Ever since reading his runs on Green Arrow and Daredevil, I’ve always thought that Kevin Smith should write comics regularly. Of course, this didn’t really come to pass with his film career, and then, his crazy lateness (or lack of finishing) comics projects he had started. But here in my hand I hold his newest comic endeavor, and while my excitement leading up to the issue was minimal, I find myself pretty darn excited about it after leafing through it.

This is, by no means, a perfect comic. Nor is it Smith’s strongest comic to date. But what’s found in these pages is a really fun Batman tale that should turn out to be pretty interesting. Smith’s writing is really well done as his dialog is snappy, and the way that people talk really feels natural. I love Smith’s Joker. Not because he’s scary, but because Smith portrays him as a clown. The Joker is hilarious in this issue, and every scene with him is just a lot of fun to read. After seeing all of these serious, menacing Jokers this year, it’s kind of nice to spend time with a Joker that’s just as deadly but a little bit more silly. Smith’s characterizations are well written, but I feel his take on Batman was just a little off. I can’t quite place it, but I guess I just find it weird that Batman would wish the Joker to be dead or that he would admit to snapping Zsasz’s neck if given the chance. I think that Smith’s writing here is really strong, particularly the character interactions, and hopefully, as the story goes on, we’ll see even stronger characterization and story elements.

The art was a little hit or miss for me. I did like the pacing of the opening sequence between the Joker and Deadshot and much of the action was handled well, particularly Batman’s fight with Zsasz in the issue. But there were just some framings and figures that looked weird. In some panels, Flanagan’s Joker looks great, and in others, he looks stretched out and elongated. There’s just an inconsistency to it. It’s not that it’s distracting or anything, but it definitely holds the book back from greatness. I think that this is just a beginning artist growth period, and I’m sure that his pencils mature over the course of the next two issues.

I bought this book with a bit of trepidation, and if Smith can deliver on his promises, I shouldn’t worry about the book being late. After flipping through it, I think that this issue is a great start to something that could end up being a really fun read. Here’s hoping.