The issue picks up after the explosion at Orgham Tower in which Batman has sacrificed himself to save countless civilians. We see various members of the Bat Family checking in to provide updates on their individual tasks and then find Batman himself face to face with Arzen, battling underneath the wreckage.

After what turns out to be an ill-fated monologue by the Dark Knight, we find out that Batman has been outwitted and the (current) master plan was to create a groundswell of anti-Batman sentiment amongst Gotham’s citizens to take away one of his greatest powers — citizens believing in the need for a Batman.

The tension and plot bring up a philosophical debate as to what end Batman truly seeks for Gotham and for what purpose are his actions being done? While an intriguing thought, it’s something that feels redundant from a business perspective (DC isn’t going to let Gotham become free of crime) and a historical one (this has come up before and almost always ends the same way).

Ram V continues to show incremental (some may say glacial) movement in the “Gotham Nocturne” arc and I’m not sure if this issue is going to help or hurt in getting us to a resolution. On one hand I could see this issue being the impetus for a somewhat speedy resolution or, on the other hand, it could open up new corners to turn down that continue to draw out the conclusion. One of my biggest complaints about this current story is that it feels like a “one step forward, two step back” approach done ad nauseam. It might be interesting to see Batman be flawed and outsmarted periodically, but this arc has felt like it’s been used too often.

The backup story in this issue does shed more background on Arzen’s motivations and why he holds some of the worldviews that he does. It gives the character some much needed complexities to elevate him beyond a generic Batman villain but it ends up becoming a more interesting read than main story. I’ve said it in other reviews and I’ll say it again here, it’s always more entertaining to know why a character is doing something rather than just seeing their plans unfold.

Ivan Reis, Goran Sudzuka, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson, Stefano Raffaele, and Lee Loughridge provide beautiful art across the board — from the penciling to the colors, to the lettering — but it is very noticeable when pages jump from artist to artist within the timeline. It can take the reader out of the moment and wonder if they are experiencing a different timeline or story altogether.

Detective Comics #1073 is out now wherever comics are sold or you can purchase online at Third Eye Comics, the retail partner for Derby Comics.

Rating: 7/10