Spinning out of the events of “The Joker War” and Detective Comics #1027 comes a tale of the beginning of the end for Gotham City’s status quo. With tensions flaring and a new mayoral candidate making his anti-hero agenda known to the city, Batman and his allies are stretched thin to keep the peace. But just as things couldn’t look any worse, a string of gruesome murders has left a trail of the most corrupt in Gotham City losing their heads...literally. If Batman doesn’t quickly find the killer-the Dark Knight will be next.
As Gotham City continues its rise from the ashes of “City of Bane,” some familiar faces have returned to keep Gotham City exactly where they want it: Two-Face is back. But this time, he’s recruited some like-minded individuals to help him in his cause. With an elite team of split-personality special forces at his side, Two-Face and Batman square off in what could be their final battle, as a new ally arrives to help the Dark Knight…Harvey Dent?!
In the aftermath of The Joker War, Bruce Wayne has lost his fortune, has lost his home, and has begun losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Gotham City’s citizens. A groundswell of anti-vigilante protests pops up throughout Gotham, stoked by the mayoral candidacy of Christopher Nakano, a former police officer wounded in The Joker’s war zone. Plus, mysterious new villain the Mirror rallies others to the anti-vigilante cause, taking to the streets and leading to violent encounters that show no true victor. This final volume of writer Peter J. Tomasi’s run culminates in a battle with Robin, a hostage crisis with Hush, and the dawn of a new era for Gotham City. Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 6: Road to Ruin collects Detective Comics #1028-1033.
This latest Rebirth Deluxe Edition features two of the most critically acclaimed arcs in the Dark Knight's history in hardcover for the first time in Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2. Batman's newest allies both have histories they'd rather forget, but when figures from their respective secret origins appear in Gotham, will Cassandra Cain and Azrael be able to keep their pasts from destroying their present lives? When the League of Shadows--led by Cassandra's mother, the deadly Lady Shiva--comes to take down the team and bring Cassandra home, Orphan must weigh the life that was planned for her against the new path she's forging for herself. But what place can society ever have for someone with her violent pedigree? Then, Azrael's former masters, the Order of St. Dumas, send the perfect assassin--an artificial intelligence named Ascalon--to hunt their ex-disciple and all who stand with him. Batman and Zatanna need the power of a mystical artifact called the God Machine to turn the tide, but will the Machine's promise of absolute power corrupt even the World's Greatest Detective? Collecting issues #950-962 in hardcover for the first time, Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2 features Batman's new recruits in a trial by fire from an all-star team led by writer James Tynion IV (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dark Days: The Forge) and artists Alvaro Martinez (Batman Eternal) and Marcio Takara (Nightwing)!
Looks like someone brought a batarang to a bazooka fight! As the explosive battle royal between Batman and Mr. Worth roars to a climax, Huntress is on the trail of the other major threat plaguing Gotham City: violence parasite Vile! By the end of this battle, one character will be dead, one avenged, and even more holding on for dear life! Do not miss this epic issue that leads directly into the Batman Secret Files: Huntress special! PLUS: In The Vile Truth, catch a glimpse into the secret origin of Detective Comics break-out villain Vile through the lens of writer/artist Tristan Jones!Looks like someone brought a batarang to a bazooka fight! As the explosive battle royal between Batman and Mr. Worth roars to a climax, Huntress is on the trail of the other major threat plaguing Gotham City: violence parasite Vile! By the end of this battle, one character will be dead, one avenged, and even more holding on for dear life! Do not miss this epic issue that leads directly into the Batman Secret Files: Huntress special! PLUS: In The Vile Truth, catch a glimpse into the secret origin of Detective Comics break-out villain Vile through the lens of writer/artist Tristan Jones!
It’s the landmark, oversize issue Detective Comics #1050, and some of the biggest names in comics are here to celebrate the Dark Knight! First up in “The Tower” part four, the villainous force keeping Arkham Tower’s patients sedated is at last revealed-and this villain’s return is guaranteed to catch you by surprise! It’s the dramatic conclusion to act one of Mariko Tamaki’s Arkham Tower epic, brought to life by the legendary Ivan Reis! Then, in “House of Gotham” part four, Matthew Rosenberg and Fernando Blanco take us into the seedy underbelly of Gotham’s criminal elite through the lens of the original Robin (Dick Grayson), and reveal what it takes for a young man to survive amongst the deadliest killers in the DCU. It’s a tour de force of Gotham’s vilest villains! Last but not least, making his grand return to the DCU, writer Mark Waid teams with Detective Comics uber-artist Dan Mora to bring you the start of a brand-new day for Batman…and Superman? It’s the world’s finest collaboration that you’ll need to read to believe!
Batman versus Huntress! As the Dark Knight delves into the mystery of Sarah Worth’s murder, the only witness who truly knows what happened that fateful evening is Batman’s only hope to clear his name. But another hunter is stalking the mysterious killer plaguing the city-and Huntress has also set her sights on Bruce Wayne! The Violet Vengeance of Gotham unleashes holy hell on Batman as trouble brews above and below the city streets! And the backup story, “Huntress and the Hunted,” zeroes in on Gotham’s own Violet Vengeance! In the previous chapter, her world was rocked by the gruesome murder of a dear friend...but there’s more to this sinister scene than meets the eye!Batman versus Huntress! As the Dark Knight delves into the mystery of Sarah Worth’s murder, the only witness who truly knows what happened that fateful evening is Batman’s only hope to clear his name. But another hunter is stalking the mysterious killer plaguing the city-and Huntress has also set her sights on Bruce Wayne! The Violet Vengeance of Gotham unleashes holy hell on Batman as trouble brews above and below the city streets! And the backup story, “Huntress and the Hunted,” zeroes in on Gotham’s own Violet Vengeance! In the previous chapter, her world was rocked by the gruesome murder of a dear friend...but there’s more to this sinister scene than meets the eye!
The story of Two-Face reaches its end, and Harvey Dent will at last find peace after decades of schism. But will that peace be in death, or in the chance at a new life? All along, The Joker has been the puppet master behind the torment of Two-Face, and he knows how to make an entrance! Don’t miss the final battle between Batman, Two-Face, and Lincoln March, with a shocking conclusion that will split you right in two!
The world thought Bruce Wayne was dead. They were dead wrong! When the sinister para-military organization known as the Magistrate seizes control of Gotham City, the original Batman went big to put them down...but even the Dark Knight couldn’t predict how far this evil force would go to stop him. Now, Bruce Wayne is on the run! From Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki and rising star artist Dan Mora, it’s the story of a Batman pushed to the brink-with nothing left to lose. Also in this issue, Grifter is back! Cole Cash is having a bad day, and that’s not going to improve when the detectives of the GCPD show up! Will a chance meeting with Luke Fox change his luck? Or is his day about to get a lot worse?
Contributions by Paul Fisher Davies, Lisa DeTora, Yasemin J. Erden, Adam Gearey, Thomas Giddens, Peter Goodrich, Maggie Gray, Matthew J. A. Green, Vladislav Maksimov, Timothy D. Peters, Christopher Pizzino, Nicola Streeten, and Lydia Wysocki Recent decades have seen comics studies blossom, but within the ecosystems of this growth, dominant assumptions have taken root—assumptions around the particular methods used to approach the comics form, the ways we should read comics, how its “system” works, and the disciplinary relationships that surround this evolving area of study. But other perspectives have also begun to flourish. These approaches question the reliance on structural linguistics and the tools of English and cultural studies in the examination and understanding of comics. In this edited collection, scholars from a variety of disciplines examine comics by addressing materiality and form as well as the wider economic and political contexts of comics’ creation and reception. Through this lens, influenced by poststructuralist theories, contributors explore and elaborate other possibilities for working with comics as a critical resource, consolidating the emergence of these alternative modes of engagement in a single text. This opens comics studies to a wider array of resources, perspectives, and modes of engagement. Included in this volume are essays on a range of comics and illustrations as well as considerations of such popular comics as Deadpool, Daredevil, and V for Vendetta, and analyses of comics production, medical illustrations, and original comics. Some contributions even unfold in the form of comics panels.
