What you talkin' bout, Willis?
"THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES" finale! This is the finale everyone will be talking about for years to come! In BATMAN #24, we gave you the question; in BATMAN #32, you get the answer. As the Riddler and The Joker desperately fight for supremacy in Gotham City, Batman reveals how far he had to go to end the war. Now, knowing Batman's greatest sin, Catwoman must make her decision: Will she marry Batman?
RATED T
Mikel Jann deserves the other half of the accolades mostly for his rendition of the Riddler who finally has a distinctive look. He looks Irish! I also like the Jokers sneer. The action in this issue was telegraphed in a good way. These were fine pages where Jann skewered the frames to show the flow of the movements and the fight. The obligatory pows and other sound effects were there to remind us that this is a Batman comic after all. It should not take itself so seriously! Read Full Review
Metal might be getting a lot of attention, but this has been a modern classic Batman tale worthy of every accolade. Read Full Review
Overall I thought Batman #32 was a great read! The showdown between Batman, Joker and Riddler is epic and the emotions that Batman deal with are hard earned and felt. Tom King really puts us in Bruce Wayne's eyes in this issue as he ends it with Bruce making a landmark statement to Selina Kyle about his love for her and what it means to him. Hopefully this makes a huge change in Bruce's outlook of love as he and Selina share so much in common. King and Janin have continued to amaze me with this series, so I expect the next issue to be no different! Read Full Review
'Batman' #32 is one of those issues that will be mentioned, written about and talked about when comic fans discuss moments that changed a character forever. It's really up there with 'The Killing Joke' and 'The Dark Knight Returns' in the pantheon of Batman comics. Read Full Review
The action was tense and visceral; the dialogue hilarious and witty. The beautiful ending will leave a smile on anyone that knows the story of Bruce Wayne. The tragedy that deserves a blissful end. Much like the War itself, the creative team played their parts perfect to the laughable end. Read Full Review
King provides us with a take on the Dark Knight and his two most iconic rogues that transcends the self-imposed boundaries many writers daren't cross, and while you'll have to read Batman #32 for yourself to find the answers to the aforementioned questions, you'll come out with a whole new appreciation for not just Batman, but the man behind the mask. Read Full Review
A well told and truly dark Batman tale that will have lasting consequence to his world in the long run. It is an uncomfortable setting for fans of the Bat but the ending of the story humanises him in ways that many other writers struggle with. Definitely a book worth your time and a place in your pull list this month. Read Full Review
Are we about to see a Wayne-Kyle wedding in the future? Hope so. Knowing how comics work, they'll both probably come close to death before we see anyone walk down the aisle and there's sure to be plenty of drama outside of that. If any of King's previous 32 issues are a good example of what's to come, let's just sit down and enjoy the ride until we get there. Read Full Review
Tom King wraps up his epic saga with an unforgettable subversion of Batman's and Joker's relationship. This choice takes Batman into questionable territory, but cements the Riddler as a diabolical icon of villainy. Read Full Review
Overall, a very different ending. Unexpected and may disappoint its readers. Read Full Review
A strong finale that'll leave Batman richer and his relationship with Joker even more interesting. Read Full Review
Batman #32 sticks the landing to an otherwise lackluster build up. This story turned out to be highly important to Batman's overall character arch and growth and while it took awhile to get here, past issues in the arc makes sense. While I think this arc could have easily been 4 parts instead of 6 (keeping Kite Man's interludes), I'm happy with the way it ended and it finally felt necessary. Read Full Review
Putting Bruce in a light where he is human and has love in his heart like any other normal person is why Tom King is so damn good. We're so used to seeing Batman as this gothic vigilante, we forget that he's still a man who cares and loves. Mikel Janin's art has been perfect throughout the series, and FINALLY I get to see The Joker laugh! Read Full Review
The War of Jokes and Riddles pays off in all the best ways as Tom King delivers an expertly crafted conclusion to his latest storyline. Read Full Review
There are certainly moments of Batman brooding in this issue. He is Batman. He broods. But it is the context of all of this that put this current Batman run above many others before it. Subtleties in this run are numerous and they are handled well. It is always refreshing to read a book in Superhero lore, whichever it is; when you can see a real situation pertaining to those heroes. It brings them down to Earth a bit which certainly makes them more relatable. That is exactly what Tom King has managed to do with Batman villains during the war of Jokes and Riddles showing there is a little insanity in all of us. Read Full Review
While one of the big moments in this issue suffers from awkward build-up, otherwise Batman #32 serves as a satisfying conclusion to this lengthy story arc. It's dramatic and emotionally charged, yet also marked by moments of campy humor. And the twists in this issue promise to have a significant impact on the series moving forward. What more can readers ask for? Read Full Review
While “The War of Jokes and Riddles” doesn't maintain the grand scale of earlier chapters, it zeroes in all of the people and story beats that made this unorthodox tale a surprising read for the Summer with a finale that's sure to be talked about in the upcoming months. Read Full Review
Theres really not much else to say about this book that hasnt already been covered in length. The future looks interesting and I am every optimistic that Tom King will achieve something great with this book. For now, Ill leave you with this: Was the War of Jokes and Riddles the best? No. Was it worthwhile? Hell yeah. Read Full Review
After reading this issue, I find myself debating what King is saying and exploring which is a good thing. It's not the usual punching, there's a bit more to the comic and this is one that challenges to reader to think and come to their own conclusion. The cerebral aspect of it all is fitting for a comic featuring “the Detective” and King is absolutely creating his own mark for this classic character. Read Full Review
