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Review: Batman #15

By | December 14th, 2012
Posted in Reviews | 3 Comments

Over the past three years, Scott Snyder’s name has become synonymous with earth-shattering Batman stories. ‘The Black Mirror’ and ‘The Court of the Owls’ are already spoken in the same breath as stories like ‘Hush’ and ‘The Long Halloween.’ So far, ‘Death of the Family’ has the makings of yet another modern day classic. However, this issue hits a minor snag in the form of a mid-issue family therapy session.

Warning: This review contains mild spoilers

Written by Scott Snyder (Back-up by James Tynion IV)
Illustrated by Greg Capullo (Back-up by Jock)

– “DEATH OF THE FAMILY” continues here!
– The Joker’s attacks have taken their toll on Batman and his allies, and now they have to face the impossible.
– The final madness of The Joker’s plan revealed here! Why is he more dangerous now than ever before?
– Plus: In the backup feature, witness The Joker’s confrontation with the Riddler as the horror of The Joker’s plan is revealed.

Opening on a full page spread of the Joker, cloaked in darkness, we find Bruce reassuring himself that his greatest enemy is nothing more than a man, something that can be overcome. Snyder’s Batman lets emotion rule his judgment. He must make himself believe he has control of the situation, even if it means disregarding the evidence around him. Throughout the issue Bruce refutes the possibility that the Joker has gained the upper hand. This flawed take is more in line with Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” than Grant Morrison’s “Bat-god.” Considering the parallels between Joker’s attacks and those of the Court of Owls, another enemy Bruce doubted, it seems he may be making similar mistakes all over again. While it may turn out that Bruce is right after all, it’s frustrating to see him acting so naive. The Bat-family shares this frustration, allowing them to act as intermediaries between Batman and the reader. When Nightwing, Robin, and the others confront Batman regarding his secrets, they ask the same questions the reader is asking.

Unfortunately this strength is turned to a weakness as this part, lasting half of the issue, consists primarily of dense exposition and circuitous arguments. A flashback to an early encounter with the Joker retroactively calls the safety of the entire Bat-family into question, making Bruce’s stubbornness even harder to swallow. While important to the overall narrative,  this section effectively kills the momentum that has built over the last two issues. This is a common problem with modern serialized comics, but one that is often remedied when the story is read as a whole. Snyder recovers by using his knack for preying on basic human fears to reengage the reader. In tying the closing narration back to the opening pages, he creates a fantastic bookend that gives new and disturbing insight into just how far gone this Joker really is. After reading the final page, you will be dying for issue #16.

While Snyder’s Batman seems slightly different than what fans are accustomed, his Joker is a new animal entirely. Here he is not an anarchist out for supreme chaos, but rather a man held captive by an ideal. Joker worships Batman and will do anything to help him reach his perceived full potential as Gotham’s king. This bizarre symbiosis has been touched on in other stories, but never to this extreme. Joker has a seemingly omniscient knowledge of the Bat and those around him, casting him as the ultimate stalker. His dialogue towards Batman is dripping with sexual overtones, throwing their twisted relationship into an even darker place. If you thought the “Clown Prince of Darkness” persona from Morrison’s run was bad, this interpretation is downright skeevy (especially if you read his lines with Mark Hamill’s ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ voice, as everyone should).

This Joker wouldn’t be half as fascinating or disturbing if it weren’t for artist Greg Capullo. No praise can be given towards Capullo’s work on “Batman” that hasn’t been given a hundred times over by the comic community. He excels in his depiction of Gotham, giving the city life and individuality not present in other Bat-comics. Special mention must go to how well Capullo utilizes Joker’s face-mask. During his struggle with Batman the mask tears and shifts, revealing the muscle beneath and highlighting the Joker’s trademark smile. If one fault could be found in Capullo’s art it would be in the faces of the “normal” characters, which are somewhat over-exagerated, almost cartoon-like. This is a minor complaint, but it creates tonal dissonance with the dark nature of the plot.

Continued below

As if Snyder and Capullo weren’t enough talent for a single issue, Snyder’s protege James Tynion IV and “Detective Comics” collaborator Jock pitch in for the back-up feature. The story focuses on  the Riddler, marking his first appearance in the New 52 (disregarding the mohawk guy in issue #1). In just a few pages we get a strange glimpse of what Joker has in store for Bruce, as well as a look at the Riddler’s skill set and relationship with the Joker. It seems Gotham’s Jester has found a place for the Riddler in King Batman’s court. Knowing that the arc following ‘Death of the Family’ will revolve around the Riddler, consider this a teaser for things to come.

Considering this is one of the most (if not THE most) acclaimed books at DC and one of the year’s biggest stories, it’s safe to say this book is worth checking out. While it does suffer from a mid-story exposition dump, it serves its purpose by paving the way for the final showdown between Batman and Joker that everyone clamors for. Plus, the art from Capullo and Jock alone makes this issue worth your $3.99.

Final Verdict: 8.4 – A few pacing issues won’t keep this from being the most talked about issue of the week.


Zach Wilkerson

Zach Wilkerson, part of the DC3 trinity, still writes about comics sometimes. He would probably rather be reading manga or thinking about Kingdom Hearts. For more on those things, follow him on Twitter @TheWilkofZ

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