Batman #40 Review

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Batman, Batman #40, Batman #40 Review, comics, Danny Miki, DC Comics, Endgame, Endgame finale, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, Scott Snyder, The Joker, The New 52

 

Batman #40

Review by Paul Bowler

This is it! Batman #40, the finale of Endgame, is here! Gotham City is in chaos, Jokerized mobs of the infected are everywhere, and the Clown Prince of Crimes ghoulish carnival now parades through the streets. With his ability to heal the Joker is more dangerous than ever. Batman must risk everything as he fights the Joker in the midst of Gotham’s madness, but there is still one last laugh to be had. Is this really the final end..?

Endgame has been Scott Snyder’s and Greg Capullo’s major story event for Batman’s 75th anniversary and it’s proved to be their most ambitious, darkest, and epic Bat-Saga so far. The Joker’s return has challenged the Dark Knight like never before. The Joker’s new toxin has not only turned Gotham’s citizens into a cackling army of lunatics, a chemical in the toxin has also given him uncanny regenerative powers, and its even possible that Batman’s greatest enemy could well be immortal! Now, while Batman’s allies and old enemies fight side by side against the infected, Batman must confront the Joker and save Gotham City, whatever the cost…

Batman #40 plunges us right into the thick of the action as Batman and his allies battle their way through the Jokerized hordes of the infected to reach the Joker. The plan seems to be straightforward enough. Batman must defeat the Joker, obtain a sample of his spinal fluid, and synthesize a cure for the virus. Although Batman took down the Justice League after they were infected with the virus, that’s nothing compared to what the Dark Knight faces here. While the Joker wickedly dances with warped effigies from Bruce’s past, a helping hand at a crucial moment enables Batman to glide over the crowds of the infected to face the Joker.

The way Scott Snyder manages to keep our nerves jangling as Batman confronts the Joker is ingenious to say the least. Snyder completely blindsides us with the deafening intensity of Joker’s counter-strike, it’s horrifically staged, gnawing into the gut as it uncovers our eyes, and it really pulls you into the finale of Endgame in a way that leaves you completely unprepared for what comes next just as it seems all is lost.

Greg Capullo’s art for Batman #40 is his best ever on the series. This issue looks amazing! From the opening flashback to that defining moment of Joker’s origin at ACE Chemicals, through to the Joker’s warped parade with some of Batman’s most iconic trophies, and the raging carnage unfolding around Batman’s allies and enemies as they fight alongside each other against such impossible odds, is all just a taste of what awaits as Endgame moves towards its grand finale. Danny Miki’s excellent inks sublimely enhance the finer details of Capullo’s art, and FCO Plascencia’s vivid colors magnificently highlight the intensity and tone of every scene.

As we descend into the dark depths of Gotham for the final battle, it is here that Snyder and Capullo engineer the ultimate showdown between Batman and the Joker! The fateful symmetry created here as elements from Zero Year and Death of The Family entwine inexorably with the overarching narrative of Endgame, adds a magnificent twist to the speculations over the Joker’s apparent immortality, when a truth that cannot lie sets the stage for Gotham’s salvation in a fight where the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime each get to play their final cards – but who will have the last laugh? This is the moment that Endgame was always going to boil down to; it’s bloody, savage, and so viciously dark that it will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page…

So, to those finale pages then… It’s not exactly the question of the Joker’s immortality that dominates the conclusion to Endgame, or even the resolution to the fight itself, insomuch as the way the focus shifts towards what Alfred perceives as Batman’s own immortality. As Alfred slowly comes to terms with his injuries – losing his hand after the Joker broke into the Bat-Cave and attacked him – he must now contemplate the future as the legacy of the Dark Knight presents a cryptic coda in Endgames final moments as dawn rises over Gotham City.

With Endgame, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have seamlessly blended all the major elements and characters from their tenure so far. The Court of Owls, Death of the Family, and Zero Year have all been fantastic story arcs in their own right. Endgame manages to eclipse them all as Snyder aligns everything in the anarchic totality of Batman #40 where the face-off between the Batman and the Joker finally reaches its shattering conclusion.

