BATMAN #40: As Batman makes his way towards The Joker, he recalls how he came to be. Batman’s allies are trying their best to stop the infected while The Joker dances with the skeletal remains of Martha Wayne, all while riding the T-Rex he stole from the Batcave. Batman gets hold of the Joker and attempts to draw a sample of fluid from his spine, but the criminal sets off a device with 140 decibels of laughter, sending everyone to their knees. Then he unleashes the gas, affecting everyone not already infected, including Batman whose gas mask has been broken. He reveals there is still Dionesium hidden in Gotham as he tears off Batman’s cowl to reveal the presumed dead Dick Grayson. Meanwhile, Batman has found the location of the Dionesium and is in the process of having Julia confirm its’ validity. Batman assumes that The Joker must have found this when he fell of the cliff and that is what restored him. The Joker appears and shoves a knife into Batman’s shoulder and then cuts a grin into his back and stabs the other shoulder, creating a smiley face on the Dark Knight’s back.
The battle gets fierce as The Joker shoves flaming debris from the exploding cave into Batman's face while he gets a Batarang into his neck. Batman takes glee in telling him it was coated with an immune-response blocker that will keep the Dionesium from healing him. As the fight continues, The Joker laments that they could have been forever as a stalactite falls and breaks his leg. Batman, realizing he is dying, says he believes he is the pale man and apologizes to the villain. He begs him to forgive him for being blind and says he won’t let go until he is forgiven. The Joker does so, just as a boulder crashes down and destroys the Dionesium. Julia begs him to use the mapping device so he can use the Dionesium sample to save himself. He refuses, telling her to take it and use it. And then he asks her to leave him to “rest a little while with (his) friend.
Two weeks later and we see Julia visiting Alfred in the hospital. Literally hundreds of Bat-Signals fill the sky but no one answers, as Batman is truly gone. She remarks that Alfred’s severed hand was preserved and can be reattached but he has no desire to as he no longer has anyone to mend. Alfred reads a note the Bruce left behind and he says it was his way of explaining how he was flawed. Batman’s story will always be a tragedy and what makes him immortal is his mortality. His last message will always be "Ha."
What can I say? Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have ended what could possibly be one of the greatest Batman stores ever. There were so many great moments during the Endgame story that I could spend and entire review just pointing them out. This issue’s gems include The Joker dancing with Martha Wayne’s remains and the two “friends” dying together. Now, we have to assume that Bruce Wayne and The Joker will both survive to fight another day. But we DO KNOW that DC has another Batman on the horizon and rumor has it that it’s going to be Jim Gordon within this Batman armor. June is not that far away and that’s when the big reveal comes. Until then, let’s just take a deep breath and thank the creative team for delivering one of the best titles on the market today.
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