Warning: Spoilers for I Am Batman #10 ahead!
As the Joker - though not for lack of effort. Although this new villain, Manray, has tried to match the Joker's sense of showmanship and style, all he's managed so far is to highlight just what makes the Joker such a credible threat. As he currently stands, Manray simply isn't a plausible nemesis for the new Batman.
In this spinoff of Future State, Timothy 'Jace' Fox has set up operations as Batman in New York City. His current target, a serial killer named Manray, outwardly ticks all the boxes necessary to be compared to the Joker: his brutal murders make other Batman villains seem G-rated, his mask creates a striking visual motif, and he views death and chaos as his "art." As Manray moves his way through increasingly higher profile victims, Batman is hard-pressed to put a stop to him.
I Am Batman #10, by John Ridley, Christian Duce, and Rex Lokus, sets the stage for their biggest confrontation yet. Having intimated that his next target is the mayor, Manray makes good on his threat and attacks city hall, ripping through aides and bodyguards. Despite an armed team of guards waiting in the lobby, the mayor arrives to find them all slaughtered and Manray waiting for him. Batman arrives at the nick of time and after a tense battle, Manray is subdued.
Sadly, there’s little to justify Manray’s apparent rampage, exposing him as another Joker copycat. With no powers or martial training, only a spiked iron on a chain, there is no explanation given as to why a team of armed guards is unable to shoot Manray or how he can fight toe-to-toe with Batman. The Joker, on the other hand, has well established his ability to plan and set traps in advance; teams who have gone in to kill him inevitably realize too late that they've been sent into a deathtrap. The sheer unpredictable nature of the Joker leads his opponents to second-guess themselves at critical moments, never knowing just what he has planned or whether they're being tricked. In the face of all this, Manray just feels implausible - there's very little about him that allows for the suspension of disbelief required for a supervillain to not be shot outright.
Non-powered villains like Victor Zsasz (who has killed many people) are still terrifying. Zsasz' MO of stalking his victims, however, is a much better match for his skillset; he is not the kind of villain who could walk into a room of armed security forces and be expected to walk out. Treating Manray as a Joker-level threat without establishing his skills or abilities beforehand makes it very difficult for the reader to take him seriously. Batman will happily bring him down regardless, but so far all Manray has managed to prove is that it takes something far more special than a high body count to be the next Joker.
I Am Batman #10 is now available from DC Comics.
