Batman #37 - A Review

The Joker has released his greatest creation yet - an air-borne Joker toxin that acts like a virus!  Not only does it transform the infected into a giggling, murderous zombie - it also turns every victim into a carrier, whose laughter helps to spread the disease!  Will Batman be able to stop The Clown Prince of Crime? Or will The Joker get the last laugh?


Scott Snyder has enjoyed a successful run on Batman, but I fear that he may have tripped over the finish line with this issue. The end of this chapter - coupled with the back-up story by James Tynion IV - suggests a para-natural origin for The Joker.  While the concept of The Joker as a metaphorical agent of primordial Chaos is a well explored avenue, actually making him some manner of immortal monster does a disservice to the core concept of the character. More than likely this is all a fake-out but the possibility they might go this route seems real enough.  Then again, that may be the joke...


Thankfully, the artwork continues to be as excellent as ever.  Greg Capullo and Danny Miki provide their usual quality performance for the main story. The back-up this month is seen to by John McCrea, whose disturbing, cartoonish style is a good fit for the horrific legend about the first clown to curse Gotham City.