BATMAN #7 is quite an interesting chapter. Full of dialogue, absent of action, this is nearly an entire issue of a conversation.
And it rules.
Writer Matt Fraction is giving us something a little different in each issue, and I’m still wondering how all the ingredients will add up. When dealing with The Joker, it seems like it’d be a main course, but this is only an appetizer.
Batman enters Arkham Towers, where we get an inside look at how the place is operating with the help of Dr. Zeller. A floor pattern/security measure is green and red, which can’t be a coincidence. She refers to her patient as “Patient 10”, and Batman refuses to call him by his actual name, the Joker. What follows is less an interrogation and more of a “reunion” between acquaintances.
Of course, there was a bit of a bombshell at the end.
With comics being a visual medium, it’s a risky move to do an action-less issue. Yet Fraction excels here, giving us something different between these two arch rivals, yet the substance is very much in line with how we know them to interact. He keeps the dialogue moving, never slowing to a dull monologue, as we slowly peel the layers away from this green onion. Is Joker being honest? Is he being manipulative? Is there much more at stake here than he’s letting on?
Yes, duh. But it’s about setting the scene before delivering the punchline. I’m all in.
As mentioned, comics are a visual medium, and we have an action-less issue here. So does artist Jorge Jiménez have anything to do?
Yes, duh.
He KILLS it throughout this issue, guiding us down the halls of Arkham Tower before revealing this new Joker setup that is…intriguing. But the showstopping number here is the foldout page (and for you physical buyers, it’s worth the money), which delivers a large collage of memorable Batman/Joker moments over the last 85 years. It’s great and worth looking up if you can’t wait until reading the issue yourself.
Overall, this team’s hot streak continues with another interesting and fun issue that continues adding layers to the overall picture. Batman is delivering the goods in BATMAN. – Ryan Lower
