Part 4 of Endgame puts Batman and us in one state, disbelief. As the pieces start to fall into place it truly is a sight to behold as Scott Snyder continuously shakes us at the core. When Snyder said he wasn’t holding any punches back that might have been an understatement, this is one of the most unpredictable arcs in the Batman mythos. The revelation made during the middle of story that the Joker might be IMMORTAL has everyone understandably scratching their heads.
Batman #38 fails to live up to the action panels that were paramount in #37 due to the amount of dialogue in this issue, so people might classify this as a filler issue. To be fair though, the dialogue and exposition was necessary to depict just how lost Batman is at this point. The entire relationship he thinks he’s had with the Joker is flipped on it’s head, how do you defeat an eternal psycho?
I will admit though, I do not think the Joker is eternal/immortal. The elements of this story feel like a twisted Joker joke and I wonder if Snyder creeps himself out as he writes this stuff. It’s remarkable how effective Snyder is at messing with everyone. The conversation between Dick and Bruce where he admits he doesn’t have a plan is a testament to just how much Batman is out of his element. Snyder continues to deconstruct the “Bat-God” idea.
THE POSITIVES
The mere thought of an eternal Joker is something to stand up and for alone, but to actually back it up with clever evidence and substance is something few can do. To liken the Joker to notorious villains Vandal Savage and Ra’s Al Ghul, all of whom have experience with living a couple hundred years, is a stroke of genius.
Another thing, Crazy Quilt. Watching that naked dude rolling around in his quilt and machine gun was much too fun.
Finally the reveal of the Court of Owls as the cliffhanger leads to even more excitement. They were rumored to be the big bad villain of the Batman Eternal series but with their involvement now, that seems less likely.
THE NEGATIVES
As said before there was a lot of dialogue and exposition in this month’s issue. But this is coming off an action heavy #37 so it’d be very challenging to outdo it on that front.
THE VERDICT
“Endgame” has certainly proven to be one of the most exciting and unexpected Batman story arcs from Scott Snyder. With this latest head scratcher that Joker MIGHT be eternal, and that the Court of Owls is now tied up in this mess, the fun meter is at an all time high.
