Vengeance takes the spotlight as we learn the story of the new Bane and why she needs Jim Gordon in The Joker #8, written by James Tynion IV, drawn by Guillem March, colored by Arif Prianto and lettered by Tom Napolitano.
Two-Face is born and Batman and Catwoman share a rooftop as Gotham begins to burn in Batman ā89 #3, written by Sam Hamm, drawn by Joe Quinones, colored by Leonard Ito and lettered by Clayton Cowles.
Alfred, Daphne and Jenkins investigate a dog-napping while the rest of the Scooby Gang and the Dynamic Duo deal with cat crimes in The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #7, written by Sholly Fisch, drawn by Dario Brizuela, colored by Franco Riesco and lettered by Wes Abbott.
Matt Lazorwitz: I like that possibly the darkest book we talk about here, The Joker, comes out the same week as by far the lightest, The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries. It is a nice counterpoint.
Will Nevin: Murderous yin to goofy yang. All things in proper proportion, Brother Matt.
Joker Secret Files: Vengeance
Matt: So, with the exception of the one flashback issue and the issue where the various people pursuing Joker came together, I think this is the first issue of Joker that completely focused on one plot. No moving among the numerous subplots, just a focus on Gordon and Vengeance, the new female Bane. Iām not saying this with any judgment, just an observation.
Will: Is that her official Christian name? I thought we were still going with Lady Bane. That aside, this issue lost me a little in the beginning with its reliance on action ā which is not what I expect with this book ā but then it came all the way āround and redeemed itself with yet another stunning chapter. We keep saying it, but it needs to be said a whole bunch: This is the best Bat book going, and if I read more of the line, I might have the confidence to say it’s the overall best in show. Also, in a nod to āScott Tenorman Must Die,ā remind me to never piss off Vengeance. That sequence where she described exactly how sheād kill Joker? That was so fucking good.
Matt: For a book with Joker as the nominal protagonist, this book has oddly little violence. It comes in fits and spurts, but is mostly a lot of talking and the after-effects of violence, which make when it happens so much more off-putting, usually in a good way. But that opening action scene was a bit much, not in the violence, but because it felt ā¦ gratuitous and somewhat unnecessary. I thought that might have been me, since I read this right after seeing No Time to Die, the new Bond, which, while enjoyable, was one action scene too long. But Iām glad to see I wasnāt the only one who felt that opening was a bit much.
Will: Gordonās new lady friend got her damned arm ripped off! It was definitely extra. Also, no spoilers! I still need to see Spectre.
Matt: Vengeance has been fairly one-note to this point, and so getting this scene with her and Gordon just talking on the boat did a lot to flesh her out; the back half of this issue felt like Secret Files: Vengeance. Itās interesting the way Tynion takes the origin of Bane and just adds a little twist to it, involving the Santa Priscan authorities a bit more. Vengeanceās origin as a mindless super soldier who is programmed to kill isnāt anything fresh, but Tynion writes her with a twist as well: She isnāt seeking redemption, as is usually the way (see Wolverine, the Laura Kinney one), she just wants out from under, and if that means killing the Joker for the right reason versus just her programming? Sure thing!
Will: Weāve dinged Mr. Tiny Onion for his glut of new characters/merchandising opportunities on Batman, and I will gladly die with every bit of that criticism etched upon the mighty graveside obelisk that will celebrate all my good works. But what separates the Ghost-Makers/Punchlines/whatever-that-Ivy-ancillary-character-is-called is the depth we get with Vengeance. Youāre absolutely right that sheās not seeking redemption; what sheās looking for is a purpose. A goddamned raison d’etre. Killing Joker is not her reason for crawling out of that big olā test tube; it was simply given to her. But if she can kill Joker for Gordon because she wants to? Free will and murder in one convenient combo package.
Matt: And Vengeance (and by extension Tynion) shows how well she gets Joker, with that first statement from her monologue on killing him: Sheāll rip out his tongue to keep him from using his greatest weapon. Joker is a monster, and his Joker Venom and acid flower and joy buzzer of death are all scary weapons. But itās the fact that heās a guy who can talk people into their worst instincts, or who knows just the button to push to sow doubt, that makes him terrifying. Leaving the folder with her origins out for her to find, knowing she would turn on her handlers? Thatās Machievellian genius of the highest level. Despite Joker not appearing in the present of this issue, he weighs heavily on every page, and thatās part of what makes this book brilliant.
Will: Let me state again for the historical record how flippinā awesome that monologue was — the exquisite detail, the commitment to seeing the job through, the total ruthlessness of it all. Bond villains could really learn a lesson there.
Matt: And it leaves Jim with the moral quandary: He can just point Vengeance at Joker (who is up to some creepy shit, but we donāt know enough yet to be sure what it is) and let her do the killinā. He doesnāt get his hands dirty, and Joker dies in an unmarked grave (to start with). I canāt wait to see how he deals with all of that next issue.
Will: Any idea how many more of these we get to look forward to? I could look it up, but that seems like one of the things you might know and/or be willing to look up yourself.
Matt: Another six. Tynion will run through 14, with I believe one more of the Rosenberg co-written flashbacks in there.
Will: His Batman can end any day. But this? Iām gonna miss it somethinā fierce.
Two-Face Begins
Matt: This issue did not do anything to appease my concern from last issueās review about the pacing of this comic. We have another issue with minimal Batman. But I did have an epiphany as I got to the end of this comic: Thatās not unheard of in the Batman movies that inspired this series. Batman and Batman Returns are really centered on the villains, with Batman driving the narrative, and if looked at through that lens, this series is definitely the story of Harvey Dent, so I might need to reframe my thoughts with that in mind.
