Ram V & Rafael Albuquerque To Take Over Detective Comics In July

Nah. The Rebirth volume of Justice League ran from '16-'18 (same as Superman), and was then followed by the volume begun by Snyder, which is the one that recently ended.

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Ram V had a pretty interesting interview recently that talks about his career as a whole, including his work on Venom and Carnage over at Marvel, but there’s a good chunk about Detective Comics as well.

He mentions that right now the plan is for the run to be around 24-30 issues. He also talks a bit about the inspirations for this run both in terms of comics (specifically name-dropping Denny O’Neil, Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale, and Grant Morrison) and in terms of recent TV (Hannibal, True Detective). He also talked a lot about what it means to have this be an opera. He also says that while there is an overall mystery that will be solved, it’s not always going to be the main focus. A key quote:

“There’s a lot of detective work in it, but it’s not necessarily about him being a detective. It’s about him being Batman, Bruce Wayne. Troubled character, troubled friend, distant lover, distant father… all of those things.”

It’s a really interesting interview to read – it could be easy to read his words as pretentious, but I feel like it comes from a place of passion about the characters and world, and I’m definitely excited to see where he takes it.

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Welp, guess I’ll add 'Tec to the 'ol pull list, now.

Thanks, Batman News! :cowboy_hat_face:

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Ah, Nicholas Finch! Love that guy’s reviews.

Very interesting interview - thanks for sharing! I am very excited by Ram V, though I have to say, I need to start avoiding the solicits, because they sound boring/annoying. I just want to read what he writes.

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Of course, “something new” is exactly how he pitched his upcoming run of Detective Comics to the higher-ups at DC. The comic will be presented in an elevated, operatic style – meaning, in simple terms, that it “espouses the aesthetics that make operas distinct”.

“I came to [Detective Comics ] with an approach and an idea that I had had for a very long time, that I had spoken to other creators about.” Ram V paused, thinking through his words. It was clear that he’s fully aware of how ambitious the project is. “I said, ‘How is it that [Batman] comics have never had this… kind of slightly elevated, operatic, melodramatic theatre-play written as a TV show? Like Hannibal, or like most things Bryan Fuller does? Or, why isn’t there like a Robert Eggers version?’”

I love this.

Pretentious, maybe? Who cares. Strive for more, I say.

And I loved Hannibal too. Which kind of surprised me because I don’t usually have much interest in that kind of thing (I never had any desire in seeing The Silence of the Lambs), but I thought the show was so well done that I couldn’t resist.

“I just think it’s in the blood of the character,” he continued. “It’s a person who dresses up like a bat, wears a black cape and cowl and hangs out at night. It’s very hard to ignore the operatic line, you know?"

He has a point. :smiling_face:

When they first announced this it sounded almost like an idea for a Black Label series. It seems like that’s basically what it is, only it’s going to be published in DETECTIVE COMICS.

And 24 to 30 issues… perfect. I can live with that.

It’s looking like I’m going to have to update my top-10 favorite DC Comics series list.

After the first issue I’ll probably pencil it in at #7 and see where it goes from there. :smiling_face:

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A first look at Rafael Albuquerque’s art… ?

Nice. I like it.

And there may be a playlist?

Your first Detective Comics arc, “Gotham Nocturne,” bills itself as a “Gothic Opera.” What makes a comic book operatic? Are these comics going to have those birthday card chips that sing at you when you open them?

I think there are a lot of interesting parallels between theatre and comics. And when I say “Gotham Nocturne” is going to be a “Gothic Opera,” I mean to say the comic will be infused with Gothic and Operatic aesthetics.

There are elements of noir, of tragedy, and the oppressive weight of a kind of brooding darkness that sits over everything. I think these “Gothic” elements are particularly apparent in the animated series and I wanted to bring some of that to the comic.

And then there is the high drama, the flourishes of acting, at times a little overblown, bordering on melodrama. Everyone is poignant, everything they say is poetic, lyrical and people seem to speak and act in ways that distill the dramatic elements of the narrative. To me, those are elements that feel Operatic.

I think both of these aesthetic influences work with Batman as a character and his stories as narrative. I’m very excited for people to see what we do with it, but I will say this—Detective will very much be a contemporary, quintessentially Batman story. It’s a balance and I’m having a lot of fun walking that tightrope.

As for the musical elements, you might not be too far off! I know there was some talk of a playlist and music being linked to the issues. So stay tuned!

Yes and please. :smiling_face:

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So…

Perfetto.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

This is exactly what I wanted.

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:thinking:…wait a minute…You don’t think Nocturna will be reintroduced again? We had a brief glimpse of her in Road to Dark crisis.

ok Talia’s swords are better designed in this then they were in shadow war. they have hand protection.

Nocturna should be reintroduced in Batgirls as Steph’s new nemesis :wink:

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that would be fun too.

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They’ve fought THREE TIMES now!

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can i get the issues i would enjoy reading them?

Robin 101-105, Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead and Batman Alive, Road to Dark Crisis. :slight_smile:

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Those preview pages are looking dark and moody and dare I say, operatic as heck. Definitely excited for this. :smiley:

From a few days back…

The latest ad for Detective Comics #1062 contains a QR code linking to a secret trailer revealing the gothic nature of Ram V and Rafael Albuquerque’s upcoming epic.

That “secret trailer” was really cool. I like that.

And the issue was very pleasant. I really enjoyed it.

Rafael Albuquerque’s art was pitch perfect. The back-up story was good too.

Everything was just right.

I’ve always liked DETECTIVE COMCS. BATMAN not so much, I’ve rarely ever read that. DETECTIVE COMCS though seems to do things with Batman that I like better.

Anyway, I am content. Thank you, Ram V. :smiling_face:

I thought the main story was very intriguing. The backup pissed me off, because it does not fit with either the Jim Gordon I know from reading comics for so long, or with what Tynion wrote less than a month ago.

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agreed.


The Dragon Has Returned.


anyone else get Hellraiser vibes off this

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