Review: The Batman Who Laughs #7

"The Batman Who Laughs" - Part Seven
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock
Color Artist: David Baron
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Review by Steve J. Ray
The Batman Who Laughs #7 delivers a fitting finale to an amazing arc, and does what all great comics should do… it proves that nothing ever really ends. Originally due to run for six issues DC, and the book’s creators, decided to add a seventh, to tie-into the forthcoming Batman/Superman series.

 Now I have something else to look forward to!
Before reading this finale I went back and re-read issues #1-#6, and it was a seriously great move. Over the years, Scott Snyder has proven that he’s great at writing short stories and one-shots, but he’s inarguably a master at playing the long-game too. Once his sister series Batman: Last Knight On Earth wraps up, I’m tempted to embark on the massive undertaking of re-reading his entire Batman arc: All of the New 52 Batman run, Dark Nights: Metal, All-Star Batman, The Batman Who Laughs and Last Knight On Earth. I haven’t done anything like this since the legendary run by Grant Morrison. They all contain tales that stand up as individual stories, but form part of a larger tapestry, giving us Scott Snyder’s complete ode to the Dark Knight.

Laugh? I Nearly Died

The Scott Snyder/Jock team is up there with the World’s Finest. This duo blew my mind back when they were on Detective Comics (check out #871 - #881, to see another brilliant James Gordon Jr. story). The art by Jock and the colors by Dave Baron in this seven issue series have been nothing short of perfection. Reading this story has felt like being exposed to a horror masterclass, mixed with a crime thriller, combined with a superhero story. Despicable villains, unexpected alliances and true heroism. There was dark humor, gore, violence and action aplenty, and I was entertained from start to finish. Oh… and more than a little disturbed too.
Speaking of disturbing, letterer Sal Cipriano needs a medal, or a knighthood… or something. His work on this series has been some of the finest I’ve seen from any letterer. Scott Snyder’s scripts must have driven him bananas! I went through every issue, deciphering all the coded messages in Batman’s text. Writing and creating all that must’ve been a nightmare! Kudos, Mr. C. I salute you.
Like any great Batman tale our hero was pushed to his limits; but his heart, his humanity and his “never say die” attitude got him through. I’m not going to say how, because you seriously, SERIOUSLY need to read this series. I did NOT see that resolution, and I really wasn’t prepared for that cliffhanger ending. Remember what I said about how “nothing ever ends?” Check these out:

Conclusion

The Batman Who Laughs #7 delivered on every front. The story was engaging, the characters heroic and/or terrifying and the dialogue was on point. The line-art and color were resplendent and the series both read and looked amazing. Joshua Williamson and David Marquez have a tough act to follow, but they’ve been left with some incredible toys and a great sandpit to play in. If their Batman/Superman series is even half as good as this one was, then fans are in for a treat.
Images Courtesy Of DC Entertainment

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought Bubble 2024 convention & festival dates announced

Image
Article by Steve J. Ray Thought Bubble  is, without a doubt, the UK’s best entirely comic-based convention and art festival. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend the show for the last three years, and have been anxious to see what’s in store this year. Well, the wait is over, as the team behind the event has announced the Thought Bubble 2024 convention & festival dates. THOUGHT BUBBLE ANNOUNCES 2024 COMIC CONVENTION & FESTIVAL DATES ACCLAIMED COMIC ART CONVENTION AND FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE ACROSS YORKSHIRE THIS NOVEMBER THOUGHT BUBBLE FESTIVAL LEEDS & ACROSS YORKSHIRE 11 -17 NOVEMBER 2024 THOUGHT BUBBLE COMIC CONVENTION HARROGATE CONVENTION CENTRE 16 & 17 NOVEMBER 2024   https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com “Thought Bubble is the place to be. This is the show where everyone feels and is treated like family” –  Dark Knight News “Thought Bubble is the most important comic convention around” –  Popverse Returning to the Harrogate Convention Centre,...
Read more

Mystic Muses: A D&D Podcast

Image
Article by Philip Clark An all queer cast. An all femme ensemble. A non-binary Dungeon Master. Throw in some quality story-telling and role playing too, this sounds like a whole lot of fun! If any of the previously mentioned things has piqued your interests, then I implore you to check out Mystic Muses. You can find this wonderfully crafted podcast where you can find all your other favourites including Spotify. There are currently four episodes out. Episode 0 is the prologue and character introductions, and I have to say it is very well put together! The intro to each episode is cleverly crafted, with the players and DM each sounding off a sentence to bring us into the game space. Speaking of bringing us into the game space, Adam, the talented DM sets the scene for the story very nicely. A descriptive, yet concise introduction to the environment gives both the players and audience a vibe of what we're in for. Then come the delicious character introductions that give vivid descripti...
Read more

Fantastic Universes Interview: Madison, Matthew and Macsen Lintz From 'The Walking Dead'

Image
Interview panel led by Steve J. Ray, with a gathering of Comic/TV Media Journalists. I've spoken to some amazing people over the last couple of years; writers, artists, costume designers, and actors from some of my favorite TV shows. It's no secret that I'm a huge comic-book fan, and one of the TV series that's based on and inspired by a comics title - but has gone on to be so much more - is The Walking Dead . At a recent Comic-Con in London, I had the great opportunity of leading a panel where some fellow journalists and I spoke with Madison, Matthew and Macsen Lintz, three siblings who played Sophia and both iterations of Henry on the show. The eldest, Madison Lintz (born 1999) played Sophia Peletier - Carol's daughter - in the first two seasons. She's also well known for playing Maddie Bosch in the Amazon series Bosch . She started acting at the age of six, filming commercials and voice-overs. Matthew (born 2001) took over the role of Henry from ...
Read more