As the major events in Batman #40 bring Endgame to a close, there are some big changes ahead for Batman following DC Comics game-changing, all encompassing universe and timeline epic Conversion event. Snyder’s fifth year in Gotham will introduce a whole new era and see the debut of an All New Batman! We’ve already seen teasing images of the Bat-Bot / Robo-Suit, its certainly got social media buzzing and divided some opinions, and there’s also the highly intriguing prospect of a brand new villain as well. Its a bold move to do something so radically different, however, I have complete faith in Snyder, Capullo, and the entire Bat-Team to deliver something that will totally blow any doubts and preconceptions out the water.

Batman #40 provides a fittingly epic, brutal, and dark finale to Endgame. I think Endgame has been one of Scott Snyder’s and Greg Capullo’s finest story arcs so far. Now the scene is set for the next era of the Dark Knights legacy to begin and I can’t wait to see what Snyder and Capullo have in store for us next!

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Batman #39 Review

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Batman, Batman #39, Batman #39 review, comics, Court of Owls, Danny Miki, DC Comics, Endgame, Endgame Part 5, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder, The Joker, The New 52

Batman #39

Review by Paul Bowler

The end seems nigh in Batman #39, Gotham is burning, and soon the Joker virus will kill everyone. Regenerative factors in the Joker’s blood have made him even deadlier, now seemingly immortal; he’s become a ghoulish enigma whose image has appeared at every major tragedy throughout Gotham’s history. In this darkest hour Batman has even sought help from the Court of Owls to end the Joker’s campaign of terror. When violence and horror strikes at the very heart of Batman’s world, the Dark Knight and his allies must unite with old enemies to save Gotham, but it would seem that the Joker has saved his best trick for last…

The Clown Prince of Crime’s terrifying return to Gotham continues in Batman #39 as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo ominously flip the Bat-Signal upside down for one their most apocalyptic and brutal issue so far. Endgame: Part 5 begins with a secret pact, a funeral atmosphere, and the most striking portent of doom the Dark Knight has ever seen. From here we rejoin last issue momentous cliff-hanger, as Batman confronts the Court of Owls in the underworld beneath Gotham, but his attempt to discover where the Joker obtained the chemical Dionesium – which is also in the electrum Court of Owls use to bring the Tallons back – is hindered by their lofty indifference and warped perspective of Gotham from their underground domain.

The return of the Court of Owls in this penultimate chapter of Endgame serves to reinforce the epic nature of this storyline. Endgame will surely stand as the pinnacle of everything Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have established so far during their run, its ingenious how they’ve brought the various elements from their previous story arcs together, the addition of the Court of Owls now brings everything full circle to stand alongside Death of the Family and Zero Year as events build inexorably towards Endgame’s final act.

Although the mystery of the Joker’s immortality remains an elusive conundrum, Batman’s confrontation with one of the first Tallons, Uriah Boone, does at least scratch one very intriguing question across the wall of history for us to dwell over. However, it is the Joker’s actions in Batman #39 that soon overshadow and questions about his immortality, when the Clown Prince of Crime savagely attacks someone close to Batman. It’s a scene that is sure to become one of Endgame’s defining moments. One that brutally cleaves through the unthinkable, scraping on bone and sinew, before leaving us cradling our shock in disbelief.

From that hauntingly evil cover onwards, Greg Capullo’s art wrings every nuance of darkness and horror from Snyder’s scrip, triples it, and then brings it all to life to on the page with such intensity its literally breathtaking. The scenes with the Court of Owls are stunning, their realm seems even more menacing than before, and the fight with the Tallon is another great moment. Capullo’s Joker is absolutely magnificent! Evil to the extreme, and shockingly violent, the Joker’s entrance alone – as he glances back at us over his shoulder with that bloodied grin and manic twinkle in his eye – is a macabre delight that sends chills down the spine. Gotham itself has never looked so bleak and dangerous; Danny Miki’s excellent inks and FCO Plascencia’s rich colors excel throughout: the Court of Owls lair is an ominous well of undulating light and shadow, while the gaudy mania of Joker’s parade is reminiscent of a similar scene from Tim Burton’s Batman (1989).

In this months backup story, The Last Smile, written by James Tynion IV, with pencils by Dustin Nguyen, inks by Derek Fridolfs, colors by Dave Mccaig, and letters by Steve Wands, finds the escaped Arkham inmates given the task of telling their stories about the Joker to Doctor Zaheer embarking on the last stage of their journey. It is here, as they make their way into the dark depths beneath Gotham City, that Dr Mahreen Zaheer finally learns the truth about the Joker. Now she must choose which of the stories she believes is real, confronting a horror that will take her to the brink as truth and lies entwine to have the last laugh. The backups James Tynion IV has written for Endgame have all been exceptionally good, brining adding depth to the main storyline, and Tynion ensures that this final, twisted chapter is the most chilling of all.

