Writer: Nunzio DeFilippisPlot: Detectives Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya interrogate the main suspect in the shooting of the commissioner.
Since Gordon's out of commission, and Batman's otherwise occupied, this Tec tale gives us insight into one of the GCPD's recent recruits, Crispus Allen. We get the story through his voice, as he and his partner pester the perp. Crispus is a man who knows how to play his hand; he can be an easygoing detective or he can get in there and rearrange your mind. It all depends what the situation calls for.
In an earlier issue of Detective Comics, he played the hard-boiled cop, but here, he lets Montoya have her turn. It takes a while, but this former Metropolis monitor learns that things aren't that simple in Gotham. "Batman" is the name criminals fear more than anything else. Clearly, the Bat-signal and the myth appear to be working to the Dark Knight's advantage. Allen did encounter Batman a short while ago, and was surprised at how quick he could move, and how truly fearful he was. If only he realized that sooner, he and Renee might've been able to get what they wanted out of the shooter.
When I came upon page 14, and saw Batman gazing out over one of Gotham's stone eagles, I almost thought I'd seen art from a team earlier in this title's run, specifically, that of Graham Nolan and Scott Hanna. The shorter ears, the ankle-length cape, the basic refinement in his image, with some taut inking - even the pointed eyebrows on page 21 - all were reminders of that earlier era.
I'm a little surprised that Jim Gordon's able to remember someone from his days in Chicago. It's so soon after the shooting that you'd think he'd have to ward off vast amounts of painkillers before he could have any sense of clarity.
"The Jacobian, Chapter 9: Tsunami Of Fire"
Writer: Jordan B. Gorfinkel
Artists: Jeff Johnson (p), Dan Panosian (i), Noelle Giddings and Wildstorm FX (c), Ken Lopez (l)
Editors: Frank Berrios and Bob Schreck
Plot: A pair of royal merpeople ask Jacob to save a continent.
Things are starting to make sense again for Jacob. Sure, he's floating around underwater, talking telepathically to some seafolk, but we get another momentary look at his past, and learn that the people who are after him might not be as threatening as he once thought.
He gets his powers back, communing with the earth to avert disaster, but at the cost of his freedom. He saves New York, and soon, he'll be asked to save the world.
