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The Joker War (Reading Order) #6-7, 9-10, 12, 16-20, 23
The Joker War Saga
Enter the Joker's war zone!
Gotham City is a battleground as the Joker takes his war against the Dark Knight to the streets, using Bruce Wayne's own fortune to mount a fully armed attack against Batman and his allies. Read the full epic here, featuring the long-anticipated confrontation between Harley Quinn and the Joker's new girlfriend, Punchline; the return of Nightwing; the debut of new character Clownhunter; and many more can't-miss moments!
The Joker War Saga collects the full adventure from James Tynion IV and Jorge Jiménez's Batman #95-100, plus tie-in stories from the pages of Batgirl, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Detective Comics, and exclusive to this collection, the Batman: The Joker War Zone special.
Gotham City is a battleground as the Joker takes his war against the Dark Knight to the streets, using Bruce Wayne's own fortune to mount a fully armed attack against Batman and his allies. Read the full epic here, featuring the long-anticipated confrontation between Harley Quinn and the Joker's new girlfriend, Punchline; the return of Nightwing; the debut of new character Clownhunter; and many more can't-miss moments!
The Joker War Saga collects the full adventure from James Tynion IV and Jorge Jiménez's Batman #95-100, plus tie-in stories from the pages of Batgirl, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Detective Comics, and exclusive to this collection, the Batman: The Joker War Zone special.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2021
54 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,638 books1,980 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
May 14, 2021
Joker’s warring on Gotham because he’s the Joker! He’s also got Bruce Wayne’s money this time! Derpy derp derp derppppp!
I’ve reviewed the main Joker War storyline elsewhere so this is a review of the tie-ins only. And they are as awful, maybe more so, as the rest of this pitiful “saga” was.
Nothing that happens in any of the tie-ins add to the main storyline and are completely irrelevant (like most tie-ins, to be fair). Joker visits Batgirl for another tedious rehash of Killing Joke; Harley hallucinates while losing blood; Batwoman, Red Hood and Catwoman fight Joker goons; Joker visits Bane in Arkham; and there’s still more pointless rubbish involving Lucius Fox and his fam, Spoiler, Orphan, Poison Ivy, and the dismal new character Clownhunter.
What makes the tie-ins worse than the main storyline are the additions of Joker’s Daughter (shudder) and the moronic storyline of Nightwing being brainwashed by a magic stone that Joker’s picked up somewhere?! Grayson’s wearing a crap new outfit to match the crap new storyline and he’s calling himself Dickyboy. Wow. Take a bow, DC, that’s a new low.
This is such an unimaginative storyline. All Joker’s doing is causing chaos in Gotham. That’s it. There’s no depth, there’s no real stakes and nothing happens that anyone who’s been reading Batman for any length of time doesn’t expect to happen. Boring, uncreative, stupid, predictable, and completely missable, The Joker War Saga is definitely the worst Batman event in years and one of the worst ever.
I’ve reviewed the main Joker War storyline elsewhere so this is a review of the tie-ins only. And they are as awful, maybe more so, as the rest of this pitiful “saga” was.
Nothing that happens in any of the tie-ins add to the main storyline and are completely irrelevant (like most tie-ins, to be fair). Joker visits Batgirl for another tedious rehash of Killing Joke; Harley hallucinates while losing blood; Batwoman, Red Hood and Catwoman fight Joker goons; Joker visits Bane in Arkham; and there’s still more pointless rubbish involving Lucius Fox and his fam, Spoiler, Orphan, Poison Ivy, and the dismal new character Clownhunter.
What makes the tie-ins worse than the main storyline are the additions of Joker’s Daughter (shudder) and the moronic storyline of Nightwing being brainwashed by a magic stone that Joker’s picked up somewhere?! Grayson’s wearing a crap new outfit to match the crap new storyline and he’s calling himself Dickyboy. Wow. Take a bow, DC, that’s a new low.
This is such an unimaginative storyline. All Joker’s doing is causing chaos in Gotham. That’s it. There’s no depth, there’s no real stakes and nothing happens that anyone who’s been reading Batman for any length of time doesn’t expect to happen. Boring, uncreative, stupid, predictable, and completely missable, The Joker War Saga is definitely the worst Batman event in years and one of the worst ever.
April 29, 2022
"Sorry, 'Boy Blue.' The odds just changed." -- Alexis 'Punchline' Kaye, Joker's new gal Friday sidekick, as the demented criminal clown army assembles behind her for an expected skirmish
"Yeah . . . they sure have." -- Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson, as various members of the 'Bat' family (Batgirl, Robin, Red Hood, and Spoiler) heroically also arrive on the scene to even the odds
This was not really a great Batman graphic novel, but I can't quite mercilessly skewer it to death. The so-called 'saga' did not always flow very smoothly - chapters sometimes felt like they were included completely at random and were sometimes just an odd fit (like the inexplicable contained section featuring villainess Poison Ivy, for example) - and the storyline (Batman vs. Joker in a fierce battle for the survival of Gotham City) was not the most original in the world. And yet . . . it seemed to get a little better as the book progressed, when the 'Bat' family sidekicks finally started appearing to lend assistance and some of the ferocious action scenes were ramped up to make things interesting. So I guess I'm offering it some faint praise alongside a 'it could've been better' admonishment.
"Yeah . . . they sure have." -- Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson, as various members of the 'Bat' family (Batgirl, Robin, Red Hood, and Spoiler) heroically also arrive on the scene to even the odds
This was not really a great Batman graphic novel, but I can't quite mercilessly skewer it to death. The so-called 'saga' did not always flow very smoothly - chapters sometimes felt like they were included completely at random and were sometimes just an odd fit (like the inexplicable contained section featuring villainess Poison Ivy, for example) - and the storyline (Batman vs. Joker in a fierce battle for the survival of Gotham City) was not the most original in the world. And yet . . . it seemed to get a little better as the book progressed, when the 'Bat' family sidekicks finally started appearing to lend assistance and some of the ferocious action scenes were ramped up to make things interesting. So I guess I'm offering it some faint praise alongside a 'it could've been better' admonishment.
March 12, 2021
This collects the main Joker War storyline from Batman plus all the tie-ins from all the other Batman Family comics. All of the tie-ins are interspersed in the midst of the main storyline. I actually found this to be disruptive. I think reading the main storyline straight through and then going back to read the tie-ins to fill in the gaps works much better.
I gave the main story 4 stars but this collection only 3 because of how disruptive the way this is collected is. If you want to read every bit of this, I suggest reading this and then reading the individual Batman family trades instead. The Nightwing tie-in especially gives a lot away from what was going on in the lead up to that issue.
This is my review for the main Batman: The Joker War story:
The Joker steals Bruce Wayne's money and uses it to wreak havoc on Gotham. This has got everything you want in a Batman story. Lots of action. Batman coming to terms with Alfred's death. Joker. Harley Quinn. (She's a beast in this. I love her as Batman's voice of reason.) Clown Hunter (He's a teenager murdering Joker's henchmen.) Patman's posse. Punchline (Another great addition to Batman's rogues gallery.)
Jorge Jimenez's art is phenomenal. The dude can do it all, including drawing the entire arc without help.
I gave the main story 4 stars but this collection only 3 because of how disruptive the way this is collected is. If you want to read every bit of this, I suggest reading this and then reading the individual Batman family trades instead. The Nightwing tie-in especially gives a lot away from what was going on in the lead up to that issue.
This is my review for the main Batman: The Joker War story:
The Joker steals Bruce Wayne's money and uses it to wreak havoc on Gotham. This has got everything you want in a Batman story. Lots of action. Batman coming to terms with Alfred's death. Joker. Harley Quinn. (She's a beast in this. I love her as Batman's voice of reason.) Clown Hunter (He's a teenager murdering Joker's henchmen.) Patman's posse. Punchline (Another great addition to Batman's rogues gallery.)
Jorge Jimenez's art is phenomenal. The dude can do it all, including drawing the entire arc without help.
April 21, 2024
It's pretty much mid event i read only for Batfamily crumbs.
June 30, 2023
When it came down to it, this really wasn't as epic as all the hype.
Personally, I didn't like the characterizations of Batman; it felt like they were going out of their way to make him weak. He gets slapped around by the ghost Alfred and rides pillion with Batwoman. He is very passive throughout, reactive, and never on the offensive.
There were some nice Batgirl, Red Hood, Dick Grayson, and Catwoman moments; everyone got to be a hero except Batman.
Personally, I didn't like the characterizations of Batman; it felt like they were going out of their way to make him weak. He gets slapped around by the ghost Alfred and rides pillion with Batwoman. He is very passive throughout, reactive, and never on the offensive.
There were some nice Batgirl, Red Hood, Dick Grayson, and Catwoman moments; everyone got to be a hero except Batman.
September 13, 2021
3.5
I would recommend reading this over the volume 2 batman Joker war. This has all the issues and this is how I read them. I will say it's more of a completest saga and fills in some blanks and side stories. Not all the stories are worthwhile and that Nightwing story is just over the top. The Joker War was an underwhelming story with such a strong build-up. Tynion struggles to provide any true power shift and it lacks any true repercussions for the central characters. It does pave the way for the next Infinite Frontier setup and it will be interesting to see what our characters will face after Future State.
