Yeah, no... I don't have to justify this anymore, this issue was amazing. Read Full Review

Holy...shit. Okay... I doubted Snyder a bit after the Court of Owls ending. I doubted his Harper row issue. But this... this was amazing. His Joker was fantastically written, he was close enough to Joker that he seemed like the same character but so sadistic that he seemed new and even more ruthless. Read Full Review

Its a rare occurrence when anything with an immense amount of hype actually lives up to expectations, but Batman #13 has exceeded the impossibly high hopes that Bat fans have had since Snyder and Capullo first spoke the Jokers name. Read Full Review

Batman #13 isn't merely a good comic. It's a great one, at the apex of magnificence, though not quite touching it. Read Full Review

Just when you thought the Owls arc would be hard to beat the Snider/Capullo duo up the ante even more. This was seriously the best issue of the entire New52 Batman run. Read Full Review

As a little extra we get a mini Harley story at the back, showing us the events leading up to her working with Joker in this issue's main story. It's dark in a sort of Morrison Arkham Asylum way, with manic artwork and a full look at the Joker. Its not a story that will add a lot to the event but it captures the insanity in Jokers actions well and is a nice addition to what we've seen unfold in this first issue of Death of the Family. Read Full Review

Since the New 52, Batman has been blessed with an indomitable winning streak, thanks to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. But it's even more exciting that this issue is their best one yet. The Clown Prince of Crime might be at his most murderous, but make no mistake " he's going to put a smile on your face. Read Full Review

"Batman" #13 is the sort of introduction every story deserves. The Joker is dramatically presented and reintroduced across multiple scenes. Snyder and Capullo deliver some excellent sequences of terror that cut to the quick of the Joker as a real threat. Apart from a few slower pages, this issue zings along with threats and terrible moments of sheer glee at a villain being the worst. The Joker is out to kill the whole Bat family -- and this issue makes it feel like he might be able to pull it off. Read Full Review

So whatever you were expecting in this issue? You'll get that, and even more. If the Court of Owls was Snyder and Capullo's action/adventure story, Death of the Family is their horror entry into the Batman mythos. Bring a spare pair of underwear when you read this issue, you're definitely going to need it. Read Full Review

The entire Bat-Family, and even Harley Quinn, are intimidated and on high alert as things are about to get very interesting. Read Full Review

This is off to an incredibly dark beginning. That's exactly what we'd want from a major Joker story. Don't look for an uplifting story here. Read Full Review

Batman #13 only has 22 pages but within them writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo have redefined an icon and returned the grandeur and terror that rightfully belongs to the greatest villain in the history of the sequential art medium. Read Full Review

As an added bonus, we see a disillusioned but nonetheless devoted Harley Quinn. Although she is normally more than enthusiastic about participating in her lovers schemes, even she is terrified of him now, warning Batman hes not my Mr. J anymore. Her attitude proves, this isnt just a joke, and it isnt merely a game, this is a Joker no one has ever seen before. If Knock Knock is any indication, Death of the Family will be a graphic novel people will be taking about for years to come. Read Full Review

It's evident that this is the start of something special. That the entree has been well worth the wait. It's not just another Joker tale with a clever twist on the clown motif. This goes deeper. A character study. A series of them in fact. A long game. The writing is beautiful and sinister with allusions to past classics and a chilling invocation of Peter Pan and his shadow and his Darlings. That we only see the Joker revealed in the final page teases at the level of suspense and horror to be had throughout the rest of the tale. Brash young Damian is unimpressed at the prospect of the villain's return, but this is the kid at the campfire laughing off the urban legends of escaped mental patients with hooks for hands waiting in the wings. There's already a substantial body count. The Joker has reclaimed his face and gathered up his portents. And he's just started one mother of a knock knock joke. Read Full Review