Will: The art still totally misses the fucking point, and I canāt even fathom how editorial screwed up so seriously here. That said? This is an amazing Harvey Dent story. Like, really, really good. The swerve here got me, and I super enjoyed the look inside of his madness. This Dent is so compelling; heās not a cracked character who got pushed too far. Instead, heās a complex (but relatively normal member of the establishment) who shatters as a reaction to his trauma. I like that. A whole bunch. And as an added bonus, heās even got a beef against Bruce Wayne. What a good story.
Matt: Yes! This Harvey Dent is like Jack Napier; not the version of the character from the comicās continuity, but a fully realized character in his own right. And even better than Napier, as he has more dimensions.
All of the supporting characters are well written in this book. Drake Winston, the soon to be Robin, is interesting. Barbara Gordon is like no other Barbara, but still very interesting, and you can see how her gratitude to Bruce is going to further push Harvey Dent over the edge. Alfred is perfectly in character, even in his limited page space. And the idea of Bruce Wayne getting a spotlight shone on him that is not just gossip rag spotlight, impeding his effectiveness? I know itās been done before, even if I canāt remember exactly where, and itās a novel enough angle that it works in this strange version of the Batman universe.
Will: Itās strange, but itās got some real depth to it. If we can get three Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles minis, I see no reason why we canāt get some sequels for this. Shoulda been an ongoing from the beginning anyway.
Matt: This wears a social message on it far more visibly than either of the Burton films. There was some commentary there, absolutely, but it was subsumed by the Burton visuals. Yes, Max Shreck was all about crass consumerism and the richās abuse of power. Sure, Joker was using mass media to inspire fear. But none of that was as central to the premise as the discussions of race in this book. The observation that Drake isnāt getting the same media coverage as Bruce for saving Dent is an apt one, and one that is timely with the recent examples in the news of an inverse of sorts, āMissing White Woman Syndrome.ā
Will: Not to continue to harp on the visuals (but to again complain about them, yes), thereās really nothing here that speaks all that much to the Burton films outside of the general parameters of events (I donāt think you need a rewatch or any deep understanding of them to pick this book up), but that doesnāt mean this isnāt a solid to ā dare I say it ā great book.
Matt: Thatās never more true when you look at the last page and see Batman and Catwoman looking out at a city on fire and it looks like ā¦ any olā city. There are a couple Gothic flourishes, but they feel like, āHey, this is Gotham, so I need to add some curls and a couple weird heads,ā versus them being an organic part of the creepy or rundown nature of the city. That whole, āThe city is a characterā thing is done to death, but with Batman and Gotham? That is so important. You can tell a piece of Batman media by a still of just the cityscape, and if you canāt, something is wrong. And that stands out even more when the next book we discuss uses that Burton-inspired aesthetic more clearly.
While the Batās Away, the Cats Will Play
Matt: So, on that note, I love that half-page of the giant cat on top of a very Burton Wayne Towers. I mean, you know me, giant cats are kind of my bag, so thatās a plus for me right out of the gate.
Will: This right here is a book that rarely disappoints, but Iāll say one thing that struck me as odd in this one was Alfred. Did he look like Alfred to you? I found his visual specifically to be strangely off-putting.
Matt: Yeah, Alfred had too much hair here. Alfredās hair is always thinning at best, if not missing entirely, and as a guy with thinning hair, I always appreciate the representation. He looked more like Alfred once he put a hat on.
Will: Not only was it too much hair, it was too dark. I mean, jeeze, guys.
Matt: But aside from that, this was another enjoyable little caper. Introducing Jenkins, a character we saw last issue and who only appeared in A Pup Named Scooby Doo! before this was a nice touch. And again, this book lives off its gags that play off the expectations of the two franchises, and I found two of them in this issue particularly amusing.
Will: The only thing better than bits are gags. And I love bits.
Matt: One was Ace having to come up with excuses for having the same name in both his ācivilianā and āsuperheroicā identity. The other was at the very end. Oh, Fred. You are addicted to unmasking the bad guyā¦
Will: But who was Catman? We ask the important questions here at BatChat (print edition).
Matt: Oh, Catman. We have to dig into some Catman stories for BatChat (audio edition) soon to teach you the wonders of Catman. At least the Gail Simone-written version. And hey, itās nice to see the classic Batman: The Animated Series Catwoman design showing up again.
Bat-miscellany
- Willās favorite gag from Bats ānā Scoobs? The MacGuffin Building.
- Alfred canāt get himself and his crew out of Catmanās clutches because he hasnāt read Chapter 14 of his book on being a detective yet. If this series continued coming out in digital chapters? That would have been Chapter 14, so he would clearly learn how by the end. Thatās clever, or would have been if this kept being released in those smaller chapters. Shows they are still constructed for that format even if itās not coming out that way.
- Will has a new favorite gag. ^ that one.
- With so many other books, we werenāt able to touch on the first issue of The Imposter or The Audio Adventures Special in this column, but stay tuned for an announcement about some more BatChat-written review content in the next week or so.
- This week, on the BatChat for your ears, weāve got three stories that look at Batman when heās given a chance to stretch those olā detective legs. Next week, itās three all-ages stories with special guest and super editor Dan Grote! [Groteās note: Hey, thatās me!]
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of 5. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the podcasts BatChat with Matt & Will and The ComicsXF Interview Podcast.
Will Nevin loves bourbon and AP style and gets paid to teach one of those things. He is on Twitter far too often.