I would recommend reading this over the volume 2 batman Joker war. This has all the issues and this is how I read them. I will say it's more of a completest saga and fills in some blanks and side stories. Not all the stories are worthwhile and that Nightwing story is just over the top. The Joker War was an underwhelming story with such a strong build-up. Tynion struggles to provide any true power shift and it lacks any true repercussions for the central characters. It does pave the way for the next Infinite Frontier setup and it will be interesting to see what our characters will face after Future State.
June 10, 2023
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January 28, 2023
This was good. One of the best Joker/Batman stories I've read, and that covers a lot of ground.
A very epic tale where the Joker has conquered Gotham using Batman's own resources, and Batman his team must take it all back. I think the Joker is possible the greatest villain in comics, and this is the character at its best. If you're going to read this story, I think it's worth going with this "Saga" edition to get the full story. There were a few tie ins that didn't quite fit (specifically the Batgirl tie in that seemed like a major event and then just wasn't really followed up on.)
Overall though, this was one of the best Batman stories I've read in a while.
A very epic tale where the Joker has conquered Gotham using Batman's own resources, and Batman his team must take it all back. I think the Joker is possible the greatest villain in comics, and this is the character at its best. If you're going to read this story, I think it's worth going with this "Saga" edition to get the full story. There were a few tie ins that didn't quite fit (specifically the Batgirl tie in that seemed like a major event and then just wasn't really followed up on.)
Overall though, this was one of the best Batman stories I've read in a while.
February 26, 2021
Take a great storyline of the war between Batman and Joker, give it some above average artwork and a decent script. Mix it all up until it becomes an incoherent mess with no rhyme or reason and voila! You've got Joker War Saga!
Color me disappointed.
Color me disappointed.
January 1, 2024
3.4/5.0
The action-packed elements of this book are fun for anyone who is intrigued by the hero-villain routine, but that alone felt highly overshadowed by the discontinuity of the stories presented in this novel.
The action-packed elements of this book are fun for anyone who is intrigued by the hero-villain routine, but that alone felt highly overshadowed by the discontinuity of the stories presented in this novel.
April 3, 2021
So far, so good JT4. This collection packages the Joker war issues of Batman with several tie-ins. Overall, the core Batman issues are the best part but as someone who is planning on getting a little deeper into DC’s current lineup I enjoyed seeing what else was taking place alongside the event. Jimenez does it again with some great art and I’m really enjoying the overall look and feel of this run so far.
September 11, 2022
This was a great read and really cool to see the aspect of Joker taking everything from Bruce Wayne and fully controlling Gotham. The ending was badass and the art throughout is really top notch as well
February 6, 2022
Fucking amazing
December 3, 2021
This isn't super different from Batman, Vol. 2: The Joker War, but I really appreciated that this showed more perspectives and gave a fuller view to the war. I wish we would get that more for large-scale comic events, because it added so much more depth to the story.
April 7, 2022
As a lover of all things Joker, I'm surprised it took me this long to give this collection a read. Crossing multiple comics, it's an epic filled with lots of villains and lots of death. It's a story about the inseparable nature of Batman and Joker, the limits of their rules, and what happens when good and bad people's roles are reversed. As Joker says, "Trauma is a weapon," so get ready for one of the darkest tales of the Jokerverse. Highly recommend.
May 27, 2024
Parts of this are incomprehensible garbage, and others are, once again, the most fun I’ve had reading a Batman comic in ages. I love Tynion’s work when he’s focused on writing dialogue and relationships. I hate it when he’s attempting to craft a grand Gotham-wide crime epic.
Jorge Jiménez is a spectacularly talented artist, and his work elevates the main event comic as much as it does for Zdarsky’s run. Other artists in this big ole collection were not quite as gifted, but there were some standout stylizations that I liked.
I love these big collections with the entire Bat Family’s comics collected. As scattershot as they can be in quality, it truly does feel like there’s a network of these characters, each with their own casts and tones and styles, coexisting in the same universe.
Tynion’s characterization of Joker is GREAT in spots and REAL OFF in others. However, his “A Serious House” story in here was fantastic, and ties Tom King’s Bane in really well with Tynion’s fascination with the Joker.
3.5 starrer, really.
Jorge Jiménez is a spectacularly talented artist, and his work elevates the main event comic as much as it does for Zdarsky’s run. Other artists in this big ole collection were not quite as gifted, but there were some standout stylizations that I liked.
I love these big collections with the entire Bat Family’s comics collected. As scattershot as they can be in quality, it truly does feel like there’s a network of these characters, each with their own casts and tones and styles, coexisting in the same universe.
Tynion’s characterization of Joker is GREAT in spots and REAL OFF in others. However, his “A Serious House” story in here was fantastic, and ties Tom King’s Bane in really well with Tynion’s fascination with the Joker.
3.5 starrer, really.
June 22, 2023
This was pretty good! The Tynion/Jimenez issues are solid - good art that often leans into horror, with lots of good color (Tomeu Morey!). I like Harley’s role in this a lot, and Punchline’s… okay. I’m not convinced Harley needed to be replaced but I’ll allow it. Also I feel sad for poor Bea Bennetta. The Epilogue is so good though!
This edition also collects side-stories from Batgirl (good!), Harley (bad!), Batwoman (fine!), Red Hood/Nightwing (confusing!), and Catwoman (also fine!) that round out the edges of this story in a way that I enjoyed, but also just made me wish I was reading the other issues of those tie-ins.
I definitely want to continue Tynion’s Batman run, thought the inconsistency of the art - even in this book - has me a little wary. I know there’s a couple trades after this but before Fear State so I’ll probably spread it out a bit before proceeding.
This edition also collects side-stories from Batgirl (good!), Harley (bad!), Batwoman (fine!), Red Hood/Nightwing (confusing!), and Catwoman (also fine!) that round out the edges of this story in a way that I enjoyed, but also just made me wish I was reading the other issues of those tie-ins.
I definitely want to continue Tynion’s Batman run, thought the inconsistency of the art - even in this book - has me a little wary. I know there’s a couple trades after this but before Fear State so I’ll probably spread it out a bit before proceeding.
September 24, 2022
Not too bad, but not that great either.
James Tynion IV (who is literally trailblazing on other titles like Nice House on the Lake) is basically following Snyder’s path with this Batman stint. And, it’s not bad… just nothing new.
The last installment sort of did a Court of Owles type deal. This one does a Death of the Family thing. He’s hitting the beats.
Jimenez’s are is still liquid hot fire… but other than that, this is mostly paint by numbers Batman storytelling.
Can’t decide if I like Punchline or not yet.
James Tynion IV (who is literally trailblazing on other titles like Nice House on the Lake) is basically following Snyder’s path with this Batman stint. And, it’s not bad… just nothing new.
The last installment sort of did a Court of Owles type deal. This one does a Death of the Family thing. He’s hitting the beats.
Jimenez’s are is still liquid hot fire… but other than that, this is mostly paint by numbers Batman storytelling.
Can’t decide if I like Punchline or not yet.
April 16, 2023
Closer to 3,5 stars. The actual event (Batman #95-#100) is a lot of fun to read and flows very nicely, with gorgeous art supplied by Jimenez. I personally did not really click with a bunch of the side-stories presented with the event however, which knocks the overall reading experience down a peg due to the mapping of the book putting said side-stories in-between every single issue of the core event.
September 20, 2022
This is a LOT to get through because the tie-in stories from the other titles are mostly boring and unnecessary. I never felt like not reading them was going to impact the story in any way. However, the main Batman issues are great, and Tynion's storytelling, though dialogue-heavy, is always interesting and keeps you reading.
May 30, 2024
Yes, the "Gotham had been taken over by whatever" is a super old storyline. Like, how can people still live there? But it works. Or at least I like it. And this one is really good, with amazing Jorge Jiménez art. The tie-ins though are pretty bad, and cut the whole momentum of the main story. So this would be a 3.5 but rounded down because of that
August 17, 2025
Ein unglaublich großer Comic (mit stolzen Preis) der aber wunderschön gezeichnet wurde. Mir gefällt der Style unglaublich gut und die Schrift ist meistens gut lesbar. Gegen Ende hin bisschen wild zusammengesetzt die Comics wodurch ich nur 4 Sterne gebe. Sonst ein wirklich schöner Comic :)
January 18, 2023
Thrilling
December 29, 2021
This whole review is spoilers, so beware.
I liked the Joker War very much but appreciate how choppy this collection reads, so it's a 3.5 total inflated to 4-star review.
I put a lot of work into reading this (I literally printed out a cheat sheet and had four books laid out). I caught up in Nightwing, reading up to issue #74 in Nightwing, Vol. 11: The Joker War & caught up in Detective Comics, reading up until #1024 in Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: The Joker War and that really helped. I'd say reading Nightwing, Vol. 11: The Joker War is way more necessary here, but I did appreciate both.
But other than the main Batman story I didn't find the add-ins to be all that helpful or good, but I didn't hate them either. (I only write this as someone who read a lot of bad Nightwing to get here...)
Ok, so last I saw Joker in Batman, Vol. 1: Their Dark Designs. I thought he wanted to out Batman as Bruce Wayne, but really the Joker War Saga is the Joker just wanting to fuck Batman up. Like usual, but kinda more? This was way more than Batman: Death of the Family Saga or any other Joker vs. Batman event. It was a total take down of Batman, of Bruce Wayne, and of Gotham.
