May 122017
 

The Joker returns to the pages of BATMAN in a new story arc where he faces off the Riddler.  This new story is the new creative baby of Rebirth Batman writer TOM KING and Comic Book/DCs Kofi Outlaw sat with King  to discuss the details of this new story arc.  Here is the transcript of most of the interview.

We know the story arc is called “A War of Jokes and Riddles” and features the lure of seeing two of Batman’s most iconic foes – The Joker and The Riddler – go headed to head!

However, know King has taken to Twitter to reveal so much more about the story arc…

  • King describes “The War of Jokes and Riddles” as “a story of the past that will shape the future of the DCU.” 
  • War of Jokes and Riddles is an 8 part epic starting in Batman 25. Scripts by me. Art by my genius brother, [Mikel Janín].
  • “A year after he began, Batman thinks he understands the pain and power of Gotham. And the war comes, and he learns he knows nothing.”
  • “Joker vs. Riddler, a war that divides and destroys his city. In the midst of the carnage, will the Dark Knight rise again or finally fall?”

Batman-News also added the following info, from Tom King’s appearance at FAN EXPO Dallas over the weekend:

  • The basic premise: the Joker and the Riddler clash, as neither one wants the other to destroy Batman and rob them of the satisfaction. This causes a “gang war” to erupt with people taking sides, all while Batman is caught in the middle trying to keep the city safe.
  • We’ll see some cool fights, like Deadshot vs. Deathstroke and Solomon Grundy vs. Killer Croc.
  • The arc will be broken up into acts, after a fashion: issues 25-26, 28-29, and 31-32 will be part of the main story, with art by Mikel Janín.
  • Issues 27 and 30 will feature a guest artist he couldn’t announce at the time, and they will take a look at what it means be a bottom-tier villain during one of these big wars. It may or may not focus on Kite-Man. 

What’s most interesting for fans is seeing these to very specifically-themed diabolical characters (Jokers illogical chaos against Riddlers high logic methods) square off. One would expect a sort of psychotic prank war, wherein the masses of Gotham are unfortunate collateral damage. Either way, sounds like a great read! 

(original interview was published first at COMIC BOOK/DC HERE)

Here is a small piece of art from the comic story: