Batman: Cacophony

The director of Clerks, Mallrats and the more-recent Zak and Miri Make a Porno is a well-documented fanboy, so he’s a natural fit for writing duties on this Batman vs. Joker comic. Although the storyline involves Onomatopoeia, a super hero serial killer who only speaks in sounds, it’s really an excuse for Smith to explore the relationship between Bats and his big bad. The dialogue is clearly Smithian and spiked with sarcasm and pop-culture references — although the Caped Crusader is chattier than normal. The story reads like Smith had a great time writing it, and the final scene between the two main characters makes the whole book worth the price of admission.