In Joker War Part 1 (Batman issue #95) we get this great Batman flashback to one of his first fights against the joker.
Batman to Alfred about the Joker: "To him, they're just...meat... The city, this whole world and the people in it, they're already dead in his eyes. He's just helping them along."
Batman to Alfred about the Joker: "I think he knows he's going to lose. But he already knows how he wants to come at me the next time...and the time after that. I'm the only other person in this world he thinks is alive, and because of that... I don't know that this battle will ever end."
Alfred: "Well, Master Bruce, at least you won't be waging it alone."
Batman: "Alfred?"
Alfred: "You don't think I'd let you fight a murderous nightmare clown for the rest of time on your own, did you?"
Batman smiles. My heart breaks. (● ´□` )♡
Back to the present where everything is shit. The Joker now has control of Wayne Enterprises. Punchline has Lucius Fox captive and doped up on Joker toxin, and Joker's clowns have access to all the batmobiles, batplanes, bat-everything from WE and the batcave & are unleashing hell on Gotham.... :(
But because the Joker owns everything and controls the Mayor... the GPD can't do shit. It's a mess!
Batman gets dosed by Punchline's toxin and hear's Alfred's voice right before he gets shot at by a batplane. :(
Next we have our first tie-in: Batgirl #47 written by Cecil Castellucci & art by Robbi Rodriguez. And, it's really...not important to the story (sorry!). The Joker pays Babs a visit in her apt & he's drawn like a pretty KPop star (with actual sparkles in his eyes and everything). He wants the codes to Batman's old analog computers and Babs needs to buy time to just survive the encounter. There's a lot of talking and text boxes and just text. Every page seems to be crowded with text.
Joker & Barbra end up fighting (he got a gadget from Wayne Enterprises that controls the spinal implant that allows her to walk.) and she stabs herself in the back to disable the implant & then stabs him in the back & the issue ends with them both lying there. Spoiler, nothing comes of it. They are both back up and moving in the following issues of Batman & Nightwing.
Harley Quinn #75, After the Laughter written by Sam Humpheries is the next tie-in issue. I seriously hated the cutesie/gory kid's art by Riley Rossmo. The story itself is a fever dream as Harley is drowning/bleeding out after her run-in with Punchline. She gets up (Thank god! We all love Harley!) & sews herself back up (with a guitar wire, eek!).
The one good thing about this add-in is that flows kinda seamlessly into the next issue, Batman #96 Part 2, (where Batgirl did not).
Issue #96 opens with a future Gotham scene. Gotham looks like a Metropolis of the future. Clean, pretty, and sunny. Batman drives through the streets (in friggin daylight) and has this really cool alert system that sends messages to pedestrians as he chases Freeze through the streets. Batman is wearing this gorgeous futuristic blue Batsuit and we already know this isn't real because we just saw that batsuit at Wayne Enterprises at the end of issue #95 with Punchline. Batman is tripping on Joker toxin and imagining this whole scene. :(
(When Batman sees the gorgeous blue batsuit at the end of issue #95 he asks Lucius Fox if he designed it. It's so... hopeful looking. Lucius says no, that he found the plans on the batcomputer and thought Bruce had made them. Well, if Lucius didn't design the suit, and Bruce didn't design the suit, the implication here is that Alfred had. <3 For that future, cleaner, safer Gotham that Bruce wanted to build...)
Of course, Alfred is at home waiting for Batman when he returns & it's just so cruel that DC did this to us. I'm really not OK with it & just waiting until they miraculously bring him back. Please.
Of course, the beautiful dream gets perverted and Alfred's neck snaps. :(
Batman wakes up to Harley taking care of him. <3
Harley catches Batman up to speed (he was out for 3 days!). The Joker bought all the movie theaters in Gotham City. He is going to pay people $10,000 to come see Zorro opening night, where he will then expose Batman's secret identity...and then kill them all. Because, Joker.
Batman is still not 100%, but he escapes Harley to go after the Joker. And hears Alfred in his ear. (╥ ‸ ╥)
Batman to Alfred's voice: "You're not real, but I can deal with that later."
Alfred's voice: "You wound me, sir. I'm here to help you. I promised you I'd always be here to help."
OMG. (● ´□` )♡
Also, that art is just so pretty! That purple rain!)
Batman makes his way to the Monarch Theatre (yes, the Monarch Theatre where his parents were killed) and finds it packed with the dead bodies of Joker victims throughout the years. So macabre!
Ooh, we also got a new addition to the batworld in issue #96: Clownhunter. A kid wearing a helmet and wielding a baseball bat with a batarang tied to the end of it...who, yes, murders clowns. He's the only DC character I've ever seen speak in lower case letters, so you know he's a bit messed up in the noggin. But also, we all agree, he's doing the lord's work, right?
The next tie-in is Detective Comics #1025 written by Peter J. Tomasi & art by Kenneth Rocafort. While I don't think this tie-in is so crucial to the story, it is a good tie-in; we get to see Batwoman, who we haven't seen in this title in ages (since her falling out with Batman over Clayface), and we do see Lucius Fox rescued, thank goodness! Love the cameo from Harvey Bullock and the GPD as they try to gain back ground from the Joker's clowns. And for someone who has been pretty pissy towards Batman since Gordon has been out of commission, I loved the scenes in the graveyard...
Harvey Bullock: "Blast anyone without a cape!"
(And also, Bullock: "Much as I hate to say it, thanks for the save, Bats.")
Batwoman to Batman: "What's your plan? Knowing you, I'm sure you've got some secret contingency plans for crap like this."
Batman: "As a matter of fact, I do." (Me: YAY!)
Batman: "I'll drive."
Batwoman: "Don't think so."
Batman: "I don't ride the pillion."
Batwoman: "My bike. My rules."
Next image is of Batman riding pillion behind Batwoman. Lol. (^ц^)
The plan is a tank. Lol.
Not sure this issue was totally necessary to this volume, but I do like Detective Comics, so... Why not?
(I didn't love the art though.)
We're back to Batman, issue #97 Part 3!
We get more of Punchline here and her boobalicious figure. :-/ She's drawn very much IMO, but she has been the whole time, so consistency!
We see that Clownhunter is starting to be a real problem for the clowns, and do we care yet about some murdered clowns? No, I don't think so. Not when Gotham is literally on fire.
Batman is fighting hoards of dead Joker victims back at the Monarch & he's also still tripping on toxin. He blindfolds himself to clear away the hallucinations and distractions and it's super badass.
Batman: "A good bat knows how to fight blind." <3
He escapes, but collapses after this really sad hallucination of his parents walking down the alley... :(
Thank god Harley is there for him. (I love Batman & Harley's relationship these days!)
Harley: "Ivy's usual rules are no clothes in Eden, but I don't think you and I have that kind of relationship." LOL
And
Harley: "Trust me. I'm a doctor."
And she's right.
Harley: "Look, Bats. There's something different about all of this. This isn't how the Joker usually makes an attack. Like his priorities have shifted."
Harley: "The math of it all is sideways. And you're the only one who can crack it. But crazy Batman isn't cracking @#$&, so drink your plant smoothie and don't give me lip or I'll hit you with a big hammer."
Love her. And, I agree. This is maybe the biggest I've ever seen the Joker go.
Next tie-in is Red Hood: Outlaw #48 written by Scott Lobdell & art by Brett Booth and Danny Miki. It's a little Jason Todd origins story, a little Red Hood action story.
In the flashback of Bruce Wayne "meeting" Jason for the first time, the text box reads: People who don't know Batman assume he's an asshat. But underneath all the masks he wears --he cares.
Which is so nice coming from Jason Todd, I think!
Presently, Jason lures a bunch of clowns to (and then blows up) the old orphanage where he grew up. Half way through the action (of fighting clowns), he hears a "chthunkt" and his eyes go wide. He recognices the sound "chthunkt" as "metal on flesh and bone".
Jason: "From the night I was murdered... by the Joker." :'(
Jason runs towards the noise to discover Punchline (as boobalicious as ever) beating the Joker's Daughter with a crowbar. :(
It's at this point that my having read Nightwing really helped me... because Dickyboy shows up to fight Jason.
Recap: In Nightwing issue #71 (not included here) the Joker gets ahold of the crystal that Dr. Haas used to sort of hypnotize(?) Ric into gaining false memories of the Court of Owls raising him to be a Talon. Using the crystal, the Joker gives Ric a whole new set of "memories" where he was raised by the Joker(!!) and has been fighting the batfamily his whole life. His new name is Dickyboy. :(
Ok, so Dickyboy shows up wearing a clown mask & is fighting Jason and when the orphanage goes boom. Jason is outside the building, but he thinks Duela (the Joker's Daugher) is inside. I don't know or remember Jason's relationship with her, but they're on first-name basis and he's really crushed by her loss.
Batman Part 4, issue #98 is sort of Batman's "come to god" moment. Harley rescued Bats at the end of Part 3 and gave him some healing juice to negate Punchline's toxin, which knocks him out. He's hallucinating a conversation with Alfred (this volume really pulls on my heartstrings with all the Alfred stuff), while Punchline and Harley duke it out over Batman's prone form.
At first, Batman's hallucinations are the early days. He's showing Alfred his utility belt and batarangs with a sense of hopeful exuberance.
Bruce to Alfred: "Every compartment and canister can save a life. At least one life. And it's just the beginning."
