Note: We have an interview with Scott Snyder on this issue and the arc later HERE.

The Good

How many Joker stories have we read? With seventy-five years of history, we've seen a lot as well as many different versions and incarnations of the Joker. With Joker's return after Death of the Family, we're seeing that Joker wasn't just sitting around catching up on soap operas. Feeling spurned by Batman, Joker is showing his hatred and what he is capable of.

There is a deep sense of "anything goes" with this arc. Snyder has mentioned before that this is likely the last time he'll write the Joker. Joker now has an added weapon to his arsenal with a little bit of knowledge he's gained. This alone could change the dynamic between Joker and Batman. It appears Joker isn't playing that card at the moment. Along with his attack being unleashed upon Gotham, we possibly finding out that there's is way more to the Joker's story than we realized.

The art and color by Capullo, Miki, and Plascencia is fantastic, as always. There is a big change in the tone compared to Zero Year. There are some really dark moments in the story and the art and color capture the essence of those moments. Even a simple scene with Joker swimming looks incredibly disturbing.

The story even brilliantly brings in an update of a character mostly seen as a joke. Snyder may be taking some risks with what's being revealed about Joker but that just makes us stay glued to the story even more.

If the main story wasn't enough, we also get a continuation of the back up stories by James Tynion IV with art by Sam Kieth this time.

The Bad

How much longer can we keep getting this big attacks against Batman and Gotham? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love them but you almost get a little out of breath wondering how Batman is going to get out of this one. But that's why we love reading the book.

The Verdict

There's no letting up in the action and suspense with Endgame. Scott Snyder is not letting up with Joker's attack against Batman and Gotham City. It does indeed feel like the end is coming. Snyder is pushing the confrontation between Batman and Joker. It's hard to tell what's scarier, what Joker might do or what might become of the revelations about Joker. The art and color adds to the creepy and suspenseful mood of the story. Batman: Endgame is not a story you'll want to miss. It's already proving to be quite the game-changer.

Where does batman know Duke from? The only things I've seen him in is the robin from futures end and him in a costume from the begging of the arc.

@cmd735: Zero Year. He first appeared in the very first issue (21) and was seen more in 30. Here's his page and appearances:

http://www.comicvine.com/lark/4005-100777/

I believe he was introduced as a minor character in Zero Year

@g_man: Thanks, I didn't realize he was the kid from zero year.

My only real concern with this arc is that i fell as though the ending might not be able to live up to all the hype and build-up, a problem Scott Snyder has faced before in his Batman writings. Otherwise this series continues to be amazing

really interested in what Scott Snyder is doing with the whole maybe Joker is one of the immortals liek savage and Ra's....also im prob not the only one but when I saw the axe in Jims body ,my heart dropped lol....glad they explained what was happening though!

That twist though

DAMMIT I CAN't GO to comic shop because of SNOW!!! I gotta wait! NOOOO!!!

~MiB

What Snyder is doing with joker is awesome.

HOW am i NOT surprised?!!
This book is NOT normal.A normal book can't be that good.
It's hard to review it.....

Everything he does with Batman is awesome.

@jayc1324: my blog depicts this twist on joker's longevity.

I'm so glad he's bringing back the court of owls.

yea that is a really awesome part.Loved the issue,and can't wait to also have more of his work in Trade!

I'm absolutely loving Snyder's run on the book, it has pretty much ensured that I will always read anything he writes, but with this latest arc the pacing really seems to shift back and forth a lot. Last issue we had some legitimately great, horror filled scenarios (which is what Snyder does best) playing themselves out and this one is filled with a lot of exposition (which he's not amazing at when he does a lot at once). That being said though, I anxiously await the next issue to see just where it all leads.

The peephole variant is neat!

@madeinbangladesh said:

I feel your pain, bro.

~MiB

That joker swimming creeped me out

THAT FINAL PAGE. Damn, what a shock, I loved it.

I liked part 3 more.

Awesome to see the Court of Owls come back

That issue was really good. Just seeing Joker swimming around was very unnerving.

Everything Snyder does with Batman is awesome.

Synder started with Batman fighting the Justice League, and then made it better.

"All right. Lets talk about history

@mucklefluga: yeah, that last page, didn't see that coming.

This spoiler is a question about what may come from the last page.

i almost fell out of my couch when the tank shot at batman.

this series is almost pushing me Over The Edge.

@dud317 said:

I most read this issue!

Yep!

This issue was the best one so far. I really want to see what will happen next and how things will turn out in the end. I loved the twist in the end and I loved the reimagination of Dekker. Snyder is impressing me once again with his creativity around Gotham and it seems that this time he would not disappoint me.

People are saying that this is retconning Joker's history, it's not. This is New 52 Joker's history, this changes nothing about pre-New 52 Joker; just like Zero Year is New 52 and Year One is pre-New 52. New 52 is a different world and that means new and different stories that don't retcon the pre-New 52 stories.

Anyone else get the feeling that Joker was swimming into the Batcave? When Bruce says to Julia that he wanted her their to help keep it secure seemed like foreshadowing

I really like the idea of Joker being an immortal, it makes way more sense how he is continually pummeled by Batman and lives through it. I'd rather him be an immortal than get some lame rational about how he survived the fall off the cliff in DotF. I hope Snyder sticks the landing for this arc.

This has been a well-written and entertaining story for sure, but I hope that the Joker stuff turns out to be an elaborate hoax.

I would hate it if all this was real.

One complaint is the tank scene. God, I hated that.

So...

is Jim dead?

Or did Batman just knock him out? I think I missed what happened with the whole axe in chest thing.

Knocked him out.

I didn't even think of that! Like bringing it full circle from the whole "leaving a playing card in the cave" thing from dotf. He totally knows where stuff is. Ugh i need the next issue already.

That's what I was thinking. IF he did actually make it into the cave before (Bruce seems to think he didn't) he could totally remember how to get in again. Perhaps whatever regenerative powers he has now allows him to hold his breath longer.

@roaris87: That is a great idea actually. But I feel like joker has no reason to go there.

@jayc1324:

The only reason I could think of is if Joker's on this whole friend turned enemy thing he may be trying to get to Alfred. Or just get into the cave and mess up Batman's stuff so either it backfires of works against Bruce in some way. Or maybe like a scorned ex-lover Joker just wants to trash Batman's sanctuary just to prove he can, to show Bruce he's not safe anywhere now.

@roaris87: Yeah that makes sense, I just think that poisoning the entire city and the justice league would be enough, but joker does always like to go over the top with things.

Maybe they will freeze the Joker like they freeze the Talons.

I wasn't sure how I felt about the whole immortality thing last issue, but this issue made it seem like it felt right for the character now, somehow. Good stuff.

This issue was awesome.

The picture of Joker waiting on land as the ship approaches reminded me of Lost and Jacob which just intrigues me more

That last page, oh my god.