the story as a whole, the most compelling character element comes from Clayface and Spoiler. Seeing Basil and Cassandra sympathize with each other and become friends through their pain is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. The characters have always been written well in this series but this volume takes it to another level.

In addition to providing a great story here, Tynion also provides a tantalizing tease for events yet to come. The two obvious draws are the story elements which will be continued in the next volume, both of which bring a lot of promise with them. However, character’s struggles also give readers plenty of reason to come back, as issues like Clayface’s warped powers are just as compelling. Simply put, this is a good book that gets you excited about more good books.

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Art

Despite an overall increase in the quality of the storytelling, the artwork in this volume actually receives a downgrade. Both Marcio Takara and Christian Duce bring a less detailed and more stylized flair to the book, despite sticking to the cinematic depiction from previous volumes. This, in turn, makes for an artistic style that feels like a lesser version of what came before. The change in pencils simply does not work as well with the specific visuals show here. The artwork still looks alright but is definitely the least appealing in this series thus far.

Continuity

Detective Comics Vol. 3: The League of Shadows continues the story from Detective Comics Vol. 2: The Victim Syndicate (Review).

The story here continues in Detective Comics Vol. 4: Deus Ex Machina (Review).

This volume also references and continues the stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• Numerous aspects of Orphan’s past are brought up, including her father’s death, her time as an assassin, and her first trip to see a ballet. All of these events are told in Batman and Robin Eternal Vol. 1 and Batman and Robin Eternal Vol. 2.
• The “Zero Year” is mentioned. “Zero Year” took place in Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year-Secret City (Review).
• At the end of this collection, Tim talks to Bruce about the current situations surrounding various members of the Bat-family.
  • The events referenced in Nightwing’s life refer to what happens in Nightwing Vol. 1: Better than Batman (Review)
  • The events referenced in Red Hood’s life refer to what happens in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1: Dark Trinity (Review).
  • The events referenced in Damian’s life refer to what happens in Teen Titans Vol. 1: Damian Knows Best (Review).