- Title: Detective Comics #16
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: John Layman
- Artist: Jason Fabok
By far the best issues of Death of the Family have kept the Joker at arms length. Last month’s issue of Detective Comics provided an intriguing tale of Clayface and Poison Ivy that was the best issue of the comic I’ve read since the reboot. This month takes on the Joker’s reign of terror more directly but, thankfully, the Face-Off version of the Clown Prince of Crime never makes an appearance.
Detective Comics #16 features Batman working overtime stopping all the Joker gangs and cults which have sprung up since the madman’s return. Some these include only dumb kids, but some, like the new “League of Smiles,” are leaving a trail of bodies. The back-up story features more of the self-proclaimed Emperor Penguin putting together his own criminal empire by killing the competition in a way that makes it look like nothing more than part of the Joker’s latest craziness.
I’m not sure about the reveal of the Merrymaker, the villain apparently pulling the strings of the League of Smiles, but this is again a really good Batman comic – something in short supply since the launch of the New 52. Worth a look.
[DC, $3.99]