Crime Alley is a crowded place. Every Batman writer who wants to make their mark on the mythos returns to that inciting incident, years earlier, that turned Bruce Wayne into Batman. It’s become such a recurring motif in the movies in particular, that the shot of pearls falling is a running joke of sorts. So credit to writer Tom Taylor and artist Mikel Janín for finding a new angle on the death of the Waynes in Detective Comics #1090 that doesn’t feel like it is treading familiar ground.
Or more specifically, the life of Thomas and Martha. As with all of Taylor’s writing, he’s not throwing in retcons for retcon’s sake. Instead, he finds a place in DC Comics history where he can make his mark, without ditching everything that came before. And also as usual with Taylor, his main goal here is to explore the inner, emotional life of his main character. In this case, Batman, a character who is often relegated to growling in the corner and being pushed to his limits.
Don’t worry, there’s plenty of that, too. However — and spoilers past this point — we’re getting storylines in two timelines. In the present, Batman is investigating a new serial killer that targets young runaways. When Batman accidentally causes a chain of events that leads to one of those deaths, it gives him a level of guilt and sadness that cuts to the core of his “save everyone” ethics. Meanwhile, back in time, Thomas Wayne is treating a young pregnant woman who has regularly been beaten by her boyfriend. And due to his Hippocratic oath, decides to save the life of the boyfriend, as well.
Taylor weaves these two timelines together emotionally and thematically to show how Bruce learned lessons from his father that he holds close to his heart. Often writers will dig in on how the deaths of the Waynes drove Bruce to lifelong vengeance. Here, we get to see how the boy they raised became the man we know today. It’s very reminiscent of what Nolan and company did with Bruce and his father in Batman Begins, without hitting the same beats.
Janín perfectly matches the story, coloring his own art to give a sepia tone to the past and a dark grimness to the present. It’s a neat conceit that helps delineate the timelines, and presumably, they will come crashing together at some point in the future.
It also, thankfully, paints Batman as a detective — something title by its very nature should do, but doesn’t always lean into. All in all, it’s a promising start to this run, with a surprising twist at the end that points to interesting themes for Taylor to explore in future issues. Maybe there is more room in Crime Alley for additional stories, after all.
Detective Comics #1090 Rating:
Detective Comics #1090 Official Synopsis:
Long ago, the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne changed Gotham forever. But there is something you never knew about the Dark Knight’s tragic origin, which has been lying in wait to strike at Batman ever since that fateful night in Crime Alley. And now, all these years later, this ghost of Gotham’s past begins to reveal itself.
Superstars Tom Taylor and Mikel Janín team up to bring you a Batman tale that will rattle the very foundations of the Dark Knight. Things may never be the same again.
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