A review by lunchlander
Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 3 by James Tynion IV

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

There’s some weirdness in here from Rebirth tie-ins, including the stupidity of Mr. OZ, and I don’t entirely love Tynion’s take on Tim and Steph… but a lot of this is pretty great. His use of Anarky (a character I usually loathe) to bring back the First Victim really works, and the tension between a driven Tim Drake and Batwoman is really interesting. I’m also a sucker for legacies and dark futures, so even if this Tim doesn’t entirely ring true for me, I can’t deny it’s interesting.

It’s the Clayface stuff that really works, though, taking a mostly brutish villain and giving him that same sense of tragedy that Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, and all the best Batman villains have.