The Joker would probably be mad at me for this review. I give away the punchline and it might be seen as having a spoiler. You’ve been warned.

• Written by Tom King
• Pencils by Clay Mann
• Inks by Clay Mann, John Livesay
• Colored by Gabe Eltaeb
• Cover by Mikel Janin

Did they just make Kite Man cool? The team on Batman #27 just might have done that.

The War of Jokes and Riddles: The Ballad of Kite Man, Part 1

Battle scenes that would have been the center-piece to most issues are background color. Using imagery and homages from Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns, the War of Jokes and Riddles takes an interlude with Charles Brown, a guy who did some mechanical work on one of the Joker’s cars and was left alive. Brown is pulled in every direction by The Riddler, the Joker and Batman. We see how those pressures created Kite-man as Gotham City get’s stranger before our eyes.

Another strong issue in what is shaping up to be an amazing arc.