Tynion's “Joker War” has proven to be a delightful surprise so far. I expected it would be more than the typical Batman/Joker conflict, but I believe that this might end up becoming the definitive Joker story of the era. I'm enjoying every page of this wild ride so far and look forward to seeing what twists and turns Tynion has planned for the rest of the story. Read Full Review

This is what a Joker event should be, and we're only halfway to the big showdown. Read Full Review

Batman #97 slows the story down to flesh out some details and indeed cofirms a new player on the scene. How long will The Clownhunter last? Read Full Review

This is a great issue overall, but it did feel like a lull compared to the others. This must be that part of the story where you catch your breath and set up for the big bang. I am stunned by that cliffhanger last page and can't wait for the next issue. Read Full Review

Jorge Jimenez's art is surreal, beautiful and well balanced with the tone of the story. The characters look amazing and the action is fantastic. I was blown away by the fight in the theater as well as Bruce's journey into his own madness towards the end of the issue. I can't wait to see what JImenez does next visually. Read Full Review

As always, issue #97 makes sure that Batman is having the worst day of his life. There's zombies, a clown killer, and Joker in a swimsuit. You don't wanna miss it.  Read Full Review

Over all this issue has improved and is back on the right track. Jimenz's art doesn't feel inconsistent and haphazardly thrown together with backgrounds and characters looking flat like in previous issues. Tynion IV story is solid and doesn't feel over encumbered with too many moving parts. This was a solid issue and shows a lot of promise with the payoff if they can keep it going this way.  Read Full Review

Jimenez holds it all together with his fantastic art however, and makes even the rougher moments shine. Read Full Review

So while I feel that Batman #97 was a little bit of a stall overall I think it still manages to deliver a solid issue overall. Hopefully things can pick back up from here. Read Full Review

There is no time to rest for either the reader or all the players involved in "Joker War," as shown with Batman #97. James Tynion and Jorge Jimenez have built a story that is getting even more chaotic with each page that you turn. The chaos creates concern for how Batman and his allies can even hope to overcome Joker's latest plot. That all builds greater anticipation for what happens next as a reader following along. Read Full Review

Were seeing some momentum with Joker War, as our creative team sets up important pieces on the board for the next act in what is one show-stopping (and vibrant) display of art from Jorge Jimenez and Tomeu Morey. Read Full Review

Batman #97 finally reaches the tipping point where the grand art can no longer cover the holes in the story. By now we should know what Joker's grand plan is or at least be stepping into a showdown. We're not. And it almost feels like we never will be. Read Full Review

This was a more entertaining form of buildup, but it was still just that. I need some serious turmoil for Bruce, otherwise, I fear all this "change" he's getting is going to be superficial. Harley as a Joker "sober buddy" is a gross misuse of an opportunity to enrich her character. Read Full Review

This issue does not do a ton to progress the story but is still well crafted and a joy to read. Read Full Review

"Joker War" hasn't really hooked me yet. Batman #97, and the event as a whole, isn't bad it just doesn't feel original enough so far. We've seen Batman trip on toxin. We've seen the Joker gas a lot of people. We've seen heroes lose their fortune. We've seen Gotham in chaos. But, it's still been entertaining with pretty visuals and beautiful colors and lettering. The story arc is a bit of a letdown from the previous one but here's hoping it keeps building to something a bit more interesting than what we've seen so far. Read Full Review

This story is energetic, and the artwork this issue is gorgeous, but Joker War remains a pretty flimsy adventure overall. Read Full Review

Like, the previous issue, Batman #97 falls a little flat for me. There's nothing out-right wrong with it, as it's well-made on a technical level, but many scenes don't rise beyond perfunctory. Despite that, it's still an entertaining and fun reading experience. Read Full Review

This issue is not without some bright spots as we get a little more information about what is going on and we get a new vigilante character who is incredibly interesting and makes me want to follow them even more. However, the rest of this issue is pretty lukewarm and ultimately we end up in a situation almost identical to the one we previously were in. Almost nothing has changed in two full issues. Read Full Review

This book reads like a writer unfortunately reined in and but really wanting to do the best job possible. Jorge Jimenez's work is the kind that helps readers gloss over the script's inadequacies because it's so easy on the eyes but even having the kind of consistently drilled into us month after month has a numbing effect. Read Full Review

Batman #97 isn't as egregious as previous issues, but there's little plot progression or depth/substance, so it fails in that respect. We're also reaching a point where you have to look at "Joker War" as a sum of its parts, and things just aren't adding up, paying off, or connecting really. Read Full Review

SIMPLY LOVE IT!

Could've been better, but could've been way worse. It seems the Joker War is making up for how crappy "City of Bane" was. But this is probably the dull part of the story. IThis issue was just missing something the others have had. Still, It is a pretty good issue. Worth the $3.99, and you sure as Hell can't say that about too many comics nowadays.

I liked this one! A solid issue for sure.

I liked this one. It wasnt amazing but was way better than last issue and I thought the joker dialogue was pretty well done.

Perhaps I'm just in a good mood, but I liked this issue much more than the previous one. Everything felt tighter. The pace, the storytelling, the art. That one moment where Batman goes full Daredevil was really cool. Harley wasn't too obnoxious. I just had a good time here. And I hope Tynion can maintain consistency.

