Yet another great Batman book for DC Comics. Not sure you can go wrong with the Bat. Art and story are top notch.

Yet another great Rebirth cycle volume. I also love Zatana!

ARC from Netgalley.
Batwing, Batwoman, and Azrael are taking in a basketball game when Nomoz shows up injured and with a warning. (Nomoz is a friend of Jean Paul's and assisted with his St. Dumas deprogramming) The warning is that the Order of St Dumas has created a new "Azrael" and has sent him out to kill those who had left the Order. This new assassin, Ascalon, is a robot who is not only a killer, but also has an A.I. based on Jean Paul Sr.
Seeing the Bat-Crew needing some help, Zatanna join the team, first helping to fight off Ascalon, and then discusses a past-history with Bruce. As teens, Bruce was receiving some magical instruction from Zatara, and Zee (nickname for Zatanna) showed him a powerful magical artifact known as the Gnosis Sphere, also called the God Machine, that could answer any question he had. Current day Batman wants to see it again to get a few questions answered.
Meanwhile, Jean Paul is falling back into his programming as Azrael, and attacks the team. Lucas (Batwing) discovers that he can 'reprogram' Jean Paul, but he has to get him out of the Azrael armor and into the restored suit he used way back during the 90's 'Knightfall' storyline. The only way they are able to defeat Ascalon is by exposing him to pure answers and knowledge from giving him the Gnosis Sphere, which he uses to vanish to somewhere. Just before he leaves, he tells that Red Robin is still alive.
We then get a side story about Spoiler causing havok by destroying the Bat Signal and playing both sides of the law. Surprise ending with the introduction of Anarky, which is cool to see him again.
Overall, the flow on this story was very good and Detective Comics continues to be a solid title.
Recommend.

Bruce Wayne sits in on one of Cobblepot's poker sessions in order to meet up with Zatanna to ask for her help in protecting the team of vigilantes he has brought together. On team member, Azrael, has a confrontation coming from the Order of St. Dumas that will change him. But will the confrontation heal him or unleash a new evil upon the world. And who are all the shadowy figures gathering in the background planning?

A little Jean-Paul Valley backstory goes a long way. In this volume, we get a bit too much, dwelling on the fact that the Suit of Sorrows is run by AI rather than pure religious indoctrination and spending too much time in Jean-Paul's mind as he struggles for control. Azrael's programming takes on a life of its own, and Zatanna stops by to help stop it. Pretty ho-hum as recent Batman stories go. The one saving grace was a short-lived appearance by Jean-Paul's other suit...

Unfortunately I was unable to judge this book because it was too hard to read page by page through adobe. Too many panels extend across multiple pages and adode makes it complicated to read. I'm sorry. I do enjoy your graphic novels, DC, and batman.

Batman: Detective Comics, Vol.4: Deus Ex Machina by James Tynion IV continues the theme in this series of telling tales that don't directly involve the Batman. In the prior tales they were the story of Batwoman and Red Robin and more recently Orphan. In Deus Ex Machina Tynion brings forth two very under used and under appreciated characters in the Batman and DC Universe at large/

Azrael and Zantana.

The death of Tim Drake has devastated the Batman team. With the Spoiler angry and petulant the team is left with little recourse to face the upcoming threats. But one comes from a place they are not ready for. The avenging angel is back only this time it is not, Jean Paul Valley. Azrael is called back into action to face another with his same power. But can he do it alone and is the Bat team in any shape to deal with this in the face of Drake's death.

Batman must call on an old friend and one time romantic interest to help the team. Zantana. But what will Zantana's magic and Azrael's mysticism unlock. What secret will they reveal?

There has always been something of a sibling rivalry between Detective Comics and the Batman comics and now, with two different writers at the helm, the books seem to be going in a completely different direction from one another. The competition for readers may have ramped up but the stories are vastly different. With the new team created by Batman in Detective Comics, the supporting cast has actually taken a far greater role and that has come with mixed reviews.

I however find it refreshing. I enjoyed the Orphan aka Batgirl aka Cassamdra Cain and I also loved the Batwoman aka Kate Kane storyline. But with the Catwoman and Batman storyline in the Batman comics, the Detective Comics line may be being overlooked and that is too bad. With Batman taking a backseat, we are seeing these characters take a stage, with good writing and really good stories, and being worthy of being headliners.

Jean Paul Valley has been dealt a rather harsh hand in the Batman universe after he took the mantle and responsibility of being the Batman when Bane broke Bruce Wayne's back. He was quickly cast into the role of a bad guy. An overly violent vigilante in the Batman costume that Tim the wienie ass Drake had issues with. Of course we all thought the Cowl should have gone to Dick Grayson but for the moment Jean Paul was cast into the role and it was an unfair trial. But if we were honest about it, the team of Jean Paul as Batman and Damian as Robin would have kicked some serious ass in Gotham.

