Death of the relationship (Spoilers)
Batman and the Joker have the greatest super-hero and super-villain dynamic of all time. When written by a great writer, their dynamic and banter between each other can be masterful and incredibly engaging. Scott Snyder has proven this with Death Of The Family, which as of the last issue of this arc, I hearby declare this to be one of the greatest Batman/Joker stories of all time.
For months we were speculating: What was in Joker’s tray? Does he really know Batman’s identity? We get our answers in this issue- nothing. No one died ( except maybe The Joker )
With the word “death” in the title, we want to see some bodies. Thats is what I admire about this conclusion, it defy's your expectations without leaving you feeling cheated. While it would have been nice for the bat-family to have a 2 panel conversation after dealing with Joker, we still see the consequences.
The Joker wanted to get rid of the family, one way or another, and he succeeded.The whole thing was a joke. The Joker doesn’t know Bats’ identity, and he doesn’t care. His secret is no secret at all. The little book the Joker has is nothing but blank pages. Thats the punchline. The Bat family is split.
Scott Snyder actually delivered a “Death of the Family” without putting someone in the ground. Events and crossovers shouldn’t be measured by death of certain characters, but by consequences that will shape the status quo for the character(s).
