Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Batman #16 Review

By J. Skyler
January 18, 2013 - 18:40

Fairy tales as we know them today (mostly co-opted by The Walt Disney Company) have been severely diluted in order to be considered appropriate for children's entertainment. However, the original works by the Brothers Grimm and the various European folklore on which they are based, were designed for mature audiences, often violent and morbid in nature. While writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo have enveloped Death of the Family with a sense of horror (taking cinematic cues from such franchises as Saw and Dawn of the Dead among others), in "Castle of Cards"—the penultimate chapter of this graphic novel epic—there is an added awe inspiring sliver of wonderment as Batman enters Arkham Asylum which has been reconstructed as a castle to house the great "Bat-King" in the Joker's dark fantasy. Snyder's narrative reads like a mix of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (1865) and Stephen King's Misery (1987).

The Clown Prince of Crime has been on a murderous rampage since his reemergence in Gotham City. He has slain hoards of men, women and children (a number of which with his bare hands) in a sadistic effort to drive Batman to be the pinnacle of crime fighting prowess he once was, believing his greatest rival has become sloth-like by taking on far too many protégés who will never be able to match his brilliance. Fancying himself to be the Bat-King's loyal court jester, the one responsible for delivering troublesome news, the Joker hope to instill Batman with a putrid truth: "[S]o long as they live, you'll always, always loose."

There really isn't enough praise to give to Snyder's literary voice that would do it justice. As much as the average reader would like to tell themselves "this is just a story," it does give one pause to consider could anyone on earth truly be this depraved and disturbingly intelligent at the same time? In the past year we have seen atrocities committed by madmen; we know there is real evil in the world. Still, it is painful to consider there may be individuals who can script and orchestrate mass homicide as poetically as the Joker.

The only downfall of this issue is that Batman's encounters with the archvillains of Arkham Asylum—Mr. Freeze, Clayface, the Scarecrow, the Riddler, the Penguin and Two-Face—are rushed, although that detail is actually built into the story itself. It would have been beneficial to extend this saga another issue, revisiting the classic confrontations Batman has had with each of his adversaries as he has with the Joker thus far, but that have been a restraint set by the publisher rather than Snyder himself. Regardless, he and master artist Greg Capullo have rendered yet another fantastic issue. Like the conclusion of Seven (1995), next month's final chapter may leave audiences more disturbed than they care to admit.

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12