“Greetings From Gotham”
Artists: Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza
Color Artist: Dave Baron
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Review by Steve J. Ray
Detective Comics #1008 is a riot. The Joker’s back and is holding a fairground full of Gothamites hostage, using booby trapped collars full of killer smilex gas. Can Batman stop him in time? What will crack first; Joker’s smile or his teeth? Could Batman BE any more grumpy? Just how dry can Alfred’s humor get? All these questions and more are answered in 20 pages of pure joy.
There have been a veritable truckload of “Year Of The Villain: The Offer” intro issues now, some of them great, others… not so much. Writer Peter J. Tomasi has brilliantly chosen to mark the event with a throwaway line from Mr. J at the beginning of the issue, and then ignored the crossover completely ’til the last two pages. The writer has opted instead to give us a crazy carnival ride, featuring comics’ greatest odd couple. This one issue has delivered some of the best Batman and Joker lines ever, perfectly demonstrating their relationship and frequently making me laugh out loud in the process.
Joker: My Best Buddy’s here! My spirit soars like a Robin in flight to see you took the time to grace me with that bon vivant presence of yours.
Batman: Deactivate the neck devices now and you won’t need a doctor later.
I love it.
BatMahnke & Jaime… The New Dynamic Duo
It’s not only Joker who makes a triumphant return in this issue, because the brilliant art team of Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza are back too. The artists have returned to Gotham after taking a well-earned rest, and I’m so happy to see them. (Check out Detective Comics #994-#1000). Once you take a look at the pages attached, I’m sure that you’ll be glad too. Please go and buy the book though, because page 7 is killer, and this story’s a bona-fide keeper. Wait ’til you hear the name of the park where Joker’s fairground is located, it’s genius.
Kudos as always to the gentlemen providing the hue and cry of the book, the courageous colorist and lavish letterer, the frequently unsung heroes of comics. Dave Baron and Rob Leigh are absolutely two of the best at what they do, and – unlike Wolverine – what they do is darned nice. Every page of this issue’s great, and these two gentlemen have a lot to do with that. There are seven lovely pages attached to this review, but there’re also another thirteen that you’ll only get to see if you pick the book up. Go. Now. RUN!
Conclusion
If you want a giggle, thrills and a clever tribute to “The Killing Joke”, Detective Comics #1008 is all that, and more besides. I enjoyed the issue as a great look at the Batman/Joker relationship, as a one-shot and as a tie-in to the current mega crossover.
It’s definitely a recommended read.
Images Courtesy Of DC Entertainment