Well, here at last, dear friends, on the pages of DC #1000, our journey comes to an end. At long last we have reached our milestone, and I have to say this issue proves only one thing – beware preconceived notions.

Cover To Cover

I honestly have no idea what to say here for one simple reason. If i were to comment on every single cover that was released for this issue, this review would look like War & Peace. There are quite literally DOZENS of covers for this issue. Your local comic shop may only have 8-12, but Comicburst.com has a gallery of all of the covers here. Most are pretty incredible.

What’s On the Inside

First off this is a massive issue. It clocks in at approximately 90 some-odd pages. Inside is not one story, but 11 stories by the all star creators and contributors to Detective Comics and Batman over the decades. There is no overall arc to the stories, but there doesn’t need to be. Each story has its own author and writer, so each story not only covers a range of stories but looks different as well.

Preconceived Notions

My only problem with this issue is I was expecting something else. The way they began the build up back in #996, I thought this would be one massive story arc leading to a mythic ending in #1000. I did not realize until #999 that they would end that story and #1000 would be a complete stand alone title.

Of course there is nothing wrong with what they did, but they were telling such a great story through the past several issues, it felt like it needed a larger, more epic ending.

Pointing To the Future

While all 11 stories are a fun read, there are two that may be hints at future directions for both Batman and Detective Comics. The first story is – well – the very first story. In Batman’s Longest Case Batman is following clue after clue after clue. It feels like he might as well Be from the Gates family in National Treasure. In the end Batman meets ‘The Guild of Detection’. There is a new series coming in a few months that may use this very team to solve the unsolvable cases. Keep an ear open for previews.

The second story is – of course – the last story. The story is told third person by a someone unknown to us – yet. The story tells of the labels, conceptions and misconceptions of ‘The Batman’. The teller talks about the fear that surrounds Batman and his relentless, heartless pursuit of justice.

There is a lot of great artwork in these pages, but it is the final page that sets up #1001. By the end the storyteller is making it obvious Batman is too dark and heartless. He will do better. He will overtake The Batman. Our final page is of a Bat-figure dressed in armor with the caption Medieval. Apparently someone will be coming after Batman’s mantle.