Quick Summary

Pros: This is an exciting start to, what is looking to be, an even more exciting story arc. It does a great job at digging into the minds of two of Batman’s greatest foes. Plus, it does a great job in teasing what is to come.

Cons: If you are not a fan of Joker or Riddler stories, then this is not an issue for you.

Overall: This issue starts off “The War of Jokes and Riddles” with a fantastic first chapter. It shows that this is going to be a story about more than some simple war between villains; it is going to be an examination into their character and relationship to Batman. If you have been reading Batman, keep doing it; if you haven’t been reading Batman, now is absolutely the time to start.

Story

This is a fantastic way to start a story arc. Batman #25 is full of everything that a good introduction needs; it details the villains and their motives, tells how the story starts, and then gives a tease of what is coming next. Tom King’s intention here is to get people excited for what is coming up next. I would say that he succeeded as this is the most excited I have been for a Batman story arc in a long time.

(spoilers start here)

The story starts out with an interesting concept: the Joker and the Riddler have become desensitized to jokes and riddles respectively, the causes of which are not immediately clear. What is clear, is that these two plan on fixing their problem, no matter how many people they have to kill along the way. It is a quick introduction to their characters and motives that works well for both new and old fans.





From here we get into the actual motivation behind this entire arc. The Riddler meets up with Joker and explains both of their situations. Batman is Joker’s biggest joke and Riddler’s biggest riddle. Thus, Riddler postulates, the only way to become satisfied once more is to climb their personal Everest; he wants to kill the Batman. Yet, he recognizes that neither one should do it alone as it would deprive the other of ultimate satisfaction and would cause the two of them to go to war against each other. Joker thinks it over and responds as only the Joker can, he shoots Riddler in the stomach and leaves him to die.

The way these two are pitted against each other is great and is sure to provide a plethora of entertainment as this arc progresses. King has found a way to make these two characters relate in a way that is obvious while still being clever. They are both obsessed with Batman, and it is that obsession which will drive them even more crazy than they already are. With hints that Batman does something he regrets during this “war,” it will be interesting to see how these two villains will end going against each other and Batman.

In addition, I was very happy to see the story brought back to the present, at the conclusion of this issue. Many were extremely frustrated that Batman proposed to Catwoman directly before a long, flashback storyline. They assumed that this meant the proposal story would be dropped during this time. It is nice to see that King planned for this and is still delivering on both fronts.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Mikel Janín’s art always looks great, especially when working on Bat-family books; we already discussed that in our review of Batman Vol. 2: I am Suicide (found here). However, this issue seems even better than normal. The grittiness and harsh details found in the prison contrast perfectly with the more picturesque views of the Gotham skyline. Add attractive and realistic character designs and depictions, and this is one good looking book.

Continuity

Since this is a flashback storyline, there is not much that fans need to know in order to understand what is going on. The only big reference to the current series occurs at the end of the issue and is a reference to Batman #24. Besides this, Batman #25 is a great jumping on point for new readers.

This issue also makes a few specific references to specific comic books. These are detailed here:

The Riddler is currently incarcerated because of the events of Zero Year. These events start in Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year-Secret City (Review).

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