Detective Comics #15 Review

DETECTIVE COMICS #15

by John Layman, Jason Fabok and Andy Clarke

Oh Clayface, you poor bastard.

Detective Comics #15 only has a brief Joker cameo, but I would still mark it off as a DOTF tie-in. The thing I like about this book, is that Layman found a way to work the Joker into his overall storyline, and have it actually make sense. As usual, Layman tries not to keep things to grim by giving the book the right amount of  humor, mixed in with the darkness. Plus, Oglivy, the goon from the issue 13 backup, returns, and becomes a surprisingly interesting character. A minor flaw I found with the story, was that Batman's dialogue occasionally slipped, sometimes coming off as too corny ("I hit Clayface in the place I've never hit before: His heart."). 

Jason Fabok is the perfect match for the tone of this book. His Finch-esque style looks great, especially during the big fight scene towards the end. 

The backup story was pretty awesome, showing Poison Ivy suffering the consequences of manipulating Clayface... I thought it was a nice diversion, especially since Andy Clarke's art  is suddenly good again.

Detective Comics #15 is another chapter in John Layman's Batman saga. I personally think that we have a classic story in the works right now.

STORY: 4/5

ART: 5/5

BACKUP: 4/5

VERDICT: 4.5/5