Detective Comics #881: The End of An Era

What is Detective Comics #881’s About?

Detective Comics #881 is the last issue of the DC series before the New 52 reboot. It was released on October 1, 2011, pretty new compared to the previous editions we used to talk about. We can say that this issue is the end of an era, because aside from being the last edition before the reboot, it also emphasizes the main villain of the story and a big story related to Batman. So, without any further ado, let us get to the story!

List of Stories in Detective Comics #881

We’re usually welcomed by a list of stories in a Detective Comics issue. However, this time, the issue only has one title: The Face in the Glass, which is also the main story of the series! Maybe this means the story is quite a lot to catch up on? We shall see!

Synopsis of Detective Comics #881

The story continued from #880 where James Gordon Jr. kidnapped Barbara Gordon from her Oracle office. Commissioner Gordon and Batman - which was Dick Grayson at the time because Bruce Wayne went missing - searched for her throughout Gotham. While there were only the two of them, James Jr. and Barbara talked a lot. James Jr. tried to reveal his master plan while torturing Barbara. Some reviews even said that James Jr. might be as crazy as Joker, crazier than one might even imagine.

Later on, James Jr. called Batman. At the time, Bruce Wayne was gone missing, so Dick Grayson took his place temporarily as Batman. Upon receiving the call, James Jr. called him “Dick”, showing that he already knew Batman’s current real identity. Previously, James Jr. took part in a clinical trial where he had to consume Diaxamyne which boosted empathy within himself. However, after consuming the medication, instead of empathy, he realized that being a psychopath made him a better human.

He started his evil plan. He attacked his own mother, and then framed Joker of doing so by secretly delivering Joker Venom to the villain. After that, he planned to eliminate Barbara and Commissioner Gordon so that Dick would give up as Batman. This way, James Jr. wouldn’t have anyone to stop him from tampering with Gotham baby formula. He wanted to contaminate it with a chemical that prevented the drinkers to have empathy, creating a new psychopathic generation in Gotham. Scary.

During this plan reveal, Barbara managed to escape and run away. James Jr. chased her, but Dick came not long after that and helped Barbara. Dick shot James Jr.’s leg when he tried to run, and this caused him to fall off a bridge. However, Commissioner Gordon managed to catch him and he refused to let his son die. Eventually, James Jr. was taken into custody.

As for the tampered baby formula, Dick examined them and he couldn’t conclude whether James Jr. did tamper the baby formula or not. However, Dick was sure that if the formula was being tampered, there would be some traces. At the end of the comic, there was a picture of a baby in a stroller… staring blankly ahead. The big question is: did James Jr.’s plan actually work???

Detective Comics #881 Characters

In this part of the story, we have Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Batgirl, Dick Grayson as Batman, Tim Drake as Robin, and Commissioner Gordon as the protagonists. Meanwhile, we have James Gordon Jr. as the main villain. The Dealer also showed up in the flashback and Sarah Essen was mentioned.

Detective Comics #881 Locations

The main location of this story is, of course, our one and only Gotham City. Some important locations include Kord Needle and Mirror House. There might be more, but online sources refuse to give bigger spoilers. More details? Read the comic book!

Detective Comics #881 Artists and Writers

Here are the people who made Detective Comics #881 possible: Eddie Berganza as Executive Editor, Jock as Cover Artist, Penciler, and Inker, Scott Snyder as Writer, Francesco Francavilla as Penciler, Inker, and Colorist, David Baron as Colorist, Jared K. Fletcher as Letterer, Mike Marts as editor, Janelle Assellin as editor, and Katie Kubert as editor. Thank you for bringing one of the best end to an era!

Have you read Detective Comics #881? Or would you want to read it now? Let us know why or why not in the comments, and earn yourself a Limited Edition Comic Book.