Scott Snyder expertly shuffles events in Batman #39 as though they were a time-shifting deck of cards, effortless splicing the flashbacks set only a few hours in the past with the carnage unfolding in the present. As the pieces gradually begin slot into place we are presented with a unique perspective of these events, sometimes even witnessing things happening in the wrong order, as this ultimate no-win scenario brings the entire Bat-Family and the major players from Batman’s rogues gallery together to save Gotham from the Joker.

So, is the Joker really eternal? The evidences would seem irrefutable, yet gut instinct says otherwise. The virus in his blood has also given Joker the ability to heal, making him seemingly unstoppable, but it is the prospect of the Joker’s immortality that remains one of Endgame’s biggest talking points. In fact the more you think about it the more impossible it seems. I for one, have absolutely no idea or complex theory to offer, I’m stumped (An unfortunate choice of words perhaps?), and I think that’s what I like most of all about this story arc because Snyder and Capullo have kept us guessing every step of the way. Whatever the outcome might be, I’m sure that Scott Snyder will undoubtedly have something fiendishly clever and unexpected lined up for us in Batman #40 that will bring Endgame to a thrilling conclusion.

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Batman #38 Review

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Batman, Batman #38, comics, Crazy Quilt, Danny Miki, DC Comics, Endgame, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, James Tynion IV, Jim Gordon, Sam Kieth, Scott Snyder, The Joker

Batman #38

Review by Paul Bowler

The outbreak caused by the Joker’s new toxin has plunged Gotham into chaos as the infected rampage through the city. Batman investigated Gotham Presbyterian Hospital where he discovered Patient Zero was in fact Joe Chill – the man who murdered his parents. Holed up in his apartment, Jim Gordon had to confront the Joker alone. Gordon shot the Joker, apparently killing him, but the Clown Prince of Crime didn’t die… Batman escaped with Duke from the hospital, now the Dark Knight must reach Jim’s apartment, but more horrors await them, and soon the race is on to find the scientist responsible for engineering the Joker’s toxin.

The Joker’s dramatic return continues in Batman #38 with Endgame Part Four, as Scott Snyder’s and Greg Capullo’s nail biting new storyline delves further into the mystery surrounding the Joker’s miraculous new ability to heal, amongst other things… Indeed, the horrifying impact of last issues unnerving torrent of cliff-hangers seems to have set up a chain reaction, one that looks set to reverberate though every aspect of Batman’s mythology in this issue with a story that is quite unlike anything we’ve experienced before.

From the first page, as Batman uses his glider to carry him and Duke towards Gordon’s apartment in Foundry Square, Snyder once again draws us into the rich history of Gotham City. It’s fascinating to learn more about the place where Jim Gordon lives, as well as role Foundry Square has played in Gotham’s history, a point which is exemplified even further as we begin to understand why Jim Gordon chose to live here.

Gordon’s injury is shocking enough, but the sight of Jim suddenly brandishing the same weapon the Joker used on him against Batman is a moment of sublime terror that Snyder executes with razor sharp precision. From here the issue proceeds at a break-neck-pace, with Gordon secured and Penny Two entrusted with getting young Duke to safety, Batman gets Dick Grayson to analyse the regenerative factor in the Joker’s blood as he battles his way across Gotham in order to find the scientist responsible for creating the new virus – Paul Dekker.

I really enjoyed these exchanges over the com-link between Batman and Dick Grayson over the course of this issue. With the tension heightening by the moment as Batman does his best to evade the hordes of infected civilians, the banter between Batman and Dick Grayson over the com-link is excellent, and the action is punctuated by some startling revelations. The defining moment comes as Bruce tells Dick what the Joker really “knows”. In essence we’ve been here before, In Death of the Family, with the Dark Knight locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse over whether or not the Joker actually knows who Batman really is. Even though the situation is even more dire here now in Endgame, when it seems like everything is lost, with no way out of this one, there is still the uncanny feeling that even a Batman without a plan will still find a trump card to play against the Joker.