Alfred: ..."Your brain is reaching into your memories to find the right kind of optimism. You want desperately to be this version of yourself."
But it's all in his head. :(
Right before this page, Batman to Alfred: "I failed."
Alfred: "No. No, dammit! This story isn't over yet."
Alfred: "You are BATMAN. You need to accept the world you live in and accept what you can control. You need to accept that you did not and cannot save me. You also need to accept that you did not and cannot save your parents."
Alfred: "But you can save yourself. And in doing so, you can save the lives of so many people in that city you love so much."
Alfred: "Every life you save is a victory against death. Against the Joker." <3 <3
Oh, Alfred. You have always been & you remain, the best. Even in Bruce's mind.
Batman wakes up in the nick of time to stop Punchline.
Kind of hokey, kind of awesome.
Also, this is amazing:
BWAHAHAHAAHA!
The next tie-in is Nightwing #74 written by Dan Jurgens & art by Ryan Benjamin and Richard Friend.
I totally appreciate how non-sensical this issue reads in this volume unless you read Nightwing issues #71-73. I'd be really confused & annoyed if I hadn't caught up...
In issue #73 (not included in this volume), Bea, Ric's gf, comes to Gotham looking for him. The Joker paid them a visit in Bludhaven and ever since then Ric was behaving so oddly, so Bea followed him to Gotham, worried. She reached out to Barbra, but nada so far.
She finds him fighting it out with Batgirl, Red Hood, and Red Robin. The Joker & Punchline are there too until Bea intervenes by grabbing the mind-control/memory/identity crystal. Dickyboy (so terrible) is pointing a gun at Batgirl. The Joker is egging him on to kill her. Bea, using the crystal tells Ric he's not the Joker's son. He's not Dickyboy. He's not even Ric. He's Dick Grayson. Adopted by Bruce Wayne, raised by Batman. Boy Wonder turned Bludhaven's superhero. AND, OMG it worked! Two terrible volumes of Nightwing where Dick was Ric & we finally got Dick Grayson back! Thank God!
Batman shows up on scene as soon as the Joker & Punchline escape. Bea is starstruck (lol) and Batman tells Dick he was checking up on him the whole time in Bludhaven, even if he wasn't seen.
Dick to Batman: "Nice of you to remember. I thought you'd given up on me."
Batman: "Because I didn't drop in to say hi?"
Batman: "Do you really believe that I stayed away from Bludhaven? That I never checked up on you? You know me better than that."
Dick thinks for a second & then smiles: "How often?"
Batman: "Many times."
Middle frame of the page is a flash back of Ric in Bludhaven with Bea. Batman can be seen in the top left of the frame. Note from the editors reads *Nightwing #50 and more!
I went back to Nightwing issue #50, and if look at this page you can also see Batman in the back of the middle frame, on the left, checking up on him. <3
Anyway, this is the batfamily reunion I was waiting for & it feels so good!
Sadly, Bea runs off because she's nervous Dick forgot her/Ric/that it all wasn't real. A little dramatic for my tastes, but it's better she go home anyway, Gotham is still a shit-show.
Batman Part 5, issue #99 is next, and omg we're nearing the end of the Joker War!
We see more of Clownhunter and just general mayhem and chaos.
Poor Gotham. :(
Batman gathers the family (All but Damian & Catwoman. Where is Damian btw??) & it's so cool. Love the batfamily!
Red Hood, Dick Grayson (yay!), Signal (haven't seen him in a long time!), Orphan (same!), Spoiler (didn't she quit a while back in Detective Comics?), Batgirl, Harley Quinn (love), and Red Robin (who was totally shot with an arrow back in the Bane storyline & that seems to have been ignored here).
Continued review in comments.
I liked the Joker War very much but appreciate how choppy this collection reads, so it's a 3.5 total inflated to 4-star review.
I put a lot of work into reading this (I literally printed out a cheat sheet and had four books laid out). I caught up in Nightwing, reading up to issue #74 in Nightwing, Vol. 11: The Joker War & caught up in Detective Comics, reading up until #1024 in Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: The Joker War and that really helped. I'd say reading Nightwing, Vol. 11: The Joker War is way more necessary here, but I did appreciate both.
But other than the main Batman story I didn't find the add-ins to be all that helpful or good, but I didn't hate them either. (I only write this as someone who read a lot of bad Nightwing to get here...)
Ok, so last I saw Joker in Batman, Vol. 1: Their Dark Designs. I thought he wanted to out Batman as Bruce Wayne, but really the Joker War Saga is the Joker just wanting to fuck Batman up. Like usual, but kinda more? This was way more than Batman: Death of the Family Saga or any other Joker vs. Batman event. It was a total take down of Batman, of Bruce Wayne, and of Gotham.
In Joker War Part 1 (Batman issue #95) we get this great Batman flashback to one of his first fights against the joker.
Batman to Alfred about the Joker: "To him, they're just...meat... The city, this whole world and the people in it, they're already dead in his eyes. He's just helping them along."
Batman to Alfred about the Joker: "I think he knows he's going to lose. But he already knows how he wants to come at me the next time...and the time after that. I'm the only other person in this world he thinks is alive, and because of that... I don't know that this battle will ever end."
Alfred: "Well, Master Bruce, at least you won't be waging it alone."
Batman: "Alfred?"
Alfred: "You don't think I'd let you fight a murderous nightmare clown for the rest of time on your own, did you?"
Batman smiles. My heart breaks. (● ´□` )♡
Back to the present where everything is shit. The Joker now has control of Wayne Enterprises. Punchline has Lucius Fox captive and doped up on Joker toxin, and Joker's clowns have access to all the batmobiles, batplanes, bat-everything from WE and the batcave & are unleashing hell on Gotham.... :(
But because the Joker owns everything and controls the Mayor... the GPD can't do shit. It's a mess!
Batman gets dosed by Punchline's toxin and hear's Alfred's voice right before he gets shot at by a batplane. :(
Next we have our first tie-in: Batgirl #47 written by Cecil Castellucci & art by Robbi Rodriguez. And, it's really...not important to the story (sorry!). The Joker pays Babs a visit in her apt & he's drawn like a pretty KPop star (with actual sparkles in his eyes and everything). He wants the codes to Batman's old analog computers and Babs needs to buy time to just survive the encounter. There's a lot of talking and text boxes and just text. Every page seems to be crowded with text.
Joker & Barbra end up fighting (he got a gadget from Wayne Enterprises that controls the spinal implant that allows her to walk.) and she stabs herself in the back to disable the implant & then stabs him in the back & the issue ends with them both lying there. Spoiler, nothing comes of it. They are both back up and moving in the following issues of Batman & Nightwing.
Harley Quinn #75, After the Laughter written by Sam Humpheries is the next tie-in issue. I seriously hated the cutesie/gory kid's art by Riley Rossmo. The story itself is a fever dream as Harley is drowning/bleeding out after her run-in with Punchline. She gets up (Thank god! We all love Harley!) & sews herself back up (with a guitar wire, eek!).
The one good thing about this add-in is that flows kinda seamlessly into the next issue, Batman #96 Part 2, (where Batgirl did not).
Issue #96 opens with a future Gotham scene. Gotham looks like a Metropolis of the future. Clean, pretty, and sunny. Batman drives through the streets (in friggin daylight) and has this really cool alert system that sends messages to pedestrians as he chases Freeze through the streets. Batman is wearing this gorgeous futuristic blue Batsuit and we already know this isn't real because we just saw that batsuit at Wayne Enterprises at the end of issue #95 with Punchline. Batman is tripping on Joker toxin and imagining this whole scene. :(
(When Batman sees the gorgeous blue batsuit at the end of issue #95 he asks Lucius Fox if he designed it. It's so... hopeful looking. Lucius says no, that he found the plans on the batcomputer and thought Bruce had made them. Well, if Lucius didn't design the suit, and Bruce didn't design the suit, the implication here is that Alfred had. <3 For that future, cleaner, safer Gotham that Bruce wanted to build...)
Of course, Alfred is at home waiting for Batman when he returns & it's just so cruel that DC did this to us. I'm really not OK with it & just waiting until they miraculously bring him back. Please.
Of course, the beautiful dream gets perverted and Alfred's neck snaps. :(
Batman wakes up to Harley taking care of him. <3
Harley catches Batman up to speed (he was out for 3 days!). The Joker bought all the movie theaters in Gotham City. He is going to pay people $10,000 to come see Zorro opening night, where he will then expose Batman's secret identity...and then kill them all. Because, Joker.
Batman is still not 100%, but he escapes Harley to go after the Joker. And hears Alfred in his ear. (╥ ‸ ╥)
Batman to Alfred's voice: "You're not real, but I can deal with that later."
Alfred's voice: "You wound me, sir. I'm here to help you. I promised you I'd always be here to help."
OMG. (● ´□` )♡
Also, that art is just so pretty! That purple rain!)
Batman makes his way to the Monarch Theatre (yes, the Monarch Theatre where his parents were killed) and finds it packed with the dead bodies of Joker victims throughout the years. So macabre!
Ooh, we also got a new addition to the batworld in issue #96: Clownhunter. A kid wearing a helmet and wielding a baseball bat with a batarang tied to the end of it...who, yes, murders clowns. He's the only DC character I've ever seen speak in lower case letters, so you know he's a bit messed up in the noggin. But also, we all agree, he's doing the lord's work, right?
