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10
I personally enjoy this run. It has great art, great action, and great plot. Sure it is just like City of Bane but at least its better. Plus i like how Batman lets Joker get exploded which makes him break his no killing rule yet its satisfactory. I also think this has a lot of consequences like Gotham hating him which sets up Fear State, Punchline, Clownhunter, Nightwing getting his memory back and Barbara Gordon becoming Oracle. Overall this story is an 8 out of 10.
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10
This was fantastic! An almost perfect ending to great story that sets up multiple future stories. I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t love. The artwork was mind blowing. Story 10/10 dialog 10/10 art 10/10
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10
A fantastic conclusion to a great arc. Like having Batman of old back again... a real joy for a life long batfan! Just when I thought there was nothing left to say about the eternal Batman joker ‘dance’ Tynion has managed to give us a fresh twist full of nuisance, pathos and a few explosive moments. I’m once again excited for bat family comics.
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9.0
" You punched my dead mom and my dad and set them on fire and let the devil live. And you know all those people. All those clowns who put on the masks the second he gave them permission to cause all this trouble. They hid their masks and they're just hiding and walking down the streets like nothing's wrong. "
- BAO
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8.5
Really great. Honestly this issue pulled of the entire arc. I am very happy with the conclusion, it's a bit hacky and corny sometimes but it still keeps the serious tone.
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8.0
I enjoyed the ending to the war. It felt a tad off but overall I liked it. The art was fantastic. I thought the clownhunter story showed a lot of promise.
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8.0
The best part about this issue is Batman's numbering is in 3 digits again. Shouldn't it be reaching Legacy number 900 soon? Howbout restoring the numbering?
As for the story, it gave a poor ending to what started out as a promising story. It was just another challenge to see if Batman could be driven to finally kill the Joker. I am so tired of that being the issue. Joker outdoes himself, someone challenges Batman's no killing rule, Joker gets caught, Batman is tempted to kill him, he rants on trying to drive him to, he doesn't. It's getting older and older. Joker stories always go the same.
It seems writers want to outdo each other by taking Batman into directios he's never went before. God, I miss the days of 1-4 part stories where things were back to normal after Batman caught the bad guy.
Maybe I've been spoiled by the intrigue of "the 3 Jokers" story, which dwarfs this story in intrigue. But I just think Tynion went in the same old direction all writers go with the Joker, which ended this story as a yawn fest. And I'm not in the mood to follow Punchline through a lot of $6 one-shots and eventual ongoing series. The same goes for Clown Hunter. more
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7.5
This ended up just kind of going as expected. That bit with Clownhunter hit me wrong for reasons I’m not sure I can articulate.
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7.5
This was pretty good, if not very predictable. I don't think anyone is shocked by how this all played out, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing? It just means I wasn't as enthralled or excited by this issue as I could have been. But it was a good time, so I can't be too harsh. Also, this is the first issue where Clownhunter actually worked for me. But alas, I still don't like Punchline.
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7.0
I didn't like the way it ended. Story was forced to continue without a satisfying Batman-Joker confrontation. But still, it's hard to not enjoy this series because art is too good.
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7.0
Not the greatest of finale but better than some of the previous issues. Still it was a boring and rather lame story arc which does end on a mysterious note. Hopefully other arc would be better than what was served. (on a side note: i really thought Bao was going to become a Robin though there seems to be a possibility)
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7.0
Blah, I'd been enjoying parts of Joker War, but this ending kind blew it. Felt rushed and weird, and the Joker monologue was just bizarre (I guess Joker is an anti-capitalist now?) I dunno, it just felt wrong. And wtf was the point of that Bruce Wayne investigation if it was literally brushed away in a line at the end? They never showed it affecting Bruce, he's been Batman for this entire arc! That was literally pointless and I have no idea why it was in here. Unless Tynion does something amazing in #101 I'm dropping this book after 100. I have no interest left to give.
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6.5
I liked it. I didn't love it, apart from the art.
But this is now the last three Batman runs, back-to-back-to-back, featuring what amounts to:
City of Riddler
City of Bane
City of Joker
Have a new idea, y'all.
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6.5
Well, I can say that I enjoyed some parts of the issue and it's probably my favorite issue of that whole arch, but that's not much to be honest . Overall I would say that it was not worth it in any way : not worth the hype, not worth the build-up and probably not worth the art.
It's amazing how something intended to be so big, feels so small and shallow in the end, at least to me. And even if we put that aside, plus the fact how unoriginal even for Batman, that whole thing was, I think we still have a pretty weak story with great art to look at.
