batman: war crimes

batman: war crimes
writers:
andersen gabrych, devin grayson, bill willingham, bruce jones, will pfeifer
artists:
giuseppe camuncoli, pete woods, eddy barrows, ron randall, thomas derenick
graphics/crime
dc comics
published 2005

*****WARNING - CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BATMAN: WAR GAMES*****

Stephanie Brown wanted to be the Batman's newest partner.  She failed.  She died.  And now, amid widespread accusations that he was at fault, the Dark Knight begins an investigation into her murder that ultimately leads to Gotham City's undisputed mob boss, the Black Mask.

But as rumors of a violent, almost crazed Batman spread through the city streets, many wonder if the Dark Knight has been pushed over the edge.

Will the sudden arrival of his deadliest opponent, the Joker, coupled with the return of another old foe, long believed dead, make a volatile situation even worse?  And who will survive when Batman at last confronts Stephanie's true killer?

Ok so this is going to be a short review because this is actually a pretty short collection meant to wrap up the events in War Games.  Here's what I liked:  

I liked the wrap up.  After what happened to Stephanie it would have been a bummer not to find out what the aftermath was like.  I liked the closure concerning the media as well.  Just desserts, right?

Here's what I didn't like:

Stephanie's actual killer made no sense.  I mean, they explained it and all, but really?  Meh.  And also, the return of the Joker just seemed like a 'we want to sell issues' kind of move.  He was really not necessary to the plot at all and it seemed weird that he would miss the three days of chaos that just happened only to come back after everything is settled.

It's worth the read if you read War Games, but if you were to just pick this one up you'd definitely feel cheated!