Batman #37 Review
Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Greg Capullo
Inks by Danny Miki
Colors by FCO Plascencia
Published by DC Comics
How fitting that after months of being unable to read my books due to health reasons, my triumphant return to comics is paired with the return of the Clown Prince of Crime himself, The Joker in his return to Gotham. In issue #36 we learned that Joker has been hiding in Gotham right under Bruce’s nose for months as Eric Border, a doctor at Arkham. (See the Batman Annual #2) In issue #37 we get a chance to see Joker’s malevolent plan. If Death of the Family was Joker’s love letter to Bats, End Game sees him turn into the scorned lover that wants to burn Bruce’s world down around him. I for one can’t wait to see what else Mr. J has up his sleeves!
Good God…Scott Snyder has reminded me why I fell in love with comics with this arc and it made my week when this was the first title I picked up after my hiatus from them. Snyder has his finger firmly on the pulse of how to write the Joker and is easily giving us some of the best stories featuring the Clown that we’ve seen in years. The special thing about Snyder’s Joker is that he always seems to be two steps ahead of Bats. Who would’ve ever imagined that the Justice League would even fall prey to the ultimate joke? This arc has already been filled with twists and turns and my favorite so far is easily making Bruce re-live the death of his parents featuring none other than Joe Chill himself. Snyder has already shown how far he’s willing to push Batman, I can’t wait to see the other amazing ways Bruce is going to be put through the wringer.
What can I say about Greg Capullo and company that hasn’t already been said? They continually push the envelope and set the standard of how top notch comic book art should look. I love how his art feeds the story as much as Snyder’s brilliant scripts do. If you look back at issue #36, you’ll notice an obscene number of flies being used right before the Joker reveals himself. I loved the nod this gave to Death of the Family, which is one of my favorite Batman arcs in recent years. If Snyder and Capullo are the Dynamic Duo, FCO Plascencia is their Alfred. The eerily beautiful use of colors throughout their run on this title seems to bring the entire thing together.
Snyder is in his wheelhouse when he writes a character as creepy as the Joker. If Death of the Family was Joker’s love letter to Batman, then End Game sees the Clown Prince as a scorned lover burning Bruce’s world down around him. There’s not a creative team I trust more to put Bruce through the wringer only to leave him standing stronger on the other side. For that reason I have a message for Snyder and company as their faced with the task of living up to their fans lofty expectations. In the words of Alfred Pennyworth, “Go get the bastard…”
5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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