Batman’s quest to locate Paul Dekker finds the Dark Knight confronted by none other than Crazy Quilt! This one time associate of Dr Karl Helfern also provides a brilliant link to Dr Death’s role in Zero Year, and in making the surprise addition of Paul Dekker as Crazy Quilt, Scott Snyder has single-handedly woven another classic villain into the ongoing narrative in a way that few, if any of us, could’ve ever really expected. The virus Dekker synthesized for the Joker actually turns out to be a story about something far, far older, and more dangerous than Batman ever imagined. The regenerative qualities the Joker has gained from this virus are astonishing, but with the Joker’s image now seemingly linked to the major tragedies in Gotham’s history, the implications of this discovery now makes his apparent immortality seem even more horrifying in the extreme.

The intensity and detail of Greg Capullo’s art is as captivating as ever. A brooding atmosphere of terror and suspense seems to permeate through every page of this issue as we follow Batman’s journey across the city, from that maniacal glint in Gordon’s eyes as he raises the axe, to the giggling crowds of infected civilians that follow Batman wherever he goes, and the gloomy menace of Dekker’s lab, Capullo keeps the action flowing smoothly as the horror and tension builds. Danny Miki’s inks enhance the air of dread further still, and FCO Plascencia’s gorgeous colors bring a magnificent clarity to virtually every scene. Along with its dark, horrific tone, Batman #38 is also big on spectacle, with Batman taking on a tank being just one highlight, and of course that incredible, jaw-dropping, final page that delivers Endgame’s most shocking plot twist so far.

This issues backup story from James Tynion IV, with Sam Kieth’s stylish art, colors by Ronda Pattison, and letters provided by Travis Lanham, follows the escaped Arkham inmates, crazed disciples of the Joker, who have been given the task of telling their stories to Doctor Zaheer. This time it is Cassidy’s turn, with a chilling tale that gouges right into “Heart” of Gotham’s secret history. Doctor Zaheer’s plight is made all the more terrifying as her ordeal drags her further into the inmates mad, twisted world, while somewhere down in the darkness beneath Gotham, the truth is waiting for her… This dark tale of terror by Tynion is one of the most unsettling so far in this series of backup stories to accompany Endgame, Sam Kieth’s art encapsulates the horrific nature of this macabre story perfectly, and the lingering sense of the unknown that it generates deftly ties into the events unfolding in Endgame’s main story arc in a way that is both haunting and eerily disconcerting.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are certainly keeping us all on our toes with Endgame. Even with everything that Batman discovers this issue, Snyder still manages to keep us guessing concerning the mystery surrounding the Joker’s apparent immortality. At one point Dekker even seems to acknowledge what we are all thinking, and he’s right, this doesn’t even feel like a Batman story anymore, it’s become something much bolder and braver. The ambiguity of the Joker being immortal challenges Batman like never before. Endgame has already delivered countless surprises, with elements from The Court of Owls, Death of the Family, and Zero Year gradually slotting into place, Endgame becomes more enthralling with every issue. As for the Joker, we only really get one glimpse of him this issue, its also one you won’t forget in a hurry, and it leaves you with a horrible feeling about where he’s probably going and what’s going to happen when he arrives…

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Batman #37 Review

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Batman, Batman #37, Batman #37 Review, comics, Danny Miki, DC Comics, Endgame, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, Scott Snyder, The Joker, The New 52

Batman #37

Review by Paul Bowler

After defeating the members of the Justice League infected by the Joker’s new toxin, Batman resolves to find the Joker. Unable to glean any clear lead, the Dark Knight visit’s the one place he hates most of all, the Joker’s cell in the ruins of Arkham Asylum. Batman becomes trapped when the Joker, disguised as Mr Border, locks him in the cell and fills the room with a paralytic gas. With no antidote available to counteract this new strain of Joker toxin, Gotham is now in the grip of a terrifying Joker-apocalypse. Batman must confront horror and tragedy in his quest to save the city as the Joker’s insidious scheme takes a horrifying new direction…

The third part of Scott Snyder’s and Greg Capullo’s thrilling new epic, Endgame, continues in Batman #37 as the full horror of the Joker’s return begins to impact on Batman’s life and the city he is sworn to protect. With its ambiguous resolution to last issues cliff-hanger, Snyder and Capullo masterfully syncs our imaginations with Bruce’s paralysing descent into terror – with a scene that mirrors the chilling first page of Batman #15 – as he recovers from the anesthetic gas in the Batcave. The opening moments, where Bruce assesses the outbreak in Gotham with Alfred and Julia, quickly reveals just how deadly the new virus the Joker has unleashed really is. It’s resistant to every antidote Bruce has ever devised, and it seems the Joker has engineered his masterpiece to deliver the last laugh in possibly the most horrible way imaginable for the citizens of Gotham.

