By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
DC Comics celebrated another legendary milestone! They published the 1,000th issue of Detective Comics. An all-star collection of comic book creators gathered to create new adventures that surrounded a character that starred for a majority of its issues: Batman. Jake’s Take breaks down some of its favorite stories that are featured in Detective Comics issue 1000!
Warning! Spoilers are ahead!
“Batman’s Longest Case” by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, one of DC Comics’ blockbuster creative teams, kicked off the milestone issue. The duo finally put an end to one of Batman’s longest capers. After a massive scavenger hunt, the trail leads Batman to one of Detective Comics’ legendary characters: Slam Bradley.
“Manufacture for Use” by Kevin Smith and Jim Lee
Actor and pop culture commentator Kevin Smith teamed up with Jim Lee, DC’s Co-Publisher and Chief Creative Officer for the second tale. It follows the Dark Knight’s adventure through the Gotham Gift Shop. Disguised as his alter ego, Matches Malone, Batman revisited some of his greatest battles with his villains as he looked at the owner’s memorabilia.
“The Legend of Knute Brody” by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen
Former Detective Comics and Batman: Streets of Gotham creative team Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen reunited for a tale of Gotham’s worst henchman. Knute Brody had the misfortune of working with some of the Dark Knight’s greatest adversaries.
“Return to Crime Alley” by Denny O’Neil and Steve Epting
Legendary Batman creator Denny O’Neil returned to Detective, and with the help of Action Comics artist Steve Epting, he brought readers back to the Silver Age. This tale revisited Dr. Leslie Thompkins’ first appearance in the title: Detective Comics, Vol. 1 issue 457. Longtime Batman fans will get chills reading this story as O’Neil and Epting revisit Batman’s
“Batman’s Greatest Case” by Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, and Joelle Jones
Current Batman writer Tom King reunited with two of his best collaborators to highlight the Dark Knight’s greatest allies. In this special story, we get to see all of Batman’s partners interact together. From Nightwing and Robin V (Damian Wayne) to Catwoman and Jason Todd, King and his colleagues showcase why the Caped Crusader has the best supporting cast out of any comic book character.
“Medieval” by Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke
The final story of Detective Comics issue 1000 belonged to the current creative team of Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke. They brought a new version of Arkham Knight, a fan-favorite Batman: Arkham villain into the DCU. Arkham Knight’s debut focused on an entire monologue that featured the Caped Crusader taking on his iconic foes. “Medieval” outlined Arkham Knight’s motivation and also previewed fans on his upcoming war with Batman.
Final thoughts & grade: Detective Comics issue 1000 was the perfect birthday present to any Batman fan. There are some powerful and memorable stories that fans would devour. Also, DC did a fine job rallying some of Batman’s greatest storytellers and pairing them in intriguing creative teams. Happy anniversary, Detective Comics! Here’s to 1000 more amazing issues. A
[…] Throughout 2019, DC celebrated Batman’s birthday with milestone events such as publishing Detective Comics’ 1,000th issue. Join some of the Caped Crusaders’ iconic creators to celebrate the superhero’s anniversary […]