Series: Batman
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Inker: Danny Miki
Colorist: FCO Plascencia
Summary from Comixology: “Endgame” part 5. The Joker is back! The penultimate issue of the Clown Prince of Crime’s horrifying return! Plus, in the backup story, the inmates and Mahreen finally learn the truth about the Joker!”
Overview:
Do you enjoy your skin crawling? Have you missed The Court of Owls? Are you ready for the darkest version of Joker that we have ever seen? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then this is the comic you have been waiting for. I can’t stress enough how much this issue made me uncomfortable and just worried for Bats in general. From the first page with the Bat-Symbol shining upside-down over Gotham, almost as a distress symbol, to the last page with Joker’s nihilistic eyes staring into you. This issue will have you reading on the edge of your seats, and possibly sleeping with a light on. I would dare say this Joker is darker then what we have seen in Death of The Family, and that’s saying a lot.
Highs:
Yet again, Scott Snyder’s writing is truly on point in this issue. I LOVED seeing the Court of Owls make an appearance in this book. My all time favorite comic book villain is Scarecrow, so I geeked out pretty hard when he made an appearance in the book. Having the Court of Owls AND Scarecrow in a book together, what more could I want? And for anyone who read the Batman and Robin book, in issue #17, Alfred has a dream wear he shoots Joker in the head with a shotgun. Without using spoilers, this scene takes place in this issue, but has much different consequences. (I really loved the call back to a previous issue, in an entirely different book.) Besides Snyder being on point, Greg Capullo was also blowing me away with his breathtaking and crisp art. Also, the cover to this issue. Holy. Shit. Joker sitting on a throne of bodies, and crushing a bat in his fist. This is not the Joker you remember. I also love how it’s a reference to another Capullo work, Spawn #250.
Besides the amazing art, Danny Miki’s colors are incredible. I can’t stress how beautiful this book is with the art and colors. The parade that Joker throws in the streets of Gotham in this issue was like watching The Rose Parade with colors popping out of the pages and the lighting and pastel colors used adds so much more to the book, turning it from a comic to a work of art.
Lows:
I know I say this is almost every Batman review, but I really mean it. There wasn’t anything wrong with this book. It was absolutely beautiful, eerie, and chaotic. The Bat-Family is maturing and are holding up well to this truly terrifying Joker.
The Final Say:
Do you enjoy horror? Is the Joker one of your favorite villains? Do you want to read a story that truly pushes Batman to his limits? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then you need to pick up Batman #39. Experience the nightmare that Batman is living, and lets hope that he can survive this encounter with Joker. Over all this issue was perfect, it’s perfect that this is issue five in Endgame, because this issue deserves a 5 out of 5. Go, NOW, and pick this copy of Batman up immediately. You will not regret it.
Music Pairing:
For this issue, I would recommend listening to Nothing. No serious, the band Nothing. They are a perfect mix of chaotic noise rock, but also ambient relaxing post-rock. It’t an odd combination, but they pull this off perfectly. With this issue it works really well to have a chaotic, yet peaceful sound.