Detective Comics #1001

The question here really is what can you do storywise after a huge milestone like a 1000th issue? That was the task that faced Peter J. Tomasi and Brad Walker. So first, they start killing off all the bats in Gotham! That's one way to get ole Bruce's attention. Then we see the rise of a new group of villains that are well equipped to face off against the gadgets and moves of the Dark Night. And while a nice attempt, I can't help but notice the reusing of certain plot points and story ideas here. The Knights of the Sun have a good deal in common with Azrael and his religious cronies. We get the return of the female Man-Bat (Woman-Bat?) and we get to see Bruce fall to the Knights in a scene that reminds me of a condensed version of the Knightfall storyline. So some revisioning here but Gordon and Alfred's humor and weary disgust are a great reminder why these secondary characters are still around. But proper respect for Walker's page after page of dead bats everywhere. Having to draw that must have driven him … batty!