Detective Comics Annual 2025 #1 review

Graciously accepting the title from Jackson, I’ll be joining Detective Comics in a period of transition. Luckily, my first foray into the book is a smashing new annual set in England. Weirdly, writer Al Ewing leads this issue with a mystery supposedly so good, the victim begs Batman not to solve it. As hyperbolic as it sounds, this week, Batman must contend with the literal cookbook for How To End The Universe! Please, let me explain below!

Act One – The Smart House

First of all, readers are getting their money’s worth with this one. Detective Comics 2025 Annual #1 is a three act one-off detective story with Batman at the top of his game. The story begins with an unexpected call for help from the “super bunker” of a barricaded billionaire named Cody Morse. Ironically, the call comes in Morse code. When Batman arrives, Morse is dead with a special warning not to solve the murder. Due to the circumstances, the reader and Batman find themselves in the middle of a classic locked-room murder mystery! Personally, fans of media like The Hateful 8 (2015), Clue! (1985), or Detective Comics Vol.2‘s “Terminal” storyline will especially enjoy the familiar genre tropes. In any case, Batman uses what he can to solve the mystery at hand.

Initially, Morse’s exceedingly extravagant lair seems like a slick but egotistical vanity project. Miles underground, Batman ponders who could have stabbed Cody in the back without leaving and begins exploring the house for clues. Primarily, the main room, the kitchen, the man-cave, and the study. Using Stefano Raffale’s keen designs, readers get a decent view of the layout of each room, allowing their imaginations to reasonably weigh the possibilities. Ewing’s meticulous clues form neat breadcrumbs allowing for increasingly educated guesses with every revelation. Most clues surround the many rich toys Morse uses, which includes anti-gravity game systems and kitchenware, voice activated tech, and the curious absence of books or staff members. At the very least, Batman flexes his mind, and outright brags about his tech-savy skills and mimicry. The big highlight however, is the creative knife sequence in the kitchen.

Act Two – The Enochian Detour

Without revealing the results of his initial investigation, Batman travels overseas to York for answers. In a nutshell, Batman searches for the publisher’s proofs for a book called “How To End The Universe” by a mysterious author named Arthur Milligan. Of course, Batman solves this problem by going directly to the publisher and asking a convenient old friend for advice. In the meantime, Batman randomly encounters York’s local supervillian, Mr. Mystic and his deadly angelic henchmen. What works about this choice is the fearlessness Batman has in chasing down foreign villains he knows absolutely nothing about. In spite of this, Batman hilariously yeets himself over the police cordon looking for problems.

With very little intel, Batman faces his foes using the scientific method without the usual complaints. Throughout his battle with his magical foes, Batman accurately tests his opponents to ascertain their weaknesses in real time. Also, Batman seemingly acclimates himself to England in other ways too. First of which seems to be his near constant need for tea, hand his matter-of-fact manner of speech while casually talking to everyone he meets. Of course, this is mostly because of John McCrea’s stylized angular illustrations. In his hands, Batman is ghoulish and inquisitive, tonally borrowing the tone of Dr. Who and a Hell-Boy like take on the Kelley Jones look. Even McCrea’s depictions of billowing smoke takes on scratchy hatching and unique solid shapes.

Act Three – Outsmarting The Laws Of Physics

The third act surrounds an unexpected hostage scenario by a third act villain. A large portion of this sequence follows Batman taking out random goons from a U.S private military unit. Most of which happens in a one page boring montage vignette. By the time Batman actually confronts the maniacal villain, he’d had over 55 minutes of prep-time, with spare time to finish his tea. Ultimately, this leads to an bewilderingly satisfying Deus Ex Machina conclusion to the conflict based on the adventures in the first two acts. Some readers may not like the sci-fi Silver Age Batman story elements, but the grim resolution manages to tie things up in a tidy way.

David Rosales, Seventh Grader

Lastly, the Eisner Award winning Joshua Hale Fialkov writes a warm back-up story about a middle schooler with a mystery of his own to solve. Young David Rosales is the leader, and possibly sole, member of the “Gotham Public Middle School 96 Junior Batman Detectives Club.” After a series of interconnected incidents, David surmises that Scarecrow is somehow poisoning his student body and vows to solve the mystery! Luckily, David’s hero, Batman, is also on the case. Unsurprisingly, considering his history with children and kid sidekicks, he takes David’s suggestions and intel seriously. This is heartwarming to read because the book portrays David’s as someone often bullied for his behavior. Nonetheless, Mike Norton’s kid friendly style helps to sell the aspirational tone.

Recommended If…

• You think Al Ewing is the greatest.
• You want more Batman stories set in Europe.
• Seeking a pretty sick comic book.

Overall

Overall, Al Ewing did a really good job with the murder of Cody Morse. What little negatives I can highlight include the third act villain and his lackluster motivations and the disturbing implications of Batman’s choices in the conclusion. Although, readers who hate prep-time, bat-god, sci-fi Batman stories may take issue with the title character’s behavior. Art wise, the illustrations perfectly fit the style of action or narratives in each section. Also, I like the cover, but I have no idea what the cover has to do with this issue. The David Rosales story really put a cherry on an already satisfying read, making this one of my favorite annuals to check out.

Score: 9/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.