Detective Comics #1102 is the kind of second chapter that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. Writer Tom Taylor absolutely nails the high-stakes, ticking-clock tension, and the killer art from Mikel Janín, and the colors just make the whole thing pop. Plus, Wes Abbott’s lettering gives the action that extra oomph.
The story, “The Courage That Kills,” picks up right after the infection hits, and the central tension is brutal: Batman is infected! He’s got 29 hours (quickly dropping to 25) before he succumbs to a highly contagious virus that will mess with his mind and body. The villain, known as The Lion, wants to turn Gotham into a city without fear: a terrifying idea that would cause the city to tear itself apart. We don’t know why yet, but it’s a chillingly simple goal that immediately raises the stakes.
With the clock ticking, Batman has to rely on Mr. Terrific and Oracle to quickly trace the virus back to a phantom company, King Chemicals, which leads him to its supposed owner, Louis King, a former Toronto native who made his fortune in poker. This issue really shines when it explores the emotional core of the Batman mythos: that messy, almost abusive relationship between the hero and his home. Posing as Bruce Wayne while tracking King in Kasnia, Batman ends up face-to-face with the villain over a high-stakes game of Blackjack.
In a brilliant piece of dialogue, King confesses a deep wound: “Gotham hurt me, too,” he says, “It took my father from me.” He sees Bruce Wayne as a fellow wounded child of Gotham stuck in an unhealthy relationship with his city. King essentially views his viral attack as a twisted act of liberation, or maybe just revenge for a shared trauma. That conversation, where King kicks Bruce’s own pain right back in his face, is seriously engaging and sets a complex stage for their fight.
The inevitable clash happens at what turns out to be The Lion’s secret lab outside the city. It’s a complete madhouse. The villain triggers an explosion, declaring that “secrets must be buried,” and Mikel Janín’s art is fantastic, capturing the fiery destruction and the raw chaos of the fight. The Lion, in his pristine white suit, looks amazing here. But for Batman, the fight is a desperate ordeal. His infected state leaves him vulnerable, and he takes a beating (fractured cheek, broken rib), but the real hit is King’s taunt: he knows about the virus and knows Batman can still “feel fear for a while longer.”
The issue ends on a gripping cliffhanger with Batman barely escaping. Taylor has successfully compromised Batman both physically and against the clock, leaving us desperately wondering what this virus will do to both him and Gotham next.
Detective Comics #1102 expertly blends classic detective work with a modern biological/technological threat. Taylor raises the stakes dramatically while Janín’s stunning art and colors make the entire journey a visual feast. It promises an absolutely explosive third act.
‘Detective Comics’ #1102 “The Courage That Kills, Part Two”
Detective Comics #1102 expertly blends classic detective work with a modern biological/technological threat. Taylor raises the stakes dramatically while Janín’s stunning art and colors make the entire journey a visual feast. It promises an absolutely explosive third act.
