Review by Ian Keogh

Firstly, more casual readers may be puzzled by this being Volume Four when many of the subplots occupying Arkham Rising have been discarded. That’s because they were dealt with in Shadows of the Bat: The Tower, as Mariko Tamaki didn’t let Batman’s departure from Gotham interfere with her ongoing plans. Also, be aware that although it’s not greatly highlighted, this volume only has three chapters of Tamaki’s continuity and is backed up with three shorter chapters focussing on Gotham Girl.

The primary story is soundtracked by the Riddler’s irritating questioning of what’s happening in Gotham via pirate radio broadcasts. As seen on the sample art, Ivan Reis has given him a new look, and Tamaki’s use of him as a commentator is sophisticated. Gotham is experiencing crimes committed by previously lawful citizens who are willingly taken into custody, and then won’t explain their actions. Are they being coerced? This is Detective Comics, after all, and Tamaki sets a mystery in motion that’s dark devious and compelling.

Reis has been a standout artist for years, his style relatively anonymous yet his illustration and storytelling absolutely first rate. There are few matching his talent in superhero comics, and his three chapters are gorgeously drawn in a way that maximises tension and action when needed.

This ends Tamaki’s excellent run very satisfyingly. It’s taut, emotionally drenched and explores some dubious ethical methods. Whether two wrongs make a right is something the Riddler might have asked, and that’s what’s explored.

Gotham Girl was introduced early in Tom King’s Batman run, but her super powers came with consequences meaning they should only be sparingly used. Having served King’s purpose, her mental instability led to psychiatric care and she slumped into obscurity, from where she’s dragged back by Sina Grace and David Lapham. It’s a disturbing story for Grace very effectively transmitting her mental instability as she attempts to discover who’s using her name for a gossip website. She could lapse back into violent insanity, and so with her powers is extremely dangerous, which supplies a hefty dose of tension, and Lapham is an old hand at extrapolating the maximum visual possibilities from that.

Grace doesn’t take the easy or obvious route at any stage, so while not quite the equal of the lead story, it’s well removed from “bonus” material just thrown in to bulk out the page count.