REVIEW: Detective Comics #603

Writer: Alan Grant
Artist: Norm Breyfogle
Review: Will Dubbeld

Bill Finger, Frank Miller, Denny O'Neil, and scads upon scads of other talented creators have lent their skill to the Dark Knight, but none so expertly as Messrs Grant and Breyfogle.
Folks will rave about the more popular lineups, Morrison and Quietly, Snyder and Capullo, Miller and Lee . . .
Though that last one perhaps more for notoriety than popularity and as an aside I was horrendously unimpressed with Scott Snyder's writing.

Breyfogle and Grant, however, nailed it. From the Mud Pack to Tim Drake these two bled gray and blue. Batman felt like a Caped Crusader, a Dark Knight.
A Detective, for Chrissake.

'Tec 603 is unfortunately the last issue of a three-parter, and I haven't got the other 2 books in my collection. The opening scene depicts a Hindu demon-god attacking a police car with an immense axe, however, so that'll definitely grab your attention.
Demon-on-cop is only the tip of the iceberg, Bat-fans. Have you ever seen Batman fight a Vedic spirit monster?  

Well, maybe, but I can state with certainty you've never seen The World's Greatest Detective fight a Vedic spirit monster by hitting it with a wrecking ball.

And that's not all this book has in store!
We also get our daily recommended serving of The Demon, Etrigan and his human host, Jason Blood. Etrigan is one of my top DC characters and it's always a treat when he's paired with Batman.
Because you've almost certainly got a tussle in your future...

In all fairness this particular issue doesn't showcase Alan Grant's penultimate Batman as well as other examples. Perhaps it's because I hadn't a frame of reference without the first 2 installments of the arc or perhaps it's just genuinely not a strong story. I've no idea, but the weakest Alan Grant Batman comic is still infinitely better than the strongest offering from some of his contemporary peers.

The star of the show, though, is Norm Breyfogle's sublime art. This man is without competition, save perhaps for Jim Aparo, when it comes to rendering the Dark Knight.  I can't even articulate how masterfully the man illustrates. From facial expressions to a singly unique Batmobile, Breyfogle is the undisputed master of Gotham as far as I'm concerned. He illustrated Batman's cape almost as if it were a sentience of its own, years before Todd McFarlane followed suit in Spawn. Utterly top-notch work, readers.

This wouldn't be my go-to issue of Batman for exemplifying the Grant/Breyfogle era, but I wouldn't kick it out of the Batcave for eating crackers either.
If nothing else we're treated with a panel of Etrigan planting a big smooch on Batman's cheek, so that alone oughta sell someone on the book.