Бэтмен. Книга 6. Эндшпиль

Batman (2011)

by Scott Snyder, Скотт Снайдер, Greg Capullo (Illustrator)

Он вернулся. И на этот раз он не шутит! Бэтмен и Джокер. Темный Рыцарь и Бледный Человек. Долгие годы они противостояли друг другу. Всякий раз, когда злодей погружался во все более глубокие пучины зла, герой рвался к новым вершинам, стремясь остановить его. Воистину, они были "лучшими врагами". До недавних пор. Больше никаких игр разума. Никаких извращенных шуток. Безумный убийца, который возвел зло в ранг высокого искусства, готовится создать свой шедевр. Полностью уничтожить Бэтмена и все, что ему дорого. Он обратит против Бэтмена Лигу Справедливости. Превратит жителей Готэма в хихикающих психопатов. И это только начало. Кульминация будет ужасающей. Бэтмен верит, что его роковой противник – всего лишь человек. Безумный, но смертный. Но что, если Джокер – это извечное зло? Сможет ли Темный Рыцарь оборвать шутку, длящуюся уже столько лет?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2015

About the author

Scott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Bold, baroque, commanding, and artistically outstanding, but very deus-ex preparedness, and doesn’t stick the landing.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the fuck just happened here?!
Wow. I officially loathe one of Snyder's Batman stories.
Alright. I'm well aware that I'm going to be standing out here by myself, but I fucking HATED this. Like, I can't even describe the rage I feel right now. Just pure fury mingled with crushing disappointment.
Well, what do you know? I guess could describe it!
Maybe Snyder has been the king of the Batverse for so long now, that he's started believing his own hype? I mean, really ?!
You may want to have those looked at, buddy.



*deep breath*
I did really like parts of it. So there's that.
Capullo's art is amazing. Just spot-on, wonderful, and haunting.



The facial expressions are perfect. Loved the way he drew...everything.



Warning: Spoilers! Lots of 'em.
I'm not going to be able to properly bitch (or have a full-on tantrum), unless I can talk about what happened. If you haven't read this yet, you may want to stop reading and come back later.



Alrighty, the first part of the volume had me all aflutter!
Batman was fighting the leftover effects of Crane's fear toxin, and he kept having these vivid dreams about his death. Julia was still helping Alfred with everything while he recovered, and it looked like their relationship was vastly improved.
I don't know what happened in Volume 3 of Batman Eternal yet, but it appears they are living in some building previously owned by the Court of Owls. I hate the Owls, and I thought we were done with that whole hokey storyline, but I'm willing to let it slide.
Anyway, I loved Bruce's interactions with Alfred.



Ok, then Wonder Woman popped up outta nowhere and started beating the shit out of Bruce. She wasn't making a whole lot of sense, and I thought it might be another dream. Apparently not...



He managed to take her down, but, by that point, Aquaman & Flash were also both after him.
Boom! He pulled on his Justice-League-Taker-Downer suit, and incapacitated both of them. Nicely done! But he still didn't know what was causing them to go nuts.



And then Superman showed up, and everything became clear (ish).



The Joker's back!
And he'd managed to infect the Justice League with a special Joker Toxin. Batman narrowly escaped Superman, and (somehow) managed to get him, and the rest of the League, confined at A.R.G.U.S..
I'm assuming Alfred and Julia did this off-page, because when Bruce woke up (Clark hits hard!), the JL had already been hooked up to IVs.
Up next? Synthesize an antidote.
The bad news was that Joker let his toxin loose in Gotham, and it was spreading fast. The reallyreally bad news was that there seemed to be no way to make a working antidote.
I was on the edge of my seat by then, baby!
Why can't they find an antidote?



Ok, sounds pretty awesome so far, right?
Well, it was!
And then it all stared going downhill for me. At first, it was just little things (how did Joker managed to dose the entire Justice League?), but I brushed them aside, because I've been trained to blindly trust Snyder.
But also because of cool jump scares like this:



But within that panel lies the problem.
I AM NOT FUCKING KIDDING ABOUT THE SPOILERS!
TURN YOUR ASS AROUND, RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!



First, the fact that Joker was masquerading as the helpful doctor/intern from Arkham (Eric Border) that Batman has been working with, wasn't a shocker to me. I'd been wondering when they were going to 'spring' that one on us. I mean, come on, he's been shady from the start, but Arkham Manor pretty much confirmed it for me.
I can't be the only one who was thinking that...



