As the month of October comes to an end, so too does this series. We’ve reached the end fellow readers, of what I considered to be one of my favourite series of the year. Let’s press on and find out if this issue stuck the landing, or if it felt like being hit in the head by a crowbar.
Ouch
There are two types of people who read comic reviews. The first are those who want to know if a comic is worth reading. The other is composed of people who have already read it and are looking to see what other people think. Is it the same thing, or does someone like a book you hated, or vice-versa? To the ones part of the second category, I have a message for you: I most probably agree with you on this. I love talking to you all every week and getting to know what you all think. That’s what I’m basing this statement on. You all hate this ending, just as much or even more than I do.
Now, for people who haven’t read this book, you must be filled with questions! “You didn’t like it? You loved all the other issues! What went wrong?” Allow me to tell you. The ending to the last issue is immediately resolved. Jason is Jokey for about 3 pages before he overcomes his drugging and refuses to kill. Here, the Joker leaves him to confront Batman, claiming he’s not worth his time. I don’t like how quickly the whole “Jason becomes Joker’s sidekick” thing lasted. I was sceptical of it at the end of the last issue and now it just seems pointless.
Batman and Nightwing investigate Joker’s old hideout, to find an invitation attached to a dead bat. Bruce drugs Dick, telling him he’s not going to bring him into any more horrible situations and leaves for what he considers to be the final confrontation. This doesn’t work for me. There is nothing in this Joker plot that is any different, nothing to indicate that either he or Batman has to die here. If Jason was held hostage or still with Joker, if there were higher stakes or anything out of the ordinary I might believe it. As it stands, we’re being told something that I just can’t see.
While Bruce goes to face the Joker, Jason steals a gun and goes back to the Batcave to change. Seems like a weird thing to do at a time like this, but I guess it’s to create consistency with the times we’ve seen him in his normal costume at the beginning of each previous issue. The only thing we’re told about how he finds the other two is by some narrative telling us that it’s not going to tell us. You couldn’t just say he was there when Joker made the plans or something? Even with all this, the worst is yet to come…
The Final Countdown
I’m going to be speaking about the last half of the book relatively in depth here because there is truly so much to talk about. So, the Joker has found a way to control the Miagani island Bats whom he’s infected with a psychoactive drug. Not so bad so far, but he offers a solution to Batman. The only way to stop him from releasing them is to drink, for lack of a better explanation, a Joker potion, A liquid that would make Batman crazy. No thanks, I’ve had enough Batman Who Laughs to last me several lifetimes.
Before Bruce can make a decision, the Joker is shot by Jason. This is a non-fatal shot, as the Joker is wearing a bulletproof vest. The Joker screams at Robin to prove himself by shooting him in the head, while Bruce pleads with him to stand down. As we already knew, Jason shoots the Joker in the head, with the clown saying “At last.” before he dies. Is this weird to anyone else? I never saw the Joker as wanting to be killed by anyone. He wants Batman to kill him on the best of days to prove they’re the same or whatever reason. I think he’d consider being killed by Jason somewhat pointless or at the very least, not funny.
Here the story turns into somewhat of a fairy tale. Bruce forgives Jason, retires from being Batman and goes to therapy. Dick steps into the mantle in his place, donning an… interesting bat suit. Bruce and Dr. Dev fall in love and get married for some reason, and they help Jason get back on his feet. He goes to work at Arkham to help the inmates there. This ending I could tolerate. Even with all the problems with the rest of the book, I could accept this too-sweet ending. A story about not letting your trauma define you, with both Bruce and Jason moving into healthier lives together. 2 pages can really change a lot huh?
Here it is. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. For someone who seemed to have a good notion of the characters in this book, DeMatteis truly picked one of the strangest endings I could ever think of. Jason Todd becomes the Joker. This ending seems to somewhat spit in the face of the message of the book. Whether this was added at the last minute to set up a sequel, I don’t know. All I know is, that I really thoroughly dislike it and it spoils what was otherwise a great series.
Recommended If…
- you’ve read the rest of the series
- Leonardi’s art has been a highlight for you so far. It has been consistently good in all 4 issues
- Joker’s on your mind
Overall:
With the launch of All In and Absolute, I went in expecting to see a lot of mediocre books. I thought that if those books weren’t too good, I’d at least have this book to fall back on. A good conclusion to a good story. Who’d have thought I’d end up enjoying those books far more than this one? The art and colouring is as good as ever, which is the only real saving grace here. The writing just isn’t there. A real disappointment, I really hoped we’d have a strong finish. To end on a slightly positive note, I wish all you readers a happy Halloween. Stay spooky!
Score: 3/10
English (US) · 