So, the Countdown to Detective Comics 1000 story was awful and I’m kind of surprised by Tomasi, who’s done some really good stuff that I’ve enjoyed.
I think he went in too hard and at a bad time.
Killing off Leslie Thompkins threw out a flag that let you know they were either headed for a reboot (highly unlikely) or it was all going to be a dream or simulation. He could’ve gotten away with killing off Ducard, but Thompkins? No way in hell.
One of the biggest problems in a lot of the Bat-books I’ve been seeing lately is that Batman’s a loser: he can’t save anyone, he’s never in control, he’s a loser. It’s like he’s been turned into the complete opposite of the Always-Prepared-For-Every-Contingency Bat-god of Morrison’s day. The Capable-Crime-Fighter-Who-Saves-The-Day is too much to ask for.
So, yes, it’s all a dream–a sim, to be precise–that Batman puts himself through to toughen himself up. I figured it would be something like that, but the lead-up to it was a hell of morass and Bat-failure. I get what Tomasi was going for with the whole “Batman needs to remind himself that Gotham needs him and that the cost is worth it” deal, but Peterson JUST did that with Batman: Kings of Fear, and he did it a zillion times better.
What a waste.
At this point, I’m actually getting sick of Batman mythology stories. All of the “Hi, I’m Batman. Have I mentioned that my parents are dead?” OG Batman was over it. I kind of wish Batman would get back to solving murder mysteries at haunted castles again.
In the meantime, however, I’m thrilled that Catwoman seems to be morphing into an Occult Horror title, even if Joelle Jones isn’t doing art for her own comic anymore, and Terrifics have not let up since that early lull of issues 2 through 4.
Cirsova 