Detective Comics had a pretty amazing start. In fact, I gave the first issue a perfect 10/10 score. It felt fresh to read simply about Batman doing what he does best: detective work. Add the plot of the Joker losing his face, you have a pretty great story debut for this series. Then the next arc came, putting Penguin as the villain and shedding some light on Bruce's girlfriend. The first issue of the arc was pretty good....then the next one headed into bland territory. Still good, but lacking pizzazz. I was personally looking forward to this one to see how this short arc would end.....and it wasn't that good.
Official description from DC:
Batman uncovers the truth behind a string of underworld killings involving a guest at the Penguin's Iceberg Casino, but time is running out! Is unimaginable terror about to strike on the floating gambling den? And what will Bruce Wayne do now that he's discovered some of Charlotte's most well kept – and darkest – secrets? It's death and destruction in the highest of high stakes games at the Iceberg Casino!
Detective Comics used to be my favorite ongoing series. I'm not too sure anymore. This issue was just not interesting at all. The writing was quite laughable and generic, the scene with the sister and the Snakeskin was just cringe-worthy. That's not to say to say there aren't some good pieces, Batman telling Penguin's gang of nobody villains that "You're new here" and "Small fry" was amusing. However, Batman remains 'stiff' the whole time. What I mean is that he felt robotic and his dialogue wasn't really all that interesting.Tony Daniel can do a lot better than this. Penguin may have been the only well-written character. Oh, I really liked Alfred in this issue, it was great to see him outside in on the action.
The art on the other was pretty good. Non-comparable to Jim Lee's work over at Justice League, but good nonetheless. The Bat-suit looks fantastic, there are two really awesome splash pages showcasing it. The cover is also fantastic, one of the best so far in the series. Man, if the art was bad, this issue's score would have been taken down a notch.
Overall, Detective Comics #7 is by far the worst issue yet. Laughable, generic dialogue and a really uninteresting plot. I found myself not getting involved in the story at all. The next arc better be good, because if it continues down this bland path, it will go on my drop-list.
5/10.