“Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo” – Book Seven
Color Artist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Review by Adam Ray
We’ve reached the end of the saga, and the end of the team up. The god news is that Batman & the Joker: The Deadly Duo #7 gives us the dramatic conclusion that the story deeply deserves.
The previous issue delivered the start of the big clash between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime, and now we get to see the final showdown. This pitch perfect climax wraps the story up in a way that still treats us to Silvestri’s run down look of Gotham and even the possibility of more to come?
It’s amazing to think that the second half of this issue, the one with fewer fights and actions of super heroics is the part that stands out to me. Aside from the great look at Silvestri’s take on the Batmobile, we’re also treated to the stunning visuals of the Gotham skyline and shots of Batman moving across his city. It ends with him swinging into the kind of action that sets him free, compared to the stuffy caves he’s been in for the past few issues.
This chapter unpacks how Batman and the Joker work in a realistic Gotham better than any story I’ve read in a while. There’s a very unique threat to Batman which reveals itself just as all the villains are defeated. Though the Caped Crusader, ever the prepared planner, has a method of dealing with it. However, it’s a threat that’s very real, and one that I’d never considered. New creators need a chance to write Batman, because that’s when all kinds of stories can be created to treat the readers.
Conclusion
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #7 leaves the way open for the events of the story to continue. I, for one, would love have another chance to see how things work in Silvestri’s version of Gotham City.
This series, as a seven issue run, has delivered some of the very best Batman storytelling I’ve ever read. We’ve had a unique artistic perspective on Gotham that remains timeless and modern, with Blade Runner like degradation. At the same the narrative has treated us to a disturbing hostage situation wrapped in a mystery. The look at how Batman thinks and rightly keeps to his code when allied with the worst evil in DC Comics is handled perfectly.
For this reviewer, Deadly Duo can be held in the same conversation as Knightfall. Two legendary stories that show Batman at his best and that clearly mark the Dark Knight as a legendary character.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment