Gotham City is a busy place, with a lot going down each and every week. In this monthly column, Joshua Lapin-Bertone helps you stay on top of it all by letting you know what you should be paying attention to within the Bat-Family…and why.
All the classic Batman runs have an epic Batman vs. Joker story. Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams had “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge,” Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers had “The Laughing Fish” and Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo had “Death of the Family.” When Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez began their run last year, we knew it was only a matter of time before they got to the Clown Prince of Crime. That moment finally arrived in this month’s Batman #7, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most interesting Batman and Joker stories ever told.
The Joker made his first appearance in 1940’s Batman #1, which means that we’ve had 86 years of Batman vs. Joker stories. However, Fraction and Jiménez were still able to come up with a new angle on the classic rivalry. Batman #7 is centered around a conversation between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince. No punches, no poison and no laughing. It’s just a conversation, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of the most chilling encounters between Batman and the Joker I’ve ever read. It’s almost like Silence of the Lambs, but set within the DC Universe.
On that note, if you haven’t been keeping up with recent events, then you might be confused about the Joker’s appearance. Batman’s biggest supervillain got his butt handed to him during the Omega Tournament (it’s a DC K.O. thing) and wound up back in Arkham Tower. Dr. Zeller is trying a new treatment to help regulate the imbalance in Joker’s brain, and she believes it’s working. If we’re to believe Dr. Zeller and the Joker, the machine the Clown Prince is hooked up to has restored his sanity.
This is where Jorge Jiménez gets to have some fun. The breathing mask on Joker’s face still resembles a wicked smile and the villain’s wide eyes are unsettling. It’s just the Joker in a stasis tube, seemingly harmless, but Jorge Jiménez makes it one of the most chilling images you can imagine.
The issue opens with the Joker using an orderly to deliver a message to Batman. The Dark Knight soon arrives at Arkham Tower for a conversation with the Joker, with Dr. Zeller safely monitoring from the control room. One of the things that makes this issue different from previous Batman and Joker stories is the rules surrounding their meeting. Batman is forced to stand on only certain floor tiles or risk being electrocuted by Zeller’s security system. This is Zeller’s way of ensuring that he doesn’t go off script and start beating her patient (we all saw The Dark Knight).
This puts Batman in a situation where his movements are controlled, and he’s forced to play by someone else’s rules. This is not a situation he would normally let himself get into, but the Joker’s invitation wasn’t something he could ignore. It’s interesting to ponder what that says about their relationship.
The Joker is also in a different spot than usual. He’s stuck in a tube, hooked up to a machine and only able to communicate through a computer. No bag of tricks, no laughter and no insanity (if he’s telling the truth). Essentially, Batman and the Joker have been forced to face one another in neutral territory, outside of their comfort zones, in a situation where neither of them has any control.
Dr. Zeller’s role in this is interesting. She watches the entire conversation behind a glass door, but doesn’t directly participate. She believes she’s in charge and has laid out a set of rules for Batman and the Joker, but it becomes clear she has less control than she thinks. The Joker manipulates her into turning the audio feed off so they could speak in private. He even admits that he’s manipulating her, but she complies anyway. In essence, she’s learned that nobody can truly get between Batman and the Joker, and she becomes an audience member, trapped and forced into their little war.
Maybe I’m overthinking it, but it’s almost as if Dr. Zeller represents Gotham itself. The city may try to control Batman and the Joker, but their private war is a black hole that sucks everyone in. In the end, the people of Gotham are helpless to do anything but watch, just like Dr. Zeller.
The Joker’s newfound clarity (if it’s real) forces him to get more introspective about his relationship with Batman. Despite all they’ve been through, his relationship with the Caped Crusader has always been special. He feels Batman is the only one who has ever seen the real him, and vice versa.
“You were the only one that saw the effort,” he tells Batman. “You’re the only one that ever understood. Maybe I was the only one that ever understood you, too.”
Batman and the Joker’s relationship has taken on many forms over the past 86 years, and I’ve written about it many times. Batman #7 reminds us why that relationship is special, and why it will always keep us guessing. Fraction and Jiménez’s story is far from over, but when the dust has settled, it has the potential to be one of the most memorable Batman vs. Joker stories to date.
Batman #7 by Matt Fraction, Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey is now available in print and as a digital comic book.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
