Batman: Europa Review
When it comes to relationships in comics, nothing can be more complicated than the one between Batman and his arch-nemesis, the Joker. As we learned from works such as The Dark Knight Returns, these two cannot live without one another and will always be a continuous bloody fight, even Frank Miller once described their relationship as a “homophobic nightmare”. However, what happens when good and evil must pair up to survive, which is the question that Batman: Europa asks.
After learning that he’s dying from something called the Colossus Virus and only has a week to live, Batman heads to Berlin where he discovers that the Joker has been exposed to the same destructive disease. Much to his reluctance and hatred towards his enemy, the Dark Knight must team up with the Clown Prince of Crime in search of a cure which will take them across Europe.
Initially announced in 2004, this long-awaited miniseries finally made it into publication over ten years later, despite the world changing a lot over that decade. Written by Matteo Casali and Brian Azzarello, with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli (who does the layouts for all four issues), Jim Lee, Alex Sinclair and Pat Brousseau, Europa ultimately feels like an out-of-continuity story – no connection to what’s happening in The New 52 and even DC’s upcoming Rebirth.
Drawn by Jim Lee, the first issue opens with the streets of Gotham with Batman and Killer Croc butting heads, retaining their original looks from the overrated Hush. This may sound like we’re in familiar territory but once Batman discovers his fatal deadline and goes across the Atlantic, it’s all National Lampoon's European Vacation with the Joker. Although there is plenty of darkly wit towards the uneasy alliance between the bat and the clown, the story could’ve greatly examined their relationship due to the weeklong team-up, but is more interested in the okay European-based mystery which has a disappointing conclusion.
As the comic takes Batman out of his comfort zone, it allows the four artists to provide their unique style to Europe’s most beautiful cities. Although Jim Lee remains as one of the most prolific and accomplished artists in the industry does a fine job here at transitioning from Gotham to Berlin, it is Spider-Man artist Giuseppe Camuncoli who steals the show. In the second issue which takes place in snow-filled Prague, Camuncoli brings out the best artwork in the miniseries with Batman and the Joker battling wooden robots – not sure why, but it’s visually arresting.
When we arrive at the Paris-set Issue #3 to which the Joker says to his bat-themed partner, “…is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”, things get abstract. Reminiscent to the art of Dave McKean, Diego Latorre’s illustrations visually depict the hallucinating visions from the two leads but due to the constant darkness, it’s a little difficult to follow. As for Gerald Parel who draws the final issue, he achieves the same narrative effect but is more brightly coloured thus the more coherent. His work towards Rome, particularly the Coliseum is a sight to behold.
Although the mixed storytelling from Matteo Casali and Brian Azzarello, Batman: Europa works more as an art book with the four artists providing some of the best art we’ve seen in the Dark Knight’s comics history. The wait was all worth it.
