Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Batman #17

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo

DC spent the past several months using lines like "who dies?" to advertise and market Death of the Family, and even though no one is saying that every story arc needs to end in casualties or with cataclysmic game changers, when lines like that are used to sell a book, one expects characters to actually die. This is my way of saying, "I don't blame Scott Snyder -entirely- for the way this went down."

***SPOILERS BELOW***

   
Covers by Greg Capullo and Tony Daniel

Had it been left alone, without all the over-exposition, tie-ins, and noise, the story could have actually been fulfilling; however, I can't help but feel cheated when the answer to the question formulated above is "absolutely no one." It turns out that the joke is on the reader, because no one died, and the elaborated subplot with the covered platters that ran through all the bat-titles, was a red herring that ended in nothing. Even the alleged disintegration of the family is no more than a temporary awkwardness that will soon go away. This arc's downfall was the hype machine that overrated it. Beautiful artwork, though; can't compliment it enough.

Joker vs. Batman by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and FCO Plascencia

3 comments:

  1. Did you not understand that the death of the family was a metaphor, for the death of the relationship that is the bat family also all the characters solo writers have started that the effects from this arch will effect the character for a very long time? Joker told each one of the characters a secret and we will have to wait and see just what they were

    ReplyDelete
  2. Really? A metaphor? Oh okay... that explains the covered platters with non-faces in them, and Alfred's not-burnt eyes, and the "I know who you are, but not really," and the pivotal roles Penguin, Riddler, and Two-Face played, and the reason why Joker ripped his own face. Tsk, and here I was thinking that the entire bat-family was actually going to die... every single one of them. That was cute.

    ReplyDelete
  3. the whole arc is overrated a lot. It would've been so much better if that wasn't crossover and was called - Joke at the family or something like that. Snyder completely not understands how to write Joker or batman (but especially Joker), ever since he first used him in Black Mirror, it was horrible. Sounds like Snyder never read Batman R.I.P., of course Joker knew Batman's identity, the whole think with Joker's card in the cave was lame. I'm not exactly sure what Daniel originally planned to do with faceless Joker but I'm sure he wasn't thinking about of re-attaching it back. There's good reviw on CV by FTBB, he perfectly explains why this arc is stupid.
    Anyway I agree liked only the art, and cover with last 2 pages. I'll give this issue 2/5. and the whole arc 1/5.

    ReplyDelete