The “Batman: Confidential” series has not been great. The first story arc of Batman vs Lex Luthor was okay. The new Joker origin storyline by Michael Green started off good, but by the end it became kind of blah for me. I read the advance solicitations of the current storyline “Do You Understand These Rights?” a few months ago and thought it sounded interesting. So far, I’m really enjoying it.

The story began in last month’s issue with Batman bringing in the Joker for booking at the Gotham City Police Department for the first time ever. The first issue ended with the Joker stealing the home phone number of one of the detectives who were booking him. He used his one phone call to call the detective’s wife and pretend to be a doctor with the news that she was dying of a disease and that it would be slow and painful death; he said it would be best if she ended her life. One of the cruelest things the Joker has ever done in comics. This issue is part two and is even better than the previous one. With an ending you won’t believe.  It involves the Joker and a peanut. 

I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that Hollywood writer/producer Andrew Kreisberg is doing a bang-up job on this arc so far. I’m not sure if this is his first comic book work, but he has had previous experience writing DC characters as he wrote a two-part episode for “Justice League Unlimited”. A pre-Two-Face Harvey Dent also makes an appearance in the story along with Commissioner Gordon and Alfred.  The Batman/Alfred scene is classic stuff.  Bruce Wayne remembering his parent’s death when a criminal takes the life of an innocent person shows the anger and obsessive determination to right the wrongs are what made Batman my all-time favorite super-hero (Wolverine is a close second). 

Veteran Batman artist Scott McDaniel provides the art work. The storytelling in the art work is great in the lead up to the Joker and peanut scene.  With what has happened so far, I can only see more carnage ahead for the people of Gotham, but that carnage is the reason why we love the Joker.  He’s a bad guy so good at what he does, you don’t want him to go away.  You want him around forever to make the life of our hero miserable.  It’s a never ending story.  All the more fun for us as readers.