Detective Comics 16
A Death of the Family tie-in issue. Batman maybe facing off against the Joker in the BATMAN title, however John Layman and Jason Fabok are taking Batman on another adventure that involves criminals inspired by the Joker!
The Good
John Layman is one of my all time favorite writers. He is the co-creator and writer of Image Comics' CHEW, which is one of the best comic books I am enjoying. Anyway, I have not been following Detective Comics as much as I use too. However, I do know that it has undergone multiple writer/artist change ups. John Layman's name on this issue of Detective Comics caught my attention this one time.
While finding out that he's been writing for Detective Comics since issue 13, his writing for Detective Comics is very different from his writing in CHEW. CHEW is a more mature comic and Batman appeals to all ages, Detective Comics [to me] has always been in its own continuity and jumping on to major Batman story arcs every other time. Which is good. Layman delivers an overall good story in this 16th issue. He does carry on some unnecessary plot elements in the beginning of the issue, however in the end he clears somethings up and delivers an ending that will make you want to see what happens next.
Also there is a side story by John Layman with art by Andy Clarke that revolves around the side story found in Batman issue 14. It is an interesting tie-in and is well written. Worth checking out for those who are wondering what happened after Joker and Penguin's chat.
The art style of Jason Fabok is reminds me of David Finch's. Fabok really captures the overall tone of the comic and the colors and ink blend perfectly with his artwork.
The Bad
The story had certain elements that were enjoyable, like Merrymaker a new villain, however some elements [like the Jokers] seemed rather bland. The ideal in general of a group of Joker inspired civilians is something that could not be held up by itself without the strong backing of another story arc [in this case, Death of the Family]. While reading through this issue, Batman's thoughts on the rise of Joker copycats is "...Narcissistic fanatics looking for a hero." And in reflection, that is exactly what it is. The group of Jokers led by Merrymaker have little to no character development and ultimately make them flat and uninteresting.
The Verdict
The story was good, though it has its flaws, what comic book is not without its set of flaws? The artwork was fair, Jason Fabok did an outstanding job with this issues exotic cover. This is worth checking out if you are a fan of Batman or John Layman.
