Detective Comics #1000: Is the sum of its parts greater than the whole?

Art by Jim Lee and Alex Sinclair

Coinciding with Batman's 80th anniversary, March 2019 gave us one of the biggest milestones in comics history: the 1000th issue of Detective Comics, the namesake of DC Entertainment. At nearly 100 pages long, this blockbuster prestige-format comic features 11 short stories from an all-star cast of creators - but do they add up to be the tribute that the Dark Knight deserves?

Detective Comics #1000 opens with Batman's Longest Case by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, the creative team behind the widely praised New 52 series and Dark Knights: Metal. This is the intriguing story of Bruce Wayne finally solving a mystery that he has been following since the beginning of his career, and concludes with the introduction of an awesome new concept to the DC Universe that honours Detective Comics' legacy. Snyder's writing and Capullo's art are just as fantastic as fans have come to expect, making this a perfect first chapter for this anthology.

Such a cold case that even an icicle is a clue

Filmmaker Kevin Smith writes the next part, Manufactured for Use, in which Bruce uses his Matches Malone persona to track down an artifact from his past. This story isn't quite as clever as it thinks it is, but anyone who has ever watched an episode of Smith's Fatman on Batman talk show will be able to feel his excitement bursting through the page - and that makes it worth it. Overall, it's still a touching story centred around a cool idea, and with art by the legendary Jim Lee, what's not to love?

The Legend of Knute Brody by Paul Dini and Nguyen feels just like an episode of Batman: The Animated Series, the show that many fans consider to be the definitive version of the Caped Crusader. Dini's documentary-style narrative of the world's worst henchman is amusing, and Nguyen's art is equally charming - it's nice for the collection to feature a story focused on someone other than the man in black himself.

Becky Cloonan recreates the iconic window smash

Fans of the Arkham games and Batman v Superman's warehouse scene will enjoy The Batman's Design, a classic brawl by Warren Ellis and Becky Cloonan. Together, these two have crafted some brilliant Miller-esque take-downs that culminates with a rather poignant final scene, proving why they should be the number one pick as the creative team for a future Batman run.

Denny O'Neil and Steve Epting's Return to Crime Alley is one of the book's darker tales that questions Batman rather than celebrating him. Seeing Bruce's arguably disproportionate rage towards a young group of muggers on the street in which his parents died is thought provoking and adds a layer to this tribute that otherwise would not be there.

There are about as many variant covers as there are back issues - here's Mike Cho's

Batman legend Neal Adams unites with writes Christopher Priest in Heretic, a snapshot (or teaser?) of Bruce's plans to take down the League of Assassins. Priest executes this tale well, and Adams' art is still on top-form, making this another enjoyable chapter in Detective Comics #1000 centring on one of the DC Universe's biggest threats.

Killer Daredevil team Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev make their first contribution to the legend of Gotham in I Know. One of two Detective Comics #1000 chapters set at the end of Bruce's career, it sees a Danny DeVito-inspired Oswald Cobblepot reveal to a crippled old man that he knew who was under the mask all along. While the story is very predictable, it's done well and Maleev's art is simply perfect for Batman, making it another good read.

Maleev's Batman is a sight to behold

The following chapter is also a leap into the future, chronicling The Last Crime in Gotham. Star writer Geoff Johns, who is usually associated with house-style artists such as Gary Frank and Ivan Reis, is paired with the grim and unsettling art of Kelley Jones. This clearly isn't Gotham's final mystery, because, well...it's Gotham - but we see the Joker's son hatch a scheme that he intends to be the last. The Last Crime also features the debut of Bruce's daughter 'Echo', who could end up in official canon someday if Tom King decides him and Selina should give it another go.

What would Detective Comics #1000 be without a Robin story? We don't have to envisage that dark reality, as James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez-Bueno have included a charming throwback to Dick Grayson's initiation as Robin. Successfully outlining Robin's role in the Batman mythos and ending with a classic pinup of the Dynamic Duo, it's a really nice chapter.

Classic King dialogue, illustrated by Tony S. Daniel

Batman's Greatest Case might be the issue's best story, told by writer Tom King and artists Tony S. Daniel and Joelle Jones. All of the dialogue boxes can be a little hard to follow if you don't know the heroes' traits well enough, but it's an excellent Batfamily reunion with genuine chemistry between each of the characters. King makes a bold statement with the chapter's title, but when you reach the wonderful double-page spread you'll see that it really is true - this is the perfect cap on 80 years of Batman.

Finally, the book ends with Medieval, a preview of Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke's upcoming Detective run that introduces the massively popular Arkham Knight to official DC Universe continuity. Mahnke's splash pages featuring the Rogues Gallery take you back to his amazing work on Under the Red Hood, with exposition by the enigmatic Knight that outlines his motivations. It's brave and bold for DC to end the tribute with a story that makes you question whether Batman really does any good, and signals great things to come.

The Arkham Knight is here! Brought to life by Doug Mahnke

The problem with this anthology is that while it is full of well-crafted stories, they're too short for the book as a whole to leave much of an impression - perhaps if the creators all collaborated to weave their stories together, this landmark issue would belong among the Dark Knight's greatest adventures. Regardless, Detective Comics #1000 is a still superb way to celebrate 80 years of Batman and is worth the purchase for the sentimental value alone. Long live the Bat.

Rating: 7.5/10

The 96-page Detective Comics #1000 is available in all comic shops, with the deluxe edition hardcover coming to bookstores in June. There's also a supplementary 80 Years of Batman omnibus out now, collecting various iconic stories from the Dark Knight's history. Of course, all of these are available to download or pre-order from Comixology right now.