BATMAN #17

[ DANCE WITH A DISCOUNT ] 

The final part of 'Death of the Family' is here. But please my friend, you have absolutely nothing to fear. Nobody dies. Nobody orders fries. And nobody turns out to be a queer. Well, according to these guys that they don't. You know, the great creative team of Writer: Scott Snyder; Artist: Greg Capullo; and Publisher: DC Comics in March 2013. Allegedly. Ha!

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'The Punchline'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Batman has to save himself, all the members of his Bat-Family, and Alfred Pennyworth from a devilish trap they've all been placed in by the face-less wonder himself, The Joker.
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: I'm not going to say anything except a not so fun time is had by one and all, HehAHahahAheheHA!
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: Everyone in this story laughs at one time or another. Some gassed. Some naturally. Some stabbed.
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: Ha!

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best dialogue driven section in this story would have to be that part where Batman started teasing the Joker about his own origins. I especially got a kick out that bit where he said...

BATMAN: This year, whilst you were away, I finally deduced it. Who you were before.

JOKER: You're lying. You're playing my own joke...

BATMAN: Your name. Your history. Your family. All of it. Here, I'll whisper it to you... whisper it right into your ear, darling.

Ha! Also, I loved it when Batman called the Joker 'darling'. Now isn't that crazy or what!

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

Ouch! What's the best thing? Err... that is a very difficult question to answer really. It would be like someone saying what their favorite 'million dollar bill' is. However, without giving too much away, I did enjoy how Batman stepped up to the plate, how the overall narrative played out, and the manner in which this tale dished out it's answers without adding any more questions in the process.

Well, kind of. Ha!

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

The only thing wrong with this comic book is that I had to pay money for it. Honestly, if it was free, it would've made the heavens green with envy.

Ha! On a serious note though, folks: I've been reading that some of you out there were disappointed with the resolution of this issue. "Why hasn't anybody died?" some of you moaned. "Why did the evil sod get away?" gripped others. Now to those people all I have to say it this -- do you truly want a member of the Bat cast to die just because it said so on the cover blurb? Why can't their 'death' be spiritual as implied in this book? Also, the Joker can't die. No way. DC would be killing off one of their greatest villains. And I can't see that happening. Can you?

What was the most INNOVATIVE thing about this issue?

For the life of me, I don't think I've ever seen the entire Bat-Family in such a brutal predicament in my entire life. It's as though the Joker went so nuts, he forgot to tell DC Comics what he was really up to. 

Well, I mean -- that face-thing -- a Jokerized Alfred Pennyworth -- everything -- it's just left me speechless. Speechless! Which is new.  

Pick TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and compare them individually to a HONG KONG ACTION STAR.

BRUCE LI AS BATMAN: If I'm going to be honest with you, folks, I've always seen this 'Bruce Lee clone' as a somewhat stoic and versatile action star myself. So why not pit him against the Harlequin of Hate? Huh? I'm sure he can handle him. 

YUEN WAH AS THE JOKER: Just have a good look at Bruce Lee's one time stunt-double, and then tell me he doesn't have the guts to take on any man he doesn't like the look of.  Haiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!

What WORD or PHRASE could you use to sum-up this story?

'He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Longest' -- An Age Old English Proverb

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

HEART OF GLASS 'BLONDIE': Now I've paired-up this song to this story, mainly because you'll end up with a bloody heart of glass once you've finished reading it. Ha!

ANYTHING Else?

Something very strange has happened to me today. I can't explain what it is. Or define how it is either. All I can say is that I've never felt like this before.

It's as though someone has taken a spoon and scooped out my brain, replacing it with one of those wind-up toys that perpetually moves around once you've set it in motion. Granted, I'm not one hundred percent certain if my toy is moving or not. Although I am pretty damn sure I know who put it there in the first place.

Damn you Scott Snyder. Damn you Greg Capollo. You've both devised a Batman tale that's got me on such a high, I'm afraid to say that I have to hide it from the police just in case they think it's... errr... an 'illegal substance'.

By the way, I have to take this opportunity to thank Gregg for retweeting my reviews when he can. Thanks pal. May all your pencils be sharp, and may all your cheques be bounce free.

Amen.

GIVE IT, IT'S DUES: This Comic Book Is So Good, Even God Is Amazed By It's Creation.