Legacies.
Scott Snyder reaches the penultimate issue of his Endgame
arc and his ambitious approach continues – leading to some detrimental effects
on the story.
The teases are still there as we’re still not given a
concrete platform from which to judge these events – and the events here
further confuse rather than excite.
The backup though has a solid ending, and the artwork is
worthy of this title.
SPOILERS FOLLOW………………
This arc is getting more and more surreal every issue – and
with it, Snyder is playing a risky game.
We’re still left in the tantalizing is-this-a-dream story
and there are several things that do hint towards it being that.
But first, we travel four hours into the future as Batman
pours over one of his many elements – his relationship with his Rogues Gallery.
Many of his villains are perversions of his own characteristics, Penguin of
philanthropy, Two-Face of duplicity, Riddler of intelligence, Killer Croc &
Bane of physical endurance and Scarecrow of use of fear.
It has also been mentioned that Batman ‘made’ his villains –
that, before him, Gotham was a mafia
underworld den. With his coming, came the age of ‘freaks’ in ‘costumes’ and
‘masks’.
Joker is an unique perversion. While his beginnings are
rooted in mystery, Batman’s is fixed at a definite point. His entire life is
about bringing chaos, while Bruce’s is about order. They are basically yin and
yang, two sides of the same coin.
But I digress. Batman reminiscences as to how he knows that
the villains entered into a pact that the day the Bat dies, they would invert
the Bat signal to show an upside down Bat – a mark of reverence.
Back four hours before, we see Bruce pleading with the Court
to help him find the Dionesium (a corrupted version of which the Court uses to
reanimate it’s Talons) – only to be met with giggles and laughs as the Court lays
out their plans to recreate the city in Joker’s wake – complete with an
overhead overturned city model that Bruce demolishes.
Apparently, the Court sends a Talon dressed as a priest after
Batman – and Bruce recognizes him as Uriah Boone, the First Talon and is able
to stop him in his tracks when he mentions whether the Pale Man aka the Joker
was around 400 years ago.
This all seems impressive Court mythology, but the pacing
seems wrong. How did Bruce know of this particular Talon? Where are all the
other Talons, excepting the ones in Blackgate (did the Court ever recover them?
Seems like something they could do with their ‘influence’)?
The surrealistic nature continues as Bruce returns to the
surface only to learn that the Joker invaded the batcave and was shot by Alfred
while he was admiring the Red Hood helmet – only to cut off Alfred’s left hand
with a cleaver. Somehow, Alfie survives the explosion of the Cave, while the
Joker leaves.
And then a grotesque spectacle reminiscent of Batman the
1989 movie as the Joker leads down a parade of Batman’s ‘souvenirs’ like the
Giant Penny, the Dinosaur and the large Joker Card. Bruce calls in not only his
family including Red Robin, Batgirl and Red Hood but also his enemies – Bane,
Penguin, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc and Mr Freeze.
All of them are debriefed of the situation. The Joker is the
only one with the dionesium which is a key component of both the virus causing
havoc in Gotham as well as the clown’s
immortality. Forced to compromise for the sake of the city, the Rogues agree –
and the Joker is pleased to see all his family in one place for one final
trick.
In the back-up, it’s actually Maureen Zaheer’s turn for her
story of the Joker as they’re led to the Publishing House where Zaheer’s book
on the Joker came out.
She mentions a ‘very normal’ origin story for the Joker –
bounced around foster homes, terrified foster parents, ties to the Red Hood
gang and so on. This makes the deranged patients furious and they attack her,
only to be stopped by Zaheer locking herself in an office.
But she isn’t alone. Eric Border has arrived to save her –
and by Eric, I mean the Joker. Apparently, Eric was a co-writer for the book
and manipulated everything so that Maureen could get her own personal Joker
story. As he leaves after giving a horrified Zaheer a loaded gun, the patients
break in.
We see all her book copies on the floor, and the blood that
spills on one particular page as Zaheer fires four shots.
It’s the acknowledgement page where she mentions her debt to
Eric Border in writing this book.
SPOILERS END…………………..
The backup by James Tyrion works very well in finishing its
story, but I’m not sure I’m able to say this for Snyder. He’s certainly
ambitious and incorporates homages to previous Batman versions in a very
organic manner, but his endings haven’t always stuck – and upto now the signs
point to a repeat.
We’re still being teased about what is actually true. The
Joker’s origins? This arc’s reality? We still don’t know.
The art though is beyond reproach. Greg Capullo performs
magnificently under pressure as his close and distant visuals both work well.
Dustin Nyugen in the backup is also at the top of his game, effectively using shadows
and subterfuge.
So, I give this 8.0 out of 10.
+The artwork by Capullo and Nyugen is wonderful
-Snyder continual teasing is getting a little aggravating
-Leaving too much for the ending
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