Batman #16 (2011)

Snyder gets why the Joker is one of the most popular villains of all time. It has nothing to do with the fact that he is maybe the most psychotic serial killer in fiction. Characters like Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees for instance, just don’t have the same staying power in the comic medium that the Joker has. They show up for a quick miniseries and disappear again not to be seen for another several years. The Joker however is always present in our terrified hearts and minds because he actually has something to say. Out of all the villains in the whole of super-hero comics, he is the only one who can call himself a true artist; and when written by Snyder, the Joker’s “art” has reached a new level. Using the whole of Arkham Asylum as his palette, Snyder via the Joker has created a work of art more terrifying (and somehow more full of love) than ever before. The imagery used by Snyder and Capullo will be analyzed over and over again in the months to come, and I for one can’t wait to see what they have planned for a finale! Depending how this ends, this may shape up to be one of the greatest Joker stories of all time….