The next step is a doozy.
The Big Twist is that the Joker can't be killed. He's immortal like Vandal Savage, Ra's al Ghul, or Shovel Face from Twilight.
And he's been around since (at least) the beginning of Gotham.



DUM. DUM. DUUUUUM.
So...now we have some new convoluted Joker origin story? And he has powers? Has always had powers?
This explains why the skin on his face has healed itself.
Oh my God, I never thought I'd actually miss the fact that his face wasn't attached anymore, but I'd rather have a totally human Joker without his fucking face, than WhatEverTheFuck Snyder was trying to sell me here.



Still, I trusted him.
He's the Goddamn Batman Snyder!
In my mind, I had full faith that he was going to iron out the kinks in this storyline.
It was an elaborate ruse! Or Bruce was in some Crane induced delusion!
The possibilities were whirling through my mind, even as I watched each corny plot thread unfold.



Oh my! Joe Chill (exposed to the toxin) is waiting to kill a family. It's been set up by Joker to look just like Crime Alley! Oh! Batman saves the family, but the toxin spreads to the adults, so he can only rescue the boy.
I'll bet the boy is somehow part of Joker's plan!



Um...nope. Evidently it was just an excuse for Batman to save a kid.
Whuuuut?
Did we really need yet another reminder of the gunshot, the pearls falling, the sad little boy crying in the rain?



Let me go ahead and answer that for you. No, we did not.
Whatever! In Snyder We Trust!
So when Joker broke into the Batcave and chopped off Alfred's hand?



I trusted him.
And when he stole the giant Dinosaur to use in a parade because that's such an original fucking idea?



I trusted him.
And when he had to go to the stupid-ass Court of Owls to find out if the Joker was truly immortal?



I still trusted him.
Then have the world's lamest fight with one of their Talons?



I trustehhhh...well, if I'm being honest, I was starting to get pretty worried at this point. And, it turns out, I had every right to be.
Joker isn't immortal, he's just found some sort of a Lazarus pit to heal himself. Of course, the key to saving everyone in Gotham (from the toxin) is whatever's in that Pit Juice.
*rolls eyes*



The showdown culminates with Batman & Joker in a cave full of explosives.
They proceed to simultaneously stab and psychoanalyze each other to death.
Dr. Phil, what do you think it means when Joker lodges a playing card in Batman's eye?
Well, Anne, I think it shows that they are definitely two sides of the same coin. They can't live without each other, and so they will probably die in this cave together.
WhatTheFuck are you talking about, Phil?! Oprah lied to us! Self-help guru, my ass! You're nothing but an obnoxious bully with a receding hairline, and smarmy grin.



But it turns out Dr Phil was right.
Yep. They killed Batman...again.
I swear to God, I just now finally feel like I'm caught up on all of the shit from the last time he died, and they're doing it again?
I guess Nubby Alfred could always step up as the next Dark Knight, if they wanna shake things up for a year or so.



The final nail in the coffin though?
Batman left a note.



Luckily, Alfred was able to translate the one word note that said Ha.
Blah, blah, balh...Batman's story will always be a tragedy, because that's the way he wanted it.
Live bravely, smile at the void, and eat cake...
Or something like that.
*vomits*
I can't believe this shit. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT!
You just did this, you idiots! Why don't you kill off someone who hasn't been dead in the past few years?
Green Arrow and Superman haven't been dead in a while. Or how 'bout Hal? Maybe Spectre could come back and take him over again?
But no. Let's kill Batman. Marvel got rid of Wolverine, so we need to off our flagship character, as well.
Great idea!



*sigh*
Ok, the beginning of the story was great, and Capullo's art deserves 5 stars all by itself, so this was not a total loss.
Again, I know most of you will love this, think it's an ass-kicking story, and continue to worship this run. And I don't want to argue with you, or try to change your mind. This is simply my (fairly worthless) opinion.

Ugh. I'm exhausted from hating Endgame so much. I'm going to bed.




Initial thoughts:
Wow. I gotta think about this one for a bit...
My knee-jerk reaction is a hearty fuck you to Snyder.



I received a digital copy from NetGalley & DC.

Get this review and more at:

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume got a little too macguffiny for me. The Joker's found this magic elixir which allows him to heal from pretty much anything? Give me a break. This is the volume where Snyder jumps the shark. Capullo's art, however, is still amazing. He draws the Joker like he's the Boogieman and some of his panels are terrifying.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most intense, scary, gory, and disturbing volume of Syder's Batman Run.
Best Joker ever after Moore's one and Capullo's art is 5 stars, but the "immortal" Joker plot and the over the top grim ending, but of course you already know the story is far from being over, were just too much for me.





