Review: Detective Comics Vol. 6- Icarus

Quick Summary

Pros: The story is compelling and has a solid mystery. The focus on small gangs and Harvey Bullock is unique. The entire collection looks beautiful, as the artwork is easily the book’s best attribute.

Cons: The story, as a whole, is not very memorable. The emotional moments are dampened by the pace of the book.

Overall: Simply put, this is a collection with some breathtaking artwork and an average level story. It details a mystery that is great in a few places, especially the ones that focus on lesser-known features of Batman’s life. However, the story passes by too quickly for readers to connect with the new characters, which then leaves the emotional moments feeling hollow. Readers looking for a Batman story with great visuals, who don’t necessarily care about the story, should pick this book up.

Story

Detective Comics Vol. 6: Icarus, by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, is an all-around average quality story. It has plenty of great detective work and an interesting story about gang warfare. It also contains plenty of solid Batman moments, specifically the ones that highlight his relationship with Harvey Bullock. However, a rushed pace leaves readers unable to connect with the characters, which causes the volume to miss its emotional mark in more than a few places. In the end, this is an entertaining story to read but not one that does anything too special.

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The volume charts out Batman’s investigation into the death of a civilian friend, Elena, who was likely murdered by a local gang. This investigation is interesting and allows readers a view into the mechanics present in some of the smaller Gotham gangs. This perspective is different than the typical focus on highly organized larger gangs or super-powered criminal maniacs. Thus, from the very start, the story already has some positives.

The other positives come from Harvey Bullock, who is a major character throughout this story. The focus on Harvey is another perspective shift, as most Batman stories tend to focus on Commissioner Gordon instead. However, Harvey’s antagonistic relationship with Batman and his self-destructive tendencies prove to be just as interesting, if not more so. I was particularly fond of seeing him take care of his cats, a surprisingly tender moment, and be disappointed by a disappearing Batman, the high-point of this collection’s humor. Overall, Harvey’s presence is another solid aspect of this volume.

Both of these more major positives then contribute to the overall mystery present in this story. The mystery involves a number of twists and turns that keep readers on their toes. These include a moment where Elena’s daughter, Annie, kills her mother’s murderer, a revelation that one of the gang leaders is Annie’s father, and the final reveal that Annie’s father ordered her mother’s murder. These twists and turns keep the story interesting and enhance the overall mystery.

However, the intended emotional impact of these twists is lost by the pace of the story. Readers have barely been introduced to Annie when the discover who her father is and that her father killed her mother. Without a solid connection to any of these characters, these shocking revelations feel like minor speedbumps in Batman’s investigation. This problem is less noticeable on re-reads but is still a major hamper on the collection as a whole.

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Art

While the story in Icarus may be average, the artwork is far above average. Francis Manapul’s take on Gotham is beautiful and shows that the city can be gritty and dark at times while still being picturesque and gorgeous at others. Character design is also well done, as each character really feels like a unique and different individual. All of this is then enhanced by Brian Buccellato’s colors, which bring brightness to the picturesque moments and darkness to the gritty ones. This is a good looking collection that is will give all readers some beautiful views of Batman and Gotham City.

Continuity

Detective Comics Vol. 6: Icarus continues the story from Detective Comics Vol. 5: Gothtopia (Review).

The story here continues in Detective Comics Vol. 7: Anarky (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Damian’s death is brought up. He died back in Batman Incorporated Vol. 2: Gotham’s Most Wanted.
• The “great storm” is mentioned. This is the same storm seen in Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year- Secret City (Review).
• How Commissioner Gordon ended up in prison is detailed in Batman Eternal Vol. 1 (Review).