The Art was also fantastic. Greg Capullo just doesnt disappoint and the flip cover was such a bonus I had to get two copies. The first time we actually see the Jokers face was completely worth the wait. The duo of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo is hands down my favorite because these guys continuously bring the heat! What I also love about these two are the way they always end an issue on a cliff hanger and Batman #13 is no exception. If you were wondering what my recommendation is for this issue, then I havent been doing a great job because this is a hands down must buymatter of fact buy 2 copies. Youre going to want to keep this one for the long box. Read Full Review

The team on Batman will have everyone's attention again because this is one heck of a single issue and beginning to a fresh event. I'm not sure if it's my favorite of this team's so far, Batman #5 was pretty freaking great, but this makes it pretty clear why this is one of the best selling comics right now. Read Full Review

When all is said and done and, judging by the promise of this issue, Death of the Family should be destined to go down in the Batman canon as a surefire classic. I'm very much looking forward to the next chapter! 10/10, easily. Read Full Review

If you aren't reading Batman (and even with the sales figures, there must be at least a few of you), this is the perfect place to hop on board. And you should, if only to understand why your friends have started to look like they're not sleeping very well. Read Full Review

Snyder is bulking up for a potentially bigger event than the Court of Owls, and that's hard to imagine! I'm going to have difficulties waiting for the tie-ins to come week by week, much less month after month. Read Full Review

It's so good that it may deserve a re-read or two to take in all of the awesome. Read Full Review

So there you have it. The bar has been set, very high to be precise. And I am pumped to see how these guys (and the rest of the Bat family team) surprise me. I thought Snyder and Capullo had reached their pinnacle with Court of Owls, but I was wrong. This might just be their next masterpiece, and Ill be here for the whole ride, telling you all my thoughts, hopes, and fears as the Joker laughs from the shadows. Read Full Review

ProsHannibal Lecter meets LeatherfaceThe writing and art are superbConsNOT ALFRED! NOOOO!Why does Bruce Wayne look liked he's drugged? Read Full Review

Scott Snyder's story shines in this issue. There's not much to hate. This is one of the best Batman books I've read. The artwork was just amazing. The cover art too was mind blowing! Read Full Review

Snyder and Capullo choose to pay homage to the clashes of Batman vs. The Joker from issue #1, all those years ago, up to the present day. References and visual cues to “The Dark Knight Returns”, the Nolan films, and the animated series are flawlessly spun together for the beginnings of a story that looks to stand among them one day. Though so much feels familiar, this world is all their own. “Batman” #13 is a modern comic for modern sensibilities, a Joker that feels all their own, that very much still inhabits the decades long canon of DC Comics' most popular and enduring character. Enjoy it. It doesn't happen often. Read Full Review

DC has been touting this issue a lot. Joker coming back certainly is a big deal, but when it comes down to it, this is just another fantastic issue in one of the best Batman runs in the history of the character. The fact that two of the biggest names in the industry are handling the return of the Joker is just icing on the cake. Welcome back, Mister J. Batman probably didn't miss you, but we sure did. Read Full Review

The Joker has been gone for 1 year after having his face removed.by Dollmaker. He returns to Gotham and is up to his old tricks. His first order of business was to break into Gotham Police Department and get his face back…and from there the typical Joker madness ensues. I'm not going to go any further because this is a MUST read. If you've been mad at DC because of the New 52! This book and the story arc to come are probably going to change your mind. Drop everything, go out and pick this book up..I'll wait….no i won't Read Full Review

I have only received this book today, so I have been hiding from all reviews on this book all week and I am still yet to have read one. I was also slightly worried that I might be left feeling disappointed, even though I have total faith in the team of Scott Snyder and Gregg Capullo considering their portfolio. However, I never had any need to worry, this is just fantastic. It is the story that a lot of Batman fans having been waiting months for, and even one issue in, it looks like it is going to be a truly thrilling ride throughout. Read Full Review

It's called Batman #13, but this is the Joker's book through and through. Scott Snyder and friends are bringing a meaner, scarier Joker to the Batbooks, and the time without the character actually makes this feel different from your average Joker story. The sakes feel higher. I know it's easy to complain about how the status quo never changes in mainstream comics, but after this issue, I feel like anything's possible. Read Full Review