'Nuff said.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would have been hard to top Death of the Family for violence and gore, but Endgame does this in spades. This epic battle between Batman and the Joker for the fate of Gotham is a great story. If I said anymore, it would probably be a spoiler so let me just say that it is among the best barn-burningly fast-paced and well-illustrated tales in the Snyder run.

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I don't know how to talk about this without spoilers, so be warned.

*Spoiler alert*

So, I know there is another volume, but this felt like a finale end to the series in some ways.

I have never seen a story like this. I thought it was well done in the way that it takes what has happened from the 1st volume on and weaves them gently into this story. Batman goes back to the court of the owls.

The Joker is the most unhinged we have ever seen here. He knows Batman's identity and he has a new serum that Batman can't break and Gotham is dying.

They make it look like both Batman and Joker are dead buried far below the city in a cave in. The madness in this story works and I have never seen anything like this. I know Batman can't be dead as there are more books in this series, but this was wild.

I still hate the cover and that face mask thing. It's horrible, but this is one of the most unique stories that Batman pretty much is losing the whole time and a step behind Joker most of the way. Batman loses an eye, how will he heal that one. Alfred loses an arm, the joker cuts it off. I mean some real consequences happen from this story. It's intense. I don't know if I like all those choices, honestly, but I was gripped by the story and it felt very new and different. I look forward to the next book in this series.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it’s the remarkable art from Greg Capullo that tips this Batman series into classic Batman comics territory. Just top notch. And for Batman fans, the encounter with Joker, his very nemesis, the ultimate villain of all villains, well, to open the curtain on this stage for all the aging Batman aficionados, we have to have the best. So Endgame is Snyder and Capullo’s answer to Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s Killing Joke. It falls short of that glory, but it’s in the conversation, not because it is more persuasive than Moore’s elegant theory—no, it’s maybe less sympathetic but less persuasive—but because it pulls out all the stops, involving JLA, essentially asking you to reread all the classic series from The Court of Owls to Death in the Family. We take a trip back down villain’s lane to visit Uriah Boone, a Talon, and son. The whole long history, with everyone on stage for the finale!

But: The Dionesium-infused origin for Gotham’s own Dionysian god of madness and tragedy, to whom so many human sacrifices have been made? Well, nice try, boys, but making the Joker into ae eternal supervillain can’t work with this audience. Back to the drawing board!

Still, to fit the classic theme, Gotham inhabitants are fitted with Greek Chorus masks, and so on. The Batman-Joker story is elevated to the level of Greek myth, and so it should be. This volume was written for the true Batfans, and though I see at a glance a lot of people didn’t bite, it still has this operatic feel to it, involving the (laughing) gassing of Gotham and the poisoning of Batman, things we sort of expect, but they work well here. Greek tragedy in comic guise? Well. . .

I wondered from the beginning whether much of what we are experiencing here might be just hallucinatory—Bat's perceptions are altered! he's Batty as the Joker!—but on the whole I just went with it and liked it. The issues go on and on, one long sustained battle as we expect it (though ouch, Alfred, ugh, sorry) and the ending is, okay, what I expected, what has to happen, with a whimper, not a bang.

PS: I wonder why, if it is this dramatic, this operatic, and about Joker, and called Endgame, the series doesn’t just end? Won’t everything after this be denouement, mopping up after the horrific burning Bacchanalia? I’ll see, I guess.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than volume 3 which makes it by far the best in Snyder/Capullo New 52 series.This is as good as Batman gets.

My only problem with this volume is that series didn't end with it.This might seem like strange objection but the ending was so good and fit to end not just New 52 series but entire Batman series overall. Batsy will have to hung his cape one day (because of planed end or loss of public interest) and this was the chance to end it properly.Everything after this will be kind of anticlimactic.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

He’s baaaaaaaaaack!

What happened to Joker after the epic Death of the Family (nobody believed he really died)? He reveals all in Endgame - and he’s changed. If Joker thought he was Batman’s best friend in Death of the Family, what horrors has he brought with him now that he sees Bats as his enemy?

It pains me to say this because I’ve been a big fan of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman run since the start but… Endgame wasn’t very good. I know – a Snyder/Capullo Batman comic featuring the Joker, NOT amazing?! And more than that – the last Batman/Joker story (from Snyder’s perspective. For now.) not knocking your Bat-socks off?

Yeah. It was boring.

