Batman Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles (Rebirth)

Product Information

The War of Jokes and Riddles shows Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin, Ventriloquist, Mr. Zsasz, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Poison Ivy, Firefly, Mr. Freeze, Solomon Grundy, Man-Bat, Clayface, Cluemaster, Two-Face, Killer Croc, Kite Man, Tweedledee & Tweedledum, Mad Hatter and Scarecrow as not only being active during Bruce's 2nd year as Batman but (with the exception of Penguin) being villains he's already encountered multiple times already before the story begins. This is especially egregious in the case of Deathstroke who wasn't even considered a Batman villain until fairly recently. Hoist by His Own Petard: The War of Jokes and Riddles is caused by this trope: the Riddler and Joker's obsession with Batman is so far reaching that they can't get over the fact that Batman refuses to laugh and all the Riddler wants to do is outsmart Batman. Riddler attempts to partner up with the Joker to get revenge on Batman, but the Joker shoots him in the gut and leaves him to die, setting off the war.

Hypocrite: Flashpoint Thomas Wayne is motivated by his Papa Wolf tendencies to prevent his son from experiencing the immeasurable pain that comes with being Batman. This leads him to have Alfred murdered, thereby causing Bruce immeasurable pain. Flashpoint Thomas Wayne, acting as a foil to Bruce, is also this. Except he never outgrows it and is a self-destructive, jaded Batman who is old and alone and, by the end of Tom King's run, possibly dead.

Dark Secret: "The War of Jokes and Riddles" is all about a moment in time during Batman's early history that would show that he wasn't this great hero Gotham needed. Namely, Batman broke his Thou Shalt Not Kill rule by attempting to murder the Riddler before the Joker stopped him, proving that the only difference between him and the criminals he puts in jail was the Joker defining who he was. Cool vs. Awesome: Deathstroke and Deadshot face off in issue #28. They first try sniping each other — but shoot each other's 7.62 bullet. They go on to try and kill each other for five days before Batman can finally manage to stop them. Dating Catwoman: Literally the entire story of "Rooftops" is a "date night" between Batman and Catwoman. It's also a complete breakdown of their relationship; namely, how Batman and Catwoman want to stay with each other, but can't commit to each other because of their masked activities. Their relationship actually ends up being the emotional core of Tom King's entire run.

The War of Jokes and Riddles” has officially come to a close in Batman #32 by Tom King and Mikel Janin, and it’s brought some answers with it in more ways than one. The Secret It's very well-written, some of the best I’ve ever seen from Tom King. Characterizations are well-nigh perfect, and he even manages to write Kiteman in a way that stays true to his roots, but turns him from something of a joke into a deeply sympathetic character. I do question somewhat the Riddler’s boasting about the subtlety of his planning towards the end. It seems more like someone taking credit for things that happened on their own. Yes, this version of him is all about the subtle plans, but I think he's reaching just a bit … The run establishes in "I am Suicide" that this is part of Bruce's reason for being Batman — that he couldn't bring himself to suicide, and instead acts as Batman to help the world while hoping to receive a "good death" that will honour his parents. He moves past it during the conclusion of "I am Bane", when he talks to a hallucination of Martha Wayne.Whodda thought somebody could make something out of someone as insignificant as Kite Man? Tom King did. The 2 issues centered on him-both well pencilled by Clay Mann- are great. The first is tragic, the second more pathetic, with some funny parts though, but both are deftly thought and told. Hell, yeah. But there was stuff I liked here. It’s interesting to see a mirthless, grimacing Joker for a change and King writes him really well. Same goes for Riddler - in fact, King might’ve written the best version of Riddler ever in this book! Many of the riddles are clever and funny. The nine-course dinner scene, though pointless, was cool. Mikel Janin’s art has never looked better either. The book is visually spectacular and Janin draws Batman, Joker and Riddler as superbly as King writes them. Janin definitely elevates King’s patchy script up from a crap book to a middling one. I also love the look of the Joker in this issue, he's so menacing, and I love that he's unable to laugh, him being so grim makes him even scarier In Batman #9, Batman is talking to a masked prisoner in Arkham and says, "I have been thinking lately. About you and me." Which is dialogue identical to his conversation with the Joker in The Killing Joke, leading the readers to believe he is talking to the Joker. He isn't: it's actually Catwoman. Also we see a spectacular return of Kite-Man, Hell yeah! No jokes though, the issues that focus more on Kite-Man are actually the best issues I felt, and I don't think anyone has ever given Kite-Man such a meaningful arc like King has here. Kite-Man although not my favourite villain or anything, definitely was a stand out here!