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| [ STAB THAT SALE IN THE BAT ] |
To QUOTE some crazy c*nt
with a gun seen in this issue: 'Do
you like my Jellyfish, Batman?'.
THE STORY:
Despite all of his best efforts, Batman still finds himself in some really
deep shit. And I do mean really-really deep shit.
I mean, can you imagine what it must feel like to discover
that your old enemy has figured out who you really are, whilst contaminating
most of your city with his pesky virus, notably your brother in arms, James
what's-his-face? Worst still, for you to then be able to get your hands on your old
foe, you've now got to persuade another crazy bugger to formulate a plan of
attack, blah-blah-blah?
It sounds bloody crazy, doesn't it? But then again, what
else would you expect from the Joker? A new origin, perhaps? Ha!
Now I could start off my review by telling you how much I
loved Greg Capullo's noir-ish artwork, or Scott Snyder's detailed yet engrossing dialogue.
And then, once I've done that, I could continue the motion by explaining how much
I loved those scenes where Jim Gordon went nuts, plus how Dick helped Bruce out
with his investigations.
But no. I don't want to do that, do I? That would be far too
pedestrian for a silly reviewer like myself! I'd rather say to you that there
is only one thing in this issue that really needs addressing. And that one thing is,
of course, the Jokers new origins.
Well, as much as I wasn't too sure about them to begin with,
there was a part of me that liked the idea of how they fed off what came before
it. Like their Year Zero connection for instance, plus how it connects
him to Vandal, Ra's, and Doctor Death.
What's more, I did like how most of the issue evolved around
how Batman tried talking Crazy Quilt around to his way of thinking. Even though
some of this talking did involve a bit of mindless violence, complemented with
character's with some real character, and a plot with some real plot.
Wait a minute. I best stop myself there. As I can now feel
myself giving too much away about this amazing must buy book.
THE BAD:
OK. I know this might sound somewhat strange. But in all
honesty the only thing about this adventure I wasn't too keen on stemmed from
my own perceptions. Firstly, I almost kicked myself for not figuring out that Doctor
Paul Dekker was none other than the colour themed villain, Crazy Quilt. And secondly,
well, this whole new take on the Jokers origins has gotten me a bit confused.
You see, as I said previously, on the one hand I do find it
fairly intriguing to read that his 'core being' derives from historic sources
related to Gotham City
Know what I mean?
THE MUSIC:
For fairly obvious reasons I'd say the Queen song, 'Who Wants To
Live Forever', could sum up this comic both on a thematic and tonal level.
Now after reading this issue I was divided if I should
compare it to a Jelly fish or the Greek God, Dionysus. But then, when I thought
about it for a moment or two, I decided to choose Dionysus because in
many ways he seems to represent the central theme running throughout its
telling: Mad schemes and immortal beginnings.
THE CONCLUSION:
At the very end of this issue Batman asks someone to help
him thwart the Jokers nefarious schemes. So just for fun -- maybe / hypothetically
/ fingers crossed / delete as applicable -- who do you think he asks out of the
following eight suspects?
- Superman -- What? Too obvious?
- Oprah Winfrey -- Well, she does have a lot of influence, doesn't she?
- Dick Grayson -- One minute! He's done that in this issue already!
- Kim
Kardashian -- Because she is very good at giving hand... errr... next!
- Wolverine -- No. He's not dead. He's very much alive and well, and waiting for the right time Marvel can pay him the big bucks again.
- My Mother -- What? Is that too obvious too?
- Barry Manilow -- Yes!
- The Court Of Owls -- No!
Nuff said.
BATMAN #38
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
February 24, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
February 24, 2015
Rating:
