Though, paling in
comparison to Rucka's previous Detective story arc, Cutter's finale
utilizes a unique storytelling dynamic and yields an interesting
cliffhanger. At first I was skeptical about the new direction Greg Rucka,
who is no stranger to writing Batman, was taking Detective Comics. It was one
thing to replace Bruce Wayne as Batman with Dick Grayson. It was quite another
replacing Batman altogether on Detective Comics with the new Batwoman. As it
turns out, a break from Batman’s prolonged proprietorship of Detective Comics’
pages was just what the doctor ordered. From psychedelic villains to mutants
and blade-covered kidnappers, Rucka has infused Detective Comics with a sort of
whimsical depth that it hasn’t seen in… well, ever, really! Couple that with the
top-notch artwork that’s accompanied Rucka’s storytelling (the virtuosic J.H.
Williams III’s mind-boggling, literally outside-the-box panel work and Jock’s
current stone-cold grit), and you’ve got yourself one of the most refreshing
takes on the Bat-saga to hit monthly comics since Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s
“Hush.” For a book that was overshadowed for many years by the Batman monthly
series, Detective is now light-years ahead of the Bat-pack in terms of
storytelling and artwork.
This final chapter in Greg Rucka's three-part Cutter saga finds Batman and Batwoman respectively hunting down separate but nearly identical kidnappers terrorizing Gotham City. The whole thing is resolved rather quickly, and Rucka takes some time to explore the deranged psyches of the abductors as well as those of the abductees. The ending is a bit of an "oh, boy" moment. Readers should definitely be paying attention to what happens in upcoming issues.
The Cutter story arc has made great use of a dual color dynamic in telling these two parallel stories. The transition from Jock's to Scott Kolins' art was also tastefully implemented, and I actually appreciated the fresh new paneling that finished off the issue. Rucka's use of hard-boiled military/police jargon is spot-on as usual. The whole thing reeks of blockbuster movie potential.
Like Batman: Streets of Gotham, Detective Comics contains a second featurette. In Detective's case, the second feature stories star the Question and are also scribed by Rucka. The Question features are actually very enjoyable, but I can't help but wish those pages were used to embellish more of Greg's Batwoman goodness.
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