Detective Comics # 855

Detective Comics #855
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by J.H. Williams III and Cully Hamner
Colors by Dave Stewart and Laura Martin
Letters by Todd Klein and Jared K. Fletcher
Published by DC Comics

What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? Greg Rucka and J. H. Williams III have really brought a compelling book with a solid character and great story, accompanied by uncanny art that is not to be missed. Last issue, we had Batwoman (Kate Kane) firing a gun, which Batman would never use. Turns out, it's a pepper gas pellet and what follows is an action sequence that is so beautifully constructed, it's borderline absurd. After THAT is another double-page spread with no dialogue because the art tells the story so well.

Now Batwoman squares off with Alice, the new leader of the Religion of Crime. There's a quip about how Alice didn't get the memo about how Gotham already has a Carrol-themed rogue, though Alice is hardly the Mad Hatter. We know nothing about her (besides being one sick puppy) and I think Rucka may have created Batwoman's Joker equivalent. Now, Williams was pretty creative with panel construction and lay-out in the last issue, but in this one he cranks the meter up to 11. Batwoman gets drugged (by a poisoned razor blade that Alice hid in her mouth) and from there the pages just become so avant-garde, but not too muddled where it becomes confusing.

Meanwhile, Kate's father notices her bio-signs are deadly and goes looking for her. Luckily for Kate, he finds her just in time. Alice and her followers have found them and a gunfight ensues. Kate is still out of commission when Alice approaches her and her father. She doesn't finish them off, instead we see. . . monsters, almost something out of the old Universal movies. If there's one complaint, it's the fact I have to wait another few weeks for the next issue.

Of course right after the Batwoman adventure ends, the Question feature continues. The Question (Renee Montoya) is still looking for a missing girl and along the way thrashes some serious street trash. Now, Cully Hamner's style is a tad grounded from Williams. Though the way I see it, it complements the story. You don't need two artists with Williams' style, Hamner's is a solid break from Batwoman's story. It's only a few pages long, but Renee basically is getting her name out as the new face (or non-face?) of street justice. However, it doesn't end well and the issue ends on another cliffhanger.

I'm sorry to say, but if you're not picking up this book, you are seriously missing out.