Detective Comics #977 Preview/Discussion

[Assam]

https://www.cbr.com/preview-detective-comics-977/

Very nice to see Ives again. Also, "Re-declared a No-Man's-Land"? Ummmmmmmmm...

[Caivu]

Glad that this looks to only be a potential future, especially since Ulysses seems to be the one telling it. The solicit had me a little worried but also confused, since Kate and Bruce both seemed to want to stay out of each other's hair for the time being.

But Ulysses forcing them against each other would make a lot of sense.

[bat1987]

Kinda cool that Bruce is wearing his upcoming costume in this.

[The Whovian]

I will be so ticked if Tynion has Tim fighting against Bruce.

[adrikito]

This is terrible.. The colony bothering again..

[millernumber1]

https://www.cbr.com/preview-detective-comics-977/

Very nice to see Ives again. Also, "Re-declared a No-Man's-Land"? Ummmmmmmmm...

I'm really surprised to see Eddy Barrows again. I thought he was out with the Annual. But it's nice to see him - since he seems to have most ownership on the visual style of future Bat-Tim. (Now I'm really tempted to get the Pax Batmana issue of Batwoman...eh...it feels like part of the Tec run rather than the Batwoman run...)

I like seeing Ives, too. Not happy that Steph seems to be missing, unlike the previous future shot, where she was still around.

It feels a bit abrupt to go from "happy Tim at college" to "NML 2!" But I love that Tynion's just like, "Screw it, NML is canon again."

Glad that this looks to only be a potential future, especially since Ulysses seems to be the one telling it. The solicit had me a little worried but also confused, since Kate and Bruce both seemed to want to stay out of each other's hair for the time being.

But Ulysses forcing them against each other would make a lot of sense.

I personally am betting that this future is manipulated by the General and Brother Eye for the most powerful affect on Tim. So something like this happened, but I doubt that it's exactly true.

I will be so ticked if Tynion has Tim fighting against Bruce.

I doubt it. Looks more like Tim would be fighting against Kate, as we've seen previously.

This is terrible.. The colony bothering again..

Man, people hate the Colony. I think they're a great idea.

[Assam]

It feels a bit abrupt to go from "happy Tim at college" to "NML 2!" But I love that Tynion's just like, "Screw it, NML is canon again."

Man, people hate the Colony.

More like he's setting it up to be canon again. Much as I enjoy his bits Azrael isn't essential to the story (and the novelization showed), but you kinda can't have NML without Cass and Helena's histories in place.

And for good reason. At this point the nicest thing I can say about the Colony is that they've at least been less of a detriment to this run than the Victim Syndicate. (Ascalon is seriously the only good antagonist this run has had.)

[Miles To Go]

A few years from now? That sets this after Doomsday Clock, so it's possible Bruce's identity gets outed in that series...assuming this is'nt just some potential future, and again no sign of Selina, so either the marriage is short-lived or Batman#50 ends in it being called off.

[Oberon]

I've rarely seen a comic story with alt - futures that comes into being for real. There are certain consequences, but usually the future is its own reality, mostly.

Like Rachel/Phoenix over at Marvel; she came from the dystopian future of Days/Future/Passed, but is now an integral part of the "real" universe. No matter how many times they revisit "Days" it never quite happens, or the way you would think.

[Frontier]

Was Gotham declared a No Man's Land in Zero Year? I forget.

Though since this is a "few years later," for all we know No Man's Land is going to happen in-between now and Doomsday Clock .

It's nice to see Ives again. And Tim not hacking anything .

[bat1987]

This could all be potential future, for all we know, not a canon one.

[WontonGirl]

A few years from now? That sets this after Doomsday Clock, so it's possible Bruce's identity gets outed in that series...assuming this is'nt just some potential future, and again no sign of Selina, so either the marriage is short-lived or Batman#50 ends in it being called off.

Not necessarily, I mean it could be that Tynion just isn't including her character at all during his run. Just how like King doesn't write in Tim Drake.

[regg215]

Most important thing is that the interior art looks absolutely outstanding. That combined with the amazing Albuquerque cover makes the issue worth purchasing regardless of the story in my opinion. With that said I do have a lot of questions about this issue:

1- How many pages into the issue before one of the batfamily characters lectures/blames bruce for everything
2- Will Batgirl make a special appearance to bring up Bruce's dead mom in order to make a forced point and blame bruce for not adopting every orphan in gotham
3- Will leslie show up to blame bruce for the mental condition of every person in the batfamily again

[millernumber1]

Most important thing is that the interior art looks absolutely outstanding. That combined with the amazing Albuquerque cover makes the issue worth purchasing regardless of the story in my opinion. With that said I do have a lot of questions about this issue:

1- How many pages into the issue before one of the batfamily characters lectures/blames bruce for everything
2- Will Batgirl make a special appearance to bring up Bruce's dead mom in order to make a forced point and blame bruce for not adopting every orphan in gotham
3- Will leslie show up to blame bruce for the mental condition of every person in the batfamily again

It is pretty cool seeing Eddy Barrows doing such great work! I'm glad to have him on at least this issue, giving us a feeling of continuity with the beginning of the run (my biggest complaint about the Eternal series, which never got the series opening artist to even do a part of the final issues).

1) I don't think we're going to get anything like that. I'd say we'll get someone affirming Batman. Possibly someone who already criticized her.

2) Batgirl won't show up at all. She's only shown up for the 975th issue, a special occasion. Tynion has shown little interest in trying to steal the Batfamily from their main writers outside of special events like Tim coming back from the dead or the 975 issue.

3) I hope Leslie shows up and hugs Bruce instead, but it seems unlikely, since she's only shown up three times in the past 40 issues.

[Caivu]

spoilers:

Ulysses is accomplishing the forced conflict between the Colony and Batman by framing Dom and Coop, by using the prototype Brother Eye to control their suits. Elegant, both narratively and in terms of the plan itself. No one is to blame here except Ulysses.

end of spoilers

That being said,
spoilers:

I wonder how true the future simulation he showed Tim actually is. Ulysses himself seems to believe it's real. But Kate killing Bruce, in just a couple of years apparently, and with zero remorse? That's incredibly hard to swallow. Her future self seen in her own series directly contradicted that idea. And Future!Tim didn't hint at it either, so something must be up. Though the gunshot in this issue was seen in her series, so... I dunno.

end of spoilers

Other things:

I liked seeing a bit of off-duty bonding between the new and older Colony members. There's always been just enough of that in this series; there could always be more, but it's always good when it happens. Similar goes with
spoilers:

Tam. Like, when did she and Kate first meet? Clearly they have, and I can buy that since Kate and Luke are friends now, but c'mon.

end of spoilers

That being said, I still would like to see some Colony members who maybe aren't on board with this new situation.
spoilers:

Maybe now that there's an imminent, big conflict about to happen, that'll come out a bit.

end of spoilers

Colony Prime is probably also dead or something by now, since he'd be pitching an epic fit about all this.