Batman #13
Why I Bought It
Batman. Joker. I'm fair game.
What I Liked
The argument could be made that this is unlike any Joker we've ever seen because, quite frankly, we haven't really seen Joker in the New 52. Snyder can do whatever he wants with this character and it would make sense to the reader as long as Snyder and Capullo are able to show the emotion of the characters around him successfully. That is where the selling point for the comic, and for this Joker, will be.
And we can see that with how James Gordon reacts when Joker is toying with him. He is scared. Fear is showing, or is about to. But with Batman's emotions, he comes across as the most collected individual in the whole comic when he isn't yelling at Harley at the end.
Now a clear argument can still be made either way as to if Joker knows Batman's secret identity in the New 52. He could be going after Wayne because Wayne is sponsoring Batman, so why not hurt the ones that Wayne cares most about? And in doing that, he manages to eliminate the fellow Bat-support characters. The question is if this is intentional or not.
I loved Jock's work on Batman, and Capullo shines as per usual. If this pace is kept up for the whole story, then the art is going to come across as memorable as the story.
From what this book reads like so far, this has the potential to be a good comic, and a good Joker story. I have high hopes, let's see where it goes from here.
What I Didn't Like
The cover is driving me nuts. I don't like gimmick covers, and that is all this one is. You don't get a regular cover, you get a cut out of the Joker face wrapped around Batman's head and the eye holes are cut out. Just holding it in your hand feels weird, and it reminds me too much of previous gimmick covers. It would almost be fine if the cover on the back didn't end half way across the page.
And it looks like they are going, at least by what Joker says which in itself can be taken with a grain of salt, that the Joker origin from Tim Burton's Batman is playing its part here. Interesting take, but I think the character is a lot better with his origin left unknown.
But the biggest thing I don't like, the one that takes a page from The Geoff Johns Flash Book, is when Joker goes on about how he will make Batman better by saving him from his allies that make him weak. That is a Reverse Flash line. I don't mind my superheroes crossing over into each other's books, but at least have the decency to have the Flash appear in costume when you steal a line like that.
Panel to Remember
The one where this really hits home for me is when Jim Gordon and Batman are talking in the elevator. There is one panel of Gordon where he is just nervous. When it is just him and Batman, he has allowed himself to be nervous and let it show. That sells the strength of how scary this Joker can be.
Quotable
"It's the old children's gag." - Its also the same one from the recent Dark Knight movie. Interesting.
Grades
Words: 7/10 - It has potential .The words have been borrowed from other creations and characters. Future issues will need to be able to stand on their own. I get the repetition because that's the Joker's M.O. right now, but let's see some thing original.
Pictures: 9/10 - Yes, I liked both artists.
Buy Next Issue: Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