Regarding the issue, finally something happened . Actually a lot happened and that's not even counting the bonus stuff and i kind of liked that, just for the change of pace( having in mind how uneventful that whole arch was). There was just that rushed feel to everything on here , which again is so strange for something that was planned for so long . Other than that , most of it, was played by the book, with some little surprises(some of which good, some not so much) and some wasted opportunities .My points come, mainly because of the art.
Also the ending made me sure, The Joker war was pointless. more
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6.0
I loved the story, but this ending is just... Meh. Batman leaving Joker to die? Joker escaping at the last second? Joker always coming back in weird ways? It's just safe and... Bland. Also, a lot of thins were left hanging. What about the theatres? How is Bruce back at Wayne Enterprises in a couple of days? I'm kinda disappointed.
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6.0
The early promise of Tynion's run has culminated in a damp squib. Art from Jimenez is brilliant as always, though.
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6.0
All of our time spent fighting dead bodies, including zombie Alfred, didn't lead up to anything. I guess Bruce is supposed to be concerned about that happens to zombie Alfred, but who cares? He's already dead. Because of this, the climax has no impact. Even worse, it happens off-page.
Even as I give this criticism, I'll acknowledge that this is one of the better installments of this arc, but that isn't a particularly high bar for this issue to clear.
Also, I learned in this issue that Batman is immune to being stabbed in the back and gut. Amazing.
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6.0
Things about this issue I didn't like......
What about the Bruce Wayne investigation ? Is that all there is to it? It would be nice to have this continue on for a bit. It could be interesting to have Bruce have to fight to reclaim not just his money but his standing in Gotham.
Why is Catwoman just watching?????
How did the Joker reanimate the dead????
What about all the movie theaters? What had Joker planned with those? Punchline left us with the hint that the Joker had more planned before he was stopped. Did that involve the theaters? That line where the Joker said he only it to irritate Batman would have worked just as well with him having only done it at the one Bruce had gone to. Doing it all across town seemed over kill. And would take a hell of a lot of time. Digging up all the bodies. Moving them around. Animating them. Setting up the theaters. Come on there should have been more to that.
This one really ticket me off seeing. Bullock throwing his gun down in anger. Cops depend on those to help keep them alive. They would not do something that could damage their guns. No cop would throw his gun down unless forced to.
Too many people know Bruce Wayne is Batman. It is getting ridiculous and unbelievable. I mean really all these people know and it still hasn't come out publically?
This arc had a lot of build up but the ending was not all that it could've been. The Joker had all of Bat's toys. The fight should've been epic!!! But instead it wasn't. When people look back on this story arc Jokers speeches are more likely to be remembered then the actual fight. That's sad.
I don't like the Clown Hunter character but I did like Bao's character. He should become a Robin. I think that could be interesting.
Things I liked.....
I enjoyed getting to know how the Joker views Gotham and Batman's role in it. I know a lot of people see it being written as political but I don't think that kind of thought was really put into it. I see it as only a major nut case giving voice to how he see the town being. I think some readers want to put to much into it in that regard.
I love Harley's role in this arc. She should become a member of the bat family. I like how she and Batman interact together. As well as her team ups with Catwoman.
I loved how the Joker called the kids Bruce's weird little orphans he collects. Too funny.
I liked the look of the Ghost Maker. Love that he has swords.
Loved that Barbara was back as Oracle. I hope she stays Oracle. I've never liked her as Batgirl. I think Cassie should be Batgirl. She's Bruce's kid. Still have no use for Spoiler. She could be killed off anytime and I doubt anyone would care or miss her.
Over all I give this story a 6 out of 10. more
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6.0
Eh... after a lot of build-up, the threat was resolved very quickly. In fact, it wasn't really resolved, it was just "last issue of the arc, threat is done now."
It was very pretty though.
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6.0
Nah
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6.0
Well, the art is fantastic.
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6.0
It was an okay conclusion to the forgettable Joker War, a big event that didn't feel like an event at all. Fortunately good art makes this better than it's supposed to be and Tynion writes Bruce better than King. I just didn't like how Tynion handled Joker, especially since this was released at the same time as Johns' "Three Jokers", which is much better.
I'm rather waiting now what happens next when now Joker is finally out of Tynion's range. I always liked how he wrote batfamily.
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5.0
It's fine. Nothing about this book and the whole arc to me is something we've seen before in a slightly different way without anything revolutionary to separate it. Jorge Jimnez's art is as always amazing, elevating the story to make somewhat memorable. Sadly for me at least it doesn't fix the stories problem. There's definitely people who don't agree with my opinion and i respect that, but if you ask me there are way way better Batman books. It's fine.