The dark shift in tone with Batman #37 is a marked contrast from the previous two issues where Batman was fighting the Justice League. Scott Snyder ramps up the tension and horror as he throws Batman headlong into a desperate race against time to return to city and locate Patient Zero in the Gotham Presbyterian Hospital. The phone conversation with Gordon is just one of many standout character driven moments in this issue. Gotham is going to hell, the military are on the verge of putting city into quarantine, and even Batman is taken aback when he witnesses Jim Gordon’s observations about the nastier aspects of the virus for himself. Indeed, the aptly chosen ring tone on Gordon’s mobile phone is the only light moment in this entire issue. Enjoy that wry smile you’ll have to yourself in that scene, because I assure you, from here on in Snyder is going to keep on pushing your buttons and ramping up the terror right up until the very last page!

Greg Capullo brings a chilling clarity to Snyder’s horrific vision of a Gotham plunged into chaos by the Joker’s virus. From the brooding atmosphere of the cave and Gordon’s boarded up apartment, to the hordes of infected massing the streets and stalking the halls of the Gotham Presbyterian Hospital, Capullo’s art galvanises everything Snyder has already cleverly seeded in our imagination about Gotham’s most haunted location. Danny Miki’s inks enhances the ominous atmosphere that pervades this issue even further, while FCO Plascencia’s outstanding colors ensure that Batman’s nightmarish search of the hospital and Gordon’s research into the past – with those frightening moments of realization half glimpsed in the shadows – will chill you to the very marrow of your bones.

Events culminate with the shocking discovery of Patient Zero’s identity and a twisted re-enactment of a pivotal moment from Batman’s past. These closing scenes will leave you pouring over these finale pages again and again, as the all encompassing horror of this issues game changing cliff-hanger finally hits home. If anything, this issue is all the more remarkable for how little we actually see of the Joker to begin with. His presence seems to hang over every page, with Snyder keeping us guessing every step of the way, so that when the Joker does actually appear the jolt of surprise heralds a deliciously macabre twist that few could have expected. The Joker is scarier than ever in Batman #37, and there are some genuinely unnerving moments that linger in the memory long after you’ve finished the issue.

The First Laugh turns out to be a very appropriate title for this issues backup story from James Tynion IV, featuring terrific art by Jon Mccrea, with colors by Michelle Madsen, this story follows the inmates who escaped from Arkham and were given the task of telling Doctor Zaheer their stories by the Joker. With Gotham in turmoil, Doctor Zaheer’s desperate mobile phone message for help is cut short when she is discovered by the inmate, Morton, and has to listen as he remembers the tale his teacher once told him about the first laugh in Gotham City. This nerve jangling story by Tynion is really creepy, the art captures the horrific tone perfectly, and the way everything blends seamlessly into Endgame’s storyline is really ingenious.

With its brilliant writing from Scott Snyder and Capullo’s art, Batman #37 takes Endgame to unparallel new heights of excellence, and challenges all our expectations about this issue. Hell, that haunting Joker cover by Capullo, Miki, and FCO is worth the price of admission alone! Take if from me, this issue of Batman is edge-of-the-seat stuff, and it’ll probably have you checking under the bed tonight as well. Plesant dreams everyone…

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Batman #36 Review

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Batman, Batman #36, Batman #36 Review, comics, Danny Miki, DC Comics, Endgame, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, James Tynion IV, JLA, Scott Snyder, Superman, The Joker, The New 52

Batman #36

Review by Paul Bowler

The Justice League has been infected by a new strain of the Joker’s toxin. Using his armoured Justice Buster suit, the Dark Knight fought back and defeated them. Now the Dark Knight must face Superman, but can even Batman’s skill and ingenuity be enough to defeat this maniacal version of the Man of Steel? The Joker has returned for one final game and Batman will need his closest allies during this darkest hour; as his quest to uncover the Joker’s plans leads the Dark Knight to a shadowy corner of the past infested with terror and madness…

Batman Endgame continues in Batman #36, the second instalment of Scott Snyder’s and Greg Capullo’s major story event for Batman’s 75th anniversary, and if your thought last issues smack down with the Justice League was epic, then you haven’t seen anything yet! Seconds out, this is round two, and its not just the fan boy dream showdown between Batman and Superman, its Batman vs. Superman by Snyder and Capullo firing on all cylinders in an issue that delivers waves of action-packed spectacle and dark anarchic horror that constantly wrong foots and defies any and all preconceptions that you might have had about this issue.

