PREVIEW: Snyder & Capullo's "Batman" #14

[ForeverYoung8]

Almost forgot. No way Alfred is blind. He's Batman's medic, right? Why would he say he was blindfolded if his eyes had been burned out? I'm pretty sure even your average joe could tell the difference between cloth on your head or eyes burned out.

[adkal]

• I'm surprised about the flack given to the cassette tape. A big part of comics is your imagination...mine tells me Joker probably laughed himself silly at the thought of leaving a tape behind. "It'll take Batsy a WEEK to get a player off of ebay! Hahaha!" Course, Batman is always prepared, 6-years be damned.

Ah, but it was Bruce Wayne who had the cassette player, not Batman

• I hated the chattering teeth. Not so much the idea of them, but just how a button press launches them from the water & magically ensnare Batman. Seemed like a Geoff Johns idea or something.

Yeah...same here

• I think Joker probably laced the news clipping in Gordon's drawer. Gordon was fine until he touched it.

That was my initial thought when I was reading the issue, until Batman tells Nightwing that it's a heparin-esque and I (for now) figured it to be the cigarettes (I think the clippings were laced with something else, or at least some sort of 'trigger' (as in 13 and the floor cleaner)).

• Didn't care for the motorcycle scene. Made Batman out to look like a guy who needs reassurance or a pep talk before battle. A far cry from "I'm the Goddamn Batman!"

Agreed.

Now, about their identities. Snyder is being very careful so far, providing alternative explanations for each thing. He takes Alfred: is it to get at Batman specifically, or at Bruce because of the connection to Inc? On the tape, he specifically says "Bruce", not "Batman", and if he really knows then would he say a name at all? He tells the batfam he knows who they are, but continues to use Dick's codename.

I made a similar observation earlier

1. In the end, Batman and Bruce Wayne appear together in Arkham in front of Joker. "Bruce" is really Dick, using the holographic mask. Joker says "oh well, it was a nice idea anyway."

Isn't Superman supposed to be showing up at some point (or is that after this arc?) Dick would need lifts and padding, too...

[adkal]

Almost forgot. No way Alfred is blind. He's Batman's medic, right? Why would he say he was blindfolded if his eyes had been burned out? I'm pretty sure even your average joe could tell the difference between cloth on your head or eyes burned out.

His nerve connections have been severed, so he doesn't yet know. Burns aren't like cuts.


(Note, I don't think he's been blinded)

[AiyokuSama]

His nerve connections have been severed, so he doesn't yet know. Burns aren't like cuts.

If that were the case, he wouldn't react to the application of more.

[maxpower00044]

I like the motorcycle scene for the exact reason people dislike it. I feel it shows that Batman DOES need his family, although he's always playing cold to them, deep down inside he cares very deeply. Batman's allowed to be scared and have a lil doubt in his mind (well, at least in my mind he does). Same thing with the Bruce and Dick convo. We already know he's feeling Alfred's loss, but he's still using code words for Alfred. It shows that he feels he always needs to unrattled, even when we know things can get to him. Also, although he doesn't seem to include the Fam in his business lately, he obviously trusts Dick enough to tell him the situation. Something I don't think he would have done if he disliked Grayson as much as people think he does.

[adkal]

If that were the case, he wouldn't react to the application of more.

Around the eyes, you're forgetting the rest of his face and body - there were no visuals and the Joker could have easily hurt another part of him...

[adkal]

I like the motorcycle scene for the exact reason people dislike it. I feel it shows that Batman DOES need his family, although he's always playing cold to them, deep down inside he cares very deeply. Batman's allowed to be scared and have a lil doubt in his mind (well, at least in my mind he does).

A little, sure, but the wording puts it at him having these doubts and needing reassurance every night...

[Conway]

I think I said this already but the magic bat seeking teeth were better than the giant cartoon mallet.

[tiptupjr94]

Wow, there's a lot of bickering on this board. Anyway, can we talk about something that bugged the hell out of me during this issue? Mainly... How is it so far-fetched that the Joker knows Batman's identity? It's so obvious that he knows. First of all, if you look at Death IN the family, Joker clearly finds out that Bruce is Batman. He just killed Robin and then the news reports that Bruce Wayne's ward died in that exact same warehouse? And when Batman goes to confront Joker about it, he even calls Jason by name! Later in the UN assembly, Joker stops and stares at Bruce and proceeds to laugh his ass off. Meanwhile, the world's greatest detective stands there wondering, "wow, does he know who I am? That's impossible!" Ugh.

