DC Comics Universe & Detective Comics #1004 Spoilers & Review: Batman Learns Arkham Knight’s 10-Page Secret Origin Of Astrid Arkham! What’d Joker Do?!

Spoilers, Top Story

DC Comics Universe and Detective Comics #1004 Spoilers and Review follows.

Batman Learns Arkham Knight’s 10-Page Secret Origin Of Astrid Arkham!

What’d Joker Do?!

The Mark Brooks variant cover for this issue, with his variant cover for last issue, together make this gorgeous image of Batman and his classic characters.

Dr. Heremiah Arkham met and fell in love with a peer physician Dr. Ingrid Karlsson at Arkham Asylum.

She got pregnant and despite Dr. Arkham’s warnings of leaving Arkham Asylum in the latter part of her pregnancy…

…she didn’t and got caught in a riot by the super-villains at the Asylum. In fact, she went into labour during the chaos of the riot…

…where the Joker was the first person to handle young Astrid Arkham?!

Batman came to quell the riot and one of his Batarang’s pierced through Clayface and impaled Dr. Karlsson killing her while Astrid was in her arms.

The riot ended and Dr. Arkham mourned Dr. Karlsson.

He also raised Astrid at Arkham Asylum where the Joker would have an unhealthy influence on her life.

Astrid also witnessed when Batman would visit the Asylum and rough up the super-villain inmates who she encountered daily.

She decided she needed to liberate those inmates and Gotham City from Batman…

…and trained to the Arkham Knight so she could do just that!

The book ends in the modern day where Batman and Robin are bout to confront the Arkham Knight heading into Detective Comics #1005.

The Pulse:

Peter Tomasi continues to be one of DC Comics’ top writers by creating a compelling narrative for a new legacy character while Brad Walker is firmly entrenched as one of DC’s, if not the comic industry’s, top 3 artists. Wow. An amazing and entertaining issue that has me clamouring for next issue! 9.5 out of 10.

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!