Comic Review: Detective Comics #1096

Detective Comics #1096 wraps up the “Mercy of the Father” story arc with a few surprises, as the fates of both the Bruce Wayne’s family and Joe Chill’s family intertwine in unexpected ways.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1096
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art and Main Cover by MIKEL JANÍN
Variant Covers: BRUNO REDONDO, DERRICK CHEW, ASHLEY WOOD
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: April 16, 2025

This review contains spoilers 

Detective Comics #1096 begins in the aftermath of a massive explosion at Theromise Labs, as Batman confronts Bruce Wayne’s old friend Scarlett Scott who he has discovered is the daughter of Joe Chill, the man who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents decades ago. It turns out that Scarlett’s business partner, Bridgett Forster, is in fact Evelyn Scott, Scarlett’s mother, and the former wife of Joe Chill.

Evelyn has been using Theromise’s rejuvenation serum to restore her youth, (the same formula Scarlett gave to Bruce before he discovered its insidious origins). It turns out that Evelyn has been roaming the streets of Gotham exacting brutal justice in the guise of mystery killer Asema, (oh yeah, she also knows Bruce is Batman). Evelyn brings Batman to the lower levels of Theromise so he can watch her murder Joe Chill.

Batman and Asema clash as Joe Chill slowly bleeds out. Batman remotely instructs his team to prevent Theromise from using their process on juvenile offenders as he overpowers Asema and rescues Chill. Three days later Bruce Wayne visits Scarlett Scott in comatose Joe Chill’s hospital room, and offers her a chance for a different approach in helping rehabilitate criminals.

Detective Comics #1096 ends with the imprisoned Evelyn being visited by Ambrose, the point man for the mysterious group called Elixir, warning her that her actions as Asema have threatened their secrecy, and that while Scarlett is safe, others in Gotham are now in their crosshairs.

Analysis 

Detective Comics #1096: wow. So. Many. Reveals. It’s almost impossible to summarize effectively. Bridgett is really Evelyn, who is Joe Chill’s ex-wife, while Scarlett Scott is Bruce Wayne’s old friend and Joe Chill’s daughter. Evelyn caused the car wreck that almost claimed Joe Chill’s life, and allowed her to escape from Chill with Martha Wayne’s help. Doctor Thomas Wayne saved Joe Chill after the car wreck, and Joe Chill later (coincidentally) murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents. Evelyn’s Asema costume is doused in Martha Wayne’s old perfume as a tribute.

Writer Tom Taylor manages to add a new layer of complexity into one of the most well-known origin stories in comics without making it feel forced (Taylor is also riffing on the whole real world Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos scandal).

The shocking connection between the Wayne Family and Chill family is an interesting addition, at least for now. Marvel and DC Comics have been known to reboot or simply ignore such plot twists after a while, (as of this writing, it seems like half of Batman’s rogues gallery know Bruce Wayne is Batman, so at some point a reset will happen).

Taylor reveals the parallels between Bruce and Evelyn as both seek vengeance against wrong doers, but only Evelyn is willing to cross the line. Despite his grief, Bruce forces himself to honor his late father in not taking a life. Meanwhile, Evelyn is driven by revenge against criminals (like her ex-husband), and regaining her youth through a gruesome process of stealing blood from young delinquents in juvenile detention is a justifiable effort.

To Evelyn, the ends have always justified the means, as long as she and her daughter come out unscathed. The fact that Evelyn allowed herself to be taken into custody and not reveal Bruce’s secret can probably be taken as a continued dedication to Martha Wayne.

Scarlett Scott and Joe Chill are given little focus in Detective Comics #1096, revealing Evelyn and Bruce as the emotional core of this story, and allowing Evelyn to finally reveal her true identity and true nature.

Bruce’s continued search for a fountain of youth is also explored here, but the human cost of this treatment was unacceptable, although this is hardly the first time he has embarked on this particular quest (see the 1990 “Venom” story arc in Legends of the Dark Knight for a compelling example). Batman is flesh and blood human, and no amount of armor will fully protect him as he continually ages while putting his body on the line.

Artist Mikel Janin wraps up this arc with some epic daylight action with the Bat family, and some moody subterranean drama in the hidden depths of Theromise. His backgrounds are well detailed, his facial expressions run the gamut of recognizable emotions, and his use of heavy shadows in the underground scenes adds to the sense of foreboding. Also that early sequence of Batman “interrogating” Evelyn as the slide down the outside of the Theromise tower is visually stunning in its use of camera angles and visual effects to indicate how fast they are plummeting towards the street.

Final Thoughts

Detective Comics #1096 wraps up the first arc from this new creative team with some slight character development, some clever inner conflicts and the threat of dangers to come.

Adam Koppel

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