Batman #13: The Joker Reason For Going After The Bat-Family

[superfangirl1]

Comments

[needagasmask]

.....

[needagasmask]

So many high hopes for this.

[kd_the_movie]

does joker know Bruce is Batman or is this one of those "Batman seems to have some inexplicable connection (well in the wake of batman inc. not so inexplicable) to Bruce Wayne!!" type of things?

[darkknightjrk]

Joker's pretty much known and sort-of not cared for a while now--in Death IN the Family, Joker encounters Bruce in his civilian identity after killing Jason and laughs directly in his face. Then in RIP, Joker pretty much saw Batman without his mask when he was in his Zurr-En-Arrh persona.

[bewareofgeek]

So let me guess this straight. The second year of a BRAND NEW CONTINUITY starts an epic storyline that not only _requires_ the existence of the old continuity, but also includes the writer mocking the major storyline of the previous year, one that HE forced down everyone's throats?

As far as I'm concerned, Batman Inc is the only Batbook still in continuity

[darkknightjrk]

_requires_ the existence of the old continuity

It says that Joker's first appearance in Gotham is at least similar to what we've seen in the past, but it tells enough to make sense for a new reader, I think.

includes the writer mocking the major storyline of the previous year

That's less Snyder mocking his story and more Joker mocking them. I don't see how that's different from, say, Joker mocking the Black Glove that Morrison created in his story and killing them all. That's just part of the story he's telling.

[red_cyclone]

The face is actually really creepy here, I'm still not 100% sure about it, but that last scan has done a lot to change my mind.

[icon_uk]

It's a scary face, but it's just not the Joker to me; it can't emote, it can't express feelings, it's what a Joker wannabe might wear because he missed the point of what the Joker is.

[lucean]

I'm just loving this. I had read Snyder's explanation of Joker's motivation before, but the way it is delivered is simply awesome. I also loves Joker's attitude towards the Court of Owls, who have been build as such a major force. It just fits the character in so many ways.

I'm really looking forward to this and hoping that Snyder is able to pull off what he is attempting.

[espanolbot]

Well Snyder did say how his version of the Joker see's himself as Batman's jester or fool, who historically were the only people allowed to remind their lords that they were still human, which is arguably what the Joker seems to be up to here as well.

[espanolbot]

Well the Joker telling Harley to undress suddenly makes more sense. :)

[darkknightjrk]

See, when I saw that, I thought it was going to show that Harley was the one who killed all those cops in the police station--since while there are plenty of interpretations that show that Joker can do the physical dirty work if he has to, having him being that efficient is a little bit of a stretch, but I'm fine with it.

[starwolf_oakley]

I never quite bought the Joker knowing about Bruce Wayne because the Joker never went after Alfred. Well...

[darkknightjrk]

I took it to be that since Joker prefers the game with BATMAN, that just going in that arena was enough--but if Joker thinks that Batman's gotten soft, partly because of that family, then he's willing to change the rules of the game.

[biod]

In the wake of Batman Inc. this actually makes sense, which already puts it ahead of most Joker stories lately (though I did catch that Dark Knight reference, Snyder ;) ). Still undecided on the face-mask and voice though.

[shadowpsykie]

hmmm if he is not her Mr. J anymore.... why is she helping him... i assume he threatened either her or the Team (SS).

also... i am kinda loving this... Joker in all his grandiose (sp?) glory!

also does anyone else hear Mark Hamill's voice in this? i mean i know almost everyone hears his voice when they read the joker, but this is the first time in a long time that i actually FELT this was him,...

[espanolbot]

He might not be her Mr J anymore, but he's still the Joker.

[silverhammerman]

I see.
Y'know what'd be awesome? If the next issue just started with Alfred wrecking Joker's shit, because he's actually a competent human being, unlike apparently the entirety of the GCPD, who are content to stand idly in the dark while an unarmed man brutally murders. Then this crossover would be cut off at the knees.
I'm honestly just not that interested. Court of Owls was cool, but it was far too long for my likely and I don't want another big story tight now. I don't want to see Alfred get kidnapped or murdered or something, and I'm just not interested in where they seem to be going with this. I literally just bought this issue today, and haven't had a chance to read, but I don't really feel like it, I'm not eager, I'm not raring to start the story, I'm just bored with it. I haven't even bothered to read the 0 issue yet, it's just sitting at the bottom of my "to read" pile. I'm not interested at all by this, Snyder's a good writer, but something's missing, this just feels like more of the same kind of thing that Joker's been doing for years, it's not very compelling to me. It could be tonal thing, I just don't like these kinds of stories, I hate stories where the hero spends most of it getting his ass kicked and his world wrecked to establish a threat, especially since this story is set to take up like 6 issues.

On a lighter, non-burnout related note, Did you folks see the cover to this issue? That is some 90's holographic foil cover level silliness.

