Originally published on Patreon
So, there's no way to talk about this book without talking about the big ending, so if you want a spoiler free opinion on whether or not this is good and worth reading, yes, yes it is. Now, head off and read a copy before doing the rest of this article.
I really enjoyed the previous The Joker series. When I first heard they were doing a book on the character I was a bit worried as I thought the Joker would be best in small doses, and that having a book focused on him might take a little away from the character. But, that series sidestepped the problem by having it be a book about Jim Gordon as much as it was the Joker. It was a great series, and I enjoyed the story it told.
So when it came to an end and it was announced that there was going to be another Joker series I was excited to see what it would do. It had some decent sized shoes to fill, and I was curious to see what kind of approach it would take. Would it follow the Joker, or another character was perhaps my biggest question. There were hints in some other titles that Jason Todd might be going after the Joker, and I was certainly open to seeing that story.
But the first issue didn't really make it obvious who we were following. There was plenty of narration, and for a while it seemed like it might be from the Joker himself, until it was clear that the person telling the story was tied up and then got shot in the head by the Joker as they did their schemes in the city.
The Joker, having previously been away from Gotham, had returned and was trying to stake his claim, taking out some mid-level crooks to show that he was back and meant business. But after a chat with Black Mask, The Riddler, and Two-Face (is he a villain again now?) he was convinced that Gotham is done with him, and decided to leave. From here the Joker moved over to LA, where he killed a local crime boss and made a very public announcement that he was going on the road, bringing his own brand of 'fun' to every city in the US.
But whilst this was happening, the mysterious narrator who was shot in the head woke up as he's being piled into a mass grave. Taking out the goons who were to bury him, he heads into a local bar to try and figure shit out, where he hears about the Joker's new reign of terror. Wandering into the bathroom, he manages to get the sack off his head to reveal his true identity. Is it someone we know, one of the Bat Family, Gordon, a rival criminal, or a whole new character completely? Well, I don't think many would have predicted this reveal; it's the Joker.
I'm mildly aware that DC did a story about there being multiple Jokers in the past (which I might have to go and read pretty soon it seems), but I don't really know much about it or how that all worked out. So, this could be connected to that, it could be it's own new thing. Either way, this is an incredibly intriguing start to this series. I was kind of against a series that put the Joker in the lead, but doing it this way is interesting and different enough that I can get on board with it.
The art, by Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Arif Prianto, has a nice grittiness to it that works with the tone of the story, but there's plenty of detail and depth that you can spend your time on each page, soaking in all of the environments and characters. It's nice art, and the grimy, nasty moments all look disgusting and gross in the right way, and it helps towards making the reader uncomfortable at the right moments.
There's also a back-up feature that may seem pretty disconnected from things, but may also hold some hints as to what's going on. In this small comic, that's drawn to look like something from the 60's and 70's with thicker lines, bold, bright colours, and fairly simple panels that often lack background. In this story the Joker is stopped from his latest crimes by Power Girl, who he instantly becomes attracted to. The Joker tries to make himself look good, trying on some different looks in front of Mirror Master's mirror (including a fun Suicide Squad Joker gag). But the Joker in the mirror steps out into the real world.
Is this weirdly unconnected back-up actually giving us the explanation already? Perhaps. But then, I could also see this series perhaps giving us a different possible duplicate Joker origin every issue as a way to throw the reader off, and to nod at the whole thing of the Joker not having a real, defined origin story. Either way, it's an interesting addition to this issue.
I went into this first issue with hopes for something good, but some worries about the kind of book it could have been. Thankfully, by the end I was completely sold on this series, and am eagerly awaiting the next instalment.
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