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Detective Comics (1991)
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Detective Comics #625(January 1991)
Detective Comics #626(February 1991)
Detective Comics #627(March 1991)
Detective Comics #628(April 1991)
Detective Comics #629(May 1991)
Detective Comics #630(June 1991)
Detective Comics #631(July 1991)
Detective Comics #632(July 1991)
Detective Comics #633(August 1991)
Detective Comics #634(August 1991)
Detective Comics #635(September 1991)
Detective Comics #636(September 1991)
Detective Comics #637(October 1991)
Detective Comics #638(November 1991)
Detective Comics #639(December 1991)
Detective Comics Annual #4(1991)
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The Speech Bubble 
You know how much I love meticulously drawn backgrounds, so of course I completely agree with the Bat – cover you chose.
Special mention for Detective Comics Annual # 4. Once again Batman is observing the city on the top of a night club, and the red neon sign of that club hardly illuminates the background, allowing us to see some gothic sculptures on the right. The pouring rain and the thunder on the left are 2 other details that help creating a dark atmosphere.
As for Matt, I pick Daredevil # 18. Matt is lavishing all his energies in order to defeat the villain, but his efforts seem to be useless: the Gladiator is still standing, and his immobility reveals that he’s so sure of his imminent victory that he doesn’t feel the need to oppose Daredevil’s attack.
The fog surrounding these 2 characters creates a delightful atmosphere. In my opinion, it hasn’t been put in this cover only for an aesthetic purpose: its presence in the cover may suggest that it will play a key role in this clash. In fact, if you think about it, this fog could become Matt’s greatest ally: fog is not a problem for his radar, but it could definitely become an obstacle for the Gladiator’s eyes, so Matt could make the most of this advantage by punching his villain while he’s blinded.
The contrast between Matt’s dynamism and the Gladiator’s immobility, the fog surrounding them, the Gladiator’s body being so huge that it covers both the main title and the tagline… yes, this cover definitely deserves the gold medal.
P.S.: X # 5 was released on the 11th of September and my LCS hasn’t received it yet. Daredevil: Dark Knights # 5 was released 21 days later, and my LCS got it yesterday. This means that my copy of X # 5 got lost. Next month I’ll go to a convention: I hope I’ll find it there.
“Special mention for Detective Comics Annual # 4.”
I had a good feeling that we’d be in agreement with our #1 selections. I also want to make special mention of Detective Comics #625 (simplistic but powerful) and Detective Comics #630 (love that image of Batman dive-bombing past the building’s staircase.
“In fact, if you think about it, this fog could become Matt’s greatest ally: fog is not a problem for his radar, but it could definitely become an obstacle for the Gladiator’s eyes, so Matt could make the most of this advantage by punching his villain while he’s blinded.”
You are so right. It didn’t even occur to me. Its sort of how the sprinklers in the Daredevil movie helped him in his battle with the Kingpin…expect even more to his advantage.
“X # 5 was released on the 11th of September and my LCS hasn’t received it yet. Daredevil: Dark Knights # 5 was released 21 days later, and my LCS got it yesterday. This means that my copy of X # 5 got lost.”
Oh no! Being deprived of your #1 series is a fate I wish on no man… 😦
Thanks for sharing your selections…and providing some excellent commentary as well!
Thank you as well for your compliments and for your reply! : )
Great choice of covers, really like Detective 626 as well. This cover I like best here is Detective #630 with Batman plummeting down a stairwell, its got a real sense of motion to it, and its a scene we’ve seen in many batman films. Here though the cape is almost wrapped around Batman, rather than splayed out, it seems to make him seem even more menacing. I also like Daredevil #23 with DD fighting Gladiator, one of my favourite DD villains!
“This cover I like best here is Detective #630 with Batman plummeting down a stairwell, its got a real sense of motion to it, and its a scene we’ve seen in many batman films.”
That was a great choice and my runner-up with #625 right behind it.
“I also like Daredevil #23 with DD fighting Gladiator, one of my favourite DD villains!”
I love how the villain looks like he is going to leap off the page and into our homes! What makes the Gladiator one of your favourites as I’m pretty unfamiliar with the character?
I always like Gladiator, he was a very tough enemy for DD to fight, especially with his bruit strength and deadly saw blades on his wrists. He was a costume designer, who decided to make his own armor, and ended up fighting Daredevil. Gladiator was also very unpredictable, a deadly enemy, one of my fave Daredevil villains
Thanks for the info. From costume designer to criminal? Awesome. Maybe one day he’ll get his chance to shine on a possible TV show or movie? Only time will tell!
In the 80s he started being a costume designer again, because he had redeemed himself and become one of Daredevil’s best friends and allies.
From time to time a criminal he knew during his experience as a villain tries to put him in the wrong track again by blackmailing him: for example, the latest one told him “If you don’t help me I’ll kill your little daughter”.
He often surrenders to these evil people and does whatever they want (even if it damages Daredevil’s life, because of course the Gladiator loves his friend, but he loves his daughter even more), but at the end of the day he’s a good guy now.
An even more complex character. He sounds great! I’m surprised that Mark Waid hasn’t used him yet in his run. I wonder what is up with that? Thanks for expanding on Paul’s synopsis. I eagerly await him gracing the pages of Daredevil yet again! 🙂
Me too! Thank you as well for your reply! : )