Review: Detective Comics Vol. 9- Gordon at War
Quick Summary
Pros: The volume’s main stories are compelling and center around interesting mysteries. One of them is an interesting look at Jim Gordon as an individual. The artwork is positive throughout the book.
Cons: Neither of the stories stand out as something memorable.
Overall: The final volume in this Detective Comics series ends up having mixed appeal. On one hand, it collects moderately compelling mysteries that provide a unique look at Jim Gordon and are backed up by good-looking artwork. On the other hand, besides starring Gordon, none of the stories are that unique or memorable. In the end, this volume is for fans looking for more a few solid Gordon stories, not fans looking for the best of the Detective Comics series.
Story
Detective Comics Vol. 9: Gordon at War, by Peter Tomasi, changes the flow of this series but does so in a way that still produces a mixed level of quality. Previous volumes collected several great stories that either had one problematic feature or that were collected alongside lackluster stories. This volume mostly eliminates this problem by simply presenting two good stories. The problem is that these stories are just good, not great. They do not do much to offend but also don’t stand out as a memorable piece of Batman history. The best thing they do is present a unique snapshot of Commissioner Gordon’s time as Batman. Outside of this though, the rest of this volume is somewhat uneventful.
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The first half of Gordon at War centers around killings by a mysterious serial killer. Like other volumes in this series, it is essentially a detective story with some interesting personal stories taking place on the side. It isn’t the best detective comic out there but, unlike its predecessors, it does not have anything weighing it down. The entire narrative is compelling and interesting the whole way through and the slow reveal of the killer’s goals makes for a tense drama. It ends up being a slightly above average story for a mainstream detective comic.
The rest of Gordon at War also involves a detective story but contains far more action. It has Gordon travel to Afghanistan to uncover a vendetta that has plagued his history and is now affecting his present. The progress toward the mystery is just as compelling as in the volume’s first half and the added bits of action are nice.
However, the real draw to this portion of the book ends up being Gordon himself. Within this story, readers get a chance to see pieces of his backstory, see him interact with collogues, and see him decide which challenges he wants to take on. Out of all of Gordon’s appearances in this series, this is probably the one that does the best job in actually showing who he is as an individual.
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Art
Like other volumes in this series, the artwork in Gordon at War ends up being one of its most universally positive features. Fernando Pasarin’s work is detailed and is laid out well throughout the read. These visuals are realistic enough to capture the serious nature of the storytelling but also have a stylistic flair that allows them to capture some of the storytelling’s more fantastic elements. This blend produces a style that works very well for the Detective Comics series and is something I would absolutely love to see more of in future installments. All in all, the artwork here helps make this a better book.
Continuity
Detective Comics Vol. 9: Gordon at War continues the story from Detective Comics Vol. 8: The Blood of Heroes (Review).
This Detective Comics series ends with this volume. The series returns with Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen (Review). However, this Batman’s story is continued in Batman Vol. 9: Bloom (Review).