Wow. Manalatto reward our patience in this issue and put almost everything on the table. Let's walk through the shenanigans.
The Kings of the Sun are in Gotham due to the fact that the Penguin is so distracted by his ongoing war with Falcone that they can set up their own Icarus operation without retribution. Icarus is apparently mildly radioactive, so they've set up shop in a place that can mask their activity. However, we learn that Falcone is also in the Icarus business. Lester (the Wayne Enterprises VP that Bullock caught falsifying records last issue) tells Bullock that Congressman Sam Young was the one who asked him to do so, and we know that Young is definitely on Falcone's payroll. If Lester falsified records to hide the fact that Falcone was smuggling into Gotham waste containers that could contain radioactive material, then it seems clear that Falcone has his own Icarus operation. Moreover, Batman is led to an abandoned Kane Industries power plant since the Kings had some stolen equipment from there; Harvey is led there because it's a place where Falcone's men could cook up Icarus without anyone knowing. The Kings and Falcone are clearly connected by similar equipment and locations, but it's unclear what the connection is. Are they competitors or colleagues? If they were working together, they aren't any longer. We learn this issue that Holter, the head of the Kings, is Annette's father, and he's looking for revenge for Elena's death. Since Falcone put out the hit on her (through the Squid's brother), it's clear that they're no longer cooperating.
Also running through this arc, Manalatto explore Batman's relationship with Harvey. I love this version of Harvey. He's constantly crossing the line, beating Lester in an alleyway to get Young's name. In fact, Batman accuses him of murdering his partner, though it's obviously more complicated than that, based on Bullock's reaction. Snyder and Tynion have been portraying Harvey as essentially a mindless patsy in "Batman Eternal," so it's great to see him as his own man here.
The Annette/Holter and Batman/Bullock interactions in this issue really provide an emotional charge, making it a more layered story than just a simple detective story. However, it's still a helluva detective story. Manalatto aren't writing for the trade here, since I can follow the story from issue to issue without too much of a problem. But, I do look forward to re-reading the whole arc and following the story more closely. This story is exactly the story that we should be seeing in "Detective Comics." I was worried about Layman leaving, but I'm glad that he's gotten worthy successors.
**** (four of five stars)
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