The next tie-in is Detective Comics #1025 written by Peter J. Tomasi & art by Kenneth Rocafort. While I don't think this tie-in is so crucial to the story, it is a good tie-in; we get to see Batwoman, who we haven't seen in this title in ages (since her falling out with Batman over Clayface), and we do see Lucius Fox rescued, thank goodness! Love the cameo from Harvey Bullock and the GPD as they try to gain back ground from the Joker's clowns. And for someone who has been pretty pissy towards Batman since Gordon has been out of commission, I loved the scenes in the graveyard...
Harvey Bullock: "Blast anyone without a cape!"
(And also, Bullock: "Much as I hate to say it, thanks for the save, Bats.")
Batwoman to Batman: "What's your plan? Knowing you, I'm sure you've got some secret contingency plans for crap like this."
Batman: "As a matter of fact, I do." (Me: YAY!)
Batman: "I'll drive."
Batwoman: "Don't think so."
Batman: "I don't ride the pillion."
Batwoman: "My bike. My rules."
Next image is of Batman riding pillion behind Batwoman. Lol. (^ц^)
The plan is a tank. Lol.
Not sure this issue was totally necessary to this volume, but I do like Detective Comics, so... Why not?
(I didn't love the art though.)
We're back to Batman, issue #97 Part 3!
We get more of Punchline here and her boobalicious figure. :-/ She's drawn very much IMO, but she has been the whole time, so consistency!
We see that Clownhunter is starting to be a real problem for the clowns, and do we care yet about some murdered clowns? No, I don't think so. Not when Gotham is literally on fire.
Batman is fighting hoards of dead Joker victims back at the Monarch & he's also still tripping on toxin. He blindfolds himself to clear away the hallucinations and distractions and it's super badass.
Batman: "A good bat knows how to fight blind." <3
He escapes, but collapses after this really sad hallucination of his parents walking down the alley... :(
Thank god Harley is there for him. (I love Batman & Harley's relationship these days!)
Harley: "Ivy's usual rules are no clothes in Eden, but I don't think you and I have that kind of relationship." LOL
And
Harley: "Trust me. I'm a doctor."
And she's right.
Harley: "Look, Bats. There's something different about all of this. This isn't how the Joker usually makes an attack. Like his priorities have shifted."
Harley: "The math of it all is sideways. And you're the only one who can crack it. But crazy Batman isn't cracking @#$&, so drink your plant smoothie and don't give me lip or I'll hit you with a big hammer."
Love her. And, I agree. This is maybe the biggest I've ever seen the Joker go.
Next tie-in is Red Hood: Outlaw #48 written by Scott Lobdell & art by Brett Booth and Danny Miki. It's a little Jason Todd origins story, a little Red Hood action story.
In the flashback of Bruce Wayne "meeting" Jason for the first time, the text box reads: People who don't know Batman assume he's an asshat. But underneath all the masks he wears --he cares.
Which is so nice coming from Jason Todd, I think!
Presently, Jason lures a bunch of clowns to (and then blows up) the old orphanage where he grew up. Half way through the action (of fighting clowns), he hears a "chthunkt" and his eyes go wide. He recognices the sound "chthunkt" as "metal on flesh and bone".
Jason: "From the night I was murdered... by the Joker." :'(
Jason runs towards the noise to discover Punchline (as boobalicious as ever) beating the Joker's Daughter with a crowbar. :(
It's at this point that my having read Nightwing really helped me... because Dickyboy shows up to fight Jason.
Recap: In Nightwing issue #71 (not included here) the Joker gets ahold of the crystal that Dr. Haas used to sort of hypnotize(?) Ric into gaining false memories of the Court of Owls raising him to be a Talon. Using the crystal, the Joker gives Ric a whole new set of "memories" where he was raised by the Joker(!!) and has been fighting the batfamily his whole life. His new name is Dickyboy. :(
Ok, so Dickyboy shows up wearing a clown mask & is fighting Jason and when the orphanage goes boom. Jason is outside the building, but he thinks Duela (the Joker's Daugher) is inside. I don't know or remember Jason's relationship with her, but they're on first-name basis and he's really crushed by her loss.
Batman Part 4, issue #98 is sort of Batman's "come to god" moment. Harley rescued Bats at the end of Part 3 and gave him some healing juice to negate Punchline's toxin, which knocks him out. He's hallucinating a conversation with Alfred (this volume really pulls on my heartstrings with all the Alfred stuff), while Punchline and Harley duke it out over Batman's prone form.
At first, Batman's hallucinations are the early days. He's showing Alfred his utility belt and batarangs with a sense of hopeful exuberance.
Bruce to Alfred: "Every compartment and canister can save a life. At least one life. And it's just the beginning."
Alfred: ..."Your brain is reaching into your memories to find the right kind of optimism. You want desperately to be this version of yourself."
But it's all in his head. :(
Right before this page, Batman to Alfred: "I failed."
Alfred: "No. No, dammit! This story isn't over yet."
Alfred: "You are BATMAN. You need to accept the world you live in and accept what you can control. You need to accept that you did not and cannot save me. You also need to accept that you did not and cannot save your parents."
Alfred: "But you can save yourself. And in doing so, you can save the lives of so many people in that city you love so much."
Alfred: "Every life you save is a victory against death. Against the Joker." <3 <3
Oh, Alfred. You have always been & you remain, the best. Even in Bruce's mind.
Batman wakes up in the nick of time to stop Punchline.
Kind of hokey, kind of awesome.
Also, this is amazing:
BWAHAHAHAAHA!
The next tie-in is Nightwing #74 written by Dan Jurgens & art by Ryan Benjamin and Richard Friend.
I totally appreciate how non-sensical this issue reads in this volume unless you read Nightwing issues #71-73. I'd be really confused & annoyed if I hadn't caught up...
In issue #73 (not included in this volume), Bea, Ric's gf, comes to Gotham looking for him. The Joker paid them a visit in Bludhaven and ever since then Ric was behaving so oddly, so Bea followed him to Gotham, worried. She reached out to Barbra, but nada so far.
She finds him fighting it out with Batgirl, Red Hood, and Red Robin. The Joker & Punchline are there too until Bea intervenes by grabbing the mind-control/memory/identity crystal. Dickyboy (so terrible) is pointing a gun at Batgirl. The Joker is egging him on to kill her. Bea, using the crystal tells Ric he's not the Joker's son. He's not Dickyboy. He's not even Ric. He's Dick Grayson. Adopted by Bruce Wayne, raised by Batman. Boy Wonder turned Bludhaven's superhero. AND, OMG it worked! Two terrible volumes of Nightwing where Dick was Ric & we finally got Dick Grayson back! Thank God!
Batman shows up on scene as soon as the Joker & Punchline escape. Bea is starstruck (lol) and Batman tells Dick he was checking up on him the whole time in Bludhaven, even if he wasn't seen.
Dick to Batman: "Nice of you to remember. I thought you'd given up on me."
Batman: "Because I didn't drop in to say hi?"
Batman: "Do you really believe that I stayed away from Bludhaven? That I never checked up on you? You know me better than that."
Dick thinks for a second & then smiles: "How often?"
Batman: "Many times."
Middle frame of the page is a flash back of Ric in Bludhaven with Bea. Batman can be seen in the top left of the frame. Note from the editors reads *Nightwing #50 and more!
I went back to Nightwing issue #50, and if look at this page you can also see Batman in the back of the middle frame, on the left, checking up on him. <3
Anyway, this is the batfamily reunion I was waiting for & it feels so good!
Sadly, Bea runs off because she's nervous Dick forgot her/Ric/that it all wasn't real. A little dramatic for my tastes, but it's better she go home anyway, Gotham is still a shit-show.
Batman Part 5, issue #99 is next, and omg we're nearing the end of the Joker War!
We see more of Clownhunter and just general mayhem and chaos.
Poor Gotham. :(
Batman gathers the family (All but Damian & Catwoman. Where is Damian btw??) & it's so cool. Love the batfamily!
Red Hood, Dick Grayson (yay!), Signal (haven't seen him in a long time!), Orphan (same!), Spoiler (didn't she quit a while back in Detective Comics?), Batgirl, Harley Quinn (love), and Red Robin (who was totally shot with an arrow back in the Bane storyline & that seems to have been ignored here).
Continued review in comments.
November 30, 2021
“Same as always. They war… and we watch. Nothing changes. Something has to change.”
—Lucius Fox
There is much bluster in this, but it all adds up to nothing very important in the end.
Much of it didn’t make sense, in big details and small. If some of this is explained in other issues (Detective Comics, for example), then those issues are lacking here — setting up the possibility of a Joker War omnibus, no doubt.
Joker has taken over Bruce Wayne’s wealth and companies, and he strikingly does very little with it. Batman also never seems seriously handicapped by this development; while the Joker is using Wayne Corp’s 3-d weapons manufacturing technology, Batman is still able to get out a Bat Tank from somewhere. The saga is filled with such moments.
The Joker’s clowns have access to military-grade hardware, and yet the GCPD is forced to storm a mortar position. I had to wonder where the National Guard or other force was while all this rampaging was going on. Later, Gotham’s corrupt mayor orders the GCPD to stand down. There is no explanation for these inconsistencies in policing given in this collection. I mention this because Batman’s relationship with the police (usually Gordon; here Bullock) is typically important and even central to Batman stories. In any case, the backdrop of Joker-inspired crime in Gotham is given short shrift in this series; even Batman is seldom shown doing little to stop it. As a result, it was difficult to buy into this situation as a setting for the more personal superhero dramas unfolding within it.
