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The Joker: Death Of The Family (2013)

by Scott Snyder(Favorite Author)

4.08 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1401242359 (ISBN13: 9781401242350)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

DC Comics

review 1: The grand collection of Joker stories in the new 52 is surprisingly empty. First of all, it does not include the main story that was seen in Batman: Death of the Family, so all of those wondering whether this is the collected edition, no, it is not. To all fans of Batman, I recommend reading only the main story, and leave this to only those that need to have everything.In a way, this reminded me of Before Watchmen stories: They were aimed for those that had to know all the little details that the main story leaves in the shade, and as in the case of Before, The Joker offers just that. Unfortunately, you are reminded rather quickly, that there is a reason why those stories are left untold.Maybe you'd have to blame Snyder and Capullo for raising the bar too high, but the add... moreitional stories just won't cut it. Batman is absent and his family is the main show and there, too, lies the problem: for those like me who are fans of Batman but are not that familiar with his now huge family, might seem lost. There are heroes and stories that you do not know. Even the Jokers presence can't hold them all together. The "hardest" part is where Red Hood and Red Robin are introduced. When you are only vaguely familiar with those heroes and the story isn't even told in their perspective, but in their many sidekicks, you are bound to get confused.The stories feel like they start in the middle of everything and end just as abruptly. There is Joker and he does something menacing. Even his devious plots aren't up to his usual standards. The heroes, too, feel all to similar: All of them threat to kill the Joker, even though they know Batman wouldn't do it. You can sense that the characters truly feel like that, but when everyone feels the same, the emotion loses its power.Even the art can't make up for the stories. It is average and... well, it just doesn't convey any emotion. Where it does get in the way of the story, is when the artist is changed. Already mentioned Red Hood - Red Robin story has some parts where the story changes after every few pages. Fun, someone must've thought, but it is not. It is mostly distracting.One story does rise above else: Robin. The last story has some of the most disturbing art that I've seen of Joker and it is simply beautiful. You really want to have posters of it. (It just makes the rest of the book feel more average, when other artists can't even make faceless Joker seem daunting.)The Joker: Death of the Family is only for those that truly know their Batfamily and want to know how they are doing. Rest I'd suggest leaving it alone, even though Batman: Death of the Family was wickedly good. Leave with that, no matter how much you want it.(What does it tell me when I fell in the same trap with Before Watchmen and this?)
review 2: Don't get me wrong, this is the best thing to come out of the New 52.The Joker with his cut-off face stapled back on is terrifying. And there are some really nice panels of art in this. The story, involving The Joker kidnapping members of the Bat-family in order to kill them off and make Batman the best version of himself, spans over multiple series, and is pretty interesting and engaging.What set it back for me is the same thing that sets stuff like this back for me consistently. **SPOILER** In the end, none of them die. Nothing has changed. Even at the final dinner scene, where he serves them their supposed cut off faces, none of it is real. Because of the constraints of these main stream ongoing series, they can't do stuff like that, I get it. But it is exactly those constraints that make this a really cool concept instead of a great piece of work. less

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