Tom King’s got big plans for the next few months of Batman. And the ending is a big old fight between the Joker and the Riddler over who should have the right to kill Batman. It’s like Civil War, but with bad guys and hopefully no character assassination.
King outlined his upcoming “The War of Jokes and Riddles” plot at Fan Expo Dallas. The basic gist (via Batman News) is that, early on in Bruce Wayne’s Batman transformation, the Riddler and the Joker decide that they are his one true nemesis. And they go to war to make sure that only they get to destroy Batman. Along the way, the members of Batman’s rogues gallery pick sides, so we’ll get to see things like Deadshot fight Deathstroke and Solomon Grundy fight Killer Croc.
Today, King teased the storyline even more on Twitter along with some glimpses at the art:
Coming in Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles, a story of the past that will shape the future of the DCU. pic.twitter.com/0OMeoH5U2U
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) April 3, 2017
Poor Batman, trying to keep the peace in Gotham while every extra-crazy/extra-powerful villain is in the middle of a war.
A year after he began, Batman thinks he understands the pain and power of Gotham. And the war comes, and he learns he knows nothing. pic.twitter.com/3sB0qXZOWe
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) April 3, 2017
Joker vs. Riddler, a war that divides and destroys his city. In the midst of the carnage, will the Dark Knight rise again or finally fall? pic.twitter.com/7OOv1O4O5L
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) April 3, 2017
And here’s a pithy way to explain why the Joker and the Riddler are the ones who are first at each others’ throats:
The Riddler is tired of jokes. pic.twitter.com/c8K3ivsIJe
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) April 3, 2017
The Joker is tired of riddles. pic.twitter.com/Kd4huscWMR
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) April 3, 2017
War of Jokes and Riddles is an 8 part epic starting in Batman 25. Scripts by me. Art by my genius brother, @mikeljanin.
Crash. pic.twitter.com/lVWl8nfaaj
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) April 3, 2017
King clarified at Fan Expo Dallas what those eight parts will look like. Issues 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, and 32 will be the main story, while issues 27 and 30 will look at the life of a z-list villain when the big boys have a blow-out. Those issues will also have a guest artist, while Mikel Janín will be the artist for the other six issues.
Batman has one of the most recognizable rogues galleries out there, so it’s always fun to pit them against each other. Plus, since they’re villains (and, you know, the Joker’s not exactly prone to linearity), it’s not out of character for them to rampage around causing loads of damage, like it is when the heroes fight each other.
[via Comic Book.com]