The War of Jokes and Riddles has officially ended, granted, not the way most expected. But one thing's for sure: the repercussions from this issue will be felt for a long time coming. Read Full Review
The work of Mikel Janin has been a saving grave on this book. Read Full Review
“The War of Jokes and Riddles” never really succeeded at delivering the “War” aspect of the title. And this finale installment is no objection to that rule. Instead, this arc has been much more about themes and ideas. While many of those ideas have been genuinely interesting, they are never truly explored to fruition. Consequently, many things are left to our imagination. Some acceptably so, and others to our annoyance. While I really like many of the seeds King has been planting of late, and look forward to where all this goes, his track record tells me that we'll never really get to fully explore all the wonderful notions he is constantly bringing up. Read Full Review
She barely speaks during this whole arc and it's difficult not to wonder if this time would have been better spent understanding why she would want to marry this damaged, angsty nightmare person. Regardless, she does say yes, but only after responding to Bruce's story in the most perfect way: with an exasperated “who cares?” It's a great moment and the only logical end to this worthless digression of an arc. But that doesn't mean King should be forgiven for wasting our time. Read Full Review
In the end, the ambitious arc fails on at least as many levels as it succeeds and wastes most of Gotham under siege to short flashbacks with this the only payoff. Hit-and Miss. Read Full Review
While you do get an answer from Selena about whether or not she'll marry Bruce Wayne........ don't expect much else because what you get in this issue is half of the book doing nothing, while the second half just throws a forced ending at you that doesn't make much sense and even makes you wonder why you've been a Batman fan for so long if this is his past. The art was as decent as always, but the War of Jokes and Riddles from a story point, did nothing but disappoint. Read Full Review
Love it!!
A game changer
This arc has been and extremely polarizing one in a very polarizing run from King. Some love him, some hate him. Those who love him (myself included) will probably like this long awaited finale and be left shocked by the ending (the first one, before Cat's answer). Thoe who hate him will find in it than in the previous issues, except maybe Cat's answer, which will probably impact everything Batman related in the coming months/years. The Riddler's plan is a very entertaining, pathetic and funny twist, while Batman's final decision is a dark, gritty and heavy twist. The contrast is what makes all come together in the end and gives meaning to this whole arc. And seeing the Joker finally have the last laugh is a guilty pleasure that sets the tomore
One of my favourites issue of the arc, one of the most emotional and heartwarming issues. Loving Tom King so far. -
Tom King is a masterful comic book writer. I haven't had enjoyed a comic book series like that in a long, long time. Also, I have to note about the amazing artwork! It's great in almost every single way!
King's most inconsistent arc within his Batman run ended with a bang. I loved this issue. Although I didn't like this Riddler, I sure loved this Joker. I'm not that confident on the future due to Selina's decision, but I trust Tom King can pull it off.
I thought the conclusion to this story arc was relatively satisfying. The "difference between a riddle and a joke" was a well earned line. The amount of guilt and shame that Bruce carries around becomes evident here, but maybe even more so is Selena's ease of looking past it. Issue #32 concludes Tom King's best Batman arc to date, and I can't wait to see what's next.
The revelation of what Batman did was shocking. The conclusion of the war was interesting as well in regards of the character actions. The Catwoman's answer, while expected, was done really well. Overall, a really good end of an arc.
I think the revelation of what Batman did in this was interesting. It's definitely going to piss some folks off that have thin skin but I liked it. I'm also looking forward to what happens post-marriage proposal. Other than that, the overall storyline of WoJaR was meh, filled with many highs and lows.
A lot of nonsense in this story arc but having the Joker make that sacrifice to save Batman and keep what he stands for intact almost makes him heroic... As for Batman, he failed big time from a moral standpoint. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I get that he's still in his early stages barely after zero year but it's pretty epic how badly he failed this round. Tying things back to zero year is the only way I can make sense of Batman all of sudden wanting to stab the riddler. Because riddler was responsible for zero year as well.I can't say I was ever completely onboard with King's Batman and after this issue, that's still the case. I just wish King's fetish for Catwoman would take a backseat because it's starting to take over too much. more
Meh. The whole arc was too slow moving and anticlimactic. The reason I gave it a 7.5 is because of Mikel Janin’s art, which is awesome. Tom King has really been quite underwhelming as the writer of Batman thus far. I think he’s too concerned with how artistic a story is, and not concerned enough about the actual narrative. And all of his characters stutter and stammer way too much.
The issue really comes to the answer in a more roundabout way than I anticipated. Ultimately, the art and dialogue in the Selena scenes are so far superior to the J/R climax, and it makes it an uneven issue. While unfortunate (as this is maybe my least favorite issue of the arc), it does end on a satisfying note.
I really dont like Tom King Batman run
So glad this arc is over. It was nothing like what I expected and that's not really a good thing in this case. I hope I never see kite man again and while this issue had some good parts it wasn't worth all the issues and interludes to get here. Hopefully the next arc is better. The art was the best thing about the book.
Please read some Morriso's Batman. By the way, fuck you Tom King! The worst arc I ever read. Bad story, good art 👍
"It could be deep or philosophical... but who cares?" - Catwoman describing this whole story arc. Disappointment and boredom at its peak. Dialogues are still horrendous.
Geoff Johns did it first! And Better in Infinite Crisis.