Detective Comics #1

Before the DC Reboot writer Scott Snyder was penning a strong arc in the final issues of Detective Comics about James Gordon Jr. and the relationships of the Gordon family with the Bat-Family. Tony Daniel takes over the writing duties here as part of DC's "New 52," and if this issue foreshadows one hellova bumpy ride.

The first problem is the issue never tells us when it takes place. Is it at the beginning of the New 52 with Action Comics and Justice League, is it in the current timeline with most of the other #1's, or does it take place sometime in-between?

The comic focuses on Batman's attempt to capture the Joker, but it's unclear how many times Batman and the Joker have met. Is this their first meeting, their tenth, one-hundredth? The comic isn't sure, so how can the reader be?

Even with these issues the first issue may not be good but it is, for the most part passable, - at least until the gruesome final panel. In an attempt to give us a gritty Batman story Daniel gives us the face of one of Batman's villains nailed to a wall. This one's best forgotten. Pass.

[DC, $2.99]