The Batman Who Laughs #4 Review

Writer: Scott Snyder / Artist: Jock / DC Comics It’s been established that this is a book about Batman taking a major L. But if you would have told me that more than halfway through the series, homie would be as down in the dumps as he is, I probably wouldn’t believe you. Just in case you’ve forgotten, last issue Batman initiated a process that would turn him into a version of the Batman Who Laughs so he can see, smell, hear, and most importantly– think like the dark version of himself that seems to be 20 steps ahead. It was a bold move, and easily one of the darkest decisions Bruce has ever made, but it was a last-ditch effort. Bruce hoped that doing that would level the playing field. All I can say is that the jury’s still out on that. This issue featured Batman getting his leather wings clipped on a few notable occasions. It opens up with Alfred throwing hands in a scene that felt like it was ripped out of a Greek tragedy. And it closed with a bunch of Black Gate guards emptying round after round on the Caped Crusader. On top of that, every page in between that bloody bookend was filled with Batman getting outsmarted by his evil counterpart.

But we did see Bruce take some strides in this issue. As he descends into his own version of the Batman Who Laughs, we get to see his internal struggle in real time as he tries to stave off the infection before it spreads and he’s no longer himself. In those moments where he can shake off the crazy, he gets to use his new abilities t…