If you were only to read one of the storyline in DC’s Rebirth, this is the one.

Batman: Detective Comics made complete sense from the very first page. I never got confused as to what was going on, or the motivations of the characters within it. In Volume 1, we follow Batman, Batwoman, Spoiler, Red Robin, Clayface and Orphan.

The storyline was straight forwards but precise. Batman spots drones all around Gotham and recruits a team to help him. What follows, is an mystery that constantly changes when they find out new information. I would almost call it a suspense / mystery comic book because the focus in this was on the mystery of who developed these drones and less on the fighting.

The art style suited the tone of what was happening very well. I was constantly amazed by how no detail was spared. I never got distracted by bits of each panel that were not crucial to what was going on and when I got a good look at them, they just enriched the story even more.

Honesty, for me, words cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this first volume. It is, in my mind, exactly what a modern-day comic book series would be like. We encounter the heroes facing impossible choices that will hurt someone whichever they choose; and more importantly we see the humanity in these characters.

A very good start to this story that most will enjoy and I cannot wait to see how it continues.

The bat family is back! And I love it!

Batman Detective Comics collects issues 934-940 and creates a new bat family team. A more modern one. The players are Batman, Batwoman, Spoiler, Orphan, Clayface and Red Robin.

Batman has discovered drones surveilling vigilantes in Gotham and recruits Batwoman to lead a team to track the baddie down. And thus the team is born. Of course there is some cliche backstabbing that takes place, but I’m going to ignore the repetition in comics because I liked the story so much.

I’m not going to give any spoilers but the ending was amazing! The last two issues had me on the edge of my seat and I want to go out and buy the back issues IMMEDIATELY.

Now to go more into detail on the team. The members were a mix of familiar and unfamiliar but I enjoyed all of them! Which is rare for me. There is usually a weak link, but I’m positive a later storyline will return to those they didn’t have time to spend on during this arc.

Batwoman is one of my favorite characters and I was happy to see her in a leadership role. I enjoyed her dynamic with Batman. I missed the run on Batman where it was revealed they were related but the flashbacks that were included were interesting and added a piece I wasn’t expecting from this book.

I was surprised by how much I liked Red Robin. Tim Drake is a character I’ve only really heard about but haven’t actually read too much first hand. But I actually really liked him and I thought his relationship with Spoiler was refreshing and added to the depth of both characters.

Even though I will admit it took me a couple issues to be confident enough to not mix Spoiler and Orphan up.

I’m looking forward to hearing more about Orphan and Clayface, they were the two that were left out of this storyline. Of course they were there and played their part but there wasn’t enough time to give those characters any depth.

Overall, this is my favorite Rebirth title I’ve read so far and I’m looking forward to where the next storyline is going. I’ll be collecting the next arc in individual issues in order to try to catch up.

Finally some good (and more than one scene or panel) Batman/Batwoman interactions. Batman recruits Kate as Batwoman to train some of the younger vigilantes in Gotham. Spoiler, Red Robin, Orphan (which I guess is Cassandra Cain's new hero name), and also Clayface.

But,even as Batwoman goes all boot camp on the vigilantes there are other forces in motion for and against her and her new team.

Then the worm turns again and suddenly it's very personal for Batwoman.

Do I wish that Batwoman had her own named series again? Yes. But that aside I really liked what has been put in motion in this TPB and look forward to more too.

I got this ARC through Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment.

4.5 Stars

With Rebirth there comes a lot of responsibility. And James Tynion IV did a wonderful job in turning that responsibility into a great new story arc. The new team Batman puts together includes a lot of awesome people (Batwoman, Spoiler, Red Robin and Orphan) and to my surprise Clay Face. Somehow it works out great.

With a lot of turning events and tension the story goes along pretty fast paced and doesn’t leave you hanging. (Except at the end of course with a major cliffhanger which I still don’t know how to handle.)

A father would do anything to keep “his little girl” save, even though she might already be a grown woman and can make choices of her own. The complex story between Kate and her dad ensures an interesting plot. A lot of great fight scenes are involved which are executed perfectly with the beautiful artwork.

