Batman #37

Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Greg Capullo
Inks by Danny Miki
Colors by FCO Placensia

The Joker and Batman have been eternalized into Americana. Everyone knows that. They have one of the most famous feuds in pop history. And now, like archetypes, they'll be remembered for a very long time. Very rarely is this mentioned inside of Batman comics. Now, Snyder is playing with this idea of immortality and doing it excellently.

 

Whether The Joker ends up being as immortal and devilish as he appears in Endgame won't matter in the end, what matters is the fact that he could possibly convince Bruce, and in turn ourselves, that he is eternal.

 

The mirror monologue and image of Bruce building himself up / tearing The Joker down is epic in its idea because just by saying those things it already defeats its own purpose. By trying to build himself and tear the Joker down, Bruce admits that both The Joker and Batman are eternal. And that Batman ISN'T Bruce, but something much more and it has to be to compete with The Joker.

 

On top of having an interesting philosophical discussion, the issue is also quite scary. With several creepy moments that are perfect for this new Joker. These moments are thanks to Capullo, Miki, and Placensia working as a cohesive unit. Separately, they're all great, but together they're creating a masterpiece run.

 

The most important thing to remember when reading this arc is to not question "How?" Too many people get caught up in the logistics and continuity to enjoy what's happening and question "why?"