Moreover, the whole point of Joker’s scheme for this chaos is never clear. He has some fiendish plan to dig up his dead victims and put them in movie theaters, re-enacting Bruce’s childhood trauma. (Some would argue that superheroes taking over movie theaters that are stuffed with zombies is, indeed, the master crime of our time, but I digress). This is intriguing but not explored in any psychological depth; for example, the Joker could have misread what that event did to Bruce, that Batman was made resolute and vengeful by that event, but not broken. In any case, James Tynion IV walks away from this set up, as the Joker says that wasn’t really his main aim after all.
Similarly, there are other intriguing nuances that are introduced but set aside. Like, the Joker knows Batman’s true identity; surely, he could do something with that on social media, and in turn make Bruce’s life a living hell and an apt commentary on our age? Or, Joker has access to Bruce’s wealth, but he has no imagination of what to do with all that money? It all felt so anti-Joker, so small and too Bruce obsessed. I was left wondering what a gonzo narcissistic psychosis could do with the money of Jeff Bezos, like putting his Joker grin on the moon while he uses satellites to broadcast himself doing horrible reality TV spoofs with Gotham’s citizens. But like all good Joker ideas, I am sure that something like this has been done before.
The Batman side of things felt equally hollow. It seemed that in every issue the word “family” is mentioned. It felt forced, not organic to anything happening on the page, and so seemed inserted into scenes in the way such words are inserted into politicians’ speeches. I don’t know, but when my family gets together, we don’t talk about being a family very much if at all. This idea and feeling should have been shown rather than told. Saying you are family is one thing, acting like it is quite another, and if you act it, you don’t need to say it (looking at you, HR holiday email!).
Little was done, too, with any contrast between Batman’s family and the Joker’s. This could have been a great theme, as Joker favors Punchline over Harley Quinn, and their favoritism, in-fighting, and lack of unity proves important later. While it would be nice to say that the Bat Family sticks together, they are strangely absent in the climactic scene, which the dialogue self-reflexively acknowledges, because of course the Joker has to face off mano y mano with Bats. All of this lacked the typical build-up of Batman detectiving and coordinating with the Bat Fam to stop the Joker’s scheme in the nick of time (having Batman show up was the scheme, it turns out).
All of this family talk is undercut, too, by a side story involving a group of Gotham’s villains who are trying to steal Joker’s newfound wealth. This money has a convoluted trail, and I am not sure how much ends up back with Bruce, or what happens to his corporate control at Wayne Enterprises. This is yet another angle that is set up but proves probably too complex or intricate or adult for Tynion to adequately resolve.
Meanwhile, the menace you would expect from a Joker caper simply isn't there. Joker occasionally offs
his henchmen for no reason, and it makes you wonder why any criminal would sign on for this, when Penguin (for example) seems to have it together. The Joker’s crew have access to Wayne Tech and military weapons, but in a weird flashback seen by Clownhunter, the clowns burn down, of all places, a comic book store. If there was a fitting metaphor for what series like this one are doing to comics, there it is.
Sure, I get that there are always people who want to cause chaos, and that Gotham’s politicians are corrupt. But why are Gotham’s citizens not leaving? Why isn’t Batman (or, for instance, Batgirl) exposing this corruption and solving that obstacle, so the GCPD in turn can be effective?
The books in this collection are filled with narrative non-sequiters like this, with things that happen for the sake of moving the characters along but with no repercussions; I am avoiding using the word “plot” because that would imply a conscious decision-making process about the narrative structure that seems entirely absent in its execution.
Some of the details are smaller, but equally disruptive, like: Batgirl stabbing herself in the back to re-paralyze herself; Catwoman getting gut shot but is OK in the next scene; Batman getting stabbed in the back twice or more in an open confrontation with Joker; or Joker getting shot in the head but is still OK and doesn’t even have a cool eyepatch later. Worst and most incredibly of all: the Joker is shown reading a stack of newspapers about himself but has apparently has no cell phone!
The standard response is to say that some of these are standard comic book contrivances, but Tynion relies on them too often, and some details simply don’t make sense, killing a reader’s willing suspension of disbelief for the plot points that really do matter. Small, unbelievable details like these add up in a collection like this to an unbelievable story overall.
Worse, the characters weren’t interesting. It felt like these weren’t characters—living, breathing people inhabiting their own world—but marionettes, jerked around wherever the writer needed them to go. This is even a theme, too, as many characters in the story itself are controlled by other characters: Batgirl, Lucius, Jason, Batman, and even Alfred’s corpse are all controlled by the Joker at some point. None of this is carried very far or used for any tricky villainous hijinx. The characters aren’t even allowed autonomy within their own story. This may be acceptable for one character, as a major plot element, but when done in multiple characters like this, none of those characters have any reason for being in some scenes except as Joker’s puppets. These are lost narrative moments that rob the story of human interest, and in a very small story-telling format to begin with.
Punchline, too, is kind of a throwaway, as she’s in the saga for a while and then disappears, only to show up at the end (coincidentally, with much coverage from the media in what clearly was a DC PR move for one of the least interesting characters in comics). As shown here, Punchline is given nothing distinct or memorable as a villain or sidekick, but she is given her own #1 issue, not included in this collection. Ironically, Punchline is story-wise some weird counter to Harley who only makes Harley more interesting and likable. In fact, Punchline is a lackluster Harley imitation and therefore not very original or unique.
The most weird part of reading a Batman comic series is how helpless and lacking agency Batman himself was throughout this. At one point, and despite all the talk about family, it’s Harley who saves him and tries to detox him from Joker venom for 3 days. It’s striking how he is just shown laying there and is essentially comatose and helpless under Harley’s care; no IV or access to a bathroom or water or anything.
Batman (or, for that matter, the GCPD, Bat Fam, US Army, or JLA) does little to nothing to stop the clowns running rampant in Gotham, so an angry teenager like Clownhunter has to go around killing them. The fact that Joker killed Clownhunter’s parents and that he has no compunction against murdering bad guys would normally serve as a foil to Batman. This also could have been an interesting cultural moment to explore vigilantism in Gotham, in comics generally, and in real life. However, their ultimate confrontation (which lacks narrative set-up) carries no moral consequence or import, as unbelievably Bruce lets Bao Pham off with a warning.
It’s possible that Bao will become another Robin or otherwise some new teenage member of the Bat Family, and this would explain the soft touch — by the writer, but not by our writer’s puppet Bruce. In any case, as with Punchline, an event like this should be pulling threads and characters together rather than merely introducing and spinning off a bunch of new ones. Or maybe I am wrong and that’s what event series are now: marketing introductions for new characters and plot lines in upcoming comics.
Altogether, the story felt somewhat lazy, or perhaps Tynion had too much on his plate and he was distracted by his other, real work. Or maybe it just wasn’t important to him. Significantly, he turned down a 3-year extension at DC to work on his own stuff, which he was also apparently working on at the same time he was writing these issues. When Batman is a writer’s side hustle, you know there’s something deeply wrong in comics.
In contrast, Jorge Jimenez’s artwork and the visual storytelling were always professionally competent and interesting to look at. But without a solid story behind the facade, this saga seemed like pantomime and so was ultimately pointless.
—Lucius Fox
There is much bluster in this, but it all adds up to nothing very important in the end.
Much of it didn’t make sense, in big details and small. If some of this is explained in other issues (Detective Comics, for example), then those issues are lacking here — setting up the possibility of a Joker War omnibus, no doubt.
Joker has taken over Bruce Wayne’s wealth and companies, and he strikingly does very little with it. Batman also never seems seriously handicapped by this development; while the Joker is using Wayne Corp’s 3-d weapons manufacturing technology, Batman is still able to get out a Bat Tank from somewhere. The saga is filled with such moments.
The Joker’s clowns have access to military-grade hardware, and yet the GCPD is forced to storm a mortar position. I had to wonder where the National Guard or other force was while all this rampaging was going on. Later, Gotham’s corrupt mayor orders the GCPD to stand down. There is no explanation for these inconsistencies in policing given in this collection. I mention this because Batman’s relationship with the police (usually Gordon; here Bullock) is typically important and even central to Batman stories. In any case, the backdrop of Joker-inspired crime in Gotham is given short shrift in this series; even Batman is seldom shown doing little to stop it. As a result, it was difficult to buy into this situation as a setting for the more personal superhero dramas unfolding within it.
Moreover, the whole point of Joker’s scheme for this chaos is never clear. He has some fiendish plan to dig up his dead victims and put them in movie theaters, re-enacting Bruce’s childhood trauma. (Some would argue that superheroes taking over movie theaters that are stuffed with zombies is, indeed, the master crime of our time, but I digress). This is intriguing but not explored in any psychological depth; for example, the Joker could have misread what that event did to Bruce, that Batman was made resolute and vengeful by that event, but not broken. In any case, James Tynion IV walks away from this set up, as the Joker says that wasn’t really his main aim after all.
