Week of Wonder - Last Knight on Earth

[cyberghostface]

 I posted this series before but if you haven't read it... it takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where Batman is the world's last hope. And he gets a new Robin, but it's not who you'd expect.

From #2...




And in #3, Joker finally gets his wish.







And at the end Joker is still by Batman's side as his new Robin.

Comments

[icon_uk]

Well, that's.... a disturbing mental image.

[cricharddavies]

Yeah, that's the second most traumatized baby I've ever seen.

[remial]

second?

now I want to hear about the first...

(also, how did Joker get the mask on inside the bowl?)

[cricharddavies]

From the kinetic novel Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Volume 6

https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-9WcVt7D/0/52aaf8dc/M/ev222cl-M.jpg

[icon_uk]

I had assumed you meant that hyperbolically... I stand corrected!

[silverhammerman]

I really ought to get around to reading this. I've warmed on Snyder and Capullo's Batman since falling off during Death of the Family, and I'd really like to see some deep dive criticism on this series.

The whole Joker as Robin conceit still strikes me as really odd, given that 1) Snyder has always tended to write the Joker as all but evil incarnate, a mass murder shaped like a person, and 2) New!Batman's killing of Old!Batman seems like a rejection of rehabilitation. So why is it that Joker of all people gets to be adopted into the new Batman's makeshift family, but the fallen original Batman has to die? That's not a complaint or anything, I just think it's odd and I'd be interested to see what someone who's read more of Snyder's work thinks about it.

[alliterator]

I actually don't think the killing of Old Batman was a rejection of rehabilitation - because it was clear that Old Batman himself had rejected rehabilitation and felt the only way to make the world "good" was to control every single person himself. New Batman (whose ideals hadn't been shattered) rejected that, even allowing what remained of the Joker to become something like a friend (and Robin).

As for the Joker becoming Robin...well, is this actually the Joker? Because we never get an explanation of how he is still alive and still able to talk despite only being a head. I keep thinking that it's some remnant of the Joker that wanted to stay with Batman and be a member of the Bat-family.

[scorntx]

Joker raises a good point.
Does this mean Batman will make a memorial case for Horse Robin, to be dramatically shattered any time a villain breaks into the Batcave?
Or will he give Horse the Stephanie Brown treatment and refuse to acknowledge it ever existed?

[icon_uk]

That can't be the real Joker, he'd never resist the urge to call it "Dobin, the Horse Wonder"

[mistersandman]

Far be it from me to give notes to the Clown Prince of Crime, but “Holy shit, Batman” might have been funnier without all that setup.

[shakalooloo]

No no, it's okay, the Joker hasn't told a funny joke for years. The important thing here is that he actually tried to tell a joke at least, which is very refreshing.

[deh_tommy]

I wouldn’t mind seeing a proper series of this premise in one form or another. There’s a lot of weird and cool places Batman and Joker cross over various stretches of time that are only barely mentioned in passing due to the limited page count.

[silverhammerman]

Snyder did a very similar thing in the (imo underwhelming) latter half of The Wake, having the main character go on an extended world tour through weird and novel locales, which was entirely covered over the course of a couple of pages of montage.

Funny that he'd do it again, especially since it was one of the many things about The Wake's conclusion that made the whole thing feel rushed and unsatisfying.