Written by Tom King
Penciled by Mikel Janin
Cover by Mikel Janin
Published June 21, 2017
Cover by Mikel Janin
Published June 21, 2017
A nervous comedian steps to the microphone with one last joke but his lone audience member is getting restless. He shoots him in the head as the next performer steps up. Reminded to clear the stage first, he drags the dead to the pile which now fills the orchestra pit.
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| Well, that's not very funny. |
Back at the Gotham jail, a detective asks the Riddler for help but doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. He turns to leave, but as he poses one final riddle, the detective turns and is sliced across the neck. Stabbed a total of 26 times, once for each letter of the alphabet, Riddler says it was because he had something to say.
At the Joker's comedy club, Commissioner Gordon orders his team in just as the club explodes. An unknown assailant walks up and ambushes a policeman, shooting him in the back of the head with a terrible joke. Later he shoots a woman telling the same joke, and as the Joker walked away, a young and completely oblivious Batman was elsewhere.
At the Joker's comedy club, Commissioner Gordon orders his team in just as the club explodes. An unknown assailant walks up and ambushes a policeman, shooting him in the back of the head with a terrible joke. Later he shoots a woman telling the same joke, and as the Joker walked away, a young and completely oblivious Batman was elsewhere.
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| Got a joke for you... |
After the detective's murder, the SWAT team holds the Riddler at gunpoint but he recites the names of various members of the officer's families. Simple information he'd gotten from a fellow officer in return for tips on football betting, he walks right out as the terrified cops look on. Nearby, the Joker tells a bad joke in the back of a cab. He shoots the driver from behind as he laughs. The car crashes and an injured Joker climbs out and walks into an apartment with the Riddler closely behind.
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| Guess who? |
He has an answer for the Joker... his riddle for the Batman. He explains to him how he knows that there's no laughter until the bat is dead. And since they're both in a race to kill him, the only way for either to laugh again is to team up. Joker disagrees and shoots him point blank before walking away. By the time Batman arrives, he assumes the Riddler will not survive and he pursues the Joker. But he was wrong. Now they both got away.
Over the next few months, the battles raged. Villain after villain wrapped up in it. Bruce lays with in bed with Cat and as the issue wraps, tells her how it became the War of Jokes and Riddles... and with that we're left to be continued.
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| Bruce's pillowtalk game is taking a beating. |
The reason I love this book is because Tom King can make flashbacks even seem brand new. What other book can do that? Every other comic spends time trying to wrap their head around new adventures for their heroes. This one does that too but can revisit things that happened in the past - making them suspenseful and like new. A brand new tale. Great story. Great art. I give it a 10/10.
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