[espanolbot]

Not meaning to sound like I'm trying to start a fight or something, but if you haven't read Batman 0 and haven't even read the issue, how can you form an opinion on it yet?

It's like saying you hate James Cameron's Avatar without having seen it yet (not that Snyder's Batman is like Avatar, Batman appears to have a coherent storyline and likeable characters).

[sun_man]

This is nice

[espanolbot]

Kind of offtopic, but Harley actually pulls the suit look off pretty well. :) And nice touch with her eyes being a bit red in addition to her makeup being smirred to show she'd been crying.

[omnipotent]

Harley with the makeup smudged was a good touch indeed. It definitely made her sorrow more palpable.

[zabilac]

NNNNNOOOOOOO...Not Alfred! Please Snyder, I'm begging you! *falls down on knees and holds hands up in prayer*

[thatnickguy]

Sounds like I'm alone in thinking Joker looks ridiculous (not in a good way) here.

[icon_uk]

On s_d, it's never just you.... I'm not impressed by the new look at all.

[chocochuy]

Am I wrong for thinking the classic Red Hood looks more menacing that Leatherfa...NuJoker?

Heck, I would give 1 billion dollars to have the Joker back to his criminal artist roots and Harley as 1920s cartoon gun moll (like in Batman : The Brave and the Bold) instead of grim n` gritty a-la-carte. We all can dream.

Here is hoping Batman and Harley get to "cure" Mr. J before the bloodshed starts and....too late.

[icon_uk]

Not wrong, and not alone...

Now I think about it, I rather like the idea of the Joker's lack of face meaning that he found he HAD to wear the Red Hood helmet to protect his face from the environment whilst he heals.. or at least comes up with something more creative than Leatherface 2.0.... That his attempt at becoming creepier had backfired badly and he was now rethinking his profile, going back to his roots as the Joker, the "Clown Prince of Crime."

[protogarrett]

I have questions SD:
1) What's up with joker's face?
2) Harl's new look? Emo? Why?
3) I am just so lost in the batman mythos after the reboot... help...

[icon_uk]

1) The Joker had his face removed by a villain called "The Dollmaker" in the first issues of.. one of the Bat titles, and dropped out of sight. The face was recovered by GCPD and kept as evidence. The Joker has now come back to get it, and is wearing his old face as a mask.

2) Less "emo" and more a make-up version of her old domino mask I think.

[mortimerwclankitybritches]

Goddamn it, I knew alfred was gonna be one of the first casualties of this crossover.

[silverhammerman]

With the Joker going on about how Batman has gotten too soft and cuddly, I can't help but wonder if Snyder's going to make a sort of meta-commentary on the extended Bat-Family. Obviously, Joker can't be right in his actions or thought process, so I wonder if this might be some sort of rebuttal to all the people who want a return to the grim and gritty Bat-Man who only actually existed for a couple of months back in the 40's, but whom everyone seems to think of as "the real Batman, before he got watered down with all that stupid kid stuff". That would be cool, and the thematically appropriate ending for this would feature the whole Bat-Family coming together to curbstomp the Joker with the power of teamwork.
The again that might not fit with the dark and twisted tone that Snyder seems to be comfortable with, but I can pretend at least.

[mrstatham]

Given Snyder's actively expressed enthusiasm for characters like Cass and has shown interest in using the more peripheral characters, I could see him doing this. I could see at least one or two of the characters involved getting hurt, the rest curb-stomping Joker, and Batman still saying 'no more' because of Joker targeting them because of their link to him, and cutting himself off from them out of concern, if only on a temporary basis.

[mullon]

I don't buy Alfred not being able to take Joker in a fight.

[sleepymax]

I would love to see Alfred kick his ass. I am so over The Joker.

Now Where Have I Seen THIS Before...

[captainbellman]

OH, THAT'S RIGHT:



"Uh, hey guys? Remember when we did, like, Hush and Batman R.I.P. but with...uh...Owls? Howsabout - hows. a. bout. - Batman R.I.P. but with, like, the Joker? I mean, everyone LOVED R.I.P. the first time..."

"SNYDER YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN"

Re: Now Where Have I Seen THIS Before...

[mrstatham]

Because it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO original as a concept when Morrison did it.

[maxisanacorn]

Did Snyder just retcon Harley's skin retcon that it's makeup again?

[darkknightjrk]

I don't think so--from what I remember, the chemicals bleached her skin and maybe changed the hair color, she didn't get the black around her eyes from the chemicals.

[eyz]

So that's the supposedly awesome "creep" new look for Mr. J?
Yeah..
Don't see it much... reminds me more of a leatherface parody really..

[darkknightjrk]

My feeling is--if it's just for this arc, and at the end they, I dunno, put a prostetic face on him, or sew his original back on, or make skin grafts off his bony ass, I can live with it. As his new official look forever? ...Yeah, I don't know if I'd like that.

[silverzeo]

...... can you imagine the parents who are helping their kids read these stories as their first comics?

[cyberghostface]