Time marches on and so does my coverage of DC's Rebirth Comics. Today I am going to cover Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: The Victim Syndicate. It includes issues #943-949, which is a lot of issues, so I am going to break it up into two parts because there are two story lines. This post will be issues #943-947 all of which were written by James Tynion IV. He is a favorite writer of mine and if you'd like to keep up with his work, click the link provided to check out his social media. Now onto the recap.
The Victim Syndicate, Part 2, Payback: This issue begins where the last left off, with the attack on a gala that all of the Bat family is attending. The leader of this group gives a long monologue and then of course fighting starts. Poor Stephanie gets taken out early, but Harper is able to get her out of harm's way. We learn the leader calls themself the First Victim. The fight at the gala sort of ends in a draw, so later at the Belfry they do some research and soon realize that the Victim Syndicate is made up of people who have been hurt by Batman's enemies, and that they are attacking people who are also victims of Batman's enemies using these attacks to send a message to Batman. (I think this might be the first issue to mention Gotham Knights or at least a cool round table, but don't quote me on that.)
Kate's dad is still in the basement of the Belfry as a prisoner. Luke and Kate have a little bit of a fight about, because Kate doesn't think Luke has a real reason to fight. Harper is pissed when she finds out that Steph went back to the Belfry, but neither her or John Paul can worry about it too much because the Victim Syndicate is at the clinic. The issue ends with Stephanie talking to Dr. Thompkins, but it is really a trick and Batman is just trying to get info (not cool Batman). Steph also meets up with a digital version of Tim (also not cool...a little creepy).
The Victim Syndicate, Part 4, Death Wish: This issue starts with a flashback of Red Robin and Batman in a not yet built Belfry talking about the team that Batman wants to put together. It is a nice moment between the two of them. Back in the present the team arrives at the clinic to help out Azrael. Fighting starts and we flash between the fight and Stephanie in the mud room chatting with "not" Tim. Steph is really struggling with whether or not she wants to stay in the superhero game. Clayface runs into Glory, aka Mudface and gives her a bracelet that will let her hold her shape, but it is a trick to incapacitate her. Batwoman and Batwing are fighting some of the Syndicate and still not really getting along. Cass is helping Harper get the rest of the patients out of the clinic. The team has stopped all the Syndicate members, while Batman is still trying to reason with the First Victim. The fight seems to be over, but the issue ends with Spoiler (Steph) showing up and incapacitating the team.
The Victim Syndicate, Finale, The Brave One: Continuing where we left off, Spoiler takes out the whole team and turns on Batman. She totally agrees with the Syndicate now. Batwing comes the closest to getting her to chill out, but she leaves vowing to stop Batman and stand in the way of all the vigilantes. So, all the bad guys are locked up and Batman admits to Batwoman that he should have given Steph longer to grieve. They probably all should have taken a little break after Tim died. We the reader know that Tim is in fact alive and we get a shot of him in the weird prison he is in, doing his best to escape. (Soon Tim!)
Thoughts: There is a lot going on in this story and man it is a heavy message to address right after how hard the end of the last volume was. I feel like this is how Batman always feels. He runs on rage and guilt! I think this was also meant to be as much about Spoiler and her guilt, I am not saying she is wrong to blame Batman, but it feels like she is taking it out on way too many people. It is also weird knowing that Tim is alive and watching all these characters deal with that grief. I hope they get him back real soon because these heavy sad stories are not my favorite. My next post is only two issues and it is Batwoman heavy, so I am looking forward to that.
Quick note about the artists who worked on these issues. I think the two issues done by Alvaro Martinez were my favorites (#943, part 1 and #947, finale), not that the others were not great and the flow between issues was clean, his was just my fav. Shout out to Eddy Barrows and Carmen Carnero who worked on the other issues. See you all later for the rest of my coverage of this volume.
Previous Posts: Comic Book Club Special (Thirsty Mermaids and Snapdragon)
Next Post: Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: The Victim Syndicate, Part 2
Note: All images belong to DC™
The Victim Syndicate, Part 1, I Saw the Devil: Renee is showing Batwoman a crime scene that took place at Wayne Tower. Three guards were killed by an unknown group of villains. (If I am honest I was more interested in the tension between Renee and Batwoman.) The whole team is still super shaken from the death of Tim Drake. Harper is working at a clinic and taking a break from hero stuff and Stephanie is having a hard time too. Jean Paul, aka, Azrael also seems to be working at the clinic. Cass and Clay Face are training and bond a bit over what it means to be a monster vs a hero.
Bruce Wayne, Kate Kane, and Luke Fox all arrive at a gala later that evening. We also see Stephanie, Harper, Cass and Clayface arrive a little while later. There is a lot of awkward tension, mostly between Kate and Luke, but really everyone is in a mood. Kind of lucky for everyone though the party (like all parties in Gotham), is ruined by the arrival of a group of villains calling themselves The Victim Syndicate. The Victim Syndicate, Part 2, Payback: This issue begins where the last left off, with the attack on a gala that all of the Bat family is attending. The leader of this group gives a long monologue and then of course fighting starts. Poor Stephanie gets taken out early, but Harper is able to get her out of harm's way. We learn the leader calls themself the First Victim. The fight at the gala sort of ends in a draw, so later at the Belfry they do some research and soon realize that the Victim Syndicate is made up of people who have been hurt by Batman's enemies, and that they are attacking people who are also victims of Batman's enemies using these attacks to send a message to Batman. (I think this might be the first issue to mention Gotham Knights or at least a cool round table, but don't quote me on that.)
The Victim Syndicate, Part 3, Unforgiven: At the end of the last issue Stephanie was visited by the First Victim, but she is not in a sharing mood with Batman. Harper is worried about her friend and honestly Batman doesn't help much. Batman and Batwoman decide they need to do psych evaluations on the team. Batman is struggling to remember all the innocent people who have been hurt in his crusade and it is wearing on him. Steph meets Luke who updates her on some tech and tells her about the "shrink." Clayface speaks with Dr. Thompkins (she is a doctor of many skills). We learn that Clayface created one of the Victim Syndicate, a woman named Sue, who was a fan of his and just wanted to help him. Sue even gave Clayface a book of the people he ever hurt (which, damn that is dedication and also really harsh).
The Victim Syndicate, Part 4, Death Wish: This issue starts with a flashback of Red Robin and Batman in a not yet built Belfry talking about the team that Batman wants to put together. It is a nice moment between the two of them. Back in the present the team arrives at the clinic to help out Azrael. Fighting starts and we flash between the fight and Stephanie in the mud room chatting with "not" Tim. Steph is really struggling with whether or not she wants to stay in the superhero game. Clayface runs into Glory, aka Mudface and gives her a bracelet that will let her hold her shape, but it is a trick to incapacitate her. Batwoman and Batwing are fighting some of the Syndicate and still not really getting along. Cass is helping Harper get the rest of the patients out of the clinic. The team has stopped all the Syndicate members, while Batman is still trying to reason with the First Victim. The fight seems to be over, but the issue ends with Spoiler (Steph) showing up and incapacitating the team.
The Victim Syndicate, Finale, The Brave One: Continuing where we left off, Spoiler takes out the whole team and turns on Batman. She totally agrees with the Syndicate now. Batwing comes the closest to getting her to chill out, but she leaves vowing to stop Batman and stand in the way of all the vigilantes. So, all the bad guys are locked up and Batman admits to Batwoman that he should have given Steph longer to grieve. They probably all should have taken a little break after Tim died. We the reader know that Tim is in fact alive and we get a shot of him in the weird prison he is in, doing his best to escape. (Soon Tim!)
Thoughts: There is a lot going on in this story and man it is a heavy message to address right after how hard the end of the last volume was. I feel like this is how Batman always feels. He runs on rage and guilt! I think this was also meant to be as much about Spoiler and her guilt, I am not saying she is wrong to blame Batman, but it feels like she is taking it out on way too many people. It is also weird knowing that Tim is alive and watching all these characters deal with that grief. I hope they get him back real soon because these heavy sad stories are not my favorite. My next post is only two issues and it is Batwoman heavy, so I am looking forward to that.
Quick note about the artists who worked on these issues. I think the two issues done by Alvaro Martinez were my favorites (#943, part 1 and #947, finale), not that the others were not great and the flow between issues was clean, his was just my fav. Shout out to Eddy Barrows and Carmen Carnero who worked on the other issues. See you all later for the rest of my coverage of this volume.
Previous Posts: Comic Book Club Special (Thirsty Mermaids and Snapdragon)
Next Post: Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: The Victim Syndicate, Part 2
Note: All images belong to DC™
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