Review: 11 Reasons To Spoil Yourself And Pick Up ‘Detective Comics’ #957

Stephanie Brown, aka The Spoiler, targets a new villainous threat to Gotham City. Relying on her own code, skills, and attitude, Stephanie takes on the armored menace known as Wrath in front of live television cameras broadcasting across the city. But as is the case with The Spoiler, not all is what it seems. And in the end, she ends up attracting the attention of one of Gotham’s most infamous masks (and, no, it’s no one Bat-related!)

Detective Comics #957
“The Wrath of Spoiler”
Written by: James Tynion IV & Christopher Sebela
Art by: Carmen Carnero
Inks by: Karl Story, Richard Friend & Carmen Carnero
Colors by: Javier Mena
Letters by: Sal Cipriano

Published by: DC Comics

Having been a Spoiler fan for some time, I immediately grabbed this issue when I saw she was the focus of the story. I’m glad I did because it’s one of the most fleshed out and best takes on Stephanie Brown I have read. The whole thing makes me long for a Spoiler solo series, which I think could work if she’s written like she is here. Read on for 11 reasons to spoil yourself and pick up Detective Comics #957!

1. Ladies and Gentlemen, Detective Harvey Bullock (eating donuts).
2. Spoiler’s great, almost hard-boiled style narration. Tynion and Sebela give her a great voice.
3. The bit at the beginning involving the Bat-signal.
4. The intensity of the story (think Die Hard).
5. The layouts and panels by Carmen Carnero that set the narrative’s pacing.
6. Javier Mena’s gorgeous, vibrant and lush colors. So much great work with shadows.
7. Spoiler’s use of a specific “aspect” of Batman’s training.
8. The design and visuals of the villain Wrath and his minions.
9. Bullock’s and Spoiler’s great back and forth exchanges.
10. “So why’m I gonna take your word for anything” – Bullock. “There’s a donut in it for you” –Spoiler. “You owe me eight. Lock her up.” –Bullock.
11. The GREAT reveal at the end. A fan-favorite, cult, Bat-family character!

Don’t let the attention the other Batman titles are getting make you overlook Detective Comics (the original DC Comic folks!). This is issue is a great chapter to sample what this title offers, and if you didn’t love The Spoiler before, you will love her now.