BATMAN #16

Review by: flapjaxx

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Avg Rating: 4.7
 
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Written by Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Art by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, & Jock
Cover by Greg Capullo
Variant Cover by Aaron Kuder

Size: 40 pages
Price: 3.99

Sorry, I thought this was easily the weakest of the run so far.

The writing here is so colossally clunky, heavy-handed and pretentious.

I honestly, HONESTLY have to wonder how much more laborious Snyder would have to be with his metaphors for some readers to finally get annoyed with them. Because, I GET IT: The Joker has this idea about being the Court Jester to Batman’s “King”. Too bad Snyder has to hit us over the head with this metaphor about fifty times in this issue alone, after alluding to it a mere twenty times in the previous issues. The thing is, I just don’t think the metaphor is all that deep, so Snyder’s constant harping on it just seems really, really tedious and annoying. And the attempts to make the other Gothamites into “Court” members seem really, really forced. The Penguin as a “Bishop”? Mr. Freeze as a “Groundskeeper”? If this stuff isn’t forced, I don’t know what is. None of it tells us much of anything about the characters or gives us much (any?) insight into anything. It’s all just really, really ham-fisted and annoying. The Joker as Gotham’s “Court Jester”? Okay, I get that. I can even see a one-off allusion to Batman being the “King”. But harping on it just brings out all the reasons why the metaphor does work. Besides, Batman is a “Knight”, not a “King”.

My second problem is with the characters’ voices. Specifically Batman’s and the Joker’s. Since when does Batman constantly have a rambling inner monologue in which he’s basically uncertain and nervous about everything? Since when does Batman refer to himself in the third-person, calling himself “Bruce” even when he’s wearing the cape and cowl? None of it fits and none of it feels like any Batman I know. That’s not to say that I don’t think Batman would EVER do those things, but Snyder’s had him talking to himself CONSTANTLY here, for no real reason. Members of Batman’s supporting cast have been captured before. It isn’t like this situation (so far) is unprecedented in the least. Not to the extent that it would make Batman talk to himself this way. And the way Snyder presents it, it’s as if it’s no big deal for Bruce to constantly second-guess himself.

Furthermore, not to dwell on it, but the Joker’s dialogue is just bad. It’s annoying and there’s no cohesion to it. There’s nothing clever about anything he’s saying. It’s just obnoxious and omnipresent. Just go through the issue and ask yourself whether or not the various action scenes would work a lot better if at least half of the Joker’s dialogue balloons were gone. Because they would. Snyder’s Joker rarely delivers any relevant information. The voice just seems to be constantly there because it can be, to remind us that, yes, the Joker is the villain.

There’s also a bunch of pointless set pieces here. The horse? The people in Arkham dressed up like dancing Batmen and Jokers, who have been inexplicably and impossibly kidnapped and placed into this position for days without anyone noticing? The tapestry of skin that the Dollmaker has designed? It’s all just pointless. It doesn’t create any larger sense of anything, really. I guess as a reader I’m just supposed to react to every “shocking” thing in isolation rather than try to fit it into anything that makes sense (or even thematic Joker non-sense, because it doesn’t make that, either — it’s all just pointless).

It’s drawn well, though. Capullo does his usual great job. He isn’t perfect — some of his crucial panels seem a bit too small or weirdly placed on the page — but overall I couldn’t be happier with it. He’s why I buy this title.

Jock, on the other hand, turned out subpar work. Sorry, but his Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, and Penguin just leave a lot to be desired. They just come off as rushed and squished. I like Jock’s style, but when he can’t even be bothered to do backgrounds, his stylistic inconsistencies seem to detract from the proceedings.

I like “Batman”. I’ve liked Snyder’s writing in the past and expect to again. He’s a talented writer. But what I see in this issue in particular is just an awful self-indulgence of his particular writing tics. The metaphors are nauseatingly pretentious, pointless, and drawn out. The overall plot is still exciting, but it’s hard to enjoy it when so much needless or inexplicable verbiage is all over the page.

Story: 1 - Poor
Art: 3 - Good

Comments

  1. What?!

  2. Thank you for saving me the time of writing a review. Last issue gave me some hope, but this issue was horribly corny and off. I disagree with you about the backup though, it was the only redeeming quality. Your review of the main story is spot-on! I like Snyder, I like his Batman, but this whole thing is just like , “Why?” I don’t buy into any of it, the pacing of the arc is uncomfortable. The whole thing is underdeveloped and unwarranted. You are so right about the dialogue. Maybe it would have worked as a 12 issue arc, but as it stands this is one of the worst Joker stories I’ve ever read. I’ve liked the parts without the Joker better than those with. I heard it compared to Morrison’s Arkham Asylum, NO WAY! I keep hoping I’ll get the point and instead I’m left disappointed. Excellent review. The next arc can’t come fast enough.

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