Detective Comics #1097

In this review of Detective Comics #1097, Harvey Bullock’s on the case when Batman hires the former detective to look into the mysterious group called Elixir. But it appears that Harvey already knows more than enough to make himself a target. Is this plot a riff on Lethal Weapon II? Read and find out.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1097
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by LEE GARBETT
Main Cover by MIKEL JANÍN
Variant Covers: CHRIS STEVENS, AARON CAMPBELL, ASHLEY WOOD
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: May 21, 2025

This review contains spoilers

Detective Comics #1097 picks up in the aftermath of the Asema murders, as former GCPD detective Harvey Bullock encounters Batman at a recent crime scene. The two share notes as Bullock recounts a relevant event from his early days on the GCPD featuring a gruesome encounter with a government group called LXR (Elixir), where Bullock barely escaped with his life.

Batman hires Bullock to look into Elixir,  but after numerous dead ends, Bullock looks up his former partner, who is not only well-acquainted with Elixir, he also has some compromising information to share. Later, at his office, Bullock uses the special contact number Batman gave to him (it’s Oracle), and requests a meet up. Three LXR goons burst into Bullock’s office and  threaten him. Bullock gets a shot off but gets captured.

Batman arrives sometime later to find blood and signs of a struggle, but no Bullock. With Oracle’s help, Batman tracks down the van that took Bullock to the Gotham airfield, where a lone private jet has taken off. Eight hours later Batman tracks the jet to the country of Pokolistan and breaches the military vehicle that sped away from the local airstrip.

Detective Comics #1097 ends as Batman disarms the guards and removes the hood from their captive, revealing Oswald Cobblepot, not Harvey Bullock.

Analysis 

Detective Comics #1097 kicks off a brand new story arc by series writer Tom Taylor and guest artist Lee Garbett (Shadecraft) that picks up threads from the previous story arc featuring the covert agency known as LXR (Elixir). Former detective Harvey Bullock takes point in Detective Comics #1097, as his drive to understand the Asema killings dredges up memories from his early days on the police force (even before Batman mentions the word “Elixir”).

For many years, Harvey Bullock has been Jim Gordon’s right hand man, and for most of that time Bullock came off as a truly “old school” cop, distrusting of the Gotham vigilantes and seeming much more crude and politically incorrect. In recent stories, Bullock is much more by-the-book, and accepting of the Bat-Family’s help.

In Detective Comics #1097, Bullock’s sense of moral outrage at the Asema killings is palpable, prompting a flashback to a wellness check gone horrifically wrong, and to a covert agency that bribes the police (or kills them) with impunity. These tropes are common in crime fiction, but Taylor’s writing manages to still spark outrage at the LXR’s actions and keep the reader engaged as he mixes in a fair amount of crime noir, again putting the “detective” in Detective Comics.

Taylor’s flair for speed plotting, tension build-up and dialogue are on full display in Detective Comics #1097, as Batman finds himself a supporting player in his own series (although with so many to choose from, he can step back on occasion). The twist reveal of Penguin as the hooded captive raises questions as to where Bullock is and why Cobblepot has been abducted.

Also what is LXR exactly, and why does the mysterious Ambrose keep appearing in Gotham, unknown to Batman. Taylor likely knows all of this and will unfold more plot details as “Elixir” continues. Bullock’s former (and first) partner Sulley is a cookie-cutter plot device more than a character, but it will be interesting to find out if he betrayed Bullock, or if Taylor will explore his character as the burned-out, retired, on-the-take cop.

Guest artist Lee Garbett employs his realistic but stylized approach, evoking influences from TEC series artist Mikal Janin and the legendary Lee Weeks. It is interesting to note the change in mood as some of Bullock’s scenes, and all of Batman’s are cloaked in heavy black ink, while Bullock’s flashback, and present day quest feature limited use of shadow.

Colorist Lee Loughridge truly sets the tone with various color palettes for the different types of scenes. Bullock’s flashback features muted sepia tones, while the Batman/Bullock scenes are all soft blues and greens. Bullock’s office at night are also blues and greens, except for the clever use of a bright tone for the panel with Bullock’s muzzle flash.

Final Thoughts 

Overall, Detective Comics #1097 is a fast-paced and compelling piece of a larger whole; featuring a different lead, some nice character moments, and a gorgeous combination of art and color to set the mood. Maybe it’s more soft-boiled than hard-boiled noir, but the creative team delivers an enjoyable new chapter.

Adam Koppel

Who strikes fear into the darkest of hearts in Gotham City? Not me, I'm too busy reading comics and writing reviews.