I’m not kidding fans.  This review will discuss everything that takes place inside this comic, so if you haven’t read it step away from the blog.  I repeat step away from the blog.

From DC Comics, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo.

I’ll admit I read all the theories out there.  Alfred would die.  Red Hood would need that mask now more than ever.  Something massive and big was going to happen.  And in the end.  Meh.

Don’t get me wrong.  Its a great story.  The Death of the Family is destined to go down as one of the all time great Joker stories.  Terrifying on every level.  Really, it doesn’t matter that no one dies what matters is that the readers thought someone would and couldn’t wait for each and every issue to hold some answers.  The tension was incredible and something rarely done, and not usually as well, as it was in this issue.

All of the talk of Snyder isn’t hype.  He writes Batman and Joker as pastiches of every previous version over every medium and ends up with something new.  Batman as father and leader brings about new and natural aspects of him.  This Joker is hilarious and grotesque.  Things he says make sense for a moment and then the realization that this man has his face stapled and strapped to his head returns.

I know its Batman and the Joker.  But I want to read stories that matter and change things.  After this story was built up into being one of the greatest Batman and Joker stories in years, and Joker would go farther than ever, something lasting should have taken place.  Joker fell off the falls but we all know he’ll return.  Those Red Hood and the Outlaws covers are floating around out there, and Red Hood didn’t remove his bandages so maybe there’s some truth and story yet to be told.

The Batman family is hurt.  Feelings are strained to be sure.  But that will heal.  Sure this might lead into some deep character work in the next arc or two.  It may have been better to have that big change take place in this much hyped and promoted issue though.

A book hyped like this to the general populace should have ended with a bang.  With something that changes the status quo.  While it is a fine story in the end the only bang was on a flag flapping at the end of Joker’s gun.