Then there is Zatanna . Is she really a hero in the DC Universe to be taken seriously or is she a poor man's version of Marvel's Dr. Strange. For my part I never gave her much thought. To my knowledge DC certainly didn't invest much in the character for me to look into her. But in this storyline we see a character that is very much like Talia Ah Ghul without the blood lust. Just how powerful is she? And if she is capable of what this tale offers, DC you are seriously missing the boat here.

Then there is the Spoiler and for my view, at this point, the best thing she did was die.

Detective Comics is a very good read but if you were going to kill Tim Drake, who at this point is the fifth most likable Robin, seriously do the the math; keep him dead longer that two storylines.

With the Rebirth comics coming from DC the world of the DC Universe is less likely to be a familiar one to longtime fans who wander in. Alliances have been made, characters reformed yet similar and past history mingles with new twists along the way. Such was the case I found while reading this collection.

Azrael is no longer under the influence of the Order of Dumas but there is a new danger in Gotham. Ascalon is similar to Azrael but is intent on seeing the entire Order destroyed with him the last piece of the puzzle. Teamed with Clayface, Orphan, Batwoman and Nightwing, Azrael gets word of what’s happening from Nomoz the Dwarfling.

Batman enters the fray as well trying to find out what’ going on and who is behind the conspiracy. The deeper they all dig into the cause while dealing with the effect the closer they come to finding out the truth. An old foes lies at the heart of it all mixing the old and new together here to form an interesting tale.

As I said this is part of the whole DC Rebirth going on and as someone who isn’t there on a week to week basis keeping up with that’s going on there were moments when it was a bit confusing. Eventually I was able to follow along. I can’t say I’m a big fan though, not because of an attachment to the past but because nothing felt like it made me want to rush out and buy this on a monthly basis. It didn’t have the feel of pasts stories that grabbed my interests and made me want to carry on with the story. For fans of the rebirth though you’ll want to add this to your collection.

Crap. Azrael and his baggage. In the pre-New 52 stuff I didn't really love the story lines with Azrael in them (and then him as Batman either). But, I liked this one a bit more. And there were some other cool story lines in the TPB as well. I definitely liked the one with Zatanna and her father (and a weird globe).

There was also some Batman/Zatanna stuff that hinted at such a rich backstory and I'd love to see more of that in the Bat Universe for sure (or does Justice League Dark still exist?)

And then finally the story with Spoiler doing her best to totally, well, spoil Batman as well as the bad guy's days was okay too.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to DC Entertainment.

Atypical, thought-provoking addition to the Detective Comics series. Perfect for DaVinci Code fans.

This 'comic' studies the nature of man and existence. It is truly philosophical and full of former religious beliefs like the gnostics. Would man be better off omniscient? The author's answer appears to be no. Is an adversary that is completely robotic composed of AI worse than an android that still has a human component inside? Does the answer change if you are the android rather the hero fighting it?

Batman: Detective Comics: Vol 4: Deus Ex Machina asks many questions that will encourage much thought even after the book is done. Re-reading is recommended to catch some of the more subtle nuances. There are many Easter eggs referencing classic anime and manga that are fun to find.

The artwork is perfect especially some of the collages of different ideas captured in one pane. The hues move from brights to pastels depending on the mood of the scene. On a screen, it is sometimes difficult to see that panes continue across two pages so paper might be the better choice.
This is not a typical Batman story, or even comic. However for readers looking for something new with a science fiction/religious vibe, this book is highly recommended. 5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, DC Comics, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

From the minds of James Tynion IV (Batman/TMNT), Eddy Barrows (Nightwing), and Alvardo Martinez (Batman Eternal) comes the fourth installment of the Batman: Detective Comics line. I know some people think that there are too many “bat” characters already, and while I don’t necessarily disagree with them, what’s done is done, and thus I’m happy for a series that actually takes time fleshing the lot of them out (or occasionally killing them off).