Issue #13 has a fun cover, a scary atmosphere, cool cameos by members of the batfamily, and it's a great jumping on point for new readers. Most importantly though, it's going to get people excited about Batman and spark intense fan discussion. This is a must-buy but I went back and forth on giving it either an 8.5 or a 9/10. Not that the scores really matter much, they're pretty arbitrary. Gordon, Batman and the cops were nerfed and the backup was disappointing but there are so many amazing Joker moments in this that I can't NOT love it. Read Full Review

“Death of the Family” is off to a fantastic start. To say there's room for improvement sound's like criticism, but I say that because I'm confident things will get even better from here, now that the pieces are in play. You will regret not picking upBatman #13. Read Full Review

One of the best things about Batman #13 is how much Snyder is able to stuff into one issue without coming across as detail-obsessed (William Faulkner, anyone?) The murder of a man on live television and the claim that Mayor Hady would be dead at midnight all connects back to the Joker's first appearance (according to Batman) and must have some importance in the present. Then there's the Harley sequence! Yes, Harley Quinn adorns the original Red Hood outfit - worn by Joker before he was Joker - to confront Batman, hoping to catch him off-guard and get him away from his cave. That's all I want to give away because the final pages are just so damn amazing. Read Full Review

The story aspects of this issue are crackling good, but it gets a few demerits for the lesser back-up an the awkwardness of the forced crossover. The Director's Cut of this issue would be an “A”, but until we get that issue… Read Full Review

I was anticipating the arrival of this issue for a while & it didn’t disappoint. Batman & the Joker have tussled more times than any other hero & villain, but this time the Joker’s going to strike at Batman where it hurts… through his family. These are good times to be reading comics my friends. Read Full Review

This issue of Batman is a winner. The Joker is back in Gotham, and he's ready to make up for his absence and more. If the story remains this quality, it just might be the next Killing Joke. Read Full Review

There's a definite theme growing here. I advise buckling up. Read Full Review

The main story ends with a twist as the Joker chooses his first victim, but the issue's back-up story between the Joker and Harley Quinn (whose appearance helps sell how brutal the Joker has become in his time away from Gotham) takes their perverted relationship to disturbing levels I don't need to see. Worth a look. Read Full Review

All-in-all, this was a pretty interesting beginning to the DITF arc.  It has good tension, the dialogue was pretty great and I really did want more, especially on the basis of that back up story.  While I am a little bit disappointed in some of the story bits, this easily has potential to be one of the more entertaining things I get my hands on the in weeks to come.  Read Full Review

What makes the story chilling, though, isn't the violence the Joker commits, but the intimate, personal details with which he threatens key characters. Mind you, while the writer has flip-flopped some of what the Joker does, ultimately, his actions aren't terribly different from what we've seen from him in past stories. But by hammering home the notion the killer has been in hiding for a year, gearing up for something monumentally vile, Snyder manages to set this apart from other Joker stories. Read Full Review

If there is anything that you'll learn from Batgirl # 13 its that the Joker definitely knows who the members of the Bat-Family now which is scary especially since he's already made his move to take down one important member. Read Full Review

The concern going forward is how far will the creators go? Batman #13 is a shocking and violent place to begin a storyline. To go even further, to keep the narrative rhythm necessary to tell a compelling story means that the stakes, and the horror, must go even farther. How much horror can we take? Batman can endure; the character has proven that decade after decade. But can we? You cannot ask the horror writer not to write horror, but can you ask the comic writer to be weary of the excesses of the genre? Read Full Review

Death of the Family.

i've been ecitedly waiting for the Joker's return to the New 52 since Tony Daniel's cliffhanger ending of Detective Comics #1 !!

....and i honestly don't know how to feel about this? for one the art though still beautiful looks to be a bit rushed? and the story is maybe even MORE wordy than it's EVER been!!! and can the Joker really just walk through a darkened police station and just kill all the trained police officers inside with his bare hands????

and this issue is also padded with back-up story filler.