DC COMICS – @DCComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon]
STORY: Steve Englehart
PENCILS: Marshall Rogers
INKS: Terry Austin
COLORS: Chris Chuckry
LETTERS: John Workman
EDITORS: Anton Kawasaki (collection); Joey Cavalieri (original)
MISC ART: Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin
COVER: Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin
ISBN: 978-1-4012-0898-3; paperback (April 12, 2006)
144pp, Color, $14.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Batman: Dark Detective is a 2006 trade paperback collection of the 2005, six-issue miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective (cover dated: July 2005 to Late September 2005). The miniseries was written by Steve Englehart; drawn by the late Marshall Rogers (pencils) and Terry Austin (inks); colored by Chris Chuckry; and lettered by John Workman.
Steve Englehart is an American comic book writer known for his influential and prominent work during the 1970s. He had memorable runs writing The Avengers from #105 -#152 (1972 to 1976) and Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #1 to 18 (except #3) for Marvel Comics. He also created such Marvel characters as “Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu,” “Nomad,” “Star Lord,” and “Mantis.”
Marshall Rogers (1950 to 2007) was an American comic book artist known for his work for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Eclipse Comics. He produced memorable work, drawing and coloring writer Harlan Ellison's graphic novel, Demon with a Glass Hand (DC Comics, 1986). He also drew an early 1980s run on Doctor Strange and a late 1980s run on The Silver Surfer, both for Marvel.
Englehart and Rogers' most acclaimed and most influential work happened when they collaborated on a six-issue run of Batman stories in Detective Comics in the 1970s. From issue #471 to issue #476 (August 1977 to March-April 1978), Englehart and Rogers produced some of the most popular Batman stories of the 1970s and arguably of all time. Englehart and Rogers re-teamed on Batman for the miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective, a follow-up and spiritual sequel to their original work on Batman for Detective Comics.
Batman: Dark Detective is set in Gotham City, but the action takes place within and outside Gotham City limits. Batman has taken it upon himself to protect a hot new gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Senator Evan Gregory. Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, is also a big fan of Sen. Gregory, even making large cash contributions to the senator's gubernatorial campaign.
While attending a fundraiser for Sen. Gregory, Bruce is shocked to encounter a former girlfriend, Silver St. Cloud, at the fundraiser. Once upon a time, Silver managed to discover that Bruce Wayne was Batman. Afraid of the life Batman led, Silver ran away, leaving Gotham City behind her. Now, she has returned, and she is Sen. Gregory's fiancée. However, old feelings begin to stir up between Bruce and Silver, but is she now willing to accept the life that Bruce leads as Batman?
Meanwhile, three prominent members of Batman's “rogues gallery” are raising hell in Gotham. First, the Scarecrow is releasing new types of his fear gas in order to reach into Batman and summon his deepest fears, thereby destroying him or making it easy for Scarecrow to destroy him.
The Joker, envious of the attention that Sen. Gregory's gubernatorial campaign has received, decides that he will also run for governor. And he has a memorable campaign slogan, “Vote for Me or I'll Kill You.” Envious of the Joker's campaign, Two-Face decides to kill the Joker and part of his plot involves the creation of a clone of himself. This clone, however, will have a face that is whole and that is not hideous and acid-damaged like the left side of Two-Face's mug.
For Batman, the question is must he choose between his quest for justice and his affections for Silver? Or can he balance and have both: the dangerous life of Batman the crime fighter and the domestic life of Bruce Wayne with Silver St. Cloud as his partner and lover?
One of the most interesting Batman love interests, Silver St. Cloud has not appeared in many Batman comic books. She is a good match for both Bruce Wayne and Batman in that she is fiercely independent, but also passionate in her love for Bruce/Batman. Their relationship is perfect for drama, probably because their's is so obviously a doomed love. I like that Englehart brought her back, because only he really knows how to use the character, as her co-creator (with artist Walter Simonson).
Two-Face and the Scarecrow are side players as villains in Dark Detective, but Englehart uses Scarecrow to force Batman to examine who he is, why he is the way he is, and why he does what he does. Basically, in Batman: Dark Detective, Englehart puts Bruce Wayne and Batman through mental distress in a process by which Wayne will find a way to be at peace with why he became Batman and why he continues to do what he does.
Englehart and Rogers' Joker is one of the most frightening comic book versions of the character in its history. Insane, matter-of-fact, and homicidal, their Joker is a force of nature, as relentless and as unpredictable as nature can be. I still believe that the Joker that Englehart and Rogers first presented in 1977 is the one that shaped how the character would be interpreted and presented in comic books in the four decades that followed.
Batman: Dark Detective finds Steve Englehart practically in top form as a comic book writer. However, as an artist, Marshall Rogers is not in peak form; he would die of an apparent heart attack a little less than two years after Batman: Dark Detective #6 was published. Rogers still delivers imaginative page and panel designs, but the quicksilver and mercurial clear line that defined his work during his peak years is gone. However, Terry Austin's detailed and precision inking occasionally brings out some of the classic Marshall Rogers style.
Steve Englehart now refers to his 1970s run on Detective Comics as “Dark Detective I,” the precursor to his 2005 miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective, which he now calls “Dark Detective II.” Englehart has also said that his early Batman stories not only influenced the 1989 Batman movie that was directed by Tim Burton, but that they were also the reason that film went into development. Englehart has also stated that director Christopher Nolan's 2008 film, The Dark Knight, incorporates several elements presented in Batman: Dark Detective.
I saw The Dark Knight when it was first released, but only just read Batman: Dark Detective. Yeah, the film has ideas that are similar to some found in this comic book. Batman: Dark Detective the trade paperback is a good way to read this story, and the story solidifies my belief that Englehart is one of the best and most influential Batman comic book writers of all time. I enjoyed Batman: Dark Detective enough to wish that we could get Batman: Dark Detective II (or III, as Englehart would call it.).
A
8 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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