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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Very much enjoyed this, especially the dynamic between Batman and his Bat family.
the Joker makes for a much more enjoyable read than the Court of Owls.
i never read a batman comic before!!! it's so good!! how is the joker so smart and good at things?!
Wow! The absolute best Joker storyline in years. To get the full effect though, you really need to read the volume of tie-ins ([b:The Joker: Death of the Family|17671914|The Joker Death of the Family|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364852298s/17671914.jpg|24670901]) because the event really does involve the entire Batfamily and many of those connections are extremely well written. This review applies to the run as a whole, including that tie-in volume.
One year ago, the Joker disappeared from Arkham Asylum and left behind a souvenir: his face. He cut it off like removing a mask. Disgusting, right? After some serious soul searching, the Joker has returned with a renewed and sick sense of purpose. He has embraced his role as jester of the court in quite literal terms and sees it as his obligation to save his “king”—Batman. The fiasco with the Court of Owls (see [b:Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls|13223349|Batman, Vol. 1 The Court of Owls|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342307351s/13223349.jpg|18412501] and [b:Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls|15752115|Batman, Vol. 2 The City of Owls|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342309403s/15752115.jpg|21446852]), revealed only one thing to the Joker’s mind: that the Batman has become a shadow of his former self. He’s grown dependent on his “royal family” and has lost his sense of self-sufficiency and the edge that comes along with knowing that you have no one to rely on but yourself. (Strange, in a way, because members of the family have been accusing Bruce of that for as long as I can remember reading Batman storylines. His family and allies grow in number, but as they do, he relies on them less and less, even shutting them out and keeping secrets from them altogether.) Joker seeks to rectify this by removing these dependencies and restoring his King to his former glory.
There’s a sick and twisted element of genuine love that really makes this volume and its companions. You don’t doubt that in some sick way, the Joker really is doing this for Batman and he’s not shy about speaking of their love for one another. It’s a weird new take on their storied relationship, but a very good one. As each member of the family is caught up in the Joker’s plans there are intimate scenes where the history of the character vis-a-vis the Joker is explored in intimate ways that are powerful and recall the long journey you’ve been on with them. There’s also a genuine sense of hatred and despise that the Joker has for the family as obstacles between him in his Batman. It’s a love and longing so powerful that not even Harley can get in its way as he uses her up in the quest to “save” Batman along the way.
Underneath it all is the plot itself. Members of the family are gradually taken in elaborate plans designed specifically for them, and to turn them, away from Batman—beginning most devastatingly with the abduction of Alfred. As members of the family rush to find him, they become sloppy, confirming Bruce’s deepest fears that sharing too much with them will make them lose their rationality and make them fall victim to the Joker. Throughout, the intensity builds as the reader wonders what exactly Joker has in store for Bats. There are delicious cliffhangers and hints along the way that build the intensity of it and make for a page-turning epic showdown between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. Probably one of the best ever.
I don’t usually comment on the artwork, but it’s bold and vicious. Capullo and many of the other artists working on the other Bat titles did phenomenal work here. The Joker is drawn in a uniform way throughout the various titles and there’s a similar tone struck throughout that makes it feel like a really unified story, which probably involved a lot of hard production work from the DC board of directors. The love and labor really shine through. The Joker is creepier than he’s ever been, visually. He’s psychologically more complex than ever and just as much of an enigma.
Buried at the heart of the story are a couple of interesting concepts that require a spoiler alert. This is a great story because it leaves Bruce as a rather unsympathetic figure. When the “death of the family” does occur at the resolution, you understand why they turn their backs on Bruce. You don’t feel bad when his sense of cheer is dashed by the rejection he gets from the people he helped raise. In the end…the Joker is right and Bruce is wrong. He deserves the life he has.
Absolutely fantastic work. I would advise checking out an individual issue read order over just reading the two collected volumes. The individual issues tie in back to back with one another and you lose significant amounts of layering by just reading the main arc in the Batman book and then the tie-ins separately. It would just appear as if the Joker captured everyone and set something up for Bats without seeing how or the hints as to why. Here’s the read order I used. You can get the issues digitally and follow it. You won’t be disappointed.
01 - Detective Comics 1
02 - Suicide Squad 6
03 - Suicide Squad 7
04 - Batgirl 13
05 - Catwoman 13
06 - Catwoman 14
07 - Batman 13
08 - Batman & Robin 13
09 - Batman & Robin 14
10 - Suicide Squad 14
11 - Suicide Squad 15
12 - Batman 14
13 - Detective Comics 15
14 - Batman & Robin 15
15 - Batman & Robin 16
16 - Batgirl 14
17 - Batgirl 15
18 - Batgirl 16
19 - Batman 15
20 - Detective Comics 16
21 - Detective Comics 17
22 - Nightwing 15
23 - Nightwing 16
24 - Red Hood & The Outlaws 15
25 - Teen Titans 15
26 - Red Hood & The Outlaws 16
27 - Teen Titans 16
28 - Batman 16
29 - Batman 17
Most of the issues are collected in this volume and [b:The Joker: Death of the Family|17671914|The Joker Death of the Family|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364852298s/17671914.jpg|24670901]. Special shoutouts to the Batgirl run (14-16) and Batman & Robin (15-16). Least enjoyable I think were the Teen Titans issues, but you see valuable interplay between Tim Drake and Jason Todd that are too good to pass up.
