Batman faces an enemy who seems to know everything about him. The clues left at crime scenes are grisly reminders of his most traumatic event.

Even though this story begins with the Wayne's deaths, it doesn't just retell the same story we have heard a thousand times. This time it focused on the impact those events had on Bruce Wayne. I love the line, "a beaten and bloodied young man is saved by a cow and a bell."

The art is really impactful. A couple is murdered and they are dressed as the Wayne's. The art just makes every move the villain makes seem even more creepy.

The ending was interesting and I enjoyed seeing the other characters and the underlying message that Batman is not in a healthy mental state.

ARC from Netgalley.
What does Batman get himself for his birthday? Apparently, a full body immersion VR death trap!
Presented as an elaborate mystery full of tragedy and loss and pain (only revealed to be VR in the last issue of the Volume) Batman primarily takes on a nameless/faceless villain, but also crosses paths with several of his rogues gallery in an epic Arkham Asylum beat down. Why would he do this? To continue to push himself so that he is always ready. The statistic that every year the number of murders in Gotham goes down is his motivation... striving to reach the year of ZERO murders. (Which will never happen!)
Well written and drawn, this Volume takes the run up to issue #999. Can't wait to read the landmark #1000 and continue on into the new era of Batman's ever growing line of comic titles.
Strong Recommend.

Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke's Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Mythology brings the drama and pizzaz that will surely serve them well in their Detective run. In the run-up to Detective Comics #1000, Tomasi's story ultimately reminds of the Silver Age or a tale you might find in a Batman anthology or an anniversary story. To take Batman through the formative years of his being, and ultimately to quantify the amount of good Batman's done for Gotham over his career, certainly does seem like appropriate fodder for an anniversary story, particularly just before the one-thousandth issue of Batman's original title. Mythology is a cool trip down memory lane; Mahnke will surely rule this book, his pages detailed and dynamic as usual.

This was a decent read, but ultimately I found it disappointing. The story itself didn't seem particularly fresh, and relies on familiar cheap tricks comics often pull in order to maintain the status quo but still include shocking moments. The comic itself was competently put together, but the elements generally felt like things I've seen before in Batman comics, and I'm not sure it provided a new take or any unique insight.

I knew nothing about this book when I started reading it. I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of the twists and turns during the book.
I didn’t like the protoplasmic villain. For some reason, that just didn’t work for me.
The writing was excellent and the artwork was good.

Well that was an unexpected bit of fun. I enjoyed the twist as it added to the Batman mythos, which fits him and the name of the comic perfectly.

The art was perfect.
The writing was good, not great, but good.
Only one portion made me cringe with how stupid it was, but it's a fictional story about a superhero, so I forgave it. I mean really, let's not go crazy, right?

I enjoyed it. Had a lot of fun with it.

I also left the same review above on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

This book takes place on the anniversary of the death of Batman's parents. Batman is already struggling with the anniversary when a series of personal attacks sends him reeling. I found this to be an interesting Batman story. It was easy to read, although the subject was at times dark. I would recommend to anyone who is already a Batman fan and interested in reading further into Batman mythology.

I was given this ARC from Netgalley and DC Comics for an honest review.

This one is definitely one for grabs, starting off with a murder couple that seemed to look like Bruce Wayne's parents, here me thinking... again.. relating back to his dead parents.. but no, definitely a fresh punch to the story line. Lots of twists and turns, but Batman figures out who is behind this whole scheme and the whole reason why. So much goes down during the story, definitely kept me reading to figure out the mystery. Must read!

This book was received as an ARC from DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a fan of Batman and all the comics and anthologies written but this one blew my mind because it drove in a direction that was a completely different concept and out of left field. Secrets of Batman's past are revealed and the truth is exposed about his parent's murder and then to top that all off, a mystery shadow is setting to kill everybody important to Batman's life surrounded by a shadow and using Joker gas. This is the first comic ever to blow my mind and that I was actually a little sad when I finished reading it but seeing that this is only volume 1, I am ecstatic to see what the other volumes have in store. Our graphic novelists will love this rendition of Batman.

We will consider adding this title to our graphic novel collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

From the publisher: The Arkham Knight has arrived in Gotham City with an entire round table of deadly allies, and their first encounter will leave Batman shaken to his core!

Alfred Pennyworth...attacked at Wayne mansion! Who's hunting those closest to Batman? The monstrous shadow plaguing Gotham City gains the upper hand when two of the Dark Knight's most ardent allies fall prey to a violent vendetta!

Commissioner Gordon calls in the Dark Knight Detective when there's a murder at the Gotham City Aquarium--staged to look exactly like Thomas and Martha Wayne's crime scene, right down to the playbill and pearls. How does this bizarre homicide tie into the shadowy monster that attacks Dr. Leslie Thompkins? This creature looks to wage a war on Batman--and it's using Joker Gas to do it!

Collects Detective Comics #994-999

Detective Comics Vol. 1: Mythology by Peter J. Tomasi is a pretty good read. Leading up to Detective Comics 1000, it sets the stage for the debut of the Arkham Knight, and the next story arc for Detective Comics.