Spoilers from here on out. Of course everyone’s going to read this anyway but I’d recommend lowering expectations going in.

The first act of Endgame is awesome. Batman manages to clear downtown Gotham of civilians ingeniously (though I’m sure, given he was the target, moving to a less populated area himself would’ve been the smarter play). Robot Batman vs the Justice League (who’ve somehow all been dosed with a new strain of Joker toxin at the same time)? Epic. Really great stuff. Bruce tactically taking down each JL member, except for you-know-who, was super entertaining to read.

Then Joker reveals himself. I wasn’t so much surprised by confused as to the reveal. It’s so obscure, it’s underwhelming. His explanation for how he’s got a new face (after he cut off his old one) does make sense, in a Batman-y way. Then things take a nosedive.

The big no-no about Joker is: his origin must never be revealed. I know Alan Moore went there with The Killing Joke but that book’s always been seen as one possible origin out of many – not the definitive one. Because Joker has to be whatever we need him to be and the mystery really adds to the menace. There can never be a concrete backstory for this particular character, unlike Bruce whose origin is retold seemingly every goddamn year!

But this opposition to Bruce is extremely important to Joker: Batman and Joker are THE perfect hero/villain pairing because they’re yin and yang. Batman is grim and heroic, Joker is colourful and villainous – and they’re both human, without superpowers.

Snyder not only tries on an awful new origin story for Joker but upsets the balance between hero and villain by seemingly giving Joker superpowers. He cannot be killed now! Aw, whaaat? Joker’s not Ra’s Al-Ghul!

The saving grace is that the origin is implied and could easily (and certainly will) be immediately retconned, added onto the ever-expanding list of possible Joker origins. And the superpowers thing? That too is essentially specific to this book. Doesn’t make it any better a read though.

I would've much preferred Snyder to focus on Joker trying to totally destroy Batman in the present rather than take all these sidetracks to the past with his supposed origin and bafflingly terrible "superpowers".

The actual story becomes about Joker poisoning the city with this new strain of Joker toxin creating hordes of grinning, murderous Gotham citizens chasing Batman. The whole “poisoning the city” storyline? It might be the most overused one for Batman after the origin. It’s such an uninspired choice as was the re-enactment of that fateful night outside the Monarch Theatre. Snyder’s running out of ideas...

The books ends on an anti-climax because it’s so obvious that that’s not really the end. And if you really do think so, I’ve got some magic beans to sell you! Plus that whole parade Joker concocted - he really emptied the Batcave of all those big objects, brought them downtown and arranged them just so in 3 hours? And then, just like that, he’s at Batman’s side elsewhere? It’s too convenient that he’s everywhere at once and can put together these elaborate set-pieces at the drop of a hat.

Capullo’s art is still excellent. His Joker has some terrifying panels that are weirdly unsettling - seeing Joker in a Victorian bathing suit, swimming - and ditto some of Gotham’s citizens who’ve been gassed. Snyder’s script takes us all round the houses of his run right from the Court of Owls to the present, and Capullo draws it all with energy, skill and a keen eye for action. He’s still the master!

And I really did enjoy the Batman vs the Justice League portion of the book. But, after the triumph that was Death of the Family, returning to the well again for Endgame was a bust for Scott Snyder. It was a poor follow-up to a much better story arc - poor by Snyder's high standards that is. For most other Batman writers, this would be a high point.

It seems like this is the beginning of the end(game) for the first class quality that has been the hallmark of Snyder/Capullo’s Batman run.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone’s gotta put their stamp on the Joker, right? Snyder does that and more with an origin story that suggests some serious retconning. Really, this series might as well be called: Batman: Retcon, though, to be fair, 1) a character as old as Bats (and his legendary rogues’ gallery) needs some periodic origin refreshing to stay relevant; and 2) if Stephen Hawking and Marilyn vos Savant procreated (let’s assume for purposes of this incredibly disturbing thought exercise that Hawking is a zombie with functional sperm and septuagenarian eggs are viable) and had a kid who was tutored by Einstein, that kid still wouldn’t have a prayer of being able to sort through DC continuity to determine what’s technically in and what’s not.

That said, while not my favorite volume in the series, it continues to entertain, with a mix of high-octane action and Bruce Wayne growing pains complemented by solid Capullo art.

Now, please kindly squirt bleach into my eyes so I can stop thinking about zombie Stephen Hawking nailing the world’s smartest woman while they simultaneously solve quadratic equations and scream anagrams of each other’s names.

