In Review: Detective Comics (2016-) #1096 – Batman Unmasks Asema In The Shocking Finale

Synopsis: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Batman has never particularly abided by that adage—at least, he didn’t think he did. But now, as his latest case veers closer and closer into deeply personal territory for Bruce Wayne, he fears that he may have been unwittingly keeping an enemy very, very close.

The Story

Having cleared Scarlett Scott from his list of suspects in the previous issue, Batman heads back into the burning Theromise Health building to rescue her grandmother, Evelyn Scott—who turns out to be the mastermind behind Asema and the string of murders. Having used Sangraal on herself to appear younger, Evelyn had been hiding in plain sight all along. In their final confrontation, where she leads Batman to a near-death Joe Chill, Evelyn reveals her motives: all the killing was, in her eyes, justice—an act of vengeance for the death of Bruce Wayne’s mother.

While Batman faces off against Asema, Robin, Oracle (who also operates as Batgirl), and a few other Bat-Family members race to Faultless Prison. Their mission: to rescue the imprisoned teens from the clutches of the corrupt warden and the long-reaching influence of the shadowy force behind Sangraal and Theromise Health.

Artwork

Mikel Janin puts in a fantastic shift as the artist on this book. I especially enjoyed the dramatic panel layouts and the moodiness he captured in the epilogue, where Evelyn—now in prison—receives a visit from a mysterious man named Ambrose. He’s revealed to be part of a larger criminal organization that funded her work at Theromise Health Industries.

Overall

Tom Taylor brings this story arc to a satisfying conclusion while leaving a few threads open—setting the stage for Asema and the criminal group behind her to potentially return down the line. I especially enjoyed Asema’s rant about the murders she’d committed, claiming they were her way of avenging the death of Martha Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s mother. It added new layers to Batman’s origin and offered some real insight into what keeps him from going too far in his war on Gotham’s criminals. I’m looking forward to future story arcs from this team.