“Joker Incorporated” – Part one
Artist: John Timms
Color Artist: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Review by James Attias
Batman Incorporated #8 is following from a series high with Professor Pyg. The question now is, which Villain could possibly outdo him? HA..HA..HA…
Jokers from Far and Wide
This was the only logical step after the last story arc. We saw Prof. Pyg take on almost every villain in Gotham (quite easily I might add). We then saw Batman Inc., led By Ghost-Maker and Clownhunter of course, take him down. The entire event was wonderful to read if not a little too quickly over (see my last review for the full scoop). Last month’s chapter ended with a tease of what was to come.
From the beginning of this arc, there have been teases of evil opposites of Batman Inc. coming together to face off against our heroes. The first team didn’t make it, the second story featured Prof. Pyg as a one-man army, and now we have the biggest fish, the one man even Batman can’t seem to defeat. The Joker.
I think I can say this without it counting as a spoiler… Joker is here. It’s him, with a team of clown-themed ne’er do wells! From across the globe. This is a fun and logical idea; if there can be Batmen from around the world, why not Jokers? Now, this is just my opinion, but I would much rather this team of International Jokers be led by or organized by ANYONE rather than the real Joker himself. In my mind, this guy is a force of nature who wants to cause chaos and the only person who really deserves his attention is Batman. So, having the real clown prince of crime here, dealing with Ghost-Maker instead of the Dark Knight, for me feels beneath him? I don’t know. What did you think friendly review reader?
Another milestone in this issue is that we see some of the team out of their costumes (masks I mean, nothing naughty). Clearing up some questions I’ve been having about a certain character possibly having a giant wolf head. Well, the mystery’s solved! It was nice to see.
Too Much Too Soon?
This issue was very well drawn, a few questions I have about some team members’ faces and haircuts without masks, but nothing too bad. The writing on the other hand felt like it was trying to cover at least 5 different stories in one issue. Is this title on borrowed time? Have I missed a memo? I thought this book was ongoing until DC inevitably replaces it with a title like WildCATS vs The Vigil: Enter Milestone – as a sarcastic example. I don’t like rushed stories. I also don’t like tales that are needlessly drawn out. There’s more going on here, so I fear it may have something to do with Batman Incorporated not fitting into the new Dawn of DC lineup. Only time will tell.
Conclusion
Batman Incorporated #8 Covered a lot of ground, ticked a lot of boxes and introduced 5 new plot threads. I just hope that this start can be followed by a deserving end.