Death of the Family Has Begun!

This past week saw the beginning of one of the most anticipated events of the year, DEATH OF THE FAMILY! It all started in Batman #13, with a prelude chapter in Batgirl #13, and I think it’s safe to say…. Joker’s back in town! Batman #13, we think, was easily the best book of the week and a must-read as far as we’re concerned. This Joker looks as if he’s going to be one serious customer. Here’s the official checklist. Just click to enlarge!

Don’t know if the die-cut covers we saw on Batman and Batgirl (pictured below) are gonna be the standard for the whole event, but it’s definitely something to look out for. I’ll hand the reins over to creators Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo!

Batman #13 “Joker is my favorite villain of all time,” Snyder said. “Not just in comics. In everything – film, books, TV. He’s the greatest, hands down. So this story is something extremely important and personal to me – something I’ve been building in my head ever since I started working in Gotham. Basically, this is my big exploration of the Joker, my Arkham Asylum or The Killing Joke, only bigger in scope. Bottom line: it’s the biggest, baddest, most shocking Joker story I could tell. This is Joker completely unleashed. He has been away for a full year planning this revenge, watching, plotting, setting things up. And now he’s back. He has his traps set, his knives sharpened… And wait ’til you see him. Greg’s sketches literally gave me chills. Point blank: This is Joker like you’ve never seen him before. He has a mission. He has a secret. And he has a serious axe to grind with Batman. It isn’t going to be pretty, but it’s going to be a wild ride. Thanks for taking it with us.”

“When Scott told me that he’d written a Joker story for our next arc, I couldn’t contain my excitement,” added Capullo. “Talk about a dream come true! For me, the Joker is the ultimate rogue and the villain I most wanted to draw. I gotta tell you, after hearing what the story is about, this isn’t a dream come true. It’s a nightmare! A macabre and bloody, flesh crawling nightmare. We hope you’ll have the nerve to face what’s coming. Warning: It ain’t for the faint of heart!”