Detective Comics 979: Trapped in Trauma

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Batmen Eternal, Part 4

James Tynion IV - Writer, Philippe Briones - Artist, John Kalisz - Colors, Sal Cipriano - Letters, Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez & Brad Anderson - Cover, Dave Wielgosz - Assistant Editor, Chris Conroy - Editor, Jamie S. Rich - Group Editor

Initial Reactions

If you are a Tim Drake fan, it has to be hard to see what is happening to him in this issue!  All he wants is to protect people, yet Ulysses is twisting his plans to bring about an authoritarian State in Gotham.  This issue does a good job of progressing the story and is visually stunning.  By the end of the issue, Gotham (and our heroes) are in really bad shape, and are definitely under the thumb of Ulysses and Brother Eye.

The Story

The issue begins with a cold open of Tim being shown the future deaths of his teammates while Ulysses is taunting him through Brother Eye.  Meanwhile, his physical body is fighting Cassandra in the Batcave under the control of the OMAC program.  Despite crying out, he is not able to communicate at all with her.  Ulysses offers to save Cass by incorporating her into the OMAC program, and continues to urge Tim to just give in and accept his fate.  

At Kane Manor, Batman, Batwoman, and General Kane are fighting off the OMACS, with little effect.  Azrael and Batwing jump into the scene, and are able to disable them with a frequency that can disrupt the nanobot technology.  Batwing fills the team in that this is future technology.  That means it is from Brother Eye, and they believe that Tim has to be involved.

Tim continues to try to scream out to the team that he is not behind this, but he is still trapped inside his own head.  Ulysses essentially wants to work with future Tim.  He preferred for him to reach the conclusion on the dark future on his own, but since Tim continues to resist, Ulysses floods his brain with the future trauma in order to force his hand.  

Ulysses puts his hands on Tim's head, and all of the OMACs begin to reactivate.  They activate the "Pax Batmana" and Tim's body takes the form of Batman with a single eye reminiscent of Brother Eye.  The being tells Cass to tell Batman that this is all for them. All of the soldiers fly away to a single location.  Batman still has faith that Tim is not responsible, but needs time to figure it out.  

He rushes back to the Batcave, and Cassandra hurriedly briefs Batman on what just happened.  They both go to Stephanie Brown's apartment.  She monologues, asking for Batman to tell her how bad it is, hoping to hear him grovel.  All he has to say is, "...It's Tim" and she is in for the fight.  

All of the OMACs descend on the city, flocking to the Belfry 2.0.  Ulysses tells Tim,

"Gotham City will never feel danger again.  It will only know you. Its savior.  Its Batman."   

The Brother Eye-controlled Bat-Drake is ready to begin their mission.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this issue.  I continue to feel so bad for Tim, who is one of the more tragic figures in the DC Universe.  That being said, I have really liked the arc Tynion IV has written for him throughout his run.  The end is unfortunately coming for this great creative team, but they are certainly going out in style! 

One thing that struck me while reading is how painful it is for Tim to watch the world crumble while he is trapped inside his own head.  He is being forced to deal with intense trauma and unable to effect change.  Tim feels truly helpless, and in this story, likely feels hopeless as well.

Trauma often has the power to paralyze even the strongest person.  If you are going through this, please reach out to someone, be it a friend, family member, therapist, or some else you trust.  If you know someone who is suffering trauma, reach out to them, show them your love and support.  No matter what camp you are in right now, please know that through everything, you have a God who loves you.  This world is often filled with pain, but our promise is to a higher calling, Eternal Life through Christ!

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!