Oh boy. I’ll start with a confession. This is a creative
team that managed to terrify me with their excellent creator-owned
series Wytches. So when I learned that Scott Snyder and Jock would be teaming up for their 6-part The Batman Who Laughs miniseries,
I got really excited because I think the title character has the
potential to be one of the scariest creatures in the DC Universe. Just
think about it: a being who is essentially Bruce Wayne but just has a
touch of that Joker madness. A genius who has contingency plans for his
contingency plans and all of Batman’s skills, and is also completely
unpredictable like Joker. How do you fight someone like that? Truly,
Snyder has created a monster, and now he and Jock are unleashing that
monster in his own series. But—in the interest of keeping some
suspense—does the end result meet my high expectations? Well, fellow
comic fans, let’s have a look.
What I always like about Snyder’s writing is his
narration. There’s just something about his voice that just sounds
pleasant to me. He has the ability to draw me as a reader into the
worlds that he’s creating together with his artists, and I forget about
the real world around me for a while. At his worst, Snyder writes damn
fine prose. At his best, he makes me want to work on my own fiction.
Now, Snyder opens this comic with a narration that I think is very
elegant in its simplicity. It has poetic qualities to it, but it never
seems overwritten or pretentious: it’s just right for me. For example,
the opening line is, “What is your happiest memory?” Right from the
start it sparks that question in my own mind as the comic is prompting
me to think about my own happiest memory. What’s more, the narration
continues to induce feelings of nostalgia and happiness. It is
heart-warming, except it’s also incredibly sad when you realize what
events followed these early happy moments in Bruce’s life. It’s a great
emotional way to open the story that sets up a theme that I suspect will
continue to develop as the series continues.
However, as much as I love Snyder’s narrative voice,
there are also moments where it feels somewhat contradictory to Jock’s
visuals. What I mean by this specifically is that this comic features a
few big, fast-paced action sequences. While there are certainly panels
that have a minimum of text so that the focus is mainly on the visuals,
there are also moments where Snyder’s narration—though beautifully
written—upsets the flow of the sequential art. For example, there is a
moment where Batman is riding a motorcycle, and he leaps off of it and
sails through the air, and he is about to throw a few batarangs at some
crooks that are standing on top of a truck that’s speeding across a
bridge. This is a moment that in my opinion should go by quickly, yet
Snyder’s relatively large narration boxes slow my eyes down and rather
than being a flowing sequence, the visuals feel more static because of
it. Granted, the information that these narration boxes contain is
relevant, but I’m just wondering if there isn’t a more efficient way to
get this information across, without slowing down the action.
But, moving on, for me there’s a lot more to like than
dislike here. About halfway through there’s a plot twist that surprised
me. The way this twist is presented gives me just enough information to
start thinking about what it could mean, but not enough information to
really deduce the truth until its inevitable revelation. This creates
suspense and mystery, and it also changes the tone of the comic. Where
it opens like an over-the-top, action-driven Batman comic, it
shifts to a more eerie and intimate horror narrative. Before I say more
about the story structure itself or Snyder’s writing, this is a perfect
moment for me to tell you guys what I think of Jock’s work in this
issue, because this is in direct relation to that plot twist.
As I said in my introduction, I’m a big fan of Snyder and Jock’s Wytches.
That book is an intimate, claustrophobic tale that’s best read late at
night with only a single lamp on. It’s great psychological horror as
well as body horror that really managed to scare me. In my opinion,
Jock’s style lends itself really well for that type of story-telling. To
see him draw a big action-packed opening to the comic is fun and the
quality is certainly there, but in my opinion his characters and visuals
are perhaps a bit too static to make those crazy action scenes fully
come to life. I personally think his real strengths and talent can be
seen in his art that follows the plot twist. Here we see a Bruce Wayne
that’s looking at a dead body that looks an awful lot like himself. He
is examining the body in the Gotham morgue. There’s a light shining down
on the body, but everything outside the lamplight is shrouded in
ink-black shadows. It’s a truly unnerving and uncanny sequence,
especially when you really stop to consider the psychological aspects
behind it.
Furthermore, while there is still more action to come
after the Morgue scene, the tone never shifts back to the upbeat
superheroics that we saw in the earlier pages. Instead, Jock’s visuals
are more akin to a bloody slasher movie set in the dark and narrow
corridors of Arkham Asylum. His heavy blacks, the terrified looks on
people’s faces, the maniacal grin on BMWL’s face as he enters the scene
with a bloody scythe and a chain in each hand—this is nightmare fuel
and, as a horror fan, I love it. I hope that the creative team will
maintain this eerie tone for the rest of the series as opposed to the
big action, because this stuff is gripping and relentless, and just the
kind of stuff that I was hoping to see.
To go back to Snyder’s writing, there are a couple more
things that I appreciate that I want to point out. I especially enjoy
that we have an intelligent Batman who is also a detective besides a
fighter. I like that Bruce is wearing a disguise as he investigates the
body in the morgue. I also like Bruce and Alfred’s banter: while the
comic in general is very dark and moody, their banter provides for
well-timed humor, but also manages to keep the story grounded. What I
mean by that is that we get very human reactions from Bruce and Alfred,
which helps to relate to the fantastical elements of the story. And because it’s relatable, Snyder successfully manages to turn up the fear factor.
Recommended if…
- You are a fan of The Batman Who Laughs
- You are into psychological horror and/or body horror
- You like Batman best when he has to solve a mystery
- You are ready for one helluva cliffhanger
Overall: This is a great opening to a Batman
story. It has heart, it has action, it has horror both psychological
and physical. It sets up a few intriguing themes that will likely be
further developed as the series goes on. I think this story works best
when you try to imagine what it’s like to experience what Bruce is
experiencing. And while you’re at it, be sure to check out that Capullo
variant. Enthusiastically recommended!
Score: 9/10
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