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Apr 13, 2016 Web Exclusive By Zach Hollwedel

Batman and The Joker take a Euro-trip in Batman Europa, the four-part miniseries collected in hardcover from DC Comics. While fighting crime one night, The Caped Crusader feels his reflexes and strength fading. Batman learns he’s suffering from a deadly virus engineered to kill him in a week. Surprisingly, his number one suspect—The Joker—has also been infected. The arch-nemeses must work together to stave off their mutual destruction. The clues lead them to Europe, but will they find a cure before it’s too late?

Though it sounds gimmicky, Batman Europa is a fresh and exciting take on the foes-turned-partners setup. Under any other writing team, it might falter, but veteran talents Brian Azzarello and Matteo Casali delve deep into Batman and The Joker’s psyches, mining the distance between them—and the common ground they share—for all it’s worth. One of the least likely partnerships in comic books proves one of the best Batman stories of the year thus far. (www.dccomics.com)

Author rating: 8/10