The first issue of Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo found Batman accepting The Joker’s proposition to join forces to save Harley and Commissioner Gordon from an unknown enemy. It also showed how Gotham Police gradually grew suspicious of Batman. With the Commissioner missing and new bodies showing up nightly, Batman is desperate for aid. The stakes quickly ramp up for the new team in The Joker in Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2 as they delve deeper into the madness of their new foe. Writer and artist Marc Silvestri, colorist Arif Prianto, and letterer Troy Peteri take the series to horrifying heights in this issue.
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2 puts Batman and the Joker’s partnership to the test. Readers can see the Dark Knight questioning his choice of partners throughout this issue. But before they can examine the complex nature of their working relationship, they face off with a nefarious new villain. They quickly learn that this new enemy is unlike anything they’ve never dealt with before. Silvestri does an incredible job of showing just how high the stakes are and that it’s going to challenge both Batman and The Joker.
Silvestri flexes his artistic muscles in the artwork in this issue and with storytelling. Both characters shine in Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2, neither one taking the spotlight from the other. Silvestri takes The Joker’s comedic timing and mixes it with brutal blows from Batman to create some great dialogue. With so many plot points going on in these first two issues, some moments can be a bit confusing, but this issue makes sure to remind readers why these two teamed up in the first place. Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2 continues to take readers on a wild ride through Gotham and shows Silvestri’s twisted method of bringing these two characters together.
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2, much like the first issue, is a visual treat for readers. Silvestri’s style is perfect for Gotham City and Batman. His use of darkness and grit makes Gotham look like the grimy crime-filled city it is. The art is at its best when Batman is in an iconic stoic pose looking over the Gotham skyline or when he’s going blow for blow with a criminal with blood flying from his fists. Prianto’s coloring sets a gloomy mood throughout the issue, especially when Batman is inside the Batcave, making the Batcave look almost endless with his use of shading. Prianto uses muted colors that work in the reader’s favor during big fights, making it easy to spot where each character is, even in the most chaotic scenes.
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2 brings readers on a horror-filled journey filled with action and great dialogue between Batman and The Joker. Silvestri takes the best elements from the first issue and expands on them with powerful artwork and moments that make Batman second-guess his morals. This issue establishes how deadly this new villain is to Gotham’s citizens, and it’s up to Batman and The Joker to save them.
