Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52) (Batman (DC Comics Paperback))

Horror goes hand-in-hand with the concept of Batman so well; it's no wonder modern day phenom writer Scott Snyder's work on the character is so darn good. His work in other horror genres like American Vampire, Severed, The Wake, and Swamp Thing are all horror based, so putting his frame of reference with Batman on his earlier work like the Black Mirror and Court of Owls arcs have been stunning. So here we are now with Snyder writing his favorite villain of all time the Joker, who has been away for one year since the beginning of the New 52, where in Detective Comics #1 the Joker got his face ripped off and disappeared from the DC Universe ever since. Now the Joker has made his return in Batman #13 under the penmanship of Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo and what do we get? One of the most horrific and insightful portrayals on the Joker and Batman in modern day story telling. BATMAN VOL.3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY collects issues #13 - #17. After returning to Gotham one year later from his face being cut off, the Clown Prince of Crime resurfaces in Gotham City by doing some numerous errands like taking back his face from Gotham City police department and re-doing some of his crimes he first committed. But the Joker has a plan he's been working up for that whole year; a plan to bringing Batman back to his old ways when he was a solo crime fighter, because from his adversary's perspective, the Bat-family (Nightwing, Red Robin, Red Hood, Batgirl, Robin, and even Alfred) weigh him down - and Joker believes his "real" family is his rouges, to which Joker will stop at nothing to convince Batman that his Bat-family is the cause of all that makes him weak. Beyond me giving out the general plot, I will not give out any real spoilers because there far too many details that I do not think should be given away, so I'll stay clear any specific details. Secondly, the companion book The Joker: Death of the Family (The New 52) , is supplemental and not necessary. It does go over the various Bat-family and how Joker deals with them single-handly and does explain a certain one-page plot point and the conclusion issues of Snyders Batman...but as someone who has read those, personally, I think it dampens Snyder and Capullos main story. So if you are one who has been holding off buying the Joker: Death of the Family trade until Snyders volume 3, here are your choices. If you get Batman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family and enjoy it and want to expand upon it, or if you're a completionist and desperately want every chapter good or bad then you can give Joker: DOTF a try. If you read Batman volume 3 and already reading the other Bat-titles, then skip Joker: DOTF altogether and get those series in their own trades when they come out. Or get Batman volume 3 and do not pick up Joker: DOTF. I'm for option three, but it is up to you on your purchasing decisions. Now that is out of the way, lets talk about this book. This tale of the Joker is not quite like any version you've ever seen. It's made up of two main parts: the horror aspect and the character study of Batman and Joker. The psychological horror aspect alone is a massive deal Snyder and Capullo work at great lengths to accomplish, Joker being shown like a boogeyman and Hannibel Lector rolled into one, with Heath Ledgers Joker amped up by 10x. The opening alone sets the mood by Joker going to the Gotham Police Department and retrieving his face, openly killing police officers left and right in pitch black while Commissioner Gordon shines a mere flashlight into chaotic darkness with Jokers hi-pitched laugh is chilling and sets the mood perfectly. Panels of Batman walking around an empty and barren mansion, to seeing Joker's face stapled on and rotting away as the pages unfold, to seeing mutilated bodies as mosaics make for a dark and disturbing book from the Joker that's never quite been this scary in a long time. It makes a sense of dread from the get-go and doesn't let up at all until the very end. And the other factor is the Joker/Batman relationship, which is the main factor here. Snyder throws every kind of metaphor, reference, and just about every nod to Batman/Joker lore is here (even Nolans Batman has a mention if you look right). Jokers reenacting his original crimes to Jokers birth to a plot that dates back all the way back from Batman #1 from 1940, to the very idea of the Joker even knowing every Bat-families identities. It's a massive mind game and as every character outside of the clown and Bat start coming apart from what is happening, the main idea is Batman and Joker understand each other far more intimately then Batman wants to admit, to knowing each other so far that you might even label them as being...lovers. Not in the physical way, but in a soul-mate like manner that they know the game and how it's played. It's all a matter of deception, mind games, and false-truths from the deep conversations Batman and Joker have that makes for a fascinating case study that I think Snyder hits on the head with great ease. Further study goes on the idea of the "death of the family" in not only the Bat-family, but the villains family as well. Snyder represents the family aspect like chess pieces, with Batman being the central piece of the chess board, which is the king; in this case, the Bat-King, and the Joker is the jester that runs the court. It gives more insight on not only the Batman/Joker angle, but the entire look on Batmans rogues gallery and how they define him. The backup stories are continuations to the main plot lines, whereas most of the time backups are usually stand-alone tales. They're well worth your time to read about, especially since they fill in some voids on Joker setting up his big "finale". Snyders writing comes out full thanks to Greg Capullo's fine art. The bleakness and horror Capullo draws on the page gives the narrative the chills throughout. The Jokers manic expressions with his rotting face, to the blackout of the GCPD, the fear and questions from the bat-family, to a horror-themed Camelot for Batman; Capullo pulls off the horror with every page. Additional art for the backups are by Batman: The Black Mirror artist Jock, which too fit the horror style very well. And besides the alternative covers and sketches at the end, this hardcover comes with the special first printing of this new hardcover will feature a special acetate dust jacket. I have to mention it because not only it is for first printings only, but it is a well-constructed cover that is better then the the die-cut covers produced last year of Joker's skin mask that peels back to reveal the musculature of his face. It's a feature I do not think the softcover will capture, so this makes the hardcover something special and worth getting. Now as much I enjoyed this book, there are a few setbacks, I think. The first one is this is a pretty dark and horrific book which might be unsettling for some. The other is the Joker is borderline omnipotent in all ways here. I know the Clown Prince is a clever fellow and has his share of well done plans in the past, but he does everything right to a fault and is 10-steps ahead of everyone. It is too far fetched to believe Joker has this level of control and smarts if if he's had a year to plan things out. This sort of thing might take you out of the moment. And the other aspect is the ending and the fallout. Much like volume 2, Snyder ends the story arc with a sense of reactions that will either applaud the man or make you feel like he dropped the ball. Again, I do not want to go into detail for fear of spoilers, but the conclusion might make or brake the whole story for you. And the fallout as well. Going hand-in-hand with the ending and by referencing the famous 1988 Batman story, Batman: A Death in the Family , which lived up to its title and impact on the Bat mythos for years, the "death of the family" part is something, again, might or might not sit well with readers considering the reference. It's the type of thing that doesn't quite resonate, which we'll only know about for future writers or Snyder finishing the job one day. Either way, BATMAN VOL.3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY is one heck of a Joker story. Talk around town has it as being one of the best Joker stories. I don't know if it will top Killing Joke, Jokers Five-Way Revenger, or The Man Who Laughs...but it is still a darn good character study on the Joker/Batman relationship, the utter horror factor, and the massive amounts of philosophical/Easter eggs for fans of the Bat mythos. But some might be turned off by the violence and bleakness, Joker being overly powerful, and the ending/fallout leave you cold. None the less, I'll give this book a 4 ½ stars out of 5, but I'll round up to 5 because this is still a great horror/character piece from Snyder and Capullo that I think is worth checking out. Then again, these two have been on fire with Batman, so I think everyone knows that by now. If this is Joker's way of showing "love" for the Batman, I am interested to see his "hate" for him as well. We'll see the clock role back in the next two volumes of Batman's new DC 52 origins in Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year-Secret City (The New 52) .

