Detective Comics Annual #2 Review

            This Annual actually ties into the story going on, while it's not uncommon, but it doesn't always happen.  This issue continues the police officer murders that started in issue #22 of Detective Comics with the Wrath but the main focus is in an ally Wrath makes in someone simply named Jane Doe, and who I'd rather call False Face.  A master of disguise and mimicry, who Wrath has enlisted to infiltrate the police on his quest of murder.  This issue is a heavy Bullock story where the Lieutenant finds love in a new department psychologist, Abigail Wilburn. 

            The story wraps up with Batman tracking down the Jane Doe, and we have Harvey Bullock and Abigail Wilburn in a mannequin factory.  There each of them tells Batman that the other was attacking them.  Batman makes a decision and batarangs Bullock in the face.  The false face tears and Batman has to take down the dubious doppelganger.  In the end Abigail takes the final shot to knock her out.  The entire time that the false face was impersonating Bullock, Abigail had been falling in love with him.  Now that Harvey Bullock had been found alive in the basement, Abigail can barely look at him.  All she can see is the mask.  As the story ends Jane Doe is put in the back of a police car and driven off, mimicking Batman.      

            The back up story to this issue is about the psychosis of Jane Doe and how she needs to continue the lives she takes over.  It appears that Abigail Wilburn has transferred to Arkham, and Bullock has come to seek closure.  During the conversation it is made apparent that neither is actually there, but Jane Doe is keeping their lives active by seeing them lived out in her head and continuing to be them.   

            A second back up story finds Harvey Bullock, trying to figure out how this psycho was able to take over his life, and not only have no one notice, but actually live his life better.  A little bit of psychology into Harvey Bullock's life.

            This annual was most enjoyable, we got a new and interesting villain in the Batman world and it was a fun Detective story.  My only gripe with it is, that it could of gone on and been a decent story arc over the course of a few issues.  It's because of stories like this that John Layman got Detective Comics out of the funk it was in, before he started writing it, and at this point couldn't see anyone else writing it, so hopefully Layman's work is far from over.  Highly recommend this title to Batman fans.  It will help get some of the bad taste that Dark Knight leaves in your mouth after reading it.

9/10