Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman saga—at least the Bruce Wayne tale that we know—is set to end with issue #40. And ever since the series relaunched in DC’s New 52, it’s been a pithy, tense ride for Dark Knight fans. With the opening Court of Owls arc, Batman fans were forced to face an ugly truth: this Batman, he has blind spots. And the arc uncovered a decades-old secret society from Gotham’s darkest corners, the titular Court of Owls. It doesn’t happen often, but the arc made readers question Batman’s hold over the very city he made safer—a grip that loosened after The Joker turned batman against his very own support system in the following Death of the Family event.
Like the arc before it, Death of the Family sought to knock down norms in the Bat-universe. It shined a light on the weaknesses of Batman’s own team—ultimately setting the Dark Knight aside as a lone hero, a lesson the Joker’s still trying to brand into Batman. But as Snyder’s described in interviews before, Death of the Family was the comedy, while the latest Joker tale, Endgame, is the tragedy. And after combating a powerful toxin that’s left Gotham crippled and zombified, Batman’s not only out of ideas: he’s desperate. The Endgame series has seen him call on the Court of Owls—we all saw how that worked out—and now he’s moved on to an even more surprising branch of support: some of his most iconic enemies.
In issue #40, we’ll see Bane, Poison Ivy and more fight alongside Gotham’s finest. With this issue winding up an already great arc—one that promises to be a gateway to the next Batman story—issue #40 is required reading.
Today, we’ve got an exclusive preview of issue #40. The pages that follow bring us from Joker’s toxic origin straight to the present, where Poison Ivy and Bane fight alongside the Dark Knight himself. Also—Bane and Batman? With hands clasped together? In a non-violent manner? It gave me chills.
Here’s DC’s description:
The finale of “Endgame” is here! Batman risks everything against The Joker! Who will laugh last?
Batman #40 is set for an April 29 release through DC Comics.
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