Batman #13

by lucstclair on October 12, 2012

“Death of the Family” starts here! After slicing off his face for the Dollmaker a year ago (as only the Joker could do), the Joker’s back and he’s got plans for Batman & his friends and that includes Jim Gordon. Featuring Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl & Harley Quinn.

The Team

Written by Scott Snyder (American Vampire Vol. 1-5, Batman : The Black Mirror, Severed, Swamp Thing Vol. 1 : Raise Them Bones) & James Tynion IV. Illustrated by Greg Capullo (Spawn origins Vol. 5, X-Force : Assault On Graymalkin, The Creech) & Jock (Batman : The Black Mirror, The Losers Book 1). Published by DC Comics.

The Pros

“Death of the Family” begins with guns blazing, as the Joker, Batman’s #1 nemesis returns with his old face reattached and he’s as mad as ever. This time he’s hatched a plan so devious that it involves everybody who’s associated with Batman, but he’s not ready to reveal his plans just yet. Writer Scott Snyder begins a new & terrifying chapter for this awesome title with everyone’s favourite Batman baddie. The plot is being kept so tight, so your guess is as good as mine, but it involves most of the Batman family titles and you know it’s not going to end well for one them or more. Now whether or not I pick up all the other tie-ins remains to be seen, I’m not crazy about these tie-ins to begin with. But if some of them get good word of mouth, then I’ll consider it. I already picked up & read Batgirl #13 as a prelude to this crossover and it was total crap, so I’m not off to a great start. It’s my own fault, I got suckered into that cover’s gimmicky mask cover like this one has, I should’ve known better.

 

Illustrator Greg Capullo continues his stint as regular artist and I hope he sticks around for a very long time. The amazing work he did on Spawn over the years has definitely influenced the way he illustrates Batman and his surroundings. The comic also has a backup story that features the Joker’s femme fatale girlfriend Harley Quinn. Normally I don’t really like these “filler” stories, but this one has a purpose that serves the main story well and illustrator Jock draws the craziest looking Joker I’ve ever seen since Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum.

The Cons

There are way, way too many tie-ins for this major event, but if that’s your bag & if your wallet can take the pressure, than by all means go nuts.

The Outcome

I was anticipating the arrival of this issue for a while & it didn’t disappoint. Batman & the Joker have tussled more times than any other hero & villain, but this time the Joker’s going to strike at Batman where it hurts… through his family. These are good times to be reading comics my friends.

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside