Batman #16
In the back-up, Two-Face, Riddler and Penguin want to shoot Bats to make sure he's dead but Joker stops them, saying there's more to his plan. The three villains want to join him, but this is just Joker, Bats and family, so he drops a cage on them. They turn to Riddler to free them but he passes out, due to some tiny tranquilizers Joker put in the suit he gave Riddler. Two-Face wants to shoot Joker, but Joker throws out a ton of variables, including the fact he gave Harvey that gun, so it may backfire and shoot Harvey, or it could shock him to death, or it may be a perfectly fine gun, but Harvey, given too many choices, can't depend on his coin so he just silently gives up as The Joker laughs. Lastly, Penguin offers Joker money, but he doesn't want or need it, but he does offer to show them a bit of what comes next. Joker gets a platter and removes the lid, showing only Penguin and Two-Face, who are in awe of what they see. The issue ends as Joker gets ready for his final act, the family dinner, with him and the Bat-Family.
Thoughts: I have mixed feelings on this issue, and I'll tell you guys why. First things first, I enjoyed the end result, with Joker yelling at Bats to sit on his throne, the back-up where Joker systematically picked apart Two-Face and made a lot of excellent points, the way Batman finally had to admit that his kids are his weakness, because if they weren't in danger, he'd clearly have won by this point. The things I didn't necessarily enjoy was the way Batman just ran through the asylum disposing of everyone with ease. Don't get me wrong, I played Arkham Asylum, I beat up a shit load of goons to get to the end, so I'm not shocked that Bats could take out all those goons and punch a horse in the head. I also get that he was supposed to be motivated and tired of Joker's crap, so that's why he didn't spend much time beating them, but seeing the way he easily disposed of Freeze, Clayface and Scarecrow kinda annoyed me, because over the last year, those three characters were built up as threats, hell Freeze especially by none other than Snyder himself. Just seeing each of those guys taken out in a page each kinda annoyed me. Other than that, I enjoyed this issue, and I am curious about what's under the platter. Obvious money says it's Alfred's head, face, something, but I doubt that because it's too obvious. At the same time, it has to be something that's easily recognizable to Two-Face and Penguin... and the platter shows up at the end of Batman and Robin, as well as Batgirl. So I literally have no idea what it could be, but I AM interested in what you guys think it is, so let me know in the comments.
Score: 7.5/10
Joker: You'll grow old wondering what happened to them. What i did to each one... NOW SIT YOUR #%^ DOWN!
Excellent review JT! I was actually expecting something huge to happen this issue, so I guess the intensity of the story didn't impact me the way it should have. I don't think it helped that they bleeped out the Joker's use of the word 'ass' in an issue where he stitched up human bodies into a tapestry, set a whole horse on fire, established that his face is rotting, and ended with a bloodied silver platter with flies flying around it, lol.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your points about how easily Bruce took down Freeze, Scarecrow, and Clayface. The way they were written here made them look like they weren't genuine threats to Batman. :/
As for the obvious money being Alfred's face, head, or some other body part, well...he *did* end the issue with 'That's the whole thing with a joke. You have to *play* with their expectations.'
Thanks Diane! Glad you enjoyed it. And that's such a great point! When I was typing the line of the issue, I typed Ass and then when I looked at the pic I'm like...wait... he didn't even say ass?! I think if you have a comic with a flaming horse and a frozen horse that's punched and explodes on impact, you can say ass.
ReplyDeleteI'm expecting Joker's face will finally rot or fall off in the next issue, since they've shown its already decaying and flies are all over it. And that's the line I meant to mention, I'm so glad you did. That line seemed like a direct line to us that it wasn't Alfred, and Joker was just screwing with us as an audience.
But as for what's under there, I'm still stumped... I am thinking Hush may be involved in this though. In Batman and Robin, Joker sang "Hush, Little Baby" to Robin, and he told Two-Face to Hush in this, If I read Batgirl and he says it there I'll be more convinced, but it could be a Red Herring... but if anyone is known for removing faces and such, it's Hush, plus he knows the Bat family's identities already...
This was a pretty good issue. I read this thing at work and was shocked at the quilt of people. That was freakin' nuts! He does go through those three villains too quickly though. Synder probably wanted room for that ending, so I don't mind it much.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking a body part of Alfred's as well, but that is too obvious. Maybe it's a piece of Bruce...ew.
I enjoyed this issue as well. We had the same problems with it though. They just DRAGGED a scarecrow arc in batman TDK for like 5 or 6 issues where scarecrow was outsmarting batman at every turn. Then Freeze established himself in the annual and Clayface was JUST a threat in detective. So i don't like this at all. I know that Joker says that bats is "all fired up" but maybe a monologue from batman saying something like "I knew they'd be here, and I prepared for this along time ago" this wouldn't fix the issue but it would have at least helped. Especially after obliterating the 50 or so guys. I know he's fired up, but now you throw a mini gauntlet of big villains at him and he doesn't even break a sweat! I think that we are supposed to get that batman is pissed and is solely focused on the joker, but perhaps some of the other villains (Mr. Toxic) for example would have made more sense if they were easy work. Overall good issue and as to my guess for whats on the platter.
ReplyDelete-Alfred's head which won't actually be Alfred's head it will be a look alike created by doll maker. This doesn't make sense for penguin and the others to recognize it though if it is alfred....
-A new face for joker perhaps? One that was cut-off by doll-maker of a familiar face? Idk I am very curious to know what is under there though!
Arw, that quilt of people was CRAZY. Man, that was probably the worst thing Joker did, especially since they were still alive... that was just...absurd.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY Cap! That was my main problem with it. Snyder made Freeze a threat in the annual, Scarecrow was built up big in Batman: TDK, although the ending was meh, and Clayface was JUST IN Detective as a big threat, so seeing Bats dispose of them, three built rogues in like a page was absurd... and like you said, if he'd said he'd expected those threats and was prepared, it would've worked a bit more, but him just rushing in, after a big fight and making short work of them was..yeah. I would've preferred they all attack him at once and he uses them against one another to take them all out, ya know?
Cap, I just pitched an idea to X in an email that maybe Joker's new face is Bruce's face... considering Hush had Bruce's face, maybe he just took it? I know I'm grasping at straws but I'm so damn curious now... I hope it isn't a giant letdown.
"I'm not shocked that Bats could take out all those goons and punch a horse in the head." I don't know about anybody else, but that line made me laugh. Hard. The off-handed way you added that he PUNCHED a horse in the head is just plain funny to me, JT. Other than that, I've got nothing substantial to add except to say like everybody else I'm expecting a little piece of Alfred to be under that dome.
ReplyDeleteLol, glad ya liked that X. It's true though. He beat up a ton of people, then he just punched a horse...in the head. He didn't knock it out by hitting it in the jaw, but it's like it was brain-washed, he punched it in the head...then he rode it. He hit it so hard...that he tamed it.
ReplyDelete"but it's like it was brain-washed, he punched it in the head...then he rode it. He hit it so hard...that he tamed it." HA!!! Only The Batman can punch a horse in the head, resulting in it recognizing him as it's master... I mean, I've never even been near a horse or anything, but that seems... I don't know, kind of faulty... But hey, if I ever do see a horse, and I want to ride it, now I know the best way to go about that is to punch it in the head. :D
DeleteExactly! Plant your feet, widen your stance and sock it square in the head, show that equine who's the boss! Then, he'll be loyal until he's turned into ice cubes.
DeleteWell, here's hoping if I ever get the opportunity to punch a horse in the head it isn't subsequently turned into ice cubes, because that would just suck.
DeleteI've got a theory. Maybe it's not Alfred under the platter at all, maybe it's Joe Chill. Joker has been walking around in mechanics overalls w/ the name 'Joe' for the entire crossover and it still hasn't been explained.
ReplyDeleteIf you'll remember at the end of Dark Knight# 0 Bruce found Chill who turned out to be a drunken nobody and let him live. Maybe Joker tracked down Joe(who'd obviously opened up a Parking Garage after his run in w/ the young Wayne) and killed him. Joker running around in Joe Chill's work cloth's has been a hint that yes, he does know Bruce's identity and his origin. Penguin and Two-Face recognize Chill because, I don't know, they did jobs w/ him or something.
This would be curious in that it meant Joker avenged the Waynes where Bruce couldn't. I have no Idea how it factors into Joker's war on the Bat-family, though.
That's a really good theory... I don't know if it's the whole explanation of what's on the platter, but the idea that he killed Joe Chill and that's why he has those overalls makes a ton of sense.
DeleteI, too, am expecting Alfred. But, like Cap Von Trapp, I'm assuming that it would be the Dollmaker rigging up something, since, after all, the dude made a LIVING TAPESTRY OF PEOPLE. (Ick.)
ReplyDeleteThe problem, though, is that, even if it is Alfred's head, does it matter? At this point, Alfred has already returned from the dead. In fact, he, Bruce, and Jason have all returned from the dead and Barbara and Bruce have both unparalyzed themselves. Sure, DC would issue a press release saying that Alfred IS REALLY DEAD THIS TIME, WE SWEAR, just like Marvel swears that Peter Parker is dead. But, I don't buy. So, if this whole story is building to Alfred's death, it'll be a real disappointment.