Detective Comics fills a niche right now as a Batman book that allows itself to be more free and more fun than the others. The tone of the series under new writer John Layman is not unlike Batman: The Animated Series, with its copious assortment of iconic Bat villains and a tone that isn't too dark or too comedic. It isn't ambitious or ground-breaking, but it achieves what it sets out to accomplish.

Though Penguin's quest for legitimacy is still the overarching focus of Layman' first arc, Poison Ivy hogs more of the spotlight. Layman attempts to fit his issue into the confines of the other at books, referencing both Scott Snyder's Death of the Family material and Ivy's recent defection from the Birds of Prey. Unsurprisingly, this continuity wrangling does nothing to actually serve the story, and I wish Layman could maintain a more continuity-light and editorial caption-free approach. The interaction between Bruce and Damian also seems odd and unnatural, partly because of the pointless references to other books, but also just because of the odd tenor of Damian's dialogue. But eventually the script shakes free of these shackles and focuses on the conflict at hand. Layman adds further spice to history with a surprise revelation at the end, one that is effectively fleshed out immediately after in the backup feature.

Both Jason Fabok and Andy Clarke provide attractive visuals to round out the solid script. Fabok's art play like a looser but still impressively detailed version of David Finch's style. Clarke's intricate line-work and moody panels stand out equally well. My only complaint is that Fabok's depiction of Poison Ivy's already underwhelming new costume is a bit weak compared to Clarke's.

I won't say that if you only read one Bat-book, to make it Detective Comics. It isn't the strongest of that pack by any stretch. But it still has its definite strengths, and when it isn't forced to reference pointless bits of continuity, it succeeds at offering a nice standalone adventure with plenty of familiar faces.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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