The Batman Who Laughs #5 Review

Writer: Scott Snyder / Artist: Jock / DC Comics In case you haven’t heard, The Batman Who Laughs is getting a seventh issue. So that means more mayhem, more bloodshot eyed Batman, and more dead Bruce Waynes from across the multiverse. Snyder is a master at crafting a grand narrative. But what I’m always impressed with is his ability to strengthen the integrity of single issues by providing us with a hook that he always comes back to toward the end of the issue when it has renewed meaning for the characters and the audience alike. The one used in this issue was easily one of my favorites from this series. It opens up with a hand in the rain holding a gold token for public transportation. It’s accompanied by narration from Bruce as he details a memory he has of his dad. He then lays out how the token had a fixed fare rate no matter how short or long your trip was going to be. This meant that anyone could go anywhere, and your destination wasn’t predicated off of how much money you could spend. It was a simple gesture that went a long way in terms of making people feel equal in the city of Gotham. And it was a beautiful sentiment to how Thomas Wayne saw his beloved city. It’s everything the city stands for in the form of a token.

  It’s not hard to understand how this could have had a profound effect on Bruce as a child. It’s basically driving his desire at this point. It all comes back around at the end of the issue as The Batman Who Laughs details that he has this same…