The story opens with Batman and Jim Gordon investigating the deaths of a man and woman who look exactly like Bruce Wayne's parents. Next, Leslie Thompkins is attacked by a strange creature who is looking to draw Batman out. Alfred is the next victim. Batman soon figures out that it is going after the people responsible for helping him become Batman, and the race is on to save his mentors. The creature (who doesn't have a name) acts a bit like Clayface, as it takes on various faces of Batman's villains, friends, and fellow heroes. It is relentless, attacking and reforming constantly. It also is constantly reminding Bruce of how and why he became Batman. As Batman races from one friend to the next, the mystery of the creature and its purpose in tormenting Batman are slowly revealed. As Bruce discovers who created it, Tomasi wraps things up with a twist.

Mythology was an interesting story. There wasn't clear bad guy or underlying plot that Batman was trying to stop. Rather, this was a trip down memory lane for Bruce Wayne, and Tomasi used his "mythology" to examine and almost reset Batman as issue #1000 looms. This approach is not unusual for writers, as I've read multiple stories that examine who Batman is and why he does what he does, on a level that goes beyond just revenge for his parents' murders. The way Tomasi conducts this soul-searching is a bit unique, and an interesting addition to the Batman mythology (see what I did there?).

Overall, I enjoyed Detective Comics Vol. 1: Mythology by Peter J. Tomasi. It was an exciting book, with action that never let up and a surprising twist. I would recommend it to Batman fans for sure.

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

This is a rather twisted Batman tale . Starts with a murder at an aquarium of two people made to look just like Bruce Wayne’s parents . Then Alfred and another mentor of Bruce’s are attacked . Looks to be the joker but is it ? this is a twisted dark tale filled with beautiful colorful art

That was weird. I won't spoil why, but, it was most definitely weird in a very meta way.

Batman is being attacked through his past. First a couple is found dead that look exactly like his parents. Then Leslie Thompkins is killed, then Alfred is hurt. From there, each of his teachers from when he was just Bruce Wayne and was learning, start getting attacked and hurt.

There was a big ole twist of course, and I have to say that I mostly felt like it wasn't a straight up twist, instead it did seem like a sort of manipulation to me. IF you want to do a 'what if' then do it straight up, and not in a halfway wishy washy way.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to DC Entertainment.

Batman is confronted with a very twisted enemy. Bidies modified to look like his murdered parents are found in a aquarium. Then Alfred and an old friend is attacked. Anytime he thinks he has figured out who is behind this twisted tale, he is proved wrong until he figures out exactly why this is happening. Happy Birthday, Bruce!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title.

I was sent an eArc of this comic for free by NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts

I was so confused while reading this because I didn't realize that it was actually a volume that was well into a series. However I was completely lost trying to figure out what was happening & why. The plot seemed to jump around a lot. The characters were ok. I just wish I knew that this wasn't the first in a series. Maybe I wouldn't have been so confused. The art style is nice. I do enjoy Batman & reading Batman comics but this could have been a little bit better.

Batman is a character nearly as old as comics itself. A friend of mine likes to point out some obvious flaws with the character. Yet it's creators like Tomasi that remind me that there is more to the Dark Knight than the sad sack that people default him as. As a detective, he's on the top of his game not even needing an autopsy room to find things out. There are also people who matter a great deal to him as well including Leslie Thompkins who helps bring out this very human side to Batman. The title mythology really lives up to its name by displaying the teachers who give Batman all of his skills and how effective they are and where he needs to improve. Those opening chapters feel heartbreaking and sets the tone. The gadgets, costumes, and other peripherals are also very good fan-service.

I'm not too big a fan of the twist ending but it makes sense for a creator returning to a character he loves. The same ending also reveals a sad scene that I feel should be addressed more. I can actually see stories of being a kid at heart being something potentially great with these capes and cowls. But not a man-child.

This was kind of a meh start to this series. I thought the concept was interesting, the execution a little less so. I suppose it was neat to see all of the people that "made" Batman through the years but the conclusion was not satisfactory.

Batman faces a new enemy that appears as an amalgam of his most feared villains. The simple story is entertaining and further flushes out the character of Bruce Wayne.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Yet another deeply personal, reflective Batman story. After so many years reading comics about the character, it does become a bit tiresome to keep having his parents and their deaths be a major driving point of the story. However, this one (aptly titled "mythology") instead involves the larger cast of people who have influenced Bruce Wayne, from martial arts masters, to motherly figures, to famous escape artists and much more. All of these characters interweave into a plot involving a strange, morphing creature that seems to be targeting these important people in Batman's life.

In traditional Batman fashion we have cinematic, violent interrogations (doubling as all out brawls) mixed in with some finer points of detective work and intrigue. The story is stand alone enough that, despite making references to some parallel developments in the DC Universe, those points did not really get into the way of the story. All that stuff seems to be supplemental and this volume stands out fine on its own.

This was not my favorite Batman story. A lot of it is similar in tone to the ruminations the character has had in other work. I still found it enjoyable, though, particularly because of the cast of characters in it that are essential to the character's history and development as a person.

Score: 3.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. These newer graphic novels always have great graphics. This one has, thankfully, a simple story that was easy to follow. As usual nowadays the author added characters from previous books that can confuse the casual reader. Batman will always be my favorite comic superhero.