Joker

JOKER is a chilling portrayal of everyone's favorite psychopath from the perspective of one of his henchmen. What makes this book interesting is that you get a fresh look at how the Joker operates behind the scenes. The Story The Joker is released from Arkham Asylum after he is declared sane and starts to take back Gotham City. He reunites with some of Gotham's more colorful characters and chaos ensues. This portrayal of the Joker is more realistic than some of the other books. He's a ruthless criminally insane drug addict who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The Art The art is creepy and unnerving to say the least. The characters are expressed well and have a more realistic and gritty look to them. There is some violence and disturbing gore. The Dialogue The dialogue is good and there are some good lines. As you are reading this, you really get an idea of what the Joker is like. At any point, he can flip out and kill just about anyone around him on a whim. It's really unnerving. Overall Not everyone will love this book. This is not a book about Batman trying to stop one of the Joker's Crazy Plots. It's not about Batman... it's not about Commisioner Gordon... it's not about Gotham City... it's not even really about the henchman... It's more of a behind the scenes psychological study of the Joker as he does what he does. Action fans will probably not be satisfied with the book and Batman fans will be wondering where the caped crusader was during all of this. If you want a high action Batman book, this is not for you. But if you ever wanted to see how the Joker operates and feel what it's like to be caught in the tangled web that he weaves, this is a must read. Note: If you want a great Batman vs. The Joker story, read The Killing Joke.

EXTREME VIOLENCE ALERT!!! Nobody knows how he got out of Arkham, but it was waaaaaaay too soon. This Joker is less gentlemanly, less foppish, than in the past. He's more of a "normal" psychopath (if there is such a thing), but his "always-on-the-edge-of-a-murder-spree" persona comes through here in a powerful way. I also like the take on other Batman Villians (Croc, Riddler and Penguin). All-in-all a great story, tremendous artwork. Good Homage to Heath Ledger's portrayal in "The Dark Knight".

I loved the way The Joker was portrayed in The Dark Knight and this graphic novel continues the way he acts in the movie. When I read Allen Moore's The Killing Joke, I was happy that he took the character serious and actually made him a killer rather than infecting people with just the joker venom. In Joker, the Joker is even more twisted and sadistic. I want to tell you about some of the things that are in this book, but that would ruin the shock and awe you would get from seeing it yourself. It seems that the writers of ths book wanted to keep in the Nolan universe by keeping the villans as realistic as possible. Instead of Killer Croc being a giant crocidile on two legs, he is just once again a normal guy with a skin condition. The Riddler is a cripple who runs with a street racing gang and The Penguin is well...The penguin. My favorite cameo (and my favorite villan ever) was the lovely Harley Quinn who's latest incarnantion is a stripper, I must say it really does fit her character and hopefully she appears this way as the main villan of Batman 3 haha jk. As for the story its self, it is not seen from The Joker's pov but a thug named Jonny "Jonny" Frost. The Joker does some nasty deeds to everyone that crosses his path and the book actually censors very little, which I loved. He murders, does drugs, drinks heavily, and *gasps* does something very terrible to a certain someone's ex-wife. Batman makes a brief appearance which is great because I just wanted to see how The Joker would spend a night on the town and helps readers dive into his twisted psyche. Overall EXTREMELY good read, especialy if you loved The Dark Knight and its not too expencive either.

Ever wonder what it would be like to be in the employ of the Joker? Job security would certainly not be one of its selling points, nor would benefits like health and life insurance. In fact, it might be a good idea to purchase some beforehand. Just ask Jonny Frost, his new henchman. Brian Azzarello's much anticipated new Joker novel is seen and told through the eager yet anxious perspective of one of his new accomplices in crime, and no previous experience on the mean streets of Gotham is going to prepare him for the mayhem and madness that is to follow. This is a slightly different Joker than normally seen; more serious than silly, more reflective than refractive. He has just returned from yet another of his enforced sojourns in Arkham, this time released legally for a change, brutally back with a vengeance to reclaim lost turf, and heaven help anyone who gets in his way. Joining the party on various sides are Killer Croc, the Penguin, slightly reinvented incarnations of