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4.5
Idk if it was the fact King was off the title or my expectations for an event titled " Joker War ", but this does not hold up to the amount of hype going in. All of Joker's planning and set-up all culminated in this extra size issue, and while playing with a really cool idea of the evolution of the relationship between Joker and Batman, is just muddled by all the fillers that happened prior and made extra-sized to catch everything and wrap it up.
All the stakes that were presented just felt like cardboard in this issue. It got wrapped up in like 2 seconds. This is the problem. You drag the conflict out to make it look so detrimental and intense, just for it to be a much more water-downed version of what it really is. I'll give it to Tynion, the way he conveys his idea through dialogue is amazing. His characterization of Batman, HQ, were great. HQ in particular, I really enjoyed how she was handled in this arc. But this issue was alot of letdowns.
Despite stellar writing, the confrontation between Joker and Batman was a letdown. Joker seemed to be a real interesting character going in, and he still has remnants of that, but his characterization in this arc just drops the ball. Punchline, for such a hyped of character, who seemed to have alot going for her, was just a forgettable sidekick. Clown Hunter, why the fuck is he even in this arc.
When the dust settled, this felt more like a transition arc instead of an arc that was supposed send Batman off with a bang. All the stakes that was held into this book, the identity of Batman, his name smeared by corruption, Batman's on who he is moving forward, the money, it all just fell apart. The art is amazing by Jimenez, the writing is great, but the story and its execution of the ideas its trying to display, it doesn't cut it.
The side stories with Punchline and Clown-Hunter were decent. But overall, as an event, this was nowhere near as big or important as it was held out to be. All it did was introduce future concepts and just set up things for the future instead of finishing things off, that's all this event did for me. Just because it isn't Tom King, doesn't mean its good. more
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4.0
I think that Tynion would be hard pressed to come up with an ending that’s more anti-climactic than the one he came up with for the Joker War. The arc started with a ton of promise but it just felt like Tynion bit off more than he could chew. So many aspects of this story went unexplored and the aspects that we did get to read about seemed underdeveloped. Tynion had 15 issues to write this arc and some how’s still only managed to give it an ending that felt rushed. Not to mention that this arc felt like a complete waste of the Joker and his only real role throughout the arc is to explain to Batman what is going on because this iteration of Batman is basically an idiot. The ending also leaves us in what feels like a weird déjà vu where Catwoman seems a lot more like a criminal than a member of the bat-family, there’s basically a Harley Quinn 2.0, a new anti-hero that basically seems like a Red Hood knock-off, and Batgirl is now oracle again for some reason. All that being said, I do give Tynion credit for doing a really good job of writing Harley but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this issue was a major let down. After this arc I don’t see myself ever picking up anything written By Tynion unless it’s a Harley Quinn series. more
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4.0
Absolutely nothing of substance happened this entire arc other than introducing a bunch of Clown OC's and another "original" villain who knows Batman's identity.
Worst part is they devoted the previous arc to setting up Joker War.
Tynion may be a good horror writer but I've seen nothing from him that suggests he should be writing DC's premium title.
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3.5
harley didn't want joker going back to arkham bc it wasn't safe yet she let him live by making batman LEAVE HIM to save harley???? so fucking dumb
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3.0
Tynion has fundamentally misunderstood the characters of Batman and Joker.
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3.0
I'm done with Batman until Tynion is gone, one of the most underwhelming and lethargic stories I've seem come out of DC lately. Good art though...
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3.0
Is it just me? I see the "professional" reviews and for the most part, they loved the Joker War.
But all I saw was a bunch of nothing. It's another all-out Gotham war. But Tynion's plot makes no sense. He restores the status quo (we don't know how much money Bruce has, but we all know in the end, he'll be or become a billionaire again. We know Alfred is returning).
Punchline knows who Batman is. Instead of getting the last word and telling the world that, she plays "victim" to the Joker. Harley ties Joker up with a bomb and Bats walks away, but we're told the Joker escaped, not shown how he did it.
The Joker sits around a diner with his hoodie up and no notices him? He jokerizes a sap and tells him that his body will be found and taken as the Joker. Like anyone would buy that. We have fingerprints and DNA and dental x-rays and the ability to search for scars. Tynion, stop moving your plots forward by making everyone so dumb.
What we don't see is how the Bat family rallies around Bruce, how they love and respect him and each other, how they support him and his goals and how he has influenced them to make sacrifices with their lives. We haven't seen anyone mourn Alfred, not really. Instead we get another empty spectacle where no one acts human and the logical consequences of the plot are not played out or explored. Just more blather about how Gotham is different and Bats is a Joke from the Joker and "no, I'm not" from Bruce.
Hopefully, Fifth-gen or whatever DC has coming next will smooth the edges. Tynion has also introduced the next "Bats is an incompetent vigilante, I'll take over and show him how it's done" guy. Like we haven't seen that before with the Reaper, with Az-Bats. Just more retreads of old plots.
