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thatweaverlady's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
ayoung720's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book, the Joker is truly a terrifying villain throughout this storyline and you can see the "mad genius" simmering just barely below the surface. He's definitely the best part of this book, especially seeing how he uses each sidekick's weaknesses against them in order to get himself closer to Batman.
It is true that the first few stories in this collection seem a bit disconnected from the second half, especially the Catwoman and Harley Quinn stories, which is why I've given it 4 stars (I'm sure there was some better way to connect them in, although I also understand that these issues were originally written separately and then compiled after the fact). However, the back half really tightens up into an incredible storyline that really shows great development of Batman as a character as well as setting him up for future stories.
It is true that the first few stories in this collection seem a bit disconnected from the second half, especially the Catwoman and Harley Quinn stories, which is why I've given it 4 stars (I'm sure there was some better way to connect them in, although I also understand that these issues were originally written separately and then compiled after the fact). However, the back half really tightens up into an incredible storyline that really shows great development of Batman as a character as well as setting him up for future stories.
rupu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jacquilynn's review against another edition
5.0
I read Batman: death of the family first and a friend said I had to read this one. She was SO right. Two minor complaints- 1. What happens with Barbara's mother (I get my books from the library so if it's addressed in another book I don't have it) 2. I prefered the Prologue in the Batman edition. It introduced the random two headed lion cub, the Joker attacking Gotham PD, and the kidnapping of Alfred which wasn't actually shown in this edition.
This is terrifyingly perfect. The Joker loses what's left of his mind and now worships the "king" who is batman and everyone else is pulling batman down, so he has to get rid of them right? It starts off with Joker stealing his face back, it's referenced but not shown in this one, messing with Catwoman-whose story really doesn't play out in the rest of the book, then Harley who he tries to kill because she isn't good enough. Then on to torment the family by getting to the people they love most. It's deranged even for a Joker plotline he wants to marry Batgirl, have Robin kill "Batman," Nightwing to kill everyone in his past, and Red Hood and Red Robin to kill the other. In the end having everyone kill each other.
It's hard to call the artwork beautiful because of what it looks like (take a look at the Jokers' face you'll understand me), it is incredibly well done. It's not gritty, the colors are all rich. The best way I can describe it is as I'm looking back through the pages the artwork is actually beautiful until the joker shows up and the smoothness of the work becomes manic and disjointed. Especially looking at the first two stories of Catwoman and Harley.
I suppose most people don't like them but I personally have a super issue with bugs(even drawings of them), so I'm a bit hung up on this. As the story progresses and the Jokers' unattached face decomposes a few flies and then more and more surface as the next few stories go on. In Robins' story Joker dumps him into bugs. That with the variant cover art means I am so not sleeping well tonight.
I find it funny that no one in this very heavy novel swears, except little Damien who has a mouth on him. After Damiens' story, the epilogue is probably my favorite part of the entire book. It shows that Alfred is so awesome, and Bruce is a really good dad. What can I say I'm a sucker for a happy ending.
This is terrifyingly perfect. The Joker loses what's left of his mind and now worships the "king" who is batman and everyone else is pulling batman down, so he has to get rid of them right? It starts off with Joker stealing his face back, it's referenced but not shown in this one, messing with Catwoman-whose story really doesn't play out in the rest of the book, then Harley who he tries to kill because she isn't good enough. Then on to torment the family by getting to the people they love most. It's deranged even for a Joker plotline he wants to marry Batgirl, have Robin kill "Batman," Nightwing to kill everyone in his past, and Red Hood and Red Robin to kill the other. In the end having everyone kill each other.
It's hard to call the artwork beautiful because of what it looks like (take a look at the Jokers' face you'll understand me), it is incredibly well done. It's not gritty, the colors are all rich. The best way I can describe it is as I'm looking back through the pages the artwork is actually beautiful until the joker shows up and the smoothness of the work becomes manic and disjointed. Especially looking at the first two stories of Catwoman and Harley.
I suppose most people don't like them but I personally have a super issue with bugs(even drawings of them), so I'm a bit hung up on this. As the story progresses and the Jokers' unattached face decomposes a few flies and then more and more surface as the next few stories go on. In Robins' story Joker dumps him into bugs. That with the variant cover art means I am so not sleeping well tonight.
I find it funny that no one in this very heavy novel swears, except little Damien who has a mouth on him. After Damiens' story, the epilogue is probably my favorite part of the entire book. It shows that Alfred is so awesome, and Bruce is a really good dad. What can I say I'm a sucker for a happy ending.
rhganci's review against another edition
2.0
Batman is big. Bigger than astronauts and baseball. He's so big that each of his stories in the New 52 have been family-wide crossovers that interrupt all other happenings in Gotham City and points nearby. The Night of the Owls featured lots of interesting character meetings that really showed the diversity of the team; for example, Batgirl's harsh words to Red Hood following the first encounter with Mr. Freeze really stood out as her appearance and chastisement of Jason took place in the Red Hood and the Outlaws book, substituting its lighter tone with the thoughtful introspection of Gail Simone's Batgirl. Unfortunately, it is exactly that kind of contrast that is missing from THE JOKER: DEATH OF THE FAMILY, which is a fairly useless volume that collects a series of background narratives that inform the uninformable Batman, Vol. 3, in which the principle story takes place.
As the crossover event really only requires breaking stride when you get to Batman #17, the editor of the Bat-family arranges THE JOKER in a series of character-specific chapters that echo each character's solo book; for example, the Batgirl sections are published exactly as you might find them in the Batgirl, Vol. 3 collection that bears the same title. The same is true for each member of the Bat-family, from Catwoman to Red Robin, and includes prior to each character-chapter a few issues of Detective Comics that tell of the aftermath of the Joker's self-mutilation and escape from Arkham Asylum in Detective Comics #1. Once you've read all of these vignettes, Batman #17 appears as it does in each collection bearing the same subtitle of this book, and ends with Batman & Robin #17, which was only somewhat related to the "Death of the Family" story when it appeared in its own trade back.
