Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2 is published by DC Comics with story and artwork by Marc Silvestri. Colours are by Arif Prianto and letters by Troy Peteri. The main cover art is by Silvestri and Prianto with variant covers by Jim Lee (left), Kelley Jones & Michelle Madsen, Yanick Paquette & Nathan Fairbairn and Christopher Mitten.
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2 is available now in print and on digital where all good comics are sold.
Synopsis
Batman has joined forces with his archnemesis, and things are already off to a rocky start. But time is of the essence as another piece of Commissioner Gordon is delivered to the Gotham City PD. Will Batman be able to work fast enough to save his dear friend, or whatever is left of him?
Review
Batman has finally caught up with Joker but what’s this? There are multiple mutilated assailants who all carry Joker’s DNA in their twisted bodies? This does not bode well for the Dark Knight in the second chapter of Marc Silvestri’s delightyfully dark Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo.
There’s something so pure about seeing both characters undiluted through the trappings of the wider DC Universe. Placing this book under Black Label has allowed Silvestri to shrug off the shackles of the event storytelling and instead just focus on an authentic Batman/Joker story with some truly high stakes.
Yet somehow, despite all of its darkness, The Deadly Duo still manages to be fun. Granted much of that humour comes from Joker’s dialogue. But with him cracking jokes at every turn, even the most shocking of turns feels like a joy to read. As both leads are struggling to get the upper hand against the Joker-monsters the book is an absolute page turner thanks to that healthy mix of wit and grit.
Pulling double-duty as writer and artist, it’s easy to see how much Silvestri is in touch with his material. The story and the artwork are so harmonious that is almost feels symbiotic. Silvestri’s style feels like the Gotham of my childhood, dark and overcast with demons hidden around every corner. Teamed with Prinanto’s colours, The Deadly Duo looks undeniably compelling.
Issue #2 grasps Silvestri’s concept with both hands and rips the page wide open. Stepping outside of the conflict between Batman and Joker, we’re given glimpses of Dick Grayson stepping in to help maintain Wayne Enterprises and a surprising cameo by Selina Kyle. Instantly it widens the world and gets you thinking about who else might be lurking on the next page. There’s a busy Gotham lurking out there and I’d certainly like to see a lot more of it.
Verdict
The Deadly Duo continues to give readers the purest form of the Batman/Joker relationship. Without all the trappings of a main continuity story, The Deadly Duo has free reign to relish in the delightfully dark and impish interactions between its two leads.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