Throughout literature there has always been classic battles of good and evil. These battles have been fought by numerous figures. But some of the best battles occur between two foes who are the perfect match for each other. We see this in Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Moriarty, or Dracula facing Van Helsing. But no fiercer rivalry and struggle has ever been encapsulated in the 20th century in comics than that of the Joker and Batman. When the two fight it is the ultimate struggle of good and evil that, to me, transcends comics and leaves a lasting impact on literature. In the Death of the Family story arc, collected here in volume 3, Scott Snyder brings one of the best Joker stories ever. In Detective Comics #1, Batman faces the Joker and defeats him. However, the Clown Prince of Crime wanted to be caught so that he may gain an audience with the Dollmaker who proceeds to cut his face off which is what the Joker wanted. In issues 13-17, the Joker enacts his master plan and attacks Batman and the whole Bat-family. He believes that all of Batman’s allies and friends have made him soft and weak, the Joker wants things to return to the way they were many years ago, when it was just him and Batman. So, he retrieves his rotting face from the GCPD and begins his reign of terror on Gotham but specifically targets Batman and his allies. Out of all of Snyder’s work on Batman, this one is hands down my favorite. There is so much depth and meaning to what occurs and what the Joker says, and the story is almost a love letter in a sense to all the great Joker stories that have come before and the history of Batman and the Joker. Snyder’s writing and characterization is on point with so many beautiful and disturbing moments spread throughout. Snyder is known outside of Batman, Swamp Thing and his other DC work as the author of American Vampire and other horror novels. So, he brings an element of horror to this book. Which makes sense because the concept and creation of the Joker was inspired by a horror movie called The Man Who Laughs. The horror and disturbing elements of this story make it so enjoyable and the characterization of the Joker as this almost evil force of nature counterbalanced with Batman who is struggling desperately to stop him makes this book fantastic. Greg Capullo is always the best and he brings his best to the book, the detail and the environments that he brings to life is incredible and well as the character that he draws. The coloring as well contributes to the darkness and grittiness that is in this book. In several of the issues there is a flashback of sorts that is drawn by a different artist which are ok, but I’m not a big fan of another artist coming in for five or six pages and then the art style reverts to the original artist. I find those things to be very distracting. No Batman fan should be without this book. By far Snyder’s best work, in my opinion, on the series, and that is saying a lot about how great it is. The Joker and Batman will always continue to face one another, but this time, the Joker will leave a scar so deep that it will forever haunt the Bat-Family.

After sitting out for a bit of the Nu52, the Joker makes his return and what a return it is. This story arc examines the relationship between batman and the Joker and also that of batman and the bat family and the joker and the bat family. We see the joker close to the recent movie adaptation, that of a true force of anarchy and chaos. But more than that this is a joker with a twisted view of reality. This is a joker who is in his opinion being close with batman. Up until now in the Joker's mind he has never had an issue with the bat family, just with Batman. Even crippling Batgirl ( before reboot) was an attack on Batman not on Barbara. This storyline changes that with the Joker deciding to go after the entire bat family and show them what happens when he goes after them for real. This is a joker who like I said, is terrifying but almost frighteningly enough, he seems in a twisted way, more human at the same time. Albeit a sick person who you would run from in fear. With the recent Court of owls storyline out of the way it was good to have the joker back and unlike other stories that claim to make changes that will last forever, and then everything is the way it was before only a short time later, this story will live up to that claim. The writing is superb and the dynamic of the joker and batman is explored in new ways that other writers never thought of. Joker's attack on the bat family really does change the playing field of the bat family comics and the fall out is something I am eager to see more of. Snyder is a brilliant writer whose run on batman will go down as one of the all time greatest if this keeps up. The art is spectacular and disturbing when it needs to be. This is one of the top storylines of the year! Plus as advertised there is special acetate dust jacket showcasing the face of The Joker which is freaking awesome. All in all this is a must have purchase for any comic fan!

It's a decent story, but it's not better than the Night of the Owls story. They hype you up when you start reading it but once you get to the ending, it felt like it was a bit...dry. Yet, the overall plot is decent-to-good, sometimes I felt like Scott Snyder read really deeply into The Killing Joke and other big batman books from the past and then took some ideas from it and then twisted into his own version to it. Mean while, the art is great at moments but other times it feels like Greg Capullo rushed at certain parts to get the pages done. You can really tell when you see some misshapen faces or bodies or the lack of detail in some certain things. But when he does focus on his art, his art becomes truly inspiring and enjoyable to look at.

