Happy Friday and welcome to this week's edition of 'Best Battles.' The concept of this weekly feature is very simple: there's always going to be battles in new comics and every Friday I'll display my 3 favorites. This week DC takes the cake with 2 entries and Valiant has the 3rd. Better luck next week, Marvel!
Warning! There's spoilers below!
Batman vs. Joker
You made two big mistakes, Joker. First, you reaaaaaaally pissed off Batman. Second, you tried to take him in close combat (Although I'm sure this was of course all part of his master plan) Luckily for us, Greg Capullo's art makes this encounter look exactly as it should -- gritty, dark and stunning.
The two duke it out in the depths of the Batcave and anyone that knows these characters is well aware of who's going to be dictating the fight. Joker always has some tricks up his sleeve, but Batman's just too darn talented. Throw in the fact that he's nearly bloodlusted and the result is an enjoyable beat down.
== TEASER ==
Capullo absolutely kills it with this scene. The way Joker's "face" moves out of place as he's struck is disturbingly detailed and jaw-dropping. After all that Wayne and his family has been through, it's great to see him given a chance to really unleash. It's not as brutal as the incident in 'Hush,' but it's still quite satisfying to see the hero get his long overdue revenge.
Like I previously said, Joker always has a trick or two up his sleeve and in this case, he resorts to the classic acid flower. After tagging Batman in the face, Joker wisely decides to make a run for it. The imagery of Wayne's cowl melting away looks absurdly good in later pages. I seriously can't praise Capullo's work enough.
You didn't think I'd tell you how it ends, did you? Despite the spoiler warning up top, I'm positive at least a handful will manage to overlook it. It's too big of an event and too soon for me to post those images in a feature.
Bloodshot vs. Chainsaw
Bloodshot's raid on Project Rising Spirit's facility isn't exactly going as planned. He's struggling to deal with Chainsaw and now he's bumped into Harbingers -- insanely powerful children with psionic powers. Unfortunately for Bloodshot, these kids also happen to hate his guts. As you can see below, one of these children decides to remove Bloodshot from his sight... by deterioration the freaking floor!
Bloodshot is sent crashing to the ground level with two members of team Chainsaw, Point and Cleaner. Unarmed and outnumbered, Bloodshot puts up a bit of a fight but it's not long before the two enemies gain the edge over him.
With Bloodshot trapped in a bearhug, Cleaner then attempts to rip his head right off. The artwork makes this moment particularly painful as you can see the muscles stretching and veins bulging. Bloodshot might not have a way to get out of this, but the advanced nanites in him do. It turns out Chainsaw is a team made up of older experiments... and it just so happens they have a "rest mode."
Bloodshot wastes no time to follow-up on this moment and immediately takes Cleaner out of the equation... in a ridiculously violent manner. Who woulda thought there'd be gore in a title called "BLOODSHOT?"
Point's lucky compared to his ally.. he just eats a bullet. I don't know about you, but my immediately reaction to the above scene was exclaiming, "WHAT THE WHAT?"
Deathstroke vs. Sukesada Clan
You don't just put a hit on Deathstroke's head and expect to get away with it. Slade travels to Japan to discover why the Sukesada Clan wants him dead, and instead of resolving matters with a peaceful conversation, they decide to spam him with an army of ninjas.
Slade's massively outnumbered, but the environment is on his side. Not as many can attack in such a confined space and he seems to enjoy knocking them into one another. Slade most definitely doesn't need weapons and armor to mop the floor with them.
As fun as this may seem for Slade, it's not a productive way for him to spend his time. He needs to find out more about the hit and if he's being manipulated into wiping out these ninjas. Proving he's the ultimate tactician, Slade shows that he most certainly didn't come to the train unarmed or unprepared.
Slade then decides to go directly to the source of his troubles -- the clan's main base. Guess what happens next? I know it's a tough question, so I'll give you a moment to think about it. If you guessed more ninja violence, you're right!
And just because I love you, here's more of Slade humiliating his enemies.
I won't tell you how it ends because this series should at least go down with some decent sales. It's terrible Justin Jordan won't get more of a chance with the character, but at least he's providing a fun story or two. Go buy it!
Honorable Mentions
- Alfred vs. "Joker" (BATMAN AND ROBIN #17)
- Cyclops' X-Men v. Sentinels (UNCANNY X-MEN #1)
- Green Arrow vs. Harley Quinn (INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US #5)
- Stealth vs. Crimson Thrust (THRESHOLD PRESENTS: THE HUNTED #2)
- Wolverine & The X-Men vs. Dinosaurs (WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #25)
Don't forget, there's also an official discussion thread for this feature! Be sure to chime in every week with suggestions!
Gregg Katzman is a freelance writer for Comic Vine and IGN Entertainment. Feel free to chat with him on Twitter.
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