Review: Detective Comics #1007
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Kyle Hotz
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Rob Leigh
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Detective Comics #1007 concludes the team-up between Batman and the Spectre. The two find the kidnapped Jim Corrigan, doing their best to put aside their personal differences. But, what is the purpose of his kidnappers, the Divine Hand?
Positives
This two-part story featuring the Spectre is structured in such a fashion that it reintroduce Jim Corrigan and the Spectre to audiences, both old and new. Along the way, Batman gets the Spectre why Corrigan is so important to him. Apparently, Batman doesn’t know how they are linked. This provides an opportunity to re-tell the Spectre’s classic origin.
Like last issue, Kyle Hotz wonderfully captures the mood of the “dark and stormy night,” but also the terror in the Spectre’s visual appearance. Whether it’s the giant-sized Spectre or the twisted elongated Grim Ghost, Hotz communicates the macabre nature of the Spectre’s powers. Storywise, Batman does some real detecting as the to try to get a lead on where Corrigan’s been taken. This is always an appreciated addition to a Batman tale. The methodology between the characters again comes into play as the Batman won’t stand for the Spectre killing. It’s a humorous moment when Batman realizes that it’s the first time he’s the “good cop” in the “good cop/bad cop” routine.
This Spectre certainly feels a lot like the one in the Fleischer/Aparo stories from the’70’s which ran in Adventure Comics. The final page even has Corrigan awaiting transfer back to New York City, his milieu in that series. These positives all add up to a nice argument for returning the Spectre to his classic incarnation.
Negatives
The only negatives in this issue are errors of omission. Firstly, it’s a shame this is only a 2-part tale. The Spectre is an interesting character with a lot of potential for storytelling. There’s not nearly enough horror genre books in DC’s stable, and this could well be one. Lastly, the demise of the Divine Hand came pretty quickly and without any real explanation. It seems there is an opportunity for a deeper investigation into their purpose, methods and origin.
Verdict
Welcome back classic Spectre! If you had any questions about who he is or how he got his powers, this two-parter answers all those questions. It’s also a nice argument for a new Spectre series. There’s plenty of dark, mysterious macabre pages herein, and they lay the groundwork for a new series nicely. Just what exactly is the Divine Hand? Oh, Batman’s pretty good, too!
