Batman #144 is written by Chip Zdarsky and published by DC. Pencils are by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Andrea Sorrentino, inks by Sorrentino & Stefano Nesi and colours by Alejandro Sanchez & Dave Stewart. Letters are by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Camuncoli, Nesi and Tomeu Morey.
Batman #144 is available now, in print and in digital platforms where all good comics books are sold.
Synopsis
The climactic, chilling conclusion to “The Joker Year One” that will have massive repercussions for the future! The Red Hood Gang is on a rampage and the only man who can stop them…is The Joker! And can Batman stop a devastating new virus in a future where The Joker looms over him?
Review
It’s time for the final chapter of “The Joker Year One” and the same question is on everyone’s lips. Can the creative team steer this brisk, three-issue arc, to a satisfying conclusion? There’s a lot of weight hanging on the shoulders of Batman #144 with two timelines to wrap up and a looming storyline which this story needs to fold in to. But readers need not worry. Zdarsky steers the ship to a satisfying conclusion.
The story picks up immediately in the aftermath of last week in Sorrentino’s nightmare vision of the future. Somehow things are looking even more bleak for the Dark Knight as his entire vigilante family is infected with the Joker virus. The visual punches just keep coming. There’s nothing stopping Batman from becoming a full blown horror story at this stage. In fact I would love to see this future explored even more in a dedicated – Black Label – book. But only on the basis that Sorrentino is allowed to continue to do his thing.
There’s a little less future this issue as Zdarksy prioritises the past in order to wrap things up. But that doesn’t stop this future timeline from providing us with some incredible moments. Sorrentino continues to be using Ben Affleck as inspiration for his Batman. The sight of him riding a horse through Gotham as he races to save the day is one of the most striking in Zdarsky’s entire run. It’s unexpected, it’s dynamic and most of all it’s exciting.
My only complaint this month is that the future timeline is wrapped up pretty quickly and easily. It’s not without context. But really it’s Joker’s past movements and his interactions with Gordon which have more baring on what comes next. Rationally it makes sense to spend more time in the past. Even if that does mean sacrificing more of Sorrentino’s nightmare fuel.
That being said, don’t count Camuncoli out. Just because Sorrentino’s artwork is so striking doesn’t mean the rest of the artwork isn’t up to scratch. I actually don’t like the idea of comparing the two which I’m sure I’ve said before. I love what Camuncoli is doing this month too. The younger, stronger Gordon is a real driving force for a lot of the narrative this month. His mission to uncover the dirty cops is fun to watch play out. Particularly juxtaposed against Bruce’s similar mission to track the movements of the Red Hood Gang.
There’s a triangular aspect to the storytelling which is really satisfying in this closing chapter in the arc. Similar to say The Dark Knight in which Bruce, Jim and Harvey’s stories are deeply connected. The same can be said here for Bruce, Jim and Joker. Zdarksy has a really keen eye for these kinds of connections between characters and it makes the story more impactful overall.
As has been the case with much of Zdarsky’s run on Batman, we’ll need to see the bigger picture to understand where this piece fits. I’m still unclear as to how reliable Joker’s narrative is and therefore what he was trying to tell Batman with this story. As a three-part art “The Joker Year One” is an excellent way to tying up some loose strands in the canon. It also does a great job of tying itself to Batman: The Knight and the Zur-en-Arh aspects of the storyline. What it means for the future still remains to be seen though…
Verdict
A speedy but satisfying conclusion to this three-part experimentation in toying with the history of The Joker. Zdarsky wraps up the story pretty neatly which is no easy feat given how quickly it has come and gone. It’s going to be fascinating to see the impact of this arc moving forwards.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