Similarly, there are other intriguing nuances that are introduced but set aside. Like, the Joker knows Batman’s true identity; surely, he could do something with that on social media, and in turn make Bruce’s life a living hell and an apt commentary on our age? Or, Joker has access to Bruce’s wealth, but he has no imagination of what to do with all that money? It all felt so anti-Joker, so small and too Bruce obsessed. I was left wondering what a gonzo narcissistic psychosis could do with the money of Jeff Bezos, like putting his Joker grin on the moon while he uses satellites to broadcast himself doing horrible reality TV spoofs with Gotham’s citizens. But like all good Joker ideas, I am sure that something like this has been done before.
The Batman side of things felt equally hollow. It seemed that in every issue the word “family” is mentioned. It felt forced, not organic to anything happening on the page, and so seemed inserted into scenes in the way such words are inserted into politicians’ speeches. I don’t know, but when my family gets together, we don’t talk about being a family very much if at all. This idea and feeling should have been shown rather than told. Saying you are family is one thing, acting like it is quite another, and if you act it, you don’t need to say it (looking at you, HR holiday email!).
Little was done, too, with any contrast between Batman’s family and the Joker’s. This could have been a great theme, as Joker favors Punchline over Harley Quinn, and their favoritism, in-fighting, and lack of unity proves important later. While it would be nice to say that the Bat Family sticks together, they are strangely absent in the climactic scene, which the dialogue self-reflexively acknowledges, because of course the Joker has to face off mano y mano with Bats. All of this lacked the typical build-up of Batman detectiving and coordinating with the Bat Fam to stop the Joker’s scheme in the nick of time (having Batman show up was the scheme, it turns out).
All of this family talk is undercut, too, by a side story involving a group of Gotham’s villains who are trying to steal Joker’s newfound wealth. This money has a convoluted trail, and I am not sure how much ends up back with Bruce, or what happens to his corporate control at Wayne Enterprises. This is yet another angle that is set up but proves probably too complex or intricate or adult for Tynion to adequately resolve.
Meanwhile, the menace you would expect from a Joker caper simply isn't there. Joker occasionally offs
his henchmen for no reason, and it makes you wonder why any criminal would sign on for this, when Penguin (for example) seems to have it together. The Joker’s crew have access to Wayne Tech and military weapons, but in a weird flashback seen by Clownhunter, the clowns burn down, of all places, a comic book store. If there was a fitting metaphor for what series like this one are doing to comics, there it is.
Sure, I get that there are always people who want to cause chaos, and that Gotham’s politicians are corrupt. But why are Gotham’s citizens not leaving? Why isn’t Batman (or, for instance, Batgirl) exposing this corruption and solving that obstacle, so the GCPD in turn can be effective?
The books in this collection are filled with narrative non-sequiters like this, with things that happen for the sake of moving the characters along but with no repercussions; I am avoiding using the word “plot” because that would imply a conscious decision-making process about the narrative structure that seems entirely absent in its execution.
Some of the details are smaller, but equally disruptive, like: Batgirl stabbing herself in the back to re-paralyze herself; Catwoman getting gut shot but is OK in the next scene; Batman getting stabbed in the back twice or more in an open confrontation with Joker; or Joker getting shot in the head but is still OK and doesn’t even have a cool eyepatch later. Worst and most incredibly of all: the Joker is shown reading a stack of newspapers about himself but has apparently has no cell phone!
The standard response is to say that some of these are standard comic book contrivances, but Tynion relies on them too often, and some details simply don’t make sense, killing a reader’s willing suspension of disbelief for the plot points that really do matter. Small, unbelievable details like these add up in a collection like this to an unbelievable story overall.
Worse, the characters weren’t interesting. It felt like these weren’t characters—living, breathing people inhabiting their own world—but marionettes, jerked around wherever the writer needed them to go. This is even a theme, too, as many characters in the story itself are controlled by other characters: Batgirl, Lucius, Jason, Batman, and even Alfred’s corpse are all controlled by the Joker at some point. None of this is carried very far or used for any tricky villainous hijinx. The characters aren’t even allowed autonomy within their own story. This may be acceptable for one character, as a major plot element, but when done in multiple characters like this, none of those characters have any reason for being in some scenes except as Joker’s puppets. These are lost narrative moments that rob the story of human interest, and in a very small story-telling format to begin with.
Punchline, too, is kind of a throwaway, as she’s in the saga for a while and then disappears, only to show up at the end (coincidentally, with much coverage from the media in what clearly was a DC PR move for one of the least interesting characters in comics). As shown here, Punchline is given nothing distinct or memorable as a villain or sidekick, but she is given her own #1 issue, not included in this collection. Ironically, Punchline is story-wise some weird counter to Harley who only makes Harley more interesting and likable. In fact, Punchline is a lackluster Harley imitation and therefore not very original or unique.
The most weird part of reading a Batman comic series is how helpless and lacking agency Batman himself was throughout this. At one point, and despite all the talk about family, it’s Harley who saves him and tries to detox him from Joker venom for 3 days. It’s striking how he is just shown laying there and is essentially comatose and helpless under Harley’s care; no IV or access to a bathroom or water or anything.
Batman (or, for that matter, the GCPD, Bat Fam, US Army, or JLA) does little to nothing to stop the clowns running rampant in Gotham, so an angry teenager like Clownhunter has to go around killing them. The fact that Joker killed Clownhunter’s parents and that he has no compunction against murdering bad guys would normally serve as a foil to Batman. This also could have been an interesting cultural moment to explore vigilantism in Gotham, in comics generally, and in real life. However, their ultimate confrontation (which lacks narrative set-up) carries no moral consequence or import, as unbelievably Bruce lets Bao Pham off with a warning.
It’s possible that Bao will become another Robin or otherwise some new teenage member of the Bat Family, and this would explain the soft touch — by the writer, but not by our writer’s puppet Bruce. In any case, as with Punchline, an event like this should be pulling threads and characters together rather than merely introducing and spinning off a bunch of new ones. Or maybe I am wrong and that’s what event series are now: marketing introductions for new characters and plot lines in upcoming comics.
Altogether, the story felt somewhat lazy, or perhaps Tynion had too much on his plate and he was distracted by his other, real work. Or maybe it just wasn’t important to him. Significantly, he turned down a 3-year extension at DC to work on his own stuff, which he was also apparently working on at the same time he was writing these issues. When Batman is a writer’s side hustle, you know there’s something deeply wrong in comics.
In contrast, Jorge Jimenez’s artwork and the visual storytelling were always professionally competent and interesting to look at. But without a solid story behind the facade, this saga seemed like pantomime and so was ultimately pointless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2025
First of all, instead of reading vol 2 just read this special collection volume. It includes everything in the vol 2 plus mini stories.
I never thought I'd find someone I liked more than Jim lee's style, Jorge Jimenez might be my favourite artist from now on.
The action scenes and the story was fun to read. The Joker somehow manages to control all of Bruce Wayne's revenues and starts a war in Gotham. So the whole Gotham turns into a crazy battlefield and Batman is in no position to deal with the situation alone.
Overall: 4/5
I never thought I'd find someone I liked more than Jim lee's style, Jorge Jimenez might be my favourite artist from now on.
The action scenes and the story was fun to read. The Joker somehow manages to control all of Bruce Wayne's revenues and starts a war in Gotham. So the whole Gotham turns into a crazy battlefield and Batman is in no position to deal with the situation alone.
Overall: 4/5
February 25, 2022
You can read my review of Joker War under Batman vol 2 where the main story is collected in isolation. To sum it up in one sentence: lot of potential but ultimately a big disappointment.
I got this book because it felt like the main plot had gaps and I thought the tie-ins therefore might improve this event. They did not. I was disappointed with the event, I actively disliked a lot of these tie-ins and was unbothered by most of the other. Catwoman was pretty great though!
Here’s my thoughts on them each individually in the order they appear in this book:
Batgirl: I have mixed feelings on the first tie in of the book. It’s definitely better than most of the rest but it’s also not perfect. The art style works for Barbara but not for Joker. The story is decent and has potential. Joker breaks into Barbara’s home, using Waynetech to control her implant and therefore her. He wants to get some access codes from her. There was a moment where my heart genuinely dropped as she managed to get out a call for help only to realise it was to Alfred who is of course dead. My issue is that this is Barbara’s worst nightmare come true but the issue is bright and colourful and lacks weight. It also ends with Barbara stabbing her own implant to break his control then stabbing Joker through the chest with a large metal rod. They lie there bleeding together on the rooftop then… they’re both back in Gotham active and alright for the rest of Joker War with no mention whatsoever of what happened. Huh?
Harley Quinn: I’ve been enjoying Tynion’s take on Harley in the main Batman title and was almost tempted to give her ongoing a try again. This appalling garbage has put me right off that idea. It looks hideous. It reads dreadfully. It adds nothing.
Detective Comics: I’d read this one before and only recently reviewed the volume of Detective Comics it’s collected in. It’s not bad. Batman and Batwoman team up to rescue Lucius Fox. It’s great to see Batwoman again and see some progress in her relationship with Bruce. It adds to the plot of the event. It is otherwise generic and unmemorable but that’s a win for this book.