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.8/10
The Joker returns and the game ends!!
After "Death of the family" the moment that we all been waiting for, is finally here. Joker comes back and he is crazier than ever. Batman has to stop him....but what is the cost?

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally get this. I can't help but feel that Snyder is adding to and creating new Joker mythology in the style of Grant Morrison. It's pretty out there, visceral and bloody, but this acknowledges everything that Joker is and could be. That's the best way I can explain it. He is pure evil. He's maybe more integral to Gotham than Batman himself.

This book would not make half the impression it does without the staggering illustrations of Greg Capullo, inks of Danny Miki, and psychedelic colors of FCO Plascencia. I want this shit tattooed all over my body.

An underlying tone I get from this is a post 9/11 feel of terrorism, and that we live in a world of fear and monsters. Joker rules Gotham like the underworld, and Bats is poisoned. Once you accept that Bats is seeing a lot of what's not actually happening, and take things for what they are, you'll be far less confused.

The beginning of the mystery, and this is chock full of suspense and mystery, involves an incurable toxin that poisons the entire city, created by Dr. Paul Dekker. Skipping info on this toxin that's sure to spoil your read, there's the tale of the three men who are involved in something very ancient: the Savage, the Demon, and the Pale Man. Also of note is Dionysus, the god of madness and tragedy. Seeing a connection yet? I'll say no more.

Like the greatest battles, this is as much battle of the mind, wit, and will as it is a battle of the body. Batman is pushed not to the brink, but far over the edge and stuffed into the bottom of a well of despair and mind-bending horror. I guess the greatest part of the mystery is its lack of finite resolution. Who is Joker, really? It's up to you, the reader, to choose, but I think true Bats fans will pick up the clues Snyder has left us. I'm sorry I can't go into more detail, but I refuse to summarize a book similar to Batman R.I.P. that must simply be discovered on its own. But I'll conclude that Snyder is a god among men for what he's done for Batman, and nothing short of legendary.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just epic.

Batman vs Justice League. Then Superman. Only to find he is jokerised. The city is under a big attack and when the Joker unleashes his final attack and targets Gordon and Alfred and attacks Gotham like never before Batman must team up with Batfamily and his villains to stop him and find the mystery of Dionysium. Who will survive? Who will die? How is Joker back and so powerful? Plus what's the endgame?

All answered and brilliant story with great writing and the artwork particularly the fight scenes are brilliant. One of the best Batman stories. l

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book calls for a pros and cons list that I shall keep spoiler-free.

Pros:
• Joker-centered story. Duh. This gal can’t get enough of her Puddin’, even Snyder’s particularly psychopathic version. He’s just a glorious character and I wuvs him!

• Amazing artwork. Capullo knows how to make a story like this one vivid, creepy and gritty and I love that so much. He created some truly haunting images, his battle scenes are bloody and gross

Cons:
• That Joker origin story is… not great. It’s interesting as a speculation, but it just feels awkward as an explanation. Supernatural hat tricks usually make me roll my eyes a little, and it did here too. Even in “Gotham”, the whole deal with the Lazarus Water made me yawn.

• The ending should have been the ending – but it isn’t, as there are further books in the series. I won’t spoil it, but the last page of this book is how a Joker vs. Batman showdown was always supposed to end and there is no point in trying to pick up after that.

I think that Snyder was aiming to make this final confrontation epic, in the Greek tragedy sense of the word, and he succeeds up to a point.

The Joker unleashes a new strain of his infamous toxin on Gotham: an old trick, granted, but the strain is so powerful that no one is safe, not even the super-human members of the Justice League. You see, after the special treat the Joker had carefully organized for Batman in “Death of the Family” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), he was expecting their relationship to improve, but does he even get a thank you from his greatest foe? No, nada! Well, now he’s just tired of putting up with the ungrateful attitude of the Dark Knight, so he takes out the metaphorical big guns.

I love Snyder’s very noir spin on Batman, and as mentioned, Capullo’s art makes his ideas vivid and dynamic… But again, with that weird wrap up on Mr. J… I’m just not sure how I feel about that… So 3 and a half undecisive stars for now.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Received from Netgalley for review.)

Well, this isn't what I'd been hoping for. But actually, I'm not really sure what I'd been hoping for. Seeing that we were having yet another Joker story was making me apprehensive to begin with. Turns out I had good reason to be. The book starts with a half-baked Justice League face off. Joker has somehow managed to dose the entire League with Joker toxin, which was given a half-baked, cursory explanation. Which describes the entire subplot, actually. There have been much more interesting stories in the Batman vs. Justice League subgenre, and this won't even rise to the level of paling in comparison with those stories.

