No one can deny that Scott Snyder has a pretty good idea of how to write dark, disturbing stories. Snyder has crafted a terrific arc that employs elements from detective dramas as well as creepy, almost macabre, criminal violence. He’s taken these classic Batman characters and immersed them into a nightmarish world that’s made even more frightening by it’s twisted realism.

Snyder constructs the issue with the same tension filled cinematic flow of the previous books. There is a genuine feeling of urgency as you watch the events unfold. His Joker is as sordid and deranged as any depiction you will see and his presence only amps up the intensity. Snyder’s ability to handle his characters is really impressive, especially with the Gordon’s and their family dynamic. Batman remains a supporting character but it’s perfectly fitting and it makes his appearances carry more weight. All in all, this is another incredibly strong issue in Snyder’s stellar run.

I loved having Jock back on the art and my appreciation for his work seems to grow with every appearance. His unique style wouldn’t work on a number of books but it really resonates here. His layout is insanely good here and his art flows frantically from panel to panel. His characters constantly relay strong emotion and compliments Snyder’s story almost perfectly. Jock does lose me briefly with the inconsistency of his darkly stylized Joker. In an encounter with Batman, his Joker looks wickedly satisfying on one panel but peculiar and noticeably different in another. But that’s a minor gripe in an otherwise brilliantly drawn book. And how can I not mention Jock’s amazing cover?

 It seems that each issue of “Detective Comics” delivers a level of great storytelling that is hard to match. This creative team never ceases to amaze me and this is going to be one of those Batman runs that I’ll always point new readers to. It also has consequences that I hope will reverberate through the upcoming DC relaunch. This is simply an amazing issue.