Detective Comics No. 1000 review: A celebration of Batman

Detective Comics hits its landmark thousandth issue and as such, this latest release simply feels like a celebration of Batman throughout the years.

So much can be said about this milestone issue of Detective Comics, which really, the fact that a character named after a flying rodent had a comic series run for one thousand issues says enough. But more than that, Batman is a character that has transcended the genre of comics into something more than the character, so to have a single issue showcasing many high-profile creators telling varied Batman stories is a treat for any fan of the character.

With so many stories present in this issue, there will more than likely be something for everyone. All of the stories vary in tone and style that go in hand in hand with pretty much every incarnation that Batman has ever had. There are detective stories, Bat-family stories, and everything in between. It’s a great celebration of the character that acknowledges everything about him and paying homage to it.

Of the stories presented in this issue though, the best probably has to be James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno’s story. This takes place early on in Batman’s career with a young Dick Grayson having just been brought to the manor by Bruce. It’s a heartfelt look into why Dick became Robin in the first place and the struggle that Bruce had in the decision to allow him to become Robin. It’s emotional and comes from the heart and it presents a dynamic that is rarely explored in modern Batman comics. It’s a wonderful story.

Image by DC Comics/Art by Tony Daniel

There are also some really fun stories from Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo, Tom King, Joelle Jones, & Tony Daniel, and Kevin Smith & Jim Lee, as well as a fun story from Warren Ellis & Becky Cloonan. These stories touch on various aspects of Batman’s life in such different ways, but still feel like they all fit into the world as it’s been presented over the years.

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Honestly, there’s so much to love in this issue, even though it doesn’t actually move the story forward as it’s been presented currently in Detective Comics, this is fine though given the milestone. The little bit that we do get that moves the story forward with the Arkham Knight those is intriguing enough though. It presents a different character than was originated in Batman: Arkham Knight, so hopefully there can be a lot done with the character.

Not every story in this issue is good though. There’s one story from Christopher Priest & Neal Adams that feels completely out of place with this issue. It feels like a story that will be continued elsewhere and not something that’s actually complete. This is kind of how Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo’s story ends, but it actually feels like an open ending rather than an incomplete story like Priest & Adams’ story. However, this is only one of the many stories, so only having one bad story is a great feat in of itself.

9.0/10

Detective Comics no. 1000 is a great celebration of Batman over the past eighty years and it is something that every Bat-fan should be interested in.