I’ve heard a lot of mixed opinions about this new installment in the Rebirth series, but I for one am really glad to have picked it up because it was such a great read! I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy this, too, if they’d give it a chance. The Batman family is displayed in such a great way in this new story!

I need to know how the story goes on because that cliffhanger sure wasn’t nice at all. I do not know where the Batman family stands right now or how their future looks like. I’m very excited for the next volume.

Oh Rebirth, Rebirth, Rebirth, why art thou so pants? Fie my disappointment, Detective Comics dost verily sucketh! I don’t know why I’m talking this way. Maybe Rebirth’s broken me brain? I’ll stop now. Verily.

Detective Comics Rebirth takes the title back to its original issue numbering, which is pure fan service to the NEEEEERRRRRRDDDSSSS!!!! who care about that sort of thing, as well as further underlining the New 52’s death. The relaunched title does veer away from tradition though in turning Detective Comics from a less superhero-y Batman solo book with an emphasis on sleuthing into a Bat-family team book where Batman is an incidental background character. It’s not a change for the better.

Motivation and set-up are poorly written throughout. Batman wants to unite the various Gotham vigilantes into a group – why and why now? And what aren’t they achieving acting alone that they could be achieving as a group? They seem to be a pretty effective crime-fighting force operating independently. There’s no strong case made for the benefit of a team.

Batman’s group is: Batwoman (Kate Kane, Bruce’s cousin) as the de facto leader, Red Robin (Tim Drake aka Robin #3 – while he’s ditched the Red Robin outfit and gone back to his classic Robin threads, he’s holding onto the name), Spoiler (Stephanie Brown aka Robin #4), Orphan (Cassandra Cain), and Clayface. Huh. Why Clayface? No idea. Just a totally random, bizarre inclusion that makes no sense. And when did Tim and Stephanie start dating?!

I’ma have to go into spoiler territory now (and I don’t mean Stephanie)!

The story is so poorly conceived. Colonel Jake Kane, Kate’s dad, suddenly has a completely different character in this book – he’s basically written as Marvel’s Thunderbolt Ross, “General SirYesSir McArmyMan”. Like Kate, he also admires Bruce’s work as Batman except he’s gone and trained up an army of Batmen! But he also believes – without a shred of evidence – that the League of Shadows exists and is planning something big and terrible in Gotham and that it’s up to him to stop them.

Alright – but why then is he attacking Batman and co.?! They’re on the same side! Besides having a totally different personality now, is he also just utterly insane too?! He’s such a terrible villain with the least convincing motivations.

The only part of the book that gripped me was when Tim decided to take on Colonel Kane’s army of drones single-handed to save his friends and hundreds of innocents. The scene builds up strongly as Tim becomes more tired, more beaten, until he realises he can’t go on – he’s about to die. He says his goodbyes, the drones shoot him, Batman arrives too late, heartbroken once again. It’s powerful stuff, really – a noble, if contrived, death.

And then the emotion of Tim’s sacrifice is COMPLETELY UNDERMINED in the next few pages as we find out that actually he didn’t die but was teleported into the cell of some mysterious person’s prison – maybe one of the Watchmen’s, a reference to the ending of DC Universe Rebirth #1? Tynion couldn’t even commit to Tim’s death for a book, it had to be immediately fixed – awful! Why do any of the preceding stuff then?! It’s so shitty.

Tynion is a protégé of Scott Snyder’s who’s adopted some of Snyder’s worst traits like overwriting – the book is full of chatter, most of it worthless and dull - and yet with the abundance of writing the story remains underdeveloped; the sign of a weak writer.

Martian Manhunter artist Eddy Barrows continues to produce great art – this book is very good-looking with strong colours, though I hated Batman’s new cape which in some scenes looks feathered for some reason? Bats don’t have feathers! Unless it was webs, but again, what do webs have to do with bats!?

Batwoman is essentially the main character so if you’re a big fan of Kate’s you might enjoy this more, but unfortunately I found the newly relaunched Detective Comics to be underwhelming. There were just too many missteps - it lacks a strong villain and setup and could really use more focus on the story it wanted to tell. Ho hum, another low quality volume – the Rebirth standard it seems! I’m baffled as to what readers are responding to with this line.