The art was nice.
Just echh. Or I could be wrong. more
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3.0
I had high hopes for this run. In the end all I got was great art with a story that had no real substance.
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2.5
A very disappointing ending but the art is fantastic
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2.0
I don’t know how to describe this whole arc. I don’t even know what happened in this story. There is NOTHING in this f**king Joker War.
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1.0
A disappointing end. Will be dropping this book
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1.0
- First of all, I hate the implications that Batman can no longer be a good Batman without his wealth. In Red Son he's still able to become Batman despite having little to no money, so I think it's more likely he'd just stop being Bruce Wayne! Not to mention he literally bought the Justice League their satellite base, so they owe him that, and given that they value Batman highly they would give him the equipment and funds to do what he does. Plus he's still very intelligent, which would get him funds later in life. Even without his fortune, he still possess: genius-level intellect, physical prowess, martial arts abilities, detective skills, and is a brilliant scientist.
- Second: "Batman just wants to retire and be a loving husband and father" WHAT? Is it just the Joker saying that or is James Tynion really thinks that? Because Batman sure as hell doesn't dream of retiring. In this aspect, Superman is more human than the Bat. He's more comfortable with the Clarke Kent persona, he wants to be him. Bats doesn't have that inclination towards Bruce. Bruce Wayne is a mask he usee to uphold public appearance but in truth BATMAN is who he really is.
- Thirdly. Batman chose Harley over Joker ... I don't like it, but it would still be better if they did this at the very BEGINNING of this whole story arc. Then at least we would have some explanation for why he hates Batman so much in this...
- The fact that Harley now knows Batman's identity is a bit unsettling to me. I don't understand why they want to raise Harley to such a high position in the Batman universe. They literally let her be part of the Batfamily now. She may even become the new Batgirl soon... Just why?
- And why the heck Batman is still so surprised that the Joker knows his identity?? I thought we had already established in Death of the Family that he knew who Batman was all along! Is Tynion ignoring the stories he co-created on purpose? It really puts me off when I see writers not enforcing what what happened in someone else's book (let alone, the book they helped create!). DOTF is still canon, and canon is important, because otherwise we'd get a bunch of stories that make no sense and goes against everything the previous story had!
minus 10/10 more
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1.0
How can you write a big event starring the joker so badly? How can you copy so many other stories and still write so badly? So much potential wasted. Should’ve been done by someone else.
The whole run aside from the art has been garbage. Not worth ANY suspense or hype. Tynion can NOT write the joker at all, his joker is unlikeable, no humour, no charisma, just political. Not the joker I know. Hopefully the eye hole isn’t permanent. You don’t need to copy the dark knight returns too,Tynion.
Punchline’s still annoying, the more I see her the more Harley like she is to me, done worse, as is all things with Tynion’s batman. Delusional and in love with the joker, just like Harley. Not surprising since Tynion hasn’t brought much originality to his Batman run. After punchline’s one shot I will not be buying anything else that’s written by him.
The only character written well has been Harley and the only good things about the WHOLE run is the art and nightwing. Dramatic moments are flat, funny moments are flat. I’m not even going to talk about Alfred or the whole stupid idea of joker overtaking the city just because he has tons of money and no one doing anything about it. Why did he mock tom kings city of bane in the joker war zone when his is just as bad? Whole event was a waste. more
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1.0
This was a set of plagiarism that Tynion does from other writers, other numbers, only changing characters and modifying scenarios in a messy way.
In short, all I need is for Harley to tell Batman "it's him or me" and throw a gun at him.
That and all is giving Dick almost the center of all the action excluding the others.
Too bad that such a mediocre and apathetic story ruins all art, which is the only decent thing in this issue.
Wouldn't it be so hard on the rating if DC didn't revolve everything around Batman, give her the best stories, the best writers etc, for this? I think they kept the wrong people to stay, they are doing a very bad job.
Oh and in the end when you think something different will really be done and the clown will finally be killed, you have to put such a cheap cliche. It is clear to me that all this that Tyrion did who thinks it is novel is to want to promote the Punchline series and give the Clownhunter a leading role in the future, which is a mix between the origin of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, despite the fact that Clownhunter is much more interesting than Harley ... or sorry Puncheline (the cheap copy of Harley Quinn) neither character is interesting. Hope you make things better with Gost-Maker more
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10
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10
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10
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10
-
10
-
10
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9.5
-
9.5
-
9.5
-
9.5
-
9.0
-
9.0
-
9.0
-
9.0
-
9.0
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
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7.0
-
7.0
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6.5
-
6.5
-
6.5
-
6.0
-
6.0
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5.5
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1.0