Detective Comics 976: Will You Listen?

Batmen Eternal, Part 1

Writer - James Tynion IV, Artist - Javier Fernandez, Colors - John Kalisz, Letters - Sal Cipriano, Cover - Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas, Assistant Editor - Dave Wielgosz, Editor - Chris Conroy, Group Editor - Jamie S. Rich

Initial Reactions

Since I have started reading Detective Comics for its annual a couple months ago, I have noticed that the issues have not had a lot of action beats.  Given the story Tynion is giving us, I am fine with it because he is navigating the interpersonal relationships between the team in a satisfying way.  Outside of Batman and Tim Drake, I do not have strong connections to the Gotham Knights, but as we progress through the story, I find myself caring a great deal for them, especially Cassandra.  This issue begins a new arc, and the setup done in this issue has me really excited for what is to come.

The Story

The issue begins several weeks ago, with members of the Yakuza, led by someone known as Lord Shokka about ready to complete the sale of child slaves.  Before they are able to leave for their destination, they are met by Cassandra.  She is able to handle the minions, but it seems like Lord Shokka has the upper hand.  Just as he is about ready to punch Cassandra, he is clobbered by Clayface.  

We fast forward to the present, and we see that this was a memory being recalled by Cassandra in her session with Leslie Thompkins.  She says that this is the last time she felt happy, saving those children.  Dr. Thompkins asks if Cassandra thinks she is good.  She says no, she can do good things, but she is definitely not good.  When Leslie follows up with if she thought Clayface was good, Cassandra said he tried, but they still killed him.  She wonders if one day, they might kill her too.

We see Bruce monitoring the session from the Bat Cave with his hands on his head.  He intercepts Leslie before she leaves Wayne Manor.  Leslie tells Bruce that Cassandra needs his attention immediately, or it may soon be too late for her, and he will have to pick up the pieces.  Tim looks on at this conversation from his window.

The scene shifts to a cargo ship being held hostage by Talons, the assassins for the Court of Owls.  It is not made clear what is on the ship, only that it can change the economy of South America.  Just as the Talons are about to execute the crew, Batwoman, Batwing, Azrael, and a couple other soldiers from the Colony engage with them.  We move away from this battle, but it seems as if Kate and her team have the situation under control, so much so, that her father decides not to send in backup.

Back in the Cave, Tim finds Batman on the computer.  Tim had planned on being alone, working on rebuilding the Belfry.  Batman found out and reminded Tim that he should be recovering instead of trying to rebuild the team that has been fractured throughout the recent events.  He places the blame on Batgirl for poking holes in the program, but Batman assures Tim he is not planning on restarting the Gotham Knights anytime soon.  Tim, in his disbelief, insists that Batgirl wasn't right about Bruce's motivations for the program.  Bruce tells him she was correct, and that he doesn't recognize Tim anymore.  He seems fearful and desperate because of his experiences with his future self and Mr. Oz.  Tim tells him this isn't just a tantrum, but it is the entire future of Batman that hangs in the balance.  If Bruce acts alone, it will all fall apart.  Tim is willing to sacrifice his happiness, he says he doesn't care what happens to him.  Bruce boisterously says that he cares.  He insists that Tim see Dr. Thompkins to work through some issues.  Tim refuses and leaves on his motorcycle.

Meanwhile, at Colony Airship Alpha, Batwoman and her team return successful.  As they debrief, Kate tells Batwing and Azrael that she would like the three of them to reshape The Colony into a global peace force.  The Colony is going to continue raiding Owl nests, and the three former Knights are going to lead the way.  Kate proposes that Batwing convert their firepower to non-lethal, and agrees with Batman that 9 out of 10 times there is a better way.  The difference is that Kate is willing to do what is necessary on that 10th time.  Both Batwing and Azrael make a couple requests, but ultimately agree to join The Colony.  

The final scene sees Tim punching a wall.  From the shadows, Ulysses Armstrong starts telling him that he understands why he is so upset because he has seen the results.  He name drops Bat-Tim, something that no one outside of the team would know.  He is holding a drive he says he stole from the central computer of Tim's future self.  The last thing we see is Ulysses asking Tim if he wants to take a look, and a Brother Eye symbol in the lower corner.

Final Thoughts

Bruce's decisions regarding the well-being of his team are coming to a head.  Now we see that even Tim may possibly be picked away from his mentor.  For Tim, even though his decisions carry a lot of weight in their consequences, he is still approaching it as a bit of a child.  He has seen what could happen, but also refuses to seek help at this point.  It is time for Bruce to act like a father and mentor for all of his team, and it seems like he finally realizes that.  The question is, will his "children" listen?

The same question can be asked of us in regards to our Heavenly Father.  Will we listen?  When he calls for us, when he reaches out his hand to guide us, will we listen?  My hope for us is that the answer is yes.  We are not perfect, we may not always be listening, but God will never stop calling for you.

What did you think of this issue?  I would love to talk about it with you.  You can comment below, or find me @behindthecapes on Twitter, or by liking the Behind the Capes Facebook page.  Also, something new, Behind the Capes has a group called Behind the Capes' Nerd Out Round Table, where we talk about a bunch of geeky stuff.  It is technically a closed group, but anyone can join if they agree to the simple rules laid out in the group.  I would love for this group to grow!