Red Hood: I approached this one with a lot of fear. I have only previously read one issue of Scott Lobdell’s Red Hood - the first issue of the new 52 Red Hood and the Outlaws run - and I hated it. Both Lobdell’s writing style and the art style aren’t to my taste here. Jason is trying to save Duela Dent (self-styled Joker’s Daughter) from Punchline and ends up fighting Joker-controlled Nightwing in a clown mask. It ends with Jason thinking Duela is dead when in fact Punchline has captured her, possibly to get Joker’s face back (even though he already has his face back?) This plot thread is not continued anywhere within Joker War. There was acute flashback to young Jason with Bruce in a kitchen that I don’t know the continuity for but enjoyed. It was nice to see Bruce being a good guy. Otherwise, very much not a fan of this one.
Nightwing: the end of the Ric Grayson stuff I never read. Dick is apparently mind-controlled by Joker now and calling himself Dickyboy. He fights Red Hood (again), Tim Drake Robin and Batgirl outside a hospital where there’s a bomb. Dick gets all his memories back from a magic crystal and Batman says he never gave up on him. Absolutely appalling issue that I doubt would be improved by the context of the rest of that run.
Catwoman: the good one! As promised by the main event, Catwoman teams up with Riddler and Penguin to steal back Bruce Wayne’s fortune and then has to double cross them to stop them getting it. One of them is significantly harder to outsmart than the other. It’s a lot of fun and tempts me to check outthe rest of Ram V’s Catwoman run. Definitely the highlight of the book.
Joker Warzone: the final tie in is a collection of short stories that I’ll break down for you individually.
Bane: I’d read this one before at the back of Tynion’s Joker vol 1. Joker breaks into Bane’s cell at Arkham to tell him what a disappointment City of Bane was and frankly I could’t agree more.
The Fox family: John Ridley writes a quick Batwing story starting Lucius’ dramatic change of character to angry vigilante-hater. I’m not a fan of what Ridley does to Lucius here or suggesting that Lucius would just want to steal Bruce’s fortune. I recently read his Batman: Second Son miniseries that follows on from this and I’d say his handling of Lucius Fox as a character is clearly going to be an issue for me.
Batgirls: Joshua Williamson (currently one of my favourite writers) writing Cassandra Cain and Steph Brown (two of my favourite characters) should be an instant win for me. But the villain is an idiot called Henchmaster, the art style is cartoony as hell and I couldn’t get my teeth into it. It starts Brown and Cain’s return to being Batgirls but otherwise it’s skippable.
Poison Ivy: Poison Ivy (who I thought was dead so if anyone knows when and where she came back after Heroes in Crisis please let me know) returns to her garden of Eden hidden under Gotham to find it’s been destroyed (by Punchline in a fight with Harley in the main event). She, I think, rebrands herself Queen Ivy, and prepares to attack Gotham from below. There’s not much to it but I’m excited to see Ivy again and this promises some sort of Ivy story is coming in the future.
Clownhunter: some Joker henchman are sent to stop Clownhunter and he kills them all. Forgettable story. Awful art style.
So overall: Joker War is actively hurt rather than helped by most of these tie-ins. The gaps in the main Joker War event are actually just a complete lack of build up to those moments for Dick and Barbara really. Read the Catwoman issue, skip the rest. What a waste.
I got this book because it felt like the main plot had gaps and I thought the tie-ins therefore might improve this event. They did not. I was disappointed with the event, I actively disliked a lot of these tie-ins and was unbothered by most of the other. Catwoman was pretty great though!
Here’s my thoughts on them each individually in the order they appear in this book:
Batgirl: I have mixed feelings on the first tie in of the book. It’s definitely better than most of the rest but it’s also not perfect. The art style works for Barbara but not for Joker. The story is decent and has potential. Joker breaks into Barbara’s home, using Waynetech to control her implant and therefore her. He wants to get some access codes from her. There was a moment where my heart genuinely dropped as she managed to get out a call for help only to realise it was to Alfred who is of course dead. My issue is that this is Barbara’s worst nightmare come true but the issue is bright and colourful and lacks weight. It also ends with Barbara stabbing her own implant to break his control then stabbing Joker through the chest with a large metal rod. They lie there bleeding together on the rooftop then… they’re both back in Gotham active and alright for the rest of Joker War with no mention whatsoever of what happened. Huh?
Harley Quinn: I’ve been enjoying Tynion’s take on Harley in the main Batman title and was almost tempted to give her ongoing a try again. This appalling garbage has put me right off that idea. It looks hideous. It reads dreadfully. It adds nothing.
Detective Comics: I’d read this one before and only recently reviewed the volume of Detective Comics it’s collected in. It’s not bad. Batman and Batwoman team up to rescue Lucius Fox. It’s great to see Batwoman again and see some progress in her relationship with Bruce. It adds to the plot of the event. It is otherwise generic and unmemorable but that’s a win for this book.
Red Hood: I approached this one with a lot of fear. I have only previously read one issue of Scott Lobdell’s Red Hood - the first issue of the new 52 Red Hood and the Outlaws run - and I hated it. Both Lobdell’s writing style and the art style aren’t to my taste here. Jason is trying to save Duela Dent (self-styled Joker’s Daughter) from Punchline and ends up fighting Joker-controlled Nightwing in a clown mask. It ends with Jason thinking Duela is dead when in fact Punchline has captured her, possibly to get Joker’s face back (even though he already has his face back?) This plot thread is not continued anywhere within Joker War. There was acute flashback to young Jason with Bruce in a kitchen that I don’t know the continuity for but enjoyed. It was nice to see Bruce being a good guy. Otherwise, very much not a fan of this one.
Nightwing: the end of the Ric Grayson stuff I never read. Dick is apparently mind-controlled by Joker now and calling himself Dickyboy. He fights Red Hood (again), Tim Drake Robin and Batgirl outside a hospital where there’s a bomb. Dick gets all his memories back from a magic crystal and Batman says he never gave up on him. Absolutely appalling issue that I doubt would be improved by the context of the rest of that run.
Catwoman: the good one! As promised by the main event, Catwoman teams up with Riddler and Penguin to steal back Bruce Wayne’s fortune and then has to double cross them to stop them getting it. One of them is significantly harder to outsmart than the other. It’s a lot of fun and tempts me to check outthe rest of Ram V’s Catwoman run. Definitely the highlight of the book.
Joker Warzone: the final tie in is a collection of short stories that I’ll break down for you individually.
Bane: I’d read this one before at the back of Tynion’s Joker vol 1. Joker breaks into Bane’s cell at Arkham to tell him what a disappointment City of Bane was and frankly I could’t agree more.
The Fox family: John Ridley writes a quick Batwing story starting Lucius’ dramatic change of character to angry vigilante-hater. I’m not a fan of what Ridley does to Lucius here or suggesting that Lucius would just want to steal Bruce’s fortune. I recently read his Batman: Second Son miniseries that follows on from this and I’d say his handling of Lucius Fox as a character is clearly going to be an issue for me.
Batgirls: Joshua Williamson (currently one of my favourite writers) writing Cassandra Cain and Steph Brown (two of my favourite characters) should be an instant win for me. But the villain is an idiot called Henchmaster, the art style is cartoony as hell and I couldn’t get my teeth into it. It starts Brown and Cain’s return to being Batgirls but otherwise it’s skippable.
Poison Ivy: Poison Ivy (who I thought was dead so if anyone knows when and where she came back after Heroes in Crisis please let me know) returns to her garden of Eden hidden under Gotham to find it’s been destroyed (by Punchline in a fight with Harley in the main event). She, I think, rebrands herself Queen Ivy, and prepares to attack Gotham from below. There’s not much to it but I’m excited to see Ivy again and this promises some sort of Ivy story is coming in the future.
Clownhunter: some Joker henchman are sent to stop Clownhunter and he kills them all. Forgettable story. Awful art style.
So overall: Joker War is actively hurt rather than helped by most of these tie-ins. The gaps in the main Joker War event are actually just a complete lack of build up to those moments for Dick and Barbara really. Read the Catwoman issue, skip the rest. What a waste.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2021
*Lots of reading + no time review = Knee-jerk reactions!*
A fascinating story that really pit Batman against the worst-possible Joker scenario. Joker had his gloves off--he was going after, not only Batman and the Bat Family, but Bruce Wayne and his legacy. This was a heftier graphic novel, but that didn't stop me from reading it in one sitting. A real page-turner! (Also, thanks to some hallucinations... some great Alfred moments. They provided both Bruce and the reader some well-earned closure.)
A fascinating story that really pit Batman against the worst-possible Joker scenario. Joker had his gloves off--he was going after, not only Batman and the Bat Family, but Bruce Wayne and his legacy. This was a heftier graphic novel, but that didn't stop me from reading it in one sitting. A real page-turner! (Also, thanks to some hallucinations... some great Alfred moments. They provided both Bruce and the reader some well-earned closure.)
April 20, 2022
No two Batman fans tend to agree on what’s good or bad. I really enjoyed this. A lot of the art was beautiful and the story was exciting. It included a nice sampling of various characters and a couple of new faces. Joker was sufficiently depraved and I loved how Harley was written. The small issues I had here and there could actually be justified by the plot, so I’ll let them slide. A Bat saga in which the stakes are very high and the characters do suffer to get to the payoff. No one gets through unscathed.
September 6, 2021
It's just another Batman/Joker story. It’s a bit hard to follow because it collects all the side stories from Batgirl and several other minor superheros. It kept my interest, but barely. Also, like other reviews have stated the binding is a bit of a pain because some of the dialog is in the binding and you cannot read it.
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