But that's over really, really fast, so ok. The rest is Joker. And ugh. I really have no idea why Snyder is going with this immortal Joker thing. It just doesn't feel right for the character to me. If you can get past that (good luck) a lot of the details of the story are, sad to say, derivative. There's yet another revisit of the boy with the murdered parents, because we couldn't have possibly gotten sick of that yet. But more to the point, there's a parade scene that feels largely lifted from Tim Burton's first Batman movie. And flooding Gotham with Joker venom reads so incredibly like a major plot point from Arkham Knight that I was kind of uncomfortable with it.

Overall, I felt like this whole storyline was a victim of the comics industry's warring impulses for radical, sudden changes and status quo. This is why we couldn't let a perfectly good Joker story that seemed to end with his death stay put for even a few years, and instead had to bring him back in such a way that indicates he'll never really go again. That's why the Court of Owls is back, in the most ineffective cameo ever. That's why the changes in this book won't stick, either. Like Bruce is really dead. Like Alfred will really be without his hand for long. Either the loss will be retconned, or it'll be reattached, or he'll get a sophisticated prosthetic a la Luke Skywalker. It's disappointing, but that's the industry.

But I can't criticize Capullo's art. He's consistently spot on, and he contributes some really striking and creepy visuals. The best work in this volume is, without a doubt, his.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this from Edelweiss and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.

This was probably the most intense Batman story since DC rebooted with The New 52!

The Joker is clearly the best bat-villain out there, bar none. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are clearly the best at writing and illustrating Batman, bar none. The intensity ramps up with each page, starting with a battle with the Justice League and ending with, well, I’m not spoiling it. But it’s surprising, it’s intense, and it’s the perfect Batman-vs-Joker plot.

[Sandee is Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

actual rating: 3.5 stars

Meh.
Sure I like it.
I was just expecting more.
Don't get me wrong though, they did give you more... just not the more I was expecting.
I didn't like how the Joker was portayed here.
I loved him in Death of the Family.
I FELT HIM AS A MORE GROUNDED VILLAIN.
The Joker here felt like a cartoon.
I just didn't feel it.

Full review possibly to follow.

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A definite improvement after Volume 6. Snyder loves him some dark, dark Joker.

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Scott Snyder took over Batman, he promised that he would be using the Joker sparingly, reserving the character for his best stories, like Death of The Family and now this, Endgame.

Snyder pulled out all the stops for this story arc. How does one top the first two chapters where Batman fights the rest of the Justice League? Most writers can't but a few, like Snyder could and he delivered here.

I don't usually follow the Batman books but I was glad to have read the Snyder-guided, weekly series, Batman Eternal, or at least two-thirds of it. It helped explain Batman/Bruce Wayne's current status quo.

Still, this was a great read and though not as creepy and demented as Death of The Family, this was story worthy of the Joker.

On a personal note, this is my 1000th rated and written review for a book on Goodreads. It feels like I passed a major milestone. I hope to find the time to rate and review a thousand more.

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endgame is a fitting conclusion to Snyder and Capullo's Batman ever since they have started writing the New 52 Caped Crusader. This arc imnortalizes Snyder as one of the best Batman writers.

There are so many elements in Endgame that I don't really know where to start. Well, it is a Batman vs Joker story but it is way more than that. This is a legendary story, a modern myth and as they put it, an epic drama of comedy and tragedy. Endgame is a masterpiece.

I won't spoil anything on who won but to tell you frankly, I also felt uncertain that Bats would be able to pull it through. The stakes are real. Batman for the first time is at a loss and doesn't have a concrete plan while Joker has gone serious about killing him.

As you progress towards the over-the-top brutal climax, Endgame lets you experience things that lays the foundation of Batman: who wins between Batman and Superman? Does he has a chance against the Justice League? What really is the Batman-Joker relationship? The League is there, the Batman family and rogues gallery are there, the whole Gotham is involved, the Snyder created Court of Owls were also present. Endgame also leaves you with more questions and lingering thoughts. Snyder has left details which are open for interpretation.

Endgame is the ultimate Batman fan service comic. One has to be emotionally invested to maximize the reading experience - meaning you have to start reading from the Court of Owls arc to the Death of the Family then Zero Year. Endgame is there in top tier of Bat-stories, together with The Dark Knight Returns, Year One and The Killing Joke. That's how good it is.

