Top 5 Moments From Batman: Death Of The Family

5. The Joker Steals The Show (And His Face)

As soon as the "Death Of The Family" started, readers were plunged into a scary and suspenseful world of the Joker. Throughout the story the genre changes, from action to thriller to even some mystery, but it centered around a type of gruesome fun, which is what the Joker is all about. The opening scene of Batman #13 was by far one of the best examples of one of these moments. As a reader of the series I was excited fro the return of the Joker, but did not expect to see him so early in the story-arc. I knew that we would here from him or at least hear of him, but seeing him was too much to ask. I felt that the writers would have to build up some serious suspense before the big return. But, when the lights went out at the GCPD, I knew I was wrong. The readers were treated to possibly one of the greatest Joker moments in recent history, and it showed that the writers did not need a big reveal to make the character more menacing than ever. Drowned in darkness and scared to death, the police were but mice in a maze, and the Joker picked them off one by one. He didn't have a huge whimsical plan, just a very specific one, which made it so much scarier. The Joker had set his mind on something, and would not get sidetracked. Commissioner Gordon yelled at the Clown Prince of crime as readers could hear the cracking of bones in the background. I felt as if I was in that room, and it scared me. The dialogue between the Commissioner and the Joker was brilliant as it showed how scared one was and how certain the other was. As the Joker lept across the room breaking necks, he also hurdled some Jokes at Gordon. The best one being "A clown walks into a police station...". After he finished his gag he charged at Gordon, but is stopped by the lights being turned back on. He then sprinted away as the silhouette of Batman helped the Commissioner up. Before he got out, he grabbed one thing, his face. The scene ended with a great one-page spread of Gordon standing around a pile of dead cops. Throughout the entire scene, the reader never got a clear shot of the Joker. His face was not shown and for good reason too. It made him seem so much more unpredictable and truly had people wondering what he looked like without a face. But, the parts of the Joker that we did see were enough to send chills up anyones spine. A bloody glove, a pale bare foot, and that crazy grin. It was just the right amount of suspense and horror, to show that the Joker was back and that he meant business. He wasn't after random civilians, and did not want to cause chaos for the sake of chaos. He had a plan, which made him more unpredictable than ever.