Zatanna

• Title: Detective Comics #962
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: James Tynion IV, Christopher Sebela
• Artist: Carmen Nunez Carnero

Although Batman: Knightfall and its events apparently don’t exist in the new Rebirth DCU, Detective Comics #962 offers some fan service to the storyline that saw Azrael temporarily step-in as Batman. With the former soldier of St. Dumas out of control, the Bat Family put Azrael in a new suit of armor giving him added support against the voices of Ascalon and the programming which is trying to reassert itself on him. That suit jumps happens to have a familiar design.

While it’s probably a good idea to retcon Knihtfall from the DCU, this issue is a nice throwback for fans of those stories. With the suit, complete with an AI based on Batman’s moral code rather than that of a cult of zealots, Azrael is able to fight back the programming and help the Bat Family take down Ascalon.

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• Title: Detective Comics #960
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: James Tynion IV, Christopher Sebela
• Artist: Carmen Nunez Carnero

Detective Comics #960 continues the arc’s dual storylines. Batman reconnects with Zatanna and attempts to convince her to let him use a powerful and dangerous artifact known as the Gnosis Sphere which can answer any question posed to it. Once again we’re give flashbacks to Bruce and Zatanna’s past and the first time Zatanna offered to show her young friend the device. Now she does all she can to dissuade him from using it.

Given the recent events involving the apparent loss of Tim Drake and Batman discovering that his memories have been altered where the League of Shadows (and possibly other things) are concerned, along with his quest to find the answers about the mysterious god-like force altering the DCU, it makes sense that Batman would seek out confirmation about his decision-making and to find out answers to his questions. However, as Zatanna says, that’s a dangerous path to go down.

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• Title: Detective Comics #959
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: James Tynion IV, Christopher Sebela
• Artist: Carmen Nunez Carnero

On one hand Detective Comics #959 is a middle issue of an Azrael arc. I’ll be honest, that’s not going to grab my attention or keep it, by itself, for that long. It appears the Order of St. Dumas, who programmed Azrael and sent him out in the world as their agent of change and vengeance, got tired of him choosing his own path and put together something even more fearsome in their new acolyte Ascalon. While the latest issue doesn’t offer much more information about the new threat, it does foreshadow a possible issue with Azrael looming in the very near future.

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