From the publisher: An elite fighting force modeled after the Dark Knight has invaded the streets of Gotham. Their armor, weaponry and surveillance equipment are based on Batman’s tech and tactics, but they’re far beyond anything he’s ever seen. And while these Batmen’s motives remain a mystery, their targets are all too clear…

They’re gunning for Gotham’s vigilantes.

Batman knows he can’t face this foe alone, and neither can the crime-fighters caught in the crossfire. So with Batwoman—secretly Bruce Wayne’s cousin, Kate Kane—as his general, he’s organizing the next generation of Gotham heroes into an army.

Tim Drake, a.k.a. Red Robin. Stephanie Brown, a.k.a. Spoiler. Cassandra Cain, a.k.a. the Orphan. And reformed criminal Basil Karlo, a.k.a. Clayface. These are the shock troops in Batman and Batwoman’s war. When they finally see the face of their true enemy, will they stand together…or fall apart?

Find out in BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOL. 1: RISE OF THE BATMEN, a great jumping-on point for new readers! This masterful high-octane thriller from writer James Tynion IV (BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL) and artists Eddy Barrows (NIGHTWING) and Alvaro Martinez (Ultimate Comics X-Men) explodes from the blockbuster DC Rebirth event! Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #934-940.

Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen, by James Tynion IV, is the first Rebirth collection of Detective Comics. Unlike a lot of books, Batman didn't change a whole lot due to the New 52, but Rebirth has given the writers, in this case Tynion, a chance to change the direction a bit. In this case, Batman discovers a fleet of small, high-tech drones that have been watching him and other heroes in Gotham. He decides its time to create a "team" and train them. He recruits Batwoman to train the kids; they include Red Robin, Spoiler, Orphan, and Clayface (a nice non-traditional addition). They soon come face to face with a group known as the Colony, a group of paramilitary modeled on Batman himself. What follows should only be read, as there as several pretty large spoilers, and one heck of a thread that should lead to a very interesting future story.

Tynion has done a nice job with the characters of Batman and Batwoman. The interaction between these two (who are cousins) is well done, and it appears their working relationship is maturing. Clayface is becoming a fun character, as well. He brings fresh eyes to the hero game, and gets some great lines. Finally, the growth of Tim Drake, aka Red Robin, is terrific. Its hard to take a nearly perpetual teenager and demonstrate growth, both physically and emotionally, but Tynion has done so with flying colors. Tim's maturation as a hero is a highlight of this collection.

I really liked Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen. If this book is any indication, James Tynion IV is off and running with a story that could end up rivaling some of Scott Snyder's now classic tales. I can't wait to see where he goes from here. I highly recommend this book for Batman fans. It's also a decent starting point for new readers.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics and Netgalley in exchange for an honest reveiw.

A compelling start to the Detective Comics Rebirth. I typically am not a fan of any Batwoman-heavy stories, but this was actually pretty solid. There was a good emotional core to the story, and interesting twists.
I'm really not sure about adding Clayface to the Bat-family, but I guess we'll see what happens with that in the future.

In which Batman puts a team together in order to defend Gotham from something that's coming that's too big and inexplicable for even him to fight. But this isn't Justice League of America Rebirth, this is Detective Comics Rebirth (even though there is no Rebirth issue here, and the numbers aren't reverting to #1). This, in the finish, is a mediocre team that just bickers, and makes themselves inherently dislikeable the first time you see them together. OK, then, it IS just like the new JLA, but it's not exactly great, whatever it is. The storyline is the epitome of average, and it eventually stops, and that's about it. Must do better.

Batman Detective Comics is a little bit of a deceiving title as it isn’t really focused on Batman at all, but rather (like the Vol. 1 title says) the BatMEN (and women!) within Gotham City. The main character of this series is Kate Kane aka Batwoman as she takes on a role as a Batleader alongside Batman to recruit and train the other vigilantes of their city.

