Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #7: The End

Marc Silvestri’s Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo comes to an end with issue #7. The series was a long time in the making and worth the wait. Clearly, Silvestri put a lot of time and care without sacrificing his vision. In addition to Silvestri’s writing and art, the series featured colorist Arif Prianto and letterer Troy Peteri. All three creatives were incredibly consistent throughout all seven issues, and the visuals are undoubtedly the highlight of the series. Silvestri has such a distinct style that it is probably the book’s main draw, but Prianto’s colors did an excellent job working with Silvestri’s inks. Troy Peteri’s lettering was also a standout of the series. Some of the creative choices of speech bubbles and narration boxes for certain characters were excellent touches, but it is dialogue-heavy panels that Peteri’s lettering shined. Silvestri’s writing can sometimes be overly wordy, which results in busy speech balloons that take up a lot of room. Peteri is able to present all of the required information in a way that isn’t straining the reader.

Overall, Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo is driven by incredible art and a story that all fans of Batman will undoubtedly find something to love about, as it blends classic Batman elements with Silvestri’s stunning art. The place isn’t exactly clear when this series takes, which can be a big plus for readers. It feels modern and fresh while not being cemented to a certain period, for the most part. There are a few instances where the writing feels a little dated. One example is when Batman, Joker, and Harley are climbing out of the tunnel, and Batman tells Joker to take his hand so he can pull him up. Joker’s reply is, “Pull my finger.” It’s funny, but it felt a bit out of place. There are also two movie references: Harley proclaims “Yippee Ki-Yay” as she starts firing on the undead goons, and a few pages later, Joker says something along the lines of “There’s no more room on this door, Jack” as he kicks a goon’s head during a flood. Both references might be lost on younger readers, though this is a series for mature readers, and they do come off as fun.

Silvestri finds a nice balance to end the series but leaves the door open if he ever chooses to revisit this version of Batman and Gotham. In the end, this was a series about Batman and Joker, which is what you’d expect going into a series titled Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo. The relationship between the two has been done to death, so the reveal that Joker did everything not to learn the identity of Batman isn’t anything revolutionary or new. The Death of the Family arc of Scott Synder’s Batman run touched on a similar concept, though it was part of the main continuity. Silvestri certainly sticks the landing and feels unique enough not to feel redundant.