Batman Incorporated are now the unlikely targets of the Joker! Envious of Batman's international crusade, Joker deploys his counter squad to threaten, kill, and torture people all across the globe. As a result, Batman Inc splits up to desperately combat Joker's homicidal new allies.
9-1-1
First and foremost, Ed Brisson clarifies a few new details of The Joker's maniacal strategy. Originally, several simultaneous hostage situations occur around the world by members of Joker Incorporated. When Ghost-Maker and El Gaucho confront the Joker himself, they discover that the clowns were dispatching randomly. In an attempt to challenge their vow to never kill, Joker booby-traps his own team to automatically kill themselves and others unless Batman Inc. kills them first! This dilemma forces Ghost-Maker to once again decide whether Batman's way of doing things is the most responsible way to deal with the situation. In fact, Ghost-Maker believes the clowns may as well die in the way that saves the most lives.
A key component in this arc is that the team is operating mostly in isolation. In particular, Nightrunner has been requesting backup in vain for two issues. Unfortunately, Batman Inc. has split off in pairs to handle the worldwide emergency. The potential couple of Gray Wolf and The Knight remain in London to hunt the psychopathic Dai Laffyn, while roommates Wingman and Ranger try to stop an active shooter in Australia. Meanwhile, Clownhunter and Jiro elect to go after Man-O-Bat's attacker Dusty Bronco instead of Raven Red. Despite being gracious, Nightrunner fears not being able to take on Charles De Ghoul in France alone. I suspect that Nightrunner may soon question the point of being in a team all.
Live Free, Dai Laffyn
After escaping the Welsh equivalent to Arkham Asylum, Dai Laffyn somehow manages to go off the grid. Additionally, Dai Laffyn breaks into the Knight's equivalent to the Batcave right under their noses! Not only is this clown capable of erasing themselves from the internet, but he also leaves sinister breadcrumbs for The Knight. Worse of all, Clownhunter actually catches up to Dusty Bronco, who has been performing feats of cruel and unusual torture on the locals. Between shooting random citizens, hacking databases, and strapping a naked man to a buffalo, Brisson establishes Joker Inc.'s threat level as a high priority.
Some of the archvillains look the part, and others don't. Charles De Ghoul and Tap Dance Man are polar opposites in chromatic color schemes. Moreover, their henchman and techniques range from tonalities of classy to gritty. In fact, a fair amount of the clowns don't look cool at all. As for the Joker himself, his features are waxy and sculpted like bad plastic surgery. This is a side effect of the dark shadows, highlights, and rough or awkward line art on his face. At times, a lot of John Timm's character designs appear swollen or bulky in the chin. Even if the characters don't always look the best, I really got a kick out of the exotic locales and locations like the Knight's lair in Sheldrake Castle.
Recommended If...
- Ghost-Maker doesn't irritate you.
- You love international Batman stories.
- You can't get enough of Joker.
Overall
The best aspect of the Bat-Family are their personal connections to one another. While Batman Inc is still struggling to bring that out, the Joker's dilemma will either build or break this team. If Nightrunner's situation is foreshadowing a diaspora, then I totally predict a few members of the team to take Joker's deal. In fact, Gray Wolf, Wingman, and Nightrunner are the most likely to break Batman's rule. Telling roguish characters like Willis Todd to "Kill the Jokers, Save The Hostages" is asking for trouble. Overall, John Timm's line art sets a fun tone, but is often distinctly ugly. The artwork does not impede from the strong moral dilemma. Luckily, Joker's new plan is a welcome upgrade from the abandoned roulette idea in the previous issue.
Score: 7/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman-News with a copy of this comic for the purposes of this review.