There are two main plots for this volume. The first is more of a one-shot story, as it’s only one issue long. However it is focusing on Stephanie and how she’s handling (spoiler warning) Tim Drake’s death. Hint: not well. To her credit, she tries to turn what happened into something positive, in a way. Instead of being a vigilante that takes all the crime fighting credit, Stephanie has become a silent crime fighting vigilante, one who makes sure the police take the credit. In this way she hopes to bring something good back to the city. I respect this so much. I hope this becomes a larger plot later, though I doubt it will.
The main plot is a bit more chaotic, to say the least. It revolves very heavily around Batman, Zatanna and a few others. I honestly think the Zatanna part of this plot was probably the most stable plot – the other part just left me confused and feeling rushed. Perhaps that’s my bias showing, as I quite like Zatanna (and seeing a teenage Zatanna was pretty cool). The confusing part focused around Azrael and events specific to him. I’m not sure what it was about this, but I had the hardest time keeping track of what was actually going on and why. So needless to say I didn’t get much satisfaction out of the ending. Oh well.
I find it interesting how they spent so much time in this issue building up Bruce Wayne and Zatanna’s relationship in this volume; especially considering what is going on with Catwoman in the main Batman series. This leaves me a bit confused about where everything fits continuity wise. Sure, you could argue that the relationship isn’t sexual and is a non-issue, but it still raises a lot of other questions, so again, I’m left confused.
On the bright side I really enjoyed the artwork for this series. All the characters had these really nice little details on them (even ones that first appeared unimportant) and I enjoyed the mech designs shown. I particularly liked the magic effects and how they were drawn, but again that might be my bias showing.

This story’s main focus is on Azareal and revival of St . dumas . But we have Zantanna and Batman working together and a back story for the two. I love Zantanna and am always happy when she show up Azareal’s story is very good. Artwork is gorgeous . Spoiler is here too with a new story .i enjoyed this and would like more Zantanna Batman arcs

This is volume four of Batman’s Detective Comics. The volume collects Detective Comics issues #957-962. In the past I have not really enjoyed Batman working as a team but I think either I am getting used to it or the story for volume four really helped me enjoy it. I must say though that this volume was enjoyable.
The bulk of the story in this volume is focus on how Batman and his team have to deal with a threat of a robotic being name Ascalon. Ascalon is sent to Gotham from a secretive group called the Order of St. Dumas that is some kind of brainwashing religious fanatical cult. His mission is to kill members of the Order of St. Dumas which indicate that is some kind of power struggle has occurred within the group. What’s interesting is that among Batman’s team there is a guy name Jean-Paul who use to be a part of the Order of St. Dumas. Jean-Paul’s superhero name is Azreal. I don’t have as much previous background as other comic book fans but it seems Ascalon is replacement of Azreal’s previous role in the Order of St. Dumas.
In terms of characters I thought the most interesting figure was Zatanna who is a lady magician that Bruce Wayne/Batman sought out for help and whose power and history with Bruce Wayne going back to their early adult years kind of added a human and feminine touch to the story. Now I know there is Batwoman and Cassandra in Batman’s team but with Zatanna it is different since she’s someone who was formerly interested in Bruce Wayne and has a longer history with him and presumably before Bruce Wayne became Batman.
I thought the major theme in the story line for volume four was interesting. There’s the question that Zatanna poses of whether any human being can handle the knowledge of knowing what’s going to happen in the future and how that can change us negatively. I think seeking knowledge is great but omniscience is not something for man. Actually omniscience is best left as God’s unique attribute. While that’s not explicit I thought the theme of God in regards to the Order of St. Dumas warrants that implication. In fact I thought of the villain Azrael’s desire to search for the truth was also a foil and contrast with Zatanna. Overall I don’t think the book is trying to say we shouldn’t seek knowledge and the truth; the villain Azrael was far from noble in not wanting to know the truth and for suppressing it. But there’s a sense in which the book is trying to say there is a balance between the two but also to realize man’s finite limitation.
The volume also had a brief story of a character name Spoiler. Spoiler use to be part of Batman’s team but took a turn of going at it alone in trying to stop the bad guys in a way that’s different than Batman. She’s driven by the fact that villains are drawn to Batman and she’s affected by the collateral damage that is the result of villains coming out for attention to fight Batman. Instead she wants an approach where the superheroes doesn’t get the credit. It’s a great cliffhanger for what seems to be a future storyline in upcoming issues with DC Comic’s Detective Comics!
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by DC Comics and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

In Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 4: Deus Ex Machina, James Tynion spins parallel stories that cooperatively examine the intersection of magic, technology, and faith. Is it possible to rave about Tynion's Detective Comics more? There's such a joy in Tynion's celebration of these twenty-something-year-old characters. A certain moment in this book takes what was once a symbol of conflict between two characters and makes it instead something aspirational; twenty years hence it's simply a wonder these characters are still around for us to read about, and Tynion's ode to the best parts of them epitomizes what Rebirth is and should be.

