The Batman Who Laughs #6 // Review
With another issue tacked onto this already questionable series, Scott Snyder and artist Jock easily deliver their strongest issue of the series thus far. With the solicitations surrounding the Batman/Superman book already shown to be dealing with the titular villain from this series, the promise of a finale to this contrived character seems unreachable. From a marketing standpoint, the character is one of the most lucrative new characters to ever be introduced but his comic counterparts fail to match the hyperbole.
As The Batman Who Laughs continues to murder different Bruce Wayne throughout the Dark Multiverse, the Dark Knight is left to take hold over his fleeting sanity in order to take on his evil doppelgänger. While the Joker toxin slowly takes hold over the Caped Crusader, Bruce finds himself slowly becoming his darkest nightmare with each passing page. Gordon Jr and Sr are left to take on the Grim Knight in order to thwart his plans of poisoning Gotham City as they both suit up in Beyond Batman suits before a potential heel turn as this chapter closes out.
Jock still manages to be serviceable for the title while not completely winning readers over. Although at times his scribbling can hamper the story overall and add to the convoluted nature of the series as a whole, this issue Jock brings real dynamic imagery to this chapter. Specifically to the pages of the two Dark Knights standing off, Jock’s gritty visceral overtones finally find their voice for the series albeit few and far between with each new issue. David Baron gets to totally light this issue in truly horrific nature with tons of attention to the constant motif of varying red hues instilling danger and violence.
As a whole, the series feels as though it was written well over a year ago in the same headspace as Metal. Going from his current run on Justice League to this mini-series feels like two incredibly different writers in comparison. From his huge ideas spinning out of pre-established continuity and love for the universe to this contrived self-serving marketing, ploy cannot be farther apart in overall quality.
With one last issue left after a seventh was tacked on after 5 issues of nothing really happening, Snyder and Jock take their bow with the titular character and leave room for Joshua Williamson to make something interesting out of it on his upcoming series later this year. With no end in sight, the character who has far exceeded his welcome will continue on within the DC Universe at large even after his own mini-series comes to a close.
Grade: C+