[Ryan Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would happen if the Joker stopped having fun with Batman? What if he became bored of the old games? All hell breaks loose, that's what.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo continue their critically-acclaimed run on the Dark Knight with "Endgame," a story I have grown to... mostly hate despite the fact the writing is superb and the art is out-of-this-world. Vol. 7 treats us to a no-holds-barred free-for-all between the Caped Crusader and the Clown Prince of Crime with the fate of Gotham hanging in the balance.

So what's not to love? A lot, actually.

Snyder's run is special, that's for certain, but it is not without flaws. One of the biggest being his knack for recycling old, tried-and-true stories from comic history. It's fine to get inspiration, but it's been pretty brazen lately. The first issue has one of the worst examples of this yet when Joker goes all (*spoilers*) "Tower of Babel" on the Justice League, leading to some of the most eye-roll-inducing moments I've come across in quite some time as our ever-prepared Detective has all bases covered (microscopic red suns in your gloves? Check. Kryptonite gum? Check. Moisture-absorbing hardening foam for Aquaman? Check.) There are sooooo many more moments that fit this bill throughout the arc that it becomes distracting, honestly.

HOWEVER, Snyder is at his absolute best when he's tapping into his horror roots and he takes the restrictor plates off this time out and puts the pedal through the floor, leading to some of the most tooth-rattling moments I can recall from mainstream comics... well.... ever. If you don't jump or get chills down your spine when Joker reveals himself to Batman or when he surprises good old Jim Gordon as Gordo uncovers some of the "Pale Man" mythos, then you might not be human.

There are many, many great moments in "Endgame" but the story is also completely ridiculous and the search for the cure for Gotham's "Jokerization" is super convoluted, ending in yet another temporary and unsatisfying demise (or two) of comic book characters.

This sets out to be a definitive Joker story and the tentpole for the Snyder-Capullo run. It might take me years to know where I place this, but as of now I'm split right down the middle, leaning toward hating it. Personally I found it unworthy of its widespread critical praise (the beginning and end), but simultaneously deserving (the middle).

If you find this breakdown unsatisfying, incomplete or left you wanting more, consider that an apt representation of the story in question.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant follow up to Snyder and Capullos Death of the Family arc. The Joker is back (again) but this time he's not fooling around. He turns the Justice League and the city on Batman and it seems like it could finally be it for The Dark Knight.

It opens with Batman vs The Justice League and because he's Batman - he's prepared for this. He has a contingency for all the League members and, as you'd expect, he gets he's butt kicked around a little by Superman. Snyder and Capullo don't spend much time on this. I think it's about 2 issues of the whole arc, because it's not a Batman v Justice League story, it's a Batman/Joker story. They could have easily gotten lost and spent too much time on Batman taking on the League, but they don't, and the story really moves along.

Then after the reveal that it is actually the Joker behind everything, Batman goes about trying to stop him. Given that Death of the Family didn't come out that long before this and was a pretty big and good arc, there was a danger that Endgame could have been a bit 'samey', but it's not. Rather than target all his allies again, The Joker is going straight for Batman. And how Batman overcomes it all and the ending is pretty cool.

I wouldn't say it's as good as Death of the Family, but it's another strong arc from the Snyder and Capullo team. And seeing Capullo draw the justice league is pretty cool.

[Scarlet Cameo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Ya paso bastante tiempo desde que leí este libro y una vez asimilado deslució. Es decir los dos primeros issues me gustaron, lo mismo para el final, pero el intermedio



Es decir para cuando el Joker comienza a desarrollar su plan todo se exagera demasiado, si bien el joker siempre mete cierto toque cómico a sus fechorias, para mi el desfile de dinosaurios fue demasiado.



Lo que agradezco es que se explore la parte más retorcida del Joker, el aspecto "payasesco" queda en segundo plano para presentarnos la sed de sangre y venganza, donde los limites de locura han quedado borrados y Gotham viene a ser un secundario más.



No puedo decir que es una historia imprescindible, pero a pesar de sus excesos se disfruta en demasía, además de que vale la pena sólo por el cuadro final.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

The joker is messed up, he involves the Justice League, and forms an attack on Batman. This novel continues on from the previous Joker story, and its disturbing and violent as ever!! A sad and emotional end to this novel, but hopefully a great new direction. I feel like Snyder is great at what he does, but hasnt hit it out of the park as of yet. The artwork is amazing, I really think they compliment eachother.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

RIP Batman. Nice to see the Joker back again. Hopefully he's gone for good. Wonder if we will ever know his real identity. Glad to see that some of the Bat Family were helping Batmsn. Poor Alfred. Hope he will be okay. Glad his daughter, Julia, is there though. Will Batman continue? Or is this the end of Batman?