Batwoman and Batman very literally take Tim Drake (Red Robin), Stephanie Brown (Spoiler), Cassandra Cain (Orphan), and Basil Karlo (Clayface) under their wing, helping to refine their skills and make them even better at what they do. Batman, of course, has ulterior motives for putting together this merry band of Batfolk though and very quickly the team realizes what’s at stake.

James Tynion IV has been working with Scott Snyder and co. on Batman for a while now on a few different books over the last couple of years. Everything I’ve read from Tynion’s Batverse has been great, but his writing on Detective Comics is definitely his best work to date within this world. You can tell that Tynion likes these characters a lot and is having fun shaking things up and figuring out how they would all function together. The dynamic is definitely interesting to watch unfold as Batwoman takes the lead in place of Batman and how the “trainees” respond to her decisions and commands.

The story takes twists and turns that I genuinely didn’t expect and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride from the beginning to end of this arc.

We’ve seen some really crappy books come out of having a woman take the lead for a team book (Brian Wood’s X-Men, I’m totally looking at you…) but thankfully the focus here isn’t on any drama within the ranks. The story revolves around exactly that: the story. There’s no needless antics contributing to what’s happening and I love that.

The one thing I craved was more Stephanie Brown-esque shenanigans within the story… the character is prone to sarcasm and the tone of the book is generally pretty serious so I GET IT. I’ll always have Bryan Q. Miller’s run for that and right now while DC is tentatively letting her out in the world, I’ll take whatever I can get. It’s just great that DC has decided to use her and while I loved her as Batgirl, I think it’s amazing that she gets to be Spoiler again, giving her a chance to not just be “the other Batgirl”.

Stephanie Brown’s relationship with Tim Drake is all I want in this world too. They’re so adorable together and it’s kind of silly to be like THEY HAVE SUCH GREAT CHEMISTRY when they’re deliberately written that way but I really enjoy how they interact with one another and how they have each other’s backs.

Batwoman is perfect. She has so many conflicted feelings that come out over the course of the book but she never lets that change how she behaves when people are relying on her. She is always ready to kick ass and make sure that she’s doing the right thing for her. I LOVE seeing her in a more prominent role within the Batverse, and I hope that this ultimately leads to more and more Batwoman stuff.

The art on the book from Eddy Barrows, Alvaro Martinez, Al Barrionuevo, Raúl Fernández, and Eber Ferreira is consistently great. There are swap outs here and there like you occasionally see so I won’t get into who did what but the styles really mesh well together and you don’t notice any drastic changes throughout the storyline. There were a few really interesting page layouts within the book too. I don’t know where it took place in terms of the issues, but there’s one panel that’s shaped like a pint glass and has a beer-coloured tone layered on top of the art and it was really neat. Interesting layouts and panel work have followed Batwoman from book to book since J.H. Williams III’s work on Elegy several years ago now. I’m sure there was more before that but Elegy was my first proper introduction to the character so it stands out to me for a number of different reasons (with #1 being that it’s freaking fantastic).

Verdict:
Buy it! Batman Detective Comics is easily my favourite of the titles coming out from DC Comics right now. Rebirth surprised me with how good it’s been for the most part, but Tynion knocks it out of the park with this series and brings us numerous fan favourites all in one great book.

It’s a nice distraction from bigger storylines going on in the DC Universe and with characters that DC is ultimately too concerned with (Batman obviously excluded), Tynion really seems to have a lot of places he can go with the stories. It’s a fun change of pace and you can jump into the book and enjoy it even if you have no previous experience with ANY of the characters within it, Batman included.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love the makeup of the team of characters and the personal struggles that are present throughout the book. I will definitely be running out and picking myself up a physical copy.

This one was all over the place. The "bad guy" add no surprise, and I have to say that I really dislike how a lot of Batman's enemies are somehow tied to his past and his family. Come up with an original enemy, DC!

An interesting plot and lots of familiar faces. This is my second rebirth comic now and I gotta say that I'm really liking what's going on so far. A great place for newer readers to start without feeling lost or even older readers to enjoy an intriguing new story and the new bat family coming together. Heck of a way to start.