I hope this is just a connection issue to something a bit more exciting. Jorge Jimenez remains one of the best artists in the business.

" Oh brother... Here we go again... "
- HARLEY QUINN

It's fine. This whole Joker War has meen mostly fine.

It is not a great story arc that felt planned and will feel earned at the #100 landmark.

Nor is it the dumpster fire that was King's run from issues 50-85.

It's just fine. I really didn't feel a need to have a Joker story arc (he just feels so overused currently) but I don't really hate it. I just feel that Tynion doesn't find a good "voice" to Joker.

But I don't hate it. I read and I came to conclusion that this is fine. Okay. Readable.

Well, like I have said, it still part build-up, but with Tynion, we might as well be in the thick of it. And it was good, but not greatw Again, the biggest strengths of Tynion's run was his mass improvement of writing and dialogue of the years, coupled with Jimenez's art and colors. Its some of the best from DC right now. Really like what we are getting from Clown Hunter. Sure, he looks kind of funky, but I like what I am seeing from him, even if it was just a snippet. And Punchline, some people may not like her so far, but she is pretty cool from what I have read. So with new characters introduced to the Batman Lore, Tynion is doing a great job. Certainly better than some of King's characters he introduced in his run.

But the Theater sequence. Man, it was amazing. Yes, Joker's dialogue can be a little overly edgy at times, but overall the writing and action and art was stellar. Batman subtly experiencing more grueling hallucinations, the Joker really getting inside of Bruce's head, literally using dead bodies to haunt Batman on is failures, I love it. And the subtle aspect of Alfred. Tynion really knows how to use Alfred and make him effective and integral to this story, even in death. That is a sign of a true master of his craft.

Also really like HQ here. Seriously, its over with the liberated feel-good bland HQ from the New 52, and we are getting a more serious and tone downed HQ that really connects with Bats and the story. She still is wacky, thats part of who she is, but she is much more relatable now I can actually enjoy her without her little bubblegum gimmick. Overall, a good issue and like Tynion's first arc, but we seriously need to pick up the pace. more

The unknown actor filling in Batman's void is actually the most interesting element of this issue.

Harley’s dialogue, clownhunter and the art are the only highlights of the issue. Mainly the art. Everything else is mediocre or less.

I like tynion's works.I like him too. But he don'y understand Joker. The last Arc was better than Joker War. joker war is just a source of income. Punchline and Clown hunter are nonsense character.

There is nothing particularly wrong here... but it’s another “Batman-losses-everything-and-hallucinates” story. Tom king just did that. Snyder did the same thing as well... hell, Morrison did that with much better results. The art is amazing as usual. I wish Jimenez had something fresher to work with...

Personally speaking, I expect more from DC's premier title.
It's better than issues #50-#85, which were dreadful but the story is mediocre in nearly every way possible.
I had a lingering feeling before "Joker War" that it wouldn't come close to Snyder's stuff, and this is proving me right every step of the way.
It also feels like Batman isn't the main character in his own book.

Only reason this isn't getting a 4 is because of the art, which is fantastic as usual from Jimenez.

Oh boy, more Joker (the art is nice and expressive though).

James Tynion IV接手本刊之后的每一期都难以置信地无聊、俗套、既没有创造力也没有故事的起伏，阅读体验就像在读一个初中生写的日记。

Every issue after James Tynion IV took over BATMAN has been incredibly boring, clichéd, with neither creativity nor story ups and downs. The reading experience is like reading a diary written by a junior high school student.

Let's see. Batman escapes Theater and Harely Quinn detoxes him with Poison Ivy stuff.

Joker appreciates Clown Killer throwing out rules and give OK for Punchline to Kill Harley.

Detox stuff causes Bats to hallucinate Alfred.

That's it. Is it just me? Because I don't actually see anything happening here. Back in the day when the kids would stay off my lawn, each comic issue of a multi-issue story would be filled with action and dialog and inner monologues. There would be battles and explanations on why this battle was tough for the hero.

My point is that there would be a lot to read even if the plot advanced only a little.

Stan Lee was a genius in making the story breathless and making you want to "tune in" the next issue. You wanted to see where the thing was going. Here, I can guess where it's going because it's just another rehash of a story that's been done a lot since Bane Breaks the Bat, which was almost 30 years ago.

The art was nice, but today's artists really need to learn how to actually draw action.

Also, why do the clowns follow Joker? That's a question worth answering.

This "big" story just isn't going anywhere.

Or I could be wrong. more

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Liem Duong - Aug 18, 2020

How is Jimenez's art " not action worthy ". This is a mosh pit fight. What did you expect. Its pretty standard from what I see.

Quinn - Aug 18, 2020

At the risk of being that guy, the mosh pit fight is exactly what I mean. Action does not flow from panel to panel. There is one shot of Batman standing in front of a bunch of zombies, then the next panel shows a bunch of zombies rushing Batman. Where did they come from? Did the shambling zombies suddenly break into a run when they were about three feet from Batman? Or I could be wrong.

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Tyrion started very well but I feel him stuck in the recent numbers. Regardless that his character Punchline does not fit, that Joker is so boring, not concrete, this is a bad fanfic so to speak. Mediocre issues as they did with batman after proposition with selina.

The only thing I'm liking is the appearance of Clownhunter