Legends of the DC Universe #27

   

The Joker's managed to oust Aquaman as the ruler of Atlantis,  thanks to that honey laced tongue of his. Now an outcast from Atlantis, Arthur heads to dry land and Gotham City. But, the former monarch isn't looking for the Batman to take on the Clown Prince of Crime. No, revenge is Aquaman's but he's not opposed to a little training in how to defeat the Joker and reclaim the throne.

   This conclusion to the sequel of 'The Laughing Fish' was fantastic. The story was masterfully written by Steve Englehart, the genius behind the original Batman tale. The art was very good. It includes a scene that I both loved and hated simultaneously. It's a 4-page spread between Aquaman and the Dark Knight. There are no words involved, not even sound effects. But, it's also a fight first, ask questions later premise that Marvel Comics known for overusing quite often when super-heroes first meet prior to teaming up together.

    The martial arts was awesome, I just hated the cliched plot device. It just makes me wonder if Englehart's script was short 4 pages, so the editors decided "Hey, let's just fill it in with Aquaman and Batman beating the hell outta each other."

      The ending was also telegraphed, but I felt that it was handled a little more tactfully with just the right touch of irony. So I excuse it. Its worth checking out as is this 2-part story as a whole.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.