727

The end twist is chilling and very memorable (though they'd lately retcon and de-fang it), but otherwise this storyline is just OK. The Joker is not at all threatening, the Black Mask goes from being scary and creepy early on to simply seeming foolish and unhinged, and nowhere near enough sense of dread is made by the notion that some unknown villain seems to know Batman's identity. There is also not enough actual investigation going on for a story where Batman himself claims to enjoy getting back to detective work.

All that said, when boiled down to its core, the story has many good beats to it, the artwork's decent, and getting an emotional payoff and resolution to the death of Stephanie Brown is greatly appreciated. ( )

A follow-up to the "War Games" storyline, in which Batman ties up some loose ends, and discovers the shocking truth behind Stephanie Brown's death, and a fairly major person in Batman's life is exposed as a killer. Interesting mainly for that last bit, but well-told. ( )