By [ad_1]
One of the most innovative and intense Batman stories of the past decade is “The War of Jokes and Riddles” by Tom King and Mikel Janin. The story is recounted by Batman as he confesses his greatest failure to Catwoman, whom he just proposed to. Years prior, a war between the Joker and Riddler tore Gotham in two, and The Dark Knight was personally responsible for some of its grimmest moments.
This comic is far more than the usual supervillain slug-fest. It is a true epic, filled with shocking twists, heartbreaking tragedies, and tense exchanges. “The War of Jokes and Riddles” is a truly emotional tour-de-force, every bit as hard-hitting as Batman’s fists and bound to leave even more of an impression.
10 The Police Feared For Their Families
At the start of the comic, Riddler murdered a prison guard, stabbing the man twenty-six times. Each stab represented a different letter of the alphabet, as he had been trying to spell out a basic message to his interrogator. The rest of the prison staff cornered the Riddler in a cell block, advancing in full riot gear and with guns trained, ready to engage in the long-established Gotham tradition of excessive force.
Then Riddler spoke the name of one guard’s daughter. Then he dropped several more names, one for a child or family member belonging to each cop. Fearing for their families, the cops stepped aside, letting the Riddler walk right out of the prison unhindered.
9 Joker And Riddler’s First Meeting Ended With A Powerful Punchline
The Riddler approached Joker with two simple problems. Joker could no longer laugh, as punchlines needed to be unpredictable, but every fight with Batman ended the same way. Meanwhile, Riddler found that every riddle was boring after his battles of wits against the enigmatic Dark Knight. Both men needed to kill the Dark Knight if either was ever to be happy again. However, neither one would allow the other to kill Batman.
Riddler reasoned they could team up and solve their respective problems. Joker saw the logic, concluding it was the only way he would laugh again. Then he had another idea, and shot his old friend in the gut. Riddler’s face was a mask of startled pain. Scowling, Joker walked away, depressed to realize how unfunny this gag was. Moments later, Batman arrived, finding one of his old foes bleeding out. And Batman left the Riddler to die–a decision he would come to regret, as he should never have underestimated someone like that.
8 Joker Gave A Mob Boss A Great Big Smile
Having failed to kill Riddler (who hired an underground surgeon to save him), Joker called the mob boss Carmine Falcone. He told Falcone to kill Riddler within one hour…or else. A mafia hit squad was sent out. In the middle of the park, they found Riddler trying to recruit Poison Ivy to join him, and she made quick work of the mobsters.
Back at his office, Falcone found Joker sitting at his desk, waiting with a smile. A smile, but not Joker’s smile. Rather, the smashed teeth of Falcone’s mother had been taken from her mouth and spread out in a curving smile on the desk. The mob boss’s horror was compounded as the Clown Prince took over his gang. However, Falcone’s mother lived in Metropolis–three hours away. She was dead before the mob boss even picked up the phone to receive Joker’s call.
7 Everyone Beat Up Kite Man
As supervillains go, Kite Man is considered a bad joke. Unfortunately for him, he also quickly became a punching bag. Riddler, Joker, and Batman all beat on him, using him to deliver messages to the others who had been caught up in the war.
Meanwhile, every other criminal in Gotham was forced to pick a side (with the notable exception being Catwoman.) Eventually, Kite Man joined the Clown Prince, but only after he was made to feel truly helpless over a prolonged period.
6 Kite Man’s Son Was Tragically Killed
During the period where everyone was beating up Kite Man, he had one happy point of reprieve: flying a kite with his son in the park. Little did he know, the Riddler has poisoned the string on his son’s kite.
Soon after, he stood over his son in the hospital, trying to reassure the dying boy, who was terrified of going to hell. It was a truly tragic moment, and one of the most emotional parts of the whole story.
5 Jim Gordon Met With Both Groups Of Villains
During one of the more intense moments of the story, Jim Gordon negotiated with both gangs. Rather than guessing what might lurk in the shadows, the bright-lit scenes revealed just how hopelessly outmatched he was.
Gordon was stripped down to his underwear and brought before Joker, made to feel completely exposed. Then he was brought before Riddler, hooded while under the watchful gaze of some of Gotham’s cruelest killers, reminding him how powerless he was all over again. Both sides agreed to end the war if he delivered Batman to them, something he could never hope to achieve.
4 Bruce Wayne Tried To Broker A Peace Over Dinner
Using his civilian identity, Bruce Wayne organized a sit-down between Riddler and Joker over for a formal nine-course meal of French cuisine. Each of the two villains glowered at one another across a table in Wayne Manor, surrounded by bodyguards and staring daggers at one another (and in the case of Joker, actually throwing a knife at one point.)
Bruce asked questions of his “guests,” trying to understand both sides. By this point, Joker had become so melancholic that he struggled to form coherent sentences, forcing Riddler to translate his old foe’s convoluted nonsense. This gave Riddler the upper hand, but the entire meal served as a prolonged psychological dissection of the characters. Afterward, Bruce Wayne decided to help Riddler win the war.
3 Kite Man Became Joker’s Last Henchman
With Batman fighting alongside the Riddler, Joker’s other henchmen were quickly overcome. They fell one by one, quickly depleting the forces of Joker’s army.
The Clown addressed his remaining followers on stage in the middle of a theater. He gave a rousing speech to his assembled soldiers, saying that together, with all of their help, he would emerge victorious. The next page revealed that Kite Man was all that remained, sitting alone in the front row of an otherwise empty theater.
2 Riddler Revealed His Master Plan And Joker Laughed
Riddler and Batman convinced Kite Man to switch sides. With new specially designed kites, an attack force broke into Riddler’s penthouse on the upper floor of a skyscraper. However, Kite Man betrayed Riddler–payback for his murdered son. So it was that Riddler had his victory undermined at the last minute by Kite Man. The walking punchline.
And this was all part of Riddler’s plan. He started a war that brought Gotham to its knees, killed hundreds, and was about to claim victory only to lose to Kite Man, all because he thought it would make Joker laugh. And it failed. Joker didn’t laugh. Everyone was still miserable. All the senseless death and destruction had been for nothing. But Batman saw in that moment just how deviously brilliant Riddler really was, and he tried to murder Riddler with a knife–only for Joker to save his enemy’s life by intercepting the blow. And that–that final twist of fate (and of the knife) was enough to make the Joker laugh again.
1 Catwoman Said Yes To The Proposal
The entire story of “The War and Jokes and Riddles” is framed around Batman making a confession to Catwoman after having proposed to her. He wanted to share everything, including his greatest failure.
The story was repeatedly interrupted by scenes of the two in bed with Batman hunched over, his scars and trauma laid bare. But once he had finished telling his story, Catwoman looked him in the eye and asked him to repeat his proposal to her. Once again, he asked her to marry him. Her answer was neither a joke nor a riddle, but a simple one-word proclamation of love.
About The Author
[ad_2]