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. First off, I just just just finished reading this book, and I'm still trying to process what I've just read - so it's possible this review will be revised later on - therefore let me just say this:

I find many good things about the story, including:

(1) Snyder has really gone for broke with everything he puts Batman through, what with having him first: fight a Joker-ised Justice League; and second: save all of Gotham City from being Joker-ised.

(2) The way this story was told in only six issues, instead of bloating it into maybe 12 issues & a slew of forgettable tie-ins.

(3) The really surprising reveal about the real identity of *censored*, a new character that seemed to have potential as a supporting player.

However there are also some things that I don't like about the story, such as:

(1) The fact that we don't see all the Justice League get taken down; and the fact that - other than Superman - they get taken down maybe too easily (Aquaman & Flash, anyone?); we don't see Cyborg or Green Lantern get neutralised.

(2) I find - maybe due to the sometimes fractured timeline - there are some inconsistencies, like Joker being at more than one place at the same time; also I find there are gaps in the story that we're supposed to fill in on our own.

Some things I just found plainly puzzling:

(1) Where did this Julia Pennyworth character come from? She seems settled-in in Snyder's Batman run, and yet I don't remember reading about her or seeing her in previous volumes.

(2) Harper Row apparently went from potential Bat-Agent in training to full-fledged bad-ass sidekick in what seems a blink of an eye (or, more pointedly, a stroke of a pen um, keyboard).

(3) Alfred gets his right hand chopped off. What's next for him?
(You gutter-minded people should check the spoiler!)

***

The series apparently continues (there's a Batman, Vol. 8 solicited for March 2016). Couple questions spring to mind in relation to this: How in Hell do you come back from the ending of the story, in which *Redacted* and *Blacked-Out* both apparently die? It's only a few years ago that DC Comics fake-killed-off Bruce Wayne (and we all knew then that wouldn't last), so... what? We just ret-con the whole thing (what, again!?), have Bruce wake up from a dream (lame!), or... I don't know. Help me here. All I know is I will most likely be checking it out (volume 8, that is).

The way I see it, any continuity reboot (soft or otherwise), or any new creative team (which can bring about its own continuity reboot - Grant Morrison did that many times over the years in many different series) will have either (A) new stories to tell about the character(s), in which case they think out of the box and swing for the fences; or (B) will stick to tried-and-true formulaic stories, play it safe and just re-hash old stories, or re-furbish them with superficial changes and try & pass them off as new.

I place Snyder's run in the (A) category. I may not like 100% of what he did so far in this series, but I must give him credit for going where few - if any - have gone before with the character & universe of Batman.

So, in the end, what about this controversial storyline? The way I see it, it's just part Snyder's own Bat-continuity. It may very well be ret-conned by the next creative team, and that's okay. His were good stories. Continuity be damned.*


*: It is conceivable, with all the reboots the BIG 2 of comics have had over the years, this last sentence must be framed and prominently displayed somewhere in their corporate offices!

[Tarique Ejaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the 'Death of the Family' where after a gruesome battle, Batman is able to come away while the Joker is buried under the wide expanse of rubble and earth. The world believes that the Joker might be history but the Dark Knight always knew that the Clown Prince of crime will be back and so was he right on this, as always.

He is back and not just back with a bang. He is back and this time, it is a huge soul-ripping explosion that accompanies his arrival. From the Justice League to the entire Gotham city being held hostage to a laughing disease that in its own way fulfills the saying that had been associated with him throughout - 'Laughter might just kill you.' The Clown Prince has concocted a new toxin to which Batman has no cure and to make it worse, Joker has finally managed to add two plus two and thereby, unearth that the Caped Crusader is none other than the billionaire-playboy Bruce Wayne himself.

A gripping tale with the sickening intensity that always seems to be present whenever Joker makes his mark. He had never been portrayed in such a darker manner before. The only character that still manages to give me goosebumps stretches the Dark Knight to the edge of his mental endurance in this memorable tale.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Joker is back and few people are happy about it. Gotham goes mad and it is up to Batman to save the day.

Snyder is becoming one of my top three writers for the Batman comics.

OVERALL GRADE: B plus.

[David Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! 5 stars plus! Right up there with the original Dark Knight by Miller. Super story and fantastic art! Well worth the cost. A must have for a Batman/action fan. This is the Joker at his worst/craziest! Batman at his best. A classic for sure.