Batman: The Detective #5 - DC Comics

BATMAN: THE DETECTIVE No. 5, November 2021

Fascinatingly filled full of numerous international allies and associates, Tom Taylor’s thoroughly engrossing storyline for Issue Five of “Batman: The Detective” probably surprised some within its audience as to the sheer breath-taking scope of the European Alliance of the Bat. In fact, this twenty-two page periodical portrays the Dark Knight having such an extensive crime-fighting network of “agency heads, police chiefs, diplomats, spies and mercenaries” across the planet’s Northern Hemisphere that it is difficult to imagine any criminal managing to evade arrest for too long once they come to the Caped Crusader’s notice.

Enjoyably however, such all-encompassing affiliates doesn’t mean for a moment that the Australian author simply relies upon them to do the titular character’s actual work for him. But rather just uses the authorities as a means to set-up a truly brutal face-off against “the villainous Equilibrium” in Belgium, by having Commissioner Origi swiftly notify the costumed vigilante that the homicidal group are planning a mass execution inside the Brussels Convention Centre; “Don’t send in a negotiator. They won’t be releasing the hostages. They’re going to murder them. I’m going in.”

What follows is a pulse-poundingly paced punch-up between Batman and a significant number of armed foes, who are soon mostly put out of action by the eye-watering combination of a rampaging mobile Bat-Cave and plenty of tear gas. Superbly pencilled by Andy Kubert, this dynamically-drawn action sequence really has it all, from large-scale damage as the Dark Knight’s mighty machine drives straight through the building’s multi-paned glass exterior through to the super-hero diving amongst a myriad of bullets so as to clobber his opponents senseless at close quarters. 

Perhaps this comic’s biggest hook though is how Taylor depicts his incarnation of Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego slowly struggling with the onset of age. The hard-hitting cowled crime-fighter is clearly aware he is no longer young enough to simply go toe-to-toe with his enemies, so employs every gadget which he can to help put the odds in his favour. This intriguing vulnerability is particularly exposed towards the end of the fight, when Batman realises he won’t be able to take down the heavily-muscled Sullivan on his own, and must rely upon Squire to cosh the unhinged brute from behind before he has his head literally ripped off.

Writer: Tom Taylor, Pencils: Andy Kubert, and Inks: Sandra Hope