[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artists: Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez, Brad Anderson
Summary
“Intelligence: Judgement Day” Finale! In this the final chapter of the Intelligence arc, Fox and Batman come together to implant the new moral AI into Jean-Paul and give him a new suit of armor. With his new Knightfall armor, he teams up with Batman, Zatanna and the others to take down Ascalon.
As Jean-Paul and Ascalon come to blows, he manages to rip into the metallic zealot. With Jean-Paul’s help Fox injects Ascalon with a virus but it all goes wrong from there. Not until Zatanna intervenes does Ascalon finally find an equal match.
How will Batman and Jean-Paul manage to contain Ascalon when a new virus won’t stop him?
Positives
The biggest part of this issue that will grab fans attention is the appearance of Jean-Paul’s Knightfall armor. Long time readers will recall the original appearance of the Knightfall armor from Detective Comics #667 back in 1993. The new reimagining of the infamous Knightfall armor looks fantastic! There are many alterations to the armor itself, looking more sleek and segmented, with exaggeration of the claws and forearm blades. Alvaro Martinez also sneaks in a great nod to Bane breaking Batman’s back, which took place during the Knightfall series.
The art of Martinez continues to shine during the fight between Ascalon and Jean-Paul. The sheer detail of the molded and cast armor on Ascalon’s upper body and the scratches and dents on Jean-Paul’s armor is fantastic. Those details look gorgeous and really help bring the issue into reality.
We also get to see how Zatanna and Bruce really feel about each other, adding to their sad history.
Negatives
No negatives worth mentioning in this issue
Verdict
Detective Comics #962 is a well storied and gorgeous piece of eye candy. Readers will enjoy the action and extreme power exchanged in the fight between Jean-Paul and Ascalon.
