Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Batman: Endgame Review

IWhile Convergence has already started, one of the most, if not the most popular DC comic book has just come to an end of a long awaited storyline featuring the Joker. I'm talking, of course, about Batman: Endgame, the six-part return of the man who laughs in Gotham City. I have just finished reading all the main storyline, and only one of not so many tie-ins, so let's get on with a spoiler-free review. Or at least a major-spoiler-free one.

From the cover on the first Endgame comic book, we can see Batman punching Cyborg, with the Justice League being unable to restraint the caped crusader, and Superman just watching. Part 2 has Superman on the cover, and then we don't get any more Justice League covers at all. This choice of covers screams "Well, you think a Batman-fights-the-Justice-League-by-himself storyline would be great? This is just the beginning, wait till you see how awesome the rest of our story will be". The action on the first issue is actually Batman fighting the Justice League, and it leads to the second issue where the fight with Superman is again, just the beginning. For this fight montage (which isn't actually a montage, just the action happening fast), Deadpool recommends the reader cranking "Five Minutes Alone" by Pantera.


There are also some extra pages at the end of each issue, telling us a tie-in story written by James Tynion IV. Tynion also wrote Batman Annual #3, which I read before Part 3 of Endgame. I can't say it's mandatory to read this or any other Endgame tie-in, but Batman Annual #3 is great and the ending of Endgame Part 2 offers a pause in the storyline where you can read it. Since we're talking about Tynion, the first pages of Endgame make clear that the storyline is taking place after Batman: Eternal, which he also wrote, but I personally haven't read and probably won't if my hands are full with other titles after Convergence; and hopefully the will. Again, Scott Snyder has the last word in Endgame, and perhaps letting Tynion in is another statement from DC: Did you like Batman Eternal? Just wait and see how awesome Snyder's run will be after I finish this storyline. The Tynion tie-in on the last pages of each issue gets a bit dull as it progresses, but the stories converge (pun intended) during the grand finale.

Let's go back to the Justice League for a moment; Part 2 of Endgame not only justifies why there are no other superheroes helping Batman while Gotham is a war zone, it also cements the fact that Joker believes he will succeed where the Justice League fails: Killing Batman.

Now, I've talked too much about the first two parts, but what about the rest of Endgame. We all know it's the return of the Joker, and that he has the ultimate plan to finally kill the Dark Knight. I'm afraid the storyline is so unique after Part 3, that I can't make a spoiler-free review, so just take my word for it being an awesome storyline and read it, while I just on my favorite part of a review: The plus and the minus.

+ Batman has a... Hulkbuster?
+ There is an owl in Bruce's place, meaning he has no fear of death and perhaps no weaknesses (owls prey on bats).
+ This is finally the real deal in Joker fights. He's not having fun, he's trying to end Batman.
+ There is a Tim Burton's Joker parade, with balloons and gas.
- Bruce performing a fastball special. (Grow up, man)
+ Dick performing a fastball special. (You can't grow up anyway)
+ The word you're looking for is... *SPOILER* (Don't visit @PsarasComics for the next few days if you don't want to get a spoiler, it's too great a moment not to tweet)
- Endgame is bound to become non-canon, because of Convergence. It doesn't fit well before Convergence, and it definitely doesn't fit after it. But perhaps this will be explained in the next issues.
+ The absence of other superheroes is explained, and so are the actions of other Gotham-based villains.

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