One year ago, the Joker disappeared from Arkham Asylum and left behind a souvenir: his face. He cut it off like removing a mask. Disgusting, right? After some serious soul searching, the Joker has returned with a renewed and sick sense of purpose. He has embraced his role as jester of the court in quite literal terms and sees it as his obligation to save his “king”—Batman. The fiasco with the Court of Owls (see [b:Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls|13223349|Batman, Vol. 1 The Court of Owls|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342307351s/13223349.jpg|18412501] and [b:Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls|15752115|Batman, Vol. 2 The City of Owls|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342309403s/15752115.jpg|21446852]), revealed only one thing to the Joker’s mind: that the Batman has become a shadow of his former self. He’s grown dependent on his “royal family” and has lost his sense of self-sufficiency and the edge that comes along with knowing that you have no one to rely on but yourself. (Strange, in a way, because members of the family have been accusing Bruce of that for as long as I can remember reading Batman storylines. His family and allies grow in number, but as they do, he relies on them less and less, even shutting them out and keeping secrets from them altogether.) Joker seeks to rectify this by removing these dependencies and restoring his King to his former glory.
There’s a sick and twisted element of genuine love that really makes this volume and its companions. You don’t doubt that in some sick way, the Joker really is doing this for Batman and he’s not shy about speaking of their love for one another. It’s a weird new take on their storied relationship, but a very good one. As each member of the family is caught up in the Joker’s plans there are intimate scenes where the history of the character vis-a-vis the Joker is explored in intimate ways that are powerful and recall the long journey you’ve been on with them. There’s also a genuine sense of hatred and despise that the Joker has for the family as obstacles between him in his Batman. It’s a love and longing so powerful that not even Harley can get in its way as he uses her up in the quest to “save” Batman along the way.
Underneath it all is the plot itself. Members of the family are gradually taken in elaborate plans designed specifically for them, and to turn them, away from Batman—beginning most devastatingly with the abduction of Alfred. As members of the family rush to find him, they become sloppy, confirming Bruce’s deepest fears that sharing too much with them will make them lose their rationality and make them fall victim to the Joker. Throughout, the intensity builds as the reader wonders what exactly Joker has in store for Bats. There are delicious cliffhangers and hints along the way that build the intensity of it and make for a page-turning epic showdown between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. Probably one of the best ever.
I don’t usually comment on the artwork, but it’s bold and vicious. Capullo and many of the other artists working on the other Bat titles did phenomenal work here. The Joker is drawn in a uniform way throughout the various titles and there’s a similar tone struck throughout that makes it feel like a really unified story, which probably involved a lot of hard production work from the DC board of directors. The love and labor really shine through. The Joker is creepier than he’s ever been, visually. He’s psychologically more complex than ever and just as much of an enigma.
Buried at the heart of the story are a couple of interesting concepts that require a spoiler alert.
Spoiler
Does Joker know Batman’s identity or is he just really observant and really good? I’d have to say at the conclusion he had to have known. The ploys against the family were way too intimate for him not to know and at the core of the tension and growing problems in the family (what will ultimately lead to its “death”) is Bruce’s dishonesty about how much the Joker knows. He’s dishonest with the family, but he’s also more than dishonest with himself. His little reveal about visiting Arkham and talking with Joker as Bruce almost invites the reader to condemn him as being responsible for the events of this crossover. Perhaps he didn’t gain admission to the caves initially in the story he told the family, but visiting Arkham was more than reckless. Maybe the Joker doesn’t care who he is, because the Joker thinks he actually is the Bat. But how do you gamble with the lives of the people you care about by doing something that risky? And isn’t it coincidental that the Joker broke out of Arkham immediately after, disappearing for a year, only to return in grandiose fashion with an elaborate plan aimed at the family.Absolutely fantastic work. I would advise checking out an individual issue read order over just reading the two collected volumes. The individual issues tie in back to back with one another and you lose significant amounts of layering by just reading the main arc in the Batman book and then the tie-ins separately. It would just appear as if the Joker captured everyone and set something up for Bats without seeing how or the hints as to why. Here’s the read order I used. You can get the issues digitally and follow it. You won’t be disappointed.
01 - Detective Comics 1
02 - Suicide Squad 6
03 - Suicide Squad 7
04 - Batgirl 13
05 - Catwoman 13
06 - Catwoman 14
07 - Batman 13
08 - Batman & Robin 13
09 - Batman & Robin 14
10 - Suicide Squad 14
11 - Suicide Squad 15
12 - Batman 14
13 - Detective Comics 15
14 - Batman & Robin 15
15 - Batman & Robin 16
16 - Batgirl 14
17 - Batgirl 15
18 - Batgirl 16
19 - Batman 15
20 - Detective Comics 16
21 - Detective Comics 17
22 - Nightwing 15
23 - Nightwing 16
24 - Red Hood & The Outlaws 15
25 - Teen Titans 15
26 - Red Hood & The Outlaws 16
27 - Teen Titans 16
28 - Batman 16
29 - Batman 17
Most of the issues are collected in this volume and [b:The Joker: Death of the Family|17671914|The Joker Death of the Family|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364852298s/17671914.jpg|24670901]. Special shoutouts to the Batgirl run (14-16) and Batman & Robin (15-16). Least enjoyable I think were the Teen Titans issues, but you see valuable interplay between Tim Drake and Jason Todd that are too good to pass up.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood
This is definitely a historic Batman story! I loved this entire story! I wish that the DCAU would adapt this story because I would love to see it. An excellent Joker tale
Batman has always been dark. But this one just cannon balled into macabre. Or perhaps the whole joker strapping his face on thing was a bit much for me.
I didn't have high expectations, despite positive word of mouth, but I was pleasantly surprised with this volume.
Reading a Batman-v-Joker comic is perfect for April Fools Day. I loved Scott Snyder's Court of Owls run but wasn't sure how I'd feel about him doing a Joker story combined with the extended Batman Family (which I've never been interested in). But this is a good story, a creepy one that continues to burnish Snyder's credentials on this series.