Graphic Novel Reviews: Batman 013

The Story

Joker starts his attack on the Bat Family by targeting the Gotham PD. With his presence revealed Batman orders the rest of the family to continue with their current work, that he will take Joker on alone. When Joker makes a threat against the mayor, Batman tries to stop him but is unable to save all the police officers at the scene.

Oddly enough the mayor is one of the only ones that doesn't get killed.

Batman confronts Joker at the ACE chemical plant, where Harley dressed as the Red Hood traps him inside a vat that starts to fill with chemicals.

The Review
It almost feels like a moot point to even review this book, let alone grade it. Anyone that loves batman already knows that this is the best DC has to offer at the moment. Anyone that isn't already reading batman probably isn't inclined to do so in the first place, and I doubt anything I say would convince them.

But, I suppose, it is possible that there are some people out there, some odd, inexplicable people, that love Batman but haven't been reading Snyder's run on the series. Perhaps they've given up on the comics, perhaps they only like the movies and the animated series. Maybe they stopped readding when the New 52 launched. Consider the audience of this piece those people. Consider this a call to action, if you have any love for Batman, you need to pick this series up, starting with the Court of Owls and then working your way up to the current issues.

I won't lie and say the book is flawless, it's enough to earn a full score from me, but there are some minor flaws. But first, let us talk about what I really liked. First of all I like that this crossover is involving the extended cast a lot more. One of my biggest complaints with the bat titles is that they seem too afraid to use their characters as each others' supporting cast. Sure they can and all do support their own books, but the lack of the Bat family's involvement in the main Batman book gives it a bit of a sterile feel. I like seeing these characters interact and it seems that opportunities like this issue are rare.

I love the atmosphere Snyder creates with the Joker. After his long pedigree of causing chaos the Joker has rightfully become a monstrous legend in Gotham. This is what I believe allows him to murder all the cops bare handedly. Joker is not a physical powerhouse, and given how skinny he is I have a hard time imagining that he would be able to take a well trained and fit cop. Unless he has the reputation and preparation that his activities have given him.

The backup was a pretty decent moody piece, though I felt that the false tension of Joker saying he was going to cut off Harley's face wasn't as effective as it could have been, considering that we already knew Harley did not get her face cut off. But this is more a matter of the placement of the story rather than the content of the story itself.

Like I said, out of any of the bat books this is the one fans need to be reading. So if any of you aren't, then you've got some catching up to do.

The Grade

5/5