How can you improve an already fantastic run on Detective Comics by Scott Snyder? Why have the entire issue be drawn by Francesco Francavilla of course! The back-ups involving Jim Gordon were great to read and had great art to it. But to have an issue, with two stories mind you, by Francavilla is like finding out you got an extra present for your birthday. Nothing can go wrong with this issue.

I give Scott Snyder a lot of props for bringing back James Gordon into continuity again. Here is a character largely forgotten and even I forgot at some point that Jim had a son. But of course with bringing him back, Snyder puts a lot of disturbing ideas into it and give James a psychosis problem. The pacing and tension in the finale of this storyline was well done. I was on the edge of my seat as Jim kept looking back and forth at the bathroom, wondering if his son did indeed kill someone in there. There is just endless possiblities for Jim now with his son back in Gotham and I’m glad Snyder isn’t going to be done with this storyline yet. The second storyline, with Dick still reeling from The Dealer’s gas attack was well done too. Although it does feel a bit like an ‘alternate ending’ to the last issue if you think about it. But again Snyder just adds a level of disturbing elements in here to really make you scared on what’s coming next. It’s been a long time since horror, in any sense, was involved in a Batman book so I’m glad it’s finding it’s way here in this run.

Praising Francavilla for his art is like praising your favorite food. You know why it’s so good to look at but yet seeing it every time never gets old. With the first story, Francavilla handles the pacing brilliantly with the panels and he does some great design work for the structure. Also his coloring is dead on too. It never gets old to see the same three colors used and he uses them so well, especially with the lighting effects. The second story is also gorgeous to look at too with the highlights being the eyes ‘consuming’ the panels and the killer whale attacking. This story also shows his versitility as an artist because he can do the standard beat’em up story but still add his own touch to it. It’s this version of his art that made Black Panther: Man Without Fear tolerable to read.

This was just fun to read with every page. Snyder is amazing at building tension with his story and pace it well. Plus he can instantly make any story go full on disturbing at the drop of a hat. Add in some more gorgeous artwork by Snyder and you got yourself a pretty damn good issue of Detective Comics. Basically you get your money’s worth for having two great stories for the price of one; how can you not beat that?