Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 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 #4 is available now in print and on digital where all good comics are sold.
Synopsis
TRAINing day! Batman and The Joker’s ability to function as a team is put to the biggest test yet as they are dropped out of the sky and into a moving train! Will their alliance hold together, even if the speeding locomotive does not? Meanwhile, the Dark Knight has enlisted the help of Nightwing and Catwoman to help with his investigation, but with more pieces of Gordon being shipped to GCPD headquarters, by the time they find any clues, will there even be enough of the commissioner left to save?
Review
After three issues, Marc Silvestri’s The Deadly Duo has proven its ability for versatile storytelling. Weaving in aspects of horror, science fiction and the usual comic book action. But with issue #4, the series puts somewhat of a stop to its narrative thrust in order to focus on something more akin to a blockbuster movie set piece.
As the shadowy figure behind all of the monstrous events in Gotham continues to pull the strings, Batman and Joker find themselves on a train bound for disaster. The no-win scenario forces the two enemies to work together to save all – or most – of the passengers on board.
Silvestri quickly gets in to the heads of both characters, exposing their strengths as both try to solve the puzzle in front of them. The bullet-style train is hurtling towards a packed station. But the train itself is also full of passengers. Batman and Joker must shed a precise amount of weight from the train in order to stop it from causing a catastrophe. Of course Joker’s first thoughts are to eject passengers from the train, starting with the heaviest. Whilst Batman tackles the problem using his detective skills and logistical mind.
It’s almost like a ship-in-a-bottle episode of Star Trek. Heavily focussed on one problem, in one location. To add to the problem, the train is heavily tied to both the Wayne Family and Bruce’s past so we’re able to see more of Batman’s psyche as he rips through the carriages, literally tearing apart his childhood.
Silvestri’s storytelling has shown throughout the first half of the series that Batman can’t simply walk out of a problem. There’s a bodycount racking up in the wake of his misadventure with Joker and that’s no different this month. At some point there are going to need to be consequences and it’s interesting to see what that sets up for the second half of the story.
Likewise the artwork is beautiful and incredibly consistent. Issue #4 as an incredible sense of pace which translates well in Silvestri’s illustrations. There’s a sense of movement and fluidity to the train which aptly communicates its high speed race towards death. Likewise, character models, particularly those of the passengers, portray the sense of impending doom they all feel as Batman and Joker ponder the problem before them.
Verdict
Very much a set-piece in the Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo story, issue #4 does provide an excellent insight in to how the two deadly enemies and potentially work together.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
