Batman #14

Funny Bones

Snyder has promised to deliver a story in “Death of a Family” which will transform the face of the Batman world. Batman #13 revealed a promising start with an even darker Joker leaving his mark on the GCPD courtesy of a pile of dead officers. He also brought Batman back to the scene of his original encounter with the Clown Prince of Crime. Finally, he beat and subdued Alfred for his own twisted and unknown purpose. Does Snyder continue to bring the laughs with the next installment of his story, or is the entire act a flop?

In this issue, Batman escapes Joker’s deathtrap, discovers Alfred has been taken, and finds that Commissioner Gordon is Joker’s next target.

A Reverse Murder Mystery

This whole story is beginning to strike me a reverse murder mystery. We all know the murderer, but everybody is eager to find out who the victim will be.

Sadly, I am not much enjoying this enigma. I’ve read many actual murder mysteries over the years, and though they are sometimes quite fun, I cannot stand it when the writer simply builds good motivations for all the different suspects, gives them all ample opportunity to kill the victim, and provides them slippery alibis which may or may not clear them. Rather than feel as if I am closing in on a suspect, I feel as if I am being led through an endless labyrinth. In books such as these, I find myself in a state of learned helplessness where I eventually throw up my hands and say, “Fine. I have no idea who the killer is!” When the killer is at last revealed, I feel nothing because it could have just as easily have been one of a half dozen other characters.

My feelings are the same on “Death of a Family.” In this issue, we get teased with the idea that the entire Bat Family might be killed, and though this could be done in such a way as to create dramatic tension, it does not succeed. Commissioner Gordon is almost murdered and then saved in the process of three pages. Alfred is kidnapped and possibly maimed,

Honestly, I would not be surprised at this point if any Bat character died, but that is the exact opposite of what Snyder should be trying to create. I want a death, if there is any even coming, to surprise me.

Joker the Invincible

My only real complaint about the last issue was the precinct scene where Joker killed half a dozen cops without working up a sweat. That is pretty darn tame compared to his feats this issue where he manages

He also manages to kill the entire Gotham underworld (and on a tangent here, that pretty much eliminates the relevance of the current Nightwing arc) who apparently do not put up much of a fight.

Honestly, this display of the lethality from the Joker is just plain stupid. I was willing to accept it once, but it really got on my nerves this time. Joker is threatening by virtue of being a master of the unexpected, but his kidnapping scheme would have to have been reported, and there is no way Joker just magically took down three dozen armed guys with an umbrella gun.

Goofy Antics

Beyond what I already mentioned, there are two more scenes which left me scratching my head.

Batman’s escape from the chemical vat nearly defies explanation. As best as I can figure, Batman uses what he calls a “propulsion tunnel” amped up to 750 PSI to create a thrusting force which sends Batman careening into the top of the vat and into safety. Overlooking the problems with Bruce holding onto such a things and the strain on Bruce’s body from the force alone, Batman’s body should have been crushed thwacking against the roof of the vat. He essentially turned himself into a battering ram, but I do not believe Bruce, even in his suit, is more durable than the lock holding the vat into place.

I know many comic readers do not think this deeply about things, and if that is your way, more power to you, but I am not very good at turning my brain off, and these things annoy me.

Art and Dialogue Artfully Done

As always, Snyder does an excellent job pacing the story and creating perfect dialogue for the characters. It is interesting that he is making Nightwing much more assertive in his interactions with Bruce, but I am okay with this post-reboot change. Capullo’s art looks great as well, and even the scenes which make no sense to me are beautifully rendered.

Men of Worship

Men of Worship is the backup story, and though it did feature the ridiculous scene where Joker took out three dozen armed thugs by his lonesome, I actually enjoyed it more than the main story. Joker has something in the works for Cobblepot, and I look forward to seeing what exactly he has in store.

Conclusion

I know I will probably get harangued in the recommendations for this, but Batman #14 simply was not up to the level of Snyder’s previous works. Joker is graced with superhuman powers (even if they are not stated as such), and everybody is going to pay for being a member of the Bat Clan. I originally expected that Snyder had something deeper in store for readers than, “Joker’s gonna get’cha,” but I’m beginning to fear that he does not. Still, Snyder has had a superb run so far, so I’m being a little generous with this rating. Hopefully, Snyder still has some worthwhile twists in this story.