Detective Comics #968

Writer: James Tynion IV

Artist: Alvaro Martinez

Inker: Raul Fernandez

Colourist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Sal Cipriano

And thus concludes the A LONELY PLACE OF LIVING arc. It was a lot shorter than I expected, at a brisk four issues, and yet it still felt like it was an issue longer than it should've been. While I loved the last issue, this issue kept revisiting a lot of the old beats already covered in the past two issues during the conversations between Tim and BatTim. Since this is the conclusion of the story, these conversations are fleshed out a little bit more but they still rang familiar.

What this story really accomplishes is that it showcases exactly why Tim is such an important character; not just to Batman, but to the reader as well. James Tynion IV is really leaning on us liking Tim or at least connecting with him in order for us to really feel sorry for BatTim. We also have to understand why he feels like he has to kill Batwoman, which I personally don't mind because the character hasn't done anything for me recently.

Onto the art. Alvaro Martinez is consistently one of the best artists working today. His work on the INTELLIGENCE arc a few months ago is something I still revisit from time to time. He doesn't have the luxury of working with the legendary Brad Anderson for this arc, but Tomeu Morey gives Martinez's art a different feel that really worked for the tone of the story. I wasn't a big fan of the first few pages of the issue, though. The heavy shadows distorted the depicted character's face, and I don't even know why the opening scene was there in the first place in terms of story, so it's doubly negative.

There simply isn't much to talk about since this issue revisits many beats, themes, and conversations from previous issues. It's still a good comic, but the arc has gone on for an issue too long which shouldn't really be the case in a four-issue arc. The art is pretty great, though.