The Batman Who Laughs #4: Seeing Through Dark Eyes

THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #4

Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Jock Colorist: David Baron Letterer: Sal Cipriano

Publisher: DC Comics

10/10

Once again this book blows me away. This story is showing us another side of Batman that we don't always see, fearful. Now that's not to say that he's completely scared, but he doesn't entirely know what to expect from the Batman Who Laughs, which is why he's going to extreme measures to stop him. This series has continually gotten better with each issue and is ramping up to the conclusion, the best part is I have no idea where  this will end, and I love it.

The issue begins with Bruce talking about how he would look through his Robin's eyes to remind him of happiness. It's great use of the whole light/dark dynamic that Batman and Robin have always had. Bruce has infected himself with the Joker toxin, teamed up with James Gordon Jr., all behavior of a man in desperation. He wants to save his city, even at the cost of himself. Alfred tries to stop him but they end up fighting. Throughout out the fight you can see Bruce struggling to hold back the effects of the toxin. Masterfully, this is where letterer Sal Cipriano's work shines through. He changes the lettering back and forth as we the reader are seeing Bruce struggle, it's brilliant and shows what an important part his role is in the production of this book.

During the book we see that Bruce has constructed a visor similar to BWL, he wants to use it so that he can see the dark multiverse energy and stop other dark versions of himself from coming to our world. It was an ingenious explanation of why BWL where's that visor. It's not just to make him look badass, it serves a purpose.

The highlight of this book has to be the scenes with Joker and Batman. Snyder shows why Joker doesn't ever really want to beat Batman, he doesnt want the "fun" to end. He adds another dynamic to these two titans that are in an eternal battle. When Batman asks Joker to defeat him, in case he doesn't come back from this, the Joker's response was priceless.

By the end of the book we see that BWL once again is two steps ahead of our Dark Knight and we finally see his true face which is sure to give people nightmares.

The art once again was phenomenal. Jock is in my top 3 favorite artists and continues to remind me why with every book he puts out. He must be having the time of his life working n this book because each panel, each page is perfection. The scene between Joker and Batman was beautifully executed. That BWL's face though is utterly terrifying. David Baron's colors elevate this book into another stratosphere. The entire creative team is bringing their absolute best and it shows on every page.

Scott Snyder was born to write Batman and I can't imagine a day he isn't writing him anymore. This book is yet another example of is writing prowess, he pours everything he has into his writing. He writes some of the most compelling stories this industry has ever seen, this is why he's in my top 3 writers of all time.

This issue was flawlessly executed. I'm excited for the conclusion and it's sure to be an insane ending.