Although we’re all still reeling from having seen Batman proposing to Catwoman, we’re invariably going to have to move forward next week – or backward, if we’re going to get technical. You see, with issue #25 we’ll be going back in time, specifically to the period following the events of Zero Year, with “The War of Jokes and Riddles.”
From that title, you can no doubt deduce that Tom King’s next major story arc will include Joker and Riddler, who’ll be engaging in a three-sided battle with the Dark Knight himself. And despite Scott Snyder recently having said that the mystery of there being three Jokers is Geoff Johns’ story to tell, we can’t help but wonder if there’ll be an Easter egg to be spotted within this particular tale. If not, you still have two of the most iconic villains in all of comics to keep you occupied.
In an attempt to get us hyped, King has unleashed a few pieces of Mikel Janin’s artwork on the world, each of which can be viewed in the gallery at the top. Once you get past the cover, you’ll bear witness to one of the earliest incidents showing Ed Nygma’s obsession with the question mark, but, let’s be honest, the Joker material is cooler.
If you were to ask me, Janin is seriously channeling The Killing Joke artist Brian Bolland in a variety of ways. Not only does the layout of panels make the classic graphic novel come to mind, but also by giving us a glimpse into the fiend’s psyche by showing a variety of facial expressions, thus capturing his unpredictable nature.
Sure, trying to figure out the context of these images can seem torturous, but take solace in knowing the wait will soon be over as Batman #25 is set to arrive in comic shops next Wednesday, June 21.