The issue with this volume isn't in its collation of the material, it's that the core narrative material of "Death of the Family," the story that makes it as great as you've heard it is, does not appear. Batman's involvement in this volume, is relegated to exposition and conclusion, but his investigation and run-ins with the Joker from his own book are nowhere to be found. This makes for a volume in the Bat-family that almost seems to neglect Batman himself, and as a pricier collection in the trade paperback world, even the fact that the title doesn't name "Batman" specifically doesn't excuse the fact that DC is selling a story without its core component. I'll raise the other eyebrow at the fact that the core component in question is a Batman story that will likely go down in the history of the character as one of the half-dozen finest ever told. Its absence is without warrant, and as such the context and value of the entire volume is greatly diminished.
As with the other "Death of the Family" trades, this one is only necessary for completionists, but even a completionist might not need this one, should he or she be already reading these episodes in their character-specific collections. This volume simply collects issues that appear exactly as they do throughout the entire event, and as a reader of most of them I found this to be a decidedly unremarkable read and without a doubt the least value-oriented collection from the New 52 library to date. Even if the book is really about the Joker and not the heroes, the best content involving the Joker is the very content trimmed from this collection. I can't suggest this volume but for those dead set on collecting all of the Bat-books from the New 52, as I count even myself among those who are disappointed for having invested in it.
As the crossover event really only requires breaking stride when you get to Batman #17, the editor of the Bat-family arranges THE JOKER in a series of character-specific chapters that echo each character's solo book; for example, the Batgirl sections are published exactly as you might find them in the Batgirl, Vol. 3 collection that bears the same title. The same is true for each member of the Bat-family, from Catwoman to Red Robin, and includes prior to each character-chapter a few issues of Detective Comics that tell of the aftermath of the Joker's self-mutilation and escape from Arkham Asylum in Detective Comics #1. Once you've read all of these vignettes, Batman #17 appears as it does in each collection bearing the same subtitle of this book, and ends with Batman & Robin #17, which was only somewhat related to the "Death of the Family" story when it appeared in its own trade back.
The issue with this volume isn't in its collation of the material, it's that the core narrative material of "Death of the Family," the story that makes it as great as you've heard it is, does not appear. Batman's involvement in this volume, is relegated to exposition and conclusion, but his investigation and run-ins with the Joker from his own book are nowhere to be found. This makes for a volume in the Bat-family that almost seems to neglect Batman himself, and as a pricier collection in the trade paperback world, even the fact that the title doesn't name "Batman" specifically doesn't excuse the fact that DC is selling a story without its core component. I'll raise the other eyebrow at the fact that the core component in question is a Batman story that will likely go down in the history of the character as one of the half-dozen finest ever told. Its absence is without warrant, and as such the context and value of the entire volume is greatly diminished.
As with the other "Death of the Family" trades, this one is only necessary for completionists, but even a completionist might not need this one, should he or she be already reading these episodes in their character-specific collections. This volume simply collects issues that appear exactly as they do throughout the entire event, and as a reader of most of them I found this to be a decidedly unremarkable read and without a doubt the least value-oriented collection from the New 52 library to date. Even if the book is really about the Joker and not the heroes, the best content involving the Joker is the very content trimmed from this collection. I can't suggest this volume but for those dead set on collecting all of the Bat-books from the New 52, as I count even myself among those who are disappointed for having invested in it.
dkmode's review against another edition
3.0
Weird collection, wish the blurb on the back had made it more explicit that it was a supplement to the main story - the fact that it contains issues of the main Batman comic as well feels deliberately obfuscating.
Anyways, like any series made up of a disparate parts in tangential communication with each other, this is wildly inconsistent. Scott Snyder, Gail Simone and Peter Tomasi all put in great work with their respective sections. Other "chapters" fare much worse - throwaway Nightwing and Catwoman stories, and both Red Hood and Teen Titans sections acting as filler with awful Liefeldian artwork. Did I really need 2-3 issues centering around Arsenal? No. No I did not.
The main parts of this, which make up roughly half of it, are very good though. Considering this, you're probably way better off grabbing the collected editions of Batgirl, Batman and Robin, and Batman as standalone pieces. If you don't have the funds for that, well, this collected edition will do for now.
Anyways, like any series made up of a disparate parts in tangential communication with each other, this is wildly inconsistent. Scott Snyder, Gail Simone and Peter Tomasi all put in great work with their respective sections. Other "chapters" fare much worse - throwaway Nightwing and Catwoman stories, and both Red Hood and Teen Titans sections acting as filler with awful Liefeldian artwork. Did I really need 2-3 issues centering around Arsenal? No. No I did not.
The main parts of this, which make up roughly half of it, are very good though. Considering this, you're probably way better off grabbing the collected editions of Batgirl, Batman and Robin, and Batman as standalone pieces. If you don't have the funds for that, well, this collected edition will do for now.
sarahthesock's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the beginning so much! But I wasn't too crazy over the robin and night wing part. And oh God the Teen Titans part was hard to get through. The ending was okay. But overall, it was pretty good.
lhcarter24's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this. I have already read the original death of the family so it was interesting to see the beginnings and more scenes from the iconic storyline.
sreddous's review against another edition
5.0
This series is everything any lover of a dark Batman story would want -- chilling and disgusting actions from your villain and magnificent art that highlights all those dark, gross things (this is the only comic book that I think has actually given me goosebumps!! as I tried to imagine feeling what it would be like to have your face be just dead hanging flesh!!!). Very effective -- the attention to detail is exquisite and the plot is terrifying.