Written by Chuck Dixon.
Art by Graham Nolan; Scott Hanna; Adrienne Roy; & John Costanza.
Cover Art by Graham Nolan & Scott Hanna.
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Choice of Weapons,” DC Comics released this issue for October 1994. Completing a trilogy with Batman # 0 and Batman: Shadow of the Bat # 0, further flashbacks to Bruce Wayne’s origin as Batman are revisited. Meanwhile, by methodically facing a gauntlet of thugs, the Dark Knight works his way down a tenement building’s floors to the basement. Awaiting him there is the crew’s depraved leader holding two young abducted siblings at gunpoint.
Interspersed are scenes of Bruce Wayne (with Alfred’s help) first designing the Bat-costume, acquiring his first Bat-vehicles, and building the Batcave. Note: Despite his cover presence, Tim Drake’s Robin has no impact on the plot.
REVIEW:
Deliberately rudimentary in his storytelling, writer Chuck Dixon devises a sufficient Issue # 0 as a ‘jumping aboard’ point to hopefully attract new readers. The art squad’s terrific visuals, including the cover image, frankly are a more persuasive asset than Dixon’s business-as-usual tale. Still, Detective Comics # 0 is a nice find for Bat-fans in the bargain section.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There is a two-page “Detective Comments” letters-and-answers column.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