Now, flash forward to this story arc. He captures Alfred. Now, everyone's excuse for Joker not knowing who they really are is "oh, he mentioned Bruce and Batman separately on the tape." Well that's just it. That's the point of this entire story: masks, identities, how they affect us and whether or not they really matter. Joker talks about Bruce and Bats like separate people because in his mind, they ARE separate people. Joker was trying to be subtle. He obviously knows that Bruce is Batman; but by being vague and subtle on the tape he is toying with the Dark Knight's head and making him doubt himself. That's what the Joker does.

And you know, one of the things I liked about Infinite Crisis was the government keeping tabs on super heroes, having an organization dedicated to their existence. No one's identity was truly secret or impossible to figure out. If super heroes really existed, that's probably how it would be. Honestly, how hard can it be for the government to find out who Batman is? Or anyone, for that matter? Get some satellites on him, follow the Batmobile home, take his DNA, analyze his voice or jaw structure, do something. Jesus. And then in the New 52 Batwoman, that skull guy says the government's been identity-diving Batman for years. Really? Years? In Batman: Year One when Jim and Sarah are having a conversation about who Batman could be, the first name that Sarah mentions is Bruce Wayne. Just saying.

So, Batman #14. I think Bruce is in denial, he can't grasp the fact that someone else knows his precious little secret. I don't wanna say it's Scott's fault or bad writing, but, come on, it's not that far-fetched that Joker (or anyone else) could find out Batman's identity and if Bruce really was such a great detective he would acknowledge that fact.

Also, that little bat-skin book that Joker is keeping his "secret" in? Look at the final page of the last issue, where Joker's about to hit Alfred: the book's hanging off Joker's belt!

[Concept Coop]

Wow, there's a lot of bickering on this board. Anyway, can we talk about something that bugged the hell out of me during this issue? Mainly... How is it so far-fetched that the Joker knows Batman's identity? It's so obvious that he knows. First of all, if you look at Death IN the family, Joker clearly finds out that Bruce is Batman. He just killed Robin and then the news reports that Bruce Wayne's ward died in that exact same warehouse? And when Batman goes to confront Joker about it, he even calls Jason by name! Later in the UN assembly, Joker stops and stares at Bruce and proceeds to laugh his ass off. Meanwhile, the world's greatest detective stands there wondering, "wow, does he know who I am? That's impossible!" Ugh.

If we apply this logic, he would have been discovered a very long time ago, by everyone, not just the Joker.

[tiptupjr94]

If we apply this logic, he would have been discovered a very long time ago, by everyone, not just the Joker.

Not necessarily. The public at large didn't know that Robin had died, just Jason Todd. Although you'd think Bruce would have reservations about changing into his Batman suit in front of the UN general assembly, even if the Joker is causing a panic and it's possible no one noticed.

[Concept Coop]

Not necessarily. The public at large didn't know that Robin had died, just Jason Todd. Although you'd think Bruce would have reservations about changing into his Batman suit in front of the UN general assembly, even if the Joker is causing a panic and it's possible no one noticed.

I mean in general. One of the most famous and wealthy men in the city hides half his face, puts on a little body armor, and nobody can figure it out? And nobody has ever been able to follow the Batmobile back, or stumble onto one of his hidden passage ways?

[Conway]

We all figured he knew, even before the arc started, I mean he knows he beat Jason to death right. And when he took Alfred we had evidence that he knew. It is why the final big "reveal" is so lame.

[maxpower00044]

A little, sure, but the wording puts it at him having these doubts and needing reassurance every night...

I've always felt that Alfred kept Bruce/Batman grounded, and more focused. And, he does call him on basically every mission, so it doesn't seem too far fetched.

[ForeverYoung8]

Ah, but it was Bruce Wayne who had the cassette player, not Batman

My bad, I mistyped. "It'll take ol Brucie a week to get one off ebay!! Hahahaha!"


Yeah...same here



That was my initial thought when I was reading the issue, until Batman tells Nightwing that it's a heparin-esque and I (for now) figured it to be the cigarettes (I think the clippings were laced with something else, or at least some sort of 'trigger' (as in 13 and the floor cleaner)).

Yeah, true; Re-reading it now, I do see that I missed the heparin allusion.

Agreed.



I made a similar observation earlier

Whoops; big thread :-)

Isn't Superman supposed to be showing up at some point (or is that after this arc?) Dick would need lifts and padding, too...

I haven't been reading any interviews, so no clue about Supes. However, Dick pulled off the taller Joker in Arkham just fine (isn't Joker like 6'4 or something?); I'm sure it'd be nothing to pad him out a bit

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