Yes, it’s a no holds barred, red knuckled free for all of a fight between Batman and Superman! The resolution of this titanic battle is, needless to say, ingeniously devised by Snyder and certainly gives us plenty to chew over for the next time we all have that inevitable discussion about who would win a fight between… Oh boy, the marketing possibilities here are mouth watering! Anyway, back to business Bat-Fans! With the Justice League out of action for the forcible, while the antitoxin Bruce devised to counteract this particularly nasty strain of Joker toxin takes effect, Alfred’s daughter, Julia, pledges to stay on and help as Penny Two. Her scenes with Bruce afford Snyder the chance to bring us further insight into the Joker’s warped psyche – but it is Alfred, still recovering from what happened to him in Batman Eternal, who gets the most rousing line of all as the Dark Knight prepares to assess the situation and deal with the Joker’s return.

Greg Capullo’s art for Batman #36 captures the frantic intensity of every moment in the ground-shaking confrontation between Batman and the Jokerized Man of Steel. You can almost feel the pages trembling as every thunderous punch shakes Gotham’s streets while the Justice Buster suit dukes it out with Superman. The suit still has one or two tricks up its sleeve; despite the pounding it’s taken. Superman’s heat vision also becomes a fearsome weapon, fuelled by the effects of the Joker toxin; it’s used here with devastating effect. Danny Miki’s inks really bring the kinetic fury of this battle to life, with buildings smashing apart, and your have a real sense of being at the heart of the battle. FCO Plascencia’s colors bring a vividly clarity to Batman’s crimson hued countermeasure, before we explode into daylight and the carnage thunders towards its surprise conclusion.

Right from the opening page, with its throwback to the nightmarish hallucinogenic trip Batman was enduring thanks to Scarecrow’s fear toxin that he was recovering from last issue, there is a hint that something far more horrific awaits the Dark Knight as Part 2 of Batman Endgame begins to unfold. It is perhaps fitting then that Snyder and Capullo take us to the one place in all of Gotham that could survive being dragged back to Hell, Arkham Asylum, now in ruins after the collapse, where Batman looks for some kind of answer into what, for him, is a place that holds a significance that rivals even that of Crime Alley in Batman’s legacy. These scenes in the Asylum are hauntingly ominous, steeped in menacing shadows, and it spins a web of mystery that entwines us with a joke more twisted and dark than anything we could’ve possible imagined.

The inevitable reveal of the Joker and his confrontation with Batman is masterfully handled here, with Snyder piling on the tension, right up to that startling final reveal, were Capullo, Miki, and FCO collectively ensure that this sublime moment of shock and terror will become one of Endgame’s defining moments. Hell, yeah, we’ve missed you Joker and it damn good to see you back!

Batman #36 also features the terrific backup story, Saved, written by James Tynion IV, with art by Graham Nolan, and colors by Gregory Wright, that continues the tale of the five escaped inmates from Arkham that have kidnapped Doctor Zaheer. The inmates have been tasked with telling Doctor Zaheer their stories by the Joker, this time it’s Cordellia’s turn to recount her story as they all take refuge in a restaurant, and it’s an disturbingly macabre tale that belies its everyday setting to become an unflinchingly dark and monstrous descent into madness. The way that this backup story links into the Joker-apocalypse being set up in the main arc of Endgame is brilliantly handled, and poses some really chilling possibilities for future issues.

We’re only into the second part of Endgame but I’m absolutely hooked already. Snyder and Capullo make the Joker so evil and menacing. The fight with the Justice League was just the prelude to the main event, now the real game begins, and this time the Joker is playing for keeps. Batman #36 is a riveting issue from beginning to end, expect the unexpected and then double it, because Endgame is shaping up to be one of the best Batman stories ever!

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