Fan Casting Batman: The Caped Crusader

By taking what feels like an unconventional and unsettling pairing and attaching it to a harder, more authoritarian take on Batman and Gotham that Black Label allows, this dense issue both captures a great deal of Batman's noir aspects and pushes the boundaries of what readers expect from both hero and villain.

The issue spends most of its time setting up for The Joker's pitch for a team up with Batman and in doing so, makes it clear this Gotham is something akin to a "classic version," with a Harley Quinn who when in trouble still has faith that her "Puddin'" will come to her aid. While on many levels that is a questionable choice—there is something unnecessary about damsel-ing Harley to set a tone—it certainly gives the reader a landmark for where they are in Gotham.