Puts me right back into what I enjoyed about reading comics as a kid.
The Jokerz, a gang of Joker copycats, suddenly appears en masse in Gotham City and Batman has to find out why these seemingly-peaceful civilians are injecting themselves with Joker venom to become a gang of lunatics.
The Good
This is one of those rare comics where the storytelling's so involving, it actually makes you feel like an active participant. McDaniel knows exactly which angles to use, which poses to pick and which ways to lay the pages out, and Hine knows exactly how to make even the tersest bits of dialogue complement the imagery. This issue reminded me of a good episode of the early " Bruce Timm-verse" DC cartoons. You've, of course, got the Jokerz from Batman Beyond finally showing up in mainstream continuity, and the whole framing of it is just as fun as a classic episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Actually, let me bring this back to McDaniel and say that it's been a while since I've seen his art and it was absolutely joy to see him again here. His work just flows so well, and Owens and the color team take it to another level. That double splash at the beginning was just incredible.
The Bad
I've only got one small quibble about Gordon and the GCPD being that naive about choosing not to bring guns for their showdown with the Jokerz. Even though the whole issue's addressed, you'd think the force would be used to handling enough unpredictably-lethal supervillains at this point to know that they should come prepared.
The Verdict - 4.5/5
As I said with Action, I was really surprised to see that one of DC's oldest titles was also one of its best this week. I really want to read the next issue - - and now - - because this is one of those rare comics that puts me back in touch with how I enjoyed comics as a kid. Kudos to Hine and McDaniel, and the entire crew for making such a fun ride. To all of you - - pick this up. It's the start of a new storyline and easy to jump in to. You'll enjoy the hell out of it!
