Batman #17 Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: penciller
Jonathan Glapion: inker
Solicitation and Preview
Review
All right, let me just gush and again say that I was right that Joker didn't know any of the secret IDs for the Bat-family.
That little bit of bragging aside, let's take a look at this issue. Was it a good conclusion? Yes, it was good. Was it great and praise worthy and should have received as much of a push as it got? Not so much.
Granted, we did have some material for the rest of the Bat-family to grow from here. They will have ramifications that will be sure to be dealt with in their own books, but what about Batman? Has he actually changed from all this? We get some good definition of the Batman/Joker relationship and how that works, but has Batman seen any actual change of character?
I am not a fan of the way in which Joker drove a wedge between the Bat-family. I think that it was a weak plot point for everyone to be upset at Bruce over the card found in the cave. Even at the end of the book when it is revealed that Bruce confronted Joker when he was in Arkham (which brings a new set of WTF is going on in the Bat-timeline to it). Why couldn't Bruce have revealed that? He has the excuse of Bruce Wayne covering. And did he deliver the line in his Batman voice or Bruce Wayne voice? Joker's cards were everywhere, couldn't Bruce have gotten it that way? There are just so many questions that pop up when you read that scene that it really makes it feel out of place for me.
And Joker's appearance in Arkham has him set up with scars on his face for the Joker mouth. Bruce states that this happened shortly after Dick came into being Robin. But haven't we had other flash backs to Joker's past where he didn't have the scars? Or is there some sort of healing going on with the Joker that is some unmentioned super power?
And really, would there be anything that Bruce could do to make Damian not want to hang out with him? Out of any Bat-sidekick not hanging out with Bruce at the end, Damian wouldn't appear on that list. I know that there is supposed to be an air of mystery over what Joker said in the dark to the Bat-characters before Bruce was there, but unless it was their secret IDs, then there is nothing he could say to force Damian away. Even he knows that Batman's mission is the most important thing in the world. So why would that be a point of controversy?
For me, the art has really shined this whole time. This issue in particular got us some really well done visuals that I think will outlast this story. While I missed seeing Jock doing the backup, I was thankful to see Capullo do the pencils for the full comic.
My hopes is that Joker is kept out of the limelight for awhile. This crossover was decent overall. There were some moments that really felt earned and set up well, while there were some noticeable missteps. The jokes in this series almost felt like anti-jokes, and showed more of a focus on lunacy than actual intelligence at times. A whole year of set up for this, and Joker is still technically out there and lurking in the caves somewhere? I guess I was just looking for something a little more crazy.
Grades
Words: 7/10
Pictures: 9/10
General Feeling After Reading: OK.
Buy Next Issue: Bring it on!
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