While the book mainly focuses on Azrael and the Rebirth version of the Order of St. Dumas, there are a lot of great character moments which I think are the strength of the book. The scenes between Batman and Zatanna are gold, I'd love to see more. Cassandra and Clayface reciting Shakespeare was very interesting, especially so since Cassandra barely talks. Clayface is quickly turning into one of my favorite characters in the book. I hope he doesn't revert to his former villainous self anytime soon. Finally we get a solo issue featuring Spoiler and her new mission. I found it interesting.

Alvaro Martinez's art is quite good and it was nice to have the same artist on the entire story.

From the publisher: The Dark Knight teams with his fellow Gotham City vigilantes to protect their hometown in the newest volume of this hit graphic novel series in BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOL. 4: Deus Ex Machina!

The next big DETECTIVE arc is here! Stephanie Brown wants nothing more than to save Gotham City from the epidemic of costumed vigilantes and madmen who regularly tear the city apart. But before she can try to stop them, she must face the challenge of one in particular: the insane the Wrath is back, and Stephanie knows what he has planned--but she refuses to let Batman risk more lives to stop him. That means it's all on her...and a very unlikely ally!

From writer James Tynion IV (BATMAN/TMNT) and the spectacular art team of Eddy Barrows (NIGHTWING) and Alvaro Martinez (BATMAN ETERNAL) comes the fourth volume of the return of DETECTIVE COMICS! Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #957-961.

Detective Comics Vol. 4: Deus Ex Machina, by James Tynion IV, continues the excellent storytelling going on in the Batman comics. This latest volume from Tynion IV focuses a little more on the heroes making up Batwoman's team, in particular Jean-Paul Valley aka Azrael. When the new version of Azrael, known as Ascalon, comes to "convert" or "evangelize" Jean-Paul, Luke Fox (Batwing) jumps in to help save his friend. With some help from Batwoman, Orphan, Clayface, and Batman, Azrael confronts his past and paves the way for his future.

This was another terrific story. I really enjoyed Tynion IV's focus on Jean-Paul, as he is a very interesting character but not a lot has been revealed about his background. We knew he was created by the Order of St. Dumas as an avenging angel and has a strange symbiotic relationship with his costume, knows as the Suit of Sorrows, but not much more than that. Deus Ex Machina takes a deeper look into his life and sets the stage for future mysteries. I particularly enjoyed the further development of the friendship between Jean-Paul and Luke, which was strengthened as a result of this encounter. It was also nice to have Batman play a supporting, secondary role, as it let the other heroes shine more. One other thing I liked was the new Azrael suit Luke created; it had the look of Jean-Paul's Batman suit (from way back in Batman's past, when his back was broken and Jean-Paul stepped in for him). It was a nice nod to longtime fans.

The last chapter in this book focused on Stephanie Brown (Spoiler). She left the team because of the collateral damage to innocent people and is currently fighting the good fight and trying to remain off the radar. This story sets up the next major arc in Detective Comics, which should provide another interesting challenge for the Bat-team.

One note, though: The back cover copy provided by the publisher is not accurate as to the story inside. It both identifies the name of the volume incorrectly and leaves out the major story involving Azrael.

I highly recommend Detective Comics Vol. 4: Deus Ex Machina, by James Tynion IV. It should be read by all Batman fans, and would also be enjoyed by fans of Azrael from previous Batman stories (going back to the 1990's).

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Yes we get Zatanna here, but we also get a lot of waffle about characters we really don't care for, or engage with, and Zee's magic just feels as much in tune with the Bat-story as it would sit with Superman.

The running theme is inner strength and belief, the need for answers vs. faith. The main story pits Azreal against his version 2.0 "brother." The side story dovetailing into it contains less of Batman in action than I'd like, but more than makes up for the deficiency with fascinating backstory of his time training with Zatanna. Zee steals the show here, proving more powerful than pretty much every other hero combined. Sweet!

This was an okay Batman book. Not the best by any means, and a bit confusing in terms of continuity in the Batman line right now. For example, I thought that Batwoman took off for some solo adventures at the end of the last book, but she was right there in the middle of things. I also thought that Spoiler had already done things like blow up the Bat-signal in another book, so when that came up at the end of this volume I was a bit confused as well.
I also felt like DC editorial kind of reigned in this story in some weird ways. There was a clear story arc that seemed to be pointing in one direction relative to Azrael (who the story primarily revolves around), but then they pull back from that at the last minute, which didn't feel like it fit. I enjoyed Zatanna's involvement in the story, she was fun to have as a guest-star. I also felt like the idea of mentally programming somebody got a little weird in a cyberpunk kind of way, where the line between actual psychological programming and computer programming was blurred in a way that felt like it fit more in Stephenson's Snow Crash than it did in a Batman title.