Could there be any more hype for this issue? Does Snyder stick the landing and deliver the definitive Joker story for the ages, or does the arc fall flat under it’s own tremendous weight? Honestly, it’s a bit of both.
Written by Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Greg Capullo• This is it: The stunning conclusion to “DEATH OF THE FAMILY”!
• Who lives? Who dies? Who laughs last? Find out as Batman and The Joker face off one last time!
The amount of expectation and hype surrounding this story is probably a bit unfair. Fans seem to forget the fact that real and lasting change in mainstream comics is a somewhat of a myth. Warner Bros. is going to make sure that they protect their sacred cows, no matter what diabolical things Scott Snyder would like to do to them. Even so, it’s hard not to feel a little let down when, here in the final leg of the arc, Snyder pulls almost all of his punches.
Truly, your enjoyment of this arc will depend on how your view the Joker. If you like your Joker cruel and sadistic, an unbridled force of pure nature with no regard for the world, then you’re probably going to be disappointed. While Snyder’s Joker may bear some of these traits, in the end he’s more of a macabre a stage performer, carefully trying to hide the wires so as not to ruin the punch line.
The Joker’s adaptability is what gives him his longevity, whether he’s a gun totting maniac, a campy menace poisoning the public water supply, a fork tongued demon, or just the court jester. Snyder maintains this ambiguity, and perhaps pushes it to even further depths, to the point that you feel like you can’t and never will fully understand this strange character. Snyder has succeeded in creating a distinct and immensely interesting new take on the Joker, wrapped and ready for the newer “Dark Knight” and New 52 crowds. More weathered fans will enjoy this interpretation, though it isn’t likely to be considered the definitive one.
Perhaps more important than his contributions to the Joker, and likely more long-lasting, is Snyder’s new take on the Batman/Joker dynamic. The duality of Batman and the Joker has been played with for years by writers like Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. Snyder adds an intimacy to this demented odd couple that borders on absurdity, yet it’s just so brilliantly disturbing. The Joker is more dependent on Batman than ever, and while Bruce struggles to rise above this strange bond, one can’t help but wonder if he can ever truly break free. A flashback scene depicting an encounter early in Batman and Joker’s careers solidifies this aspect, and casts a shadow over the entire Batman mythos.
While Snyder clearly has the high concepts and character dynamics locked down, he falls flat on the execution, and that’s where “Death of the Family” falters. Throughout this issue, Snyder ramps up the tension to unbearable levels, setting the reader up for a series of startling revelations. What happened to Alfred? What’s on the silver platters? Does Bruce know the Joker’s true identity? Does the Joker know the identities of the Bat-family? All these questions are asked, but when the curtain is finally pulled back, the answers are far less mind blowing than Snyder has led you to expect. Perhaps that’s Snyder’s joke on all of us, for expecting anything more radical than the status quo.
Also, there are points in this issue when the Joker’s dialogue is far too on the nose, to the point where he essentially becomes an expository mouth piece for the fans. Joker broaches several topics, such as why Batman has never looked into his origin, why he’s never just killed him outright, and the accompanying “slippery-slope” argument. Frankly, this exposition dump seems a little out of character. While these are all things that need to be discussed and explained, using the Joker as the medium comes off as forced and unnatural.
No matter the quality of Snyder’s writing, you can always count on Capullo’s art to make “Batman” a top tier book. Capullo opens with the iconoic image of a bat flying through the darkness, only with a sick twist. Flies flit across panels, representing the foulness Joker brings to the lives of everyone he touches. Capullo even manages to sneak in a demented Valentine for all his faithful readers in the form of a disturbing splash page. Later in the issue, Capullo presents a rotting Joker, a cracked and broken Batman, dueling to the death in the most fantastic and emotionally charged action sequence of this entire run. When the dust settles, Capullo ends a with a final page that truly drives home the unsettling nature of this arc, which will stick with you long after it’s over. Special mention to inker Jonathan Glapion and colorist FCO Plasencia for continuing to push Capullo’s art to the next level, forming one of the best art teams in the industry.
This final chapter of ‘Death of the Family,’ while in a way accomplishing what it set out to do, will likely be seen as somewhat of a disappointment to all but the most devoted Snyder fans. However, Snyder does plant seeds for some pretty interesting possibilities later in his run. The next issue will likely bear the brunt of the emotional fall out for ‘Death of the Family,’ which may in turn cast this issue in a new light. In the mean time, we’re left with a gorgeous book that fails to capitalize on some really great ideas. Here’s hoping that the upcoming stories featuring Harper Row and the Riddler fare better.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy it to finish the arc, and hope it’s a while before we see the Joker again.