This work is a masterpiece that successfully pulls together themes from Batman lore (relationship between Batman and Joker, Why doesn't Batman kill the Joker?, Batman's relationship to his Bat-family, plus various symbols and costumes), as well as the development of the Joker as portrayed in the Nolan Dark Knight film (Batman and Joker complete each other, Joker pushes Batman to drop his allegiance to Gotham and notions of the good and the just). The writing is deep and thoughtful, the dialogue is gripping, and there's enough action to propel it along. The artwork is superb; it's a bit gross with lots of raw skin and bones and faces sliding off, but it matches the intensity of the story; more importantly, it's the kind of artwork that does not just depict the story, but actually propels and enriches the story. Some of the stories were collected into The Joker Death of the Family; but in that collection, the main storyline gets watered down, and it's hard to even follow the central plot between Joker and Batman. I thought it was unnecessary and distracting. The Batman and Robin series by Tomasi and Gleason is equally as awesome as the Batman series by Snyder and Capullo. In sum, a great story with great art that shows respect for the Batman tradition while expanding it in important ways, and a work that will surely become part of the Batman canon.

Delightfully scary and creepy. The Joker has really been a diverse character and probably one of the most popular DC characters (especially after The Dark Knight). But Scott Snyder is able to take the character to a brand new level of evil. Together with Greg Capullo's artwork, the Death of the Family makes an old character seem fresh. If you love a classic Batman versus Joker story, than this is the book for you. You might not find as deep a development in relationship or theme as in the Killing Joke, but you'll definitely find an entertaining story. Well and beyond worth the price of admission. It's probably a graphic novel you'll go back and read multiple times. Batman likes to be prepared for anything, but no amount of preparation can be useful against the Joker. The Joker is Batman's worst nightmare...after reading this, he might be yours as well. For people who have bought the single issues, there isn't much added value. You got the typical covers and about 5 pages of artwork and script. Nothing to really warrant another purchase. However, I bought a hardcover copy to share among my friends and to read more conveniently than single issues. Ultimately, for the price, I have no complaints.

Happy with purchase

Batman Death of the Family is the 3rd trade since the New 52 relaunch of the title. In this title Snyder continues what has been an excellent run to date. In the previous arc (Court of Owls), Snyder shook up one of the presumed foundations of the Batman universe: Bruce's absolute knowledge of Gotham. In this title he takes his shot at the "Bat Family." While Court of Owls was about introducing new villains, Death of the Family let's Snyder roll out Batman's rogue's gallery and try his hand at the most iconic of them all: The Joker. Happily, he is up to the task. Snyder's Joker takes an excellent base of psychopathic insanity and mixes it with devious cunning and a peculiar intimacy with Batman. It's hard to talk about the story at length without spoilers, but the heart of this book is the relationship between Batman and The Joker, and the way that each man views this relationship might prove surprising to some. Capullo continues a profitable partnership with Snyder on this book, and his art really shines with his Joker. The jagged lines of the Joker's "mask" set-up a nice juxtaposition with the clean symmetry of Batman's cowl. The coloring also shows some solid range, which is nice in a Batman book, which can sometimes dip too firmly into "everything is dark" territory. Onto the physical book itself. This is where my complaints are (I'd take a 1/2 star off if possible). The dust jacket is a clear piece which overlays cover. The cover features The Joker's skinned face and the jacket has his face strapped on. The idea is cool, but the execution isn't quite there. Unfortunately, the plastic is perforated as opposed to creased so the top and bottom are prone to tears. Also worth noting is that those collectors who love an orderly shelf might be annoyed that the spine is white unlike the previous Court if Owls (and most other New 52) books that have black spines. The DC logo has changed again as well. That said, this is an exceedingly minor quibble, and all but the most optimistic fans have long since given up hope that DC will put out ongoing books with consistent spines.