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Title: “Skeleton Key”
Appeared in: Detective Comics #879, Sept 2011
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Summary:For years, Jim Gordon has been tormented by the possibility that his son, James Jr., might be a killer. Tonight, he’ll get the answers he’s been after. But is the truth about James even darker than the Commissioner, or even Batman, could have guessed? In the meantime, Joker escapes Arkham…again.

Rating:  3.5 of 5 (An overall good read)

Jokerlady says: (Careful….SPOILERS AHEAD!)

Ok, this story is definitely different. The style of the art is very NOIR, typical of the classical detective serials of the early 1940s that kept must of that generation on the edge of our seats. This one does the same thing. It remenisces of great storylines in previous Batman andventures like BATMAN YEAR ONE among others. Though I have to admit that I am not a big fan fo the style, for I find it too simplistic and to a sense boring, I have to admit that here it suits it very well. Note the colors and composition of the cover page.  The red colors  convey urgency, and the two protagonists  (Gordon on the foreground and his son, not facing the reader on the background (A gesture that by itself conveys suspicion and distrust, ), but looking at opposite sides.  Confrontation is the message here. The image is not distracted by complicated angles or perspectives.  Simple but very evocative.

But though Gordon and his son are the main storyline in this comic, we  have another story that develops parallel to the maintrend: Joker’s escape from the Asylum, that slowy starts to interact with the main plot, almost like a slow dance that will eventually bring the two dancers together for the finale.

The conflict of the main story starts to build as  James Gordon is trying to reconstruct his relationship with his son, who until now has been just a  very dark shadow in his life,  since the boy had become what his father had fought for years…a socipath. But rehabilitation might have fixed the damaged boy, and it is time for Gordon to make ammends. Only thing in between…is Gordon’s years of police training that make him suspicious of supposedly rehabilitated criminals, even if it was his own son.

Note as the second conflict, Joker’s escape from the asylum, is told in vignettes that are spaced between the main action.  The rythm of the vignettes along with the rythm of of the panels within the vingette sets the rhythm for whole story, like the beating of a drum sets the rythm of the rowers.  The rythm becomes more dangerous and urgent as we start getting closer and closer to the action.  If you note Francesco’s style, he is good at getting on everybody’s faces.  We immediately read the suspiscion in Gordon’s eyes, and the madness of Joker gaze and the closer we are to the characters. the more impending the danger is.

One thing I loved was Joker getting on everybody’s nevers by doing practically nothing.  He’s telling this little story, even if nobody wants to hear it.  He’s voiced is muffled by the mask, he is speaking calmly,  nonchanlntly. but persistently and quickly  he becomes the annoying fly buzzing by your ear.  Why not ignore him?  You can’t. And when Joker seems to be losing the attention of his audience he gets more personal.  We will never know how he gets his information, but he finds the perks he knows he can use to manipulate people.  He is definitely insane, but he is also brilliant in what he does best, spread chaos.  I liked Francesco’s idea of supressing the Joker’s characteristic smile and focuse on his maniaca gaze.  Those eyes staring at me from the pages make me feel  the creepy crawlies under my skin, because I know what Joker is capable of doing (as any other reader knows) and you know he will do it.  It is just a matter of time.

 I have to admit that I am not a fan of the NOIR style, but for once it might suit this story. Francesco’s approach of using close ups and head shots gets you into a level of intimacy with the characters I don’t think would have been possible any other way. This is specially true for those Joker scenes, but the simplicity of the lines and shadows aids in creating the tense mood that build ups throughout the story as Joker escapes and Gordon finds out the truth about his son’s “rehabitlitation”.

I aslo confess that had some difficulties with aspects the plot due to my profesional background (like the theory that Joker’s poison can be extruded through his pores and the issue with Jame’s psycotic chemical), and Iwould have preferred a less demented (schizoid)…more pychotic Joker, but those problems become minor as I follow the development of the scene and immerse myself in the make belief. Just let the mood drive me through the story.

I said before tht the way Francesco build his panels is reflective of the whole story. Nowhere this is more   evident in the  scene that follows Gordon finding out what his son might be up to.  Any hopes of recovering time, reestablish a son-father relationship  is shattered by the reality of who James is. It is now time to go and stop the monster before he can do any more harm and the questions arises…can he do it? Francesco depicts that beautifully with this “shattered” pattern for the panels.  I love how he complements plot, art and composition.

To me, the last scene is also climatic. Gordon knows Joker is loose, but he also knows he is about to face an even more personal evil, and you can see the Commissioner divided between his two great demons.  Joker, and his son and he has no idea how both of them will get to him this time.

“No Harvey….nothing’s okay”.