The Batman Who Laughs - Hideously overused?

[Korath]

No there was no demand.
It seemed cool at first, so people bought Dark Knight: Metal.

Everyone saw it was bad, but since a lot had bought it, DC thinks people crave this.

The sales of his minies prove you're wrong to think that.

[SiegePerilous02]

Snyder's writing for both Batman and especially the Joker is bad, and BWL is the obnoxious distillation of that.

People must be buying what they are selling so it makes sense for DC to continue to push it if that is the case, but I can't fathom why this is appealing.

[Riv86672]

No there was no demand.
It seemed cool at first, so people bought Dark Knight: Metal.

Everyone saw it was bad, but since a lot had bought it, DC thinks people crave this.

I still don't understand what this character's appeal is. He's Joker but OP like Batman? Joker is already OP.

Eh, there’s always a demand for something seen as ‘edgy’ and ‘cool’, that’s actually superficial and ppl (mostly but not exclusively, young ppl) don’t need to think too hard about.

This reminds me of when Marilyn Manson burst on the scene in the mid nineties;
though I wasn’t quite thirty then, I thought to myself, ‘if I were 13 or so, i’d probably be really into this guy’s music and persona’. But I wasn’t, so I wasn’t.
Characters like TBWL always come around, get a big following, and ppl come out of the woodwork to sing the praises of the (not at all) unique badass that’s captured their imagination. They troll non fans and swear they’re being original.
Ten years later the more self aware ones will look back and laugh at themselves.

Mind you, there will be honest to goodness real fans mixed in there (like there were w. Marilyn Manson), but it’s the other guys that’ll make the most noise and bring the most negative attention to the character.

[sifighter]

I think the other thing for me and I think probably some other readers, because like I said BWL doesn’t bother me, is that I’m not reading the series BWL’s is in because I like that character I’m reading the series he is in because I like Snyder and Snyder has chosen to write this character and also make it a big part of his story.

I like the Justice League so I pick up the Justice League that Snyder writes, especially after Metal and No Justice, and there he puts in the Batman who laughs which he builds into his story and made it a huge part of everything that will now be Death Metal. I read the mini-series, not because I liked the character but because Snyder was writing another Batman book. I have never picked up a book solely on the BWL character he just happens to be involved in the big story that I’m following which I think is a big difference.

[Restingvoice]

I still don't understand what this character's appeal is. He's Joker but OP like Batman? Joker is already OP.

Same appeal as Venom and Carnage

[Riv86672]

Same appeal as Venom and Carnage

Two characters I can also apply my last post to.

Good call(s).

[astro@work]

I don't loathe the character, but YES overexposed. After the Hell Arisen thing, he needs to get a rest for a bit. IMO.

[K. Jones]

He's the song that never ends.

But in all fairness, it's really not his fault. BMWL is primarily in Justice/Crisis and event tie-in titles. And promotional stuff, obviously. He's not really in that much more stuff as more than anything but passing mention.

The trouble is, I think ... that he's just Batman. + Joker. Two characters who are both already tragically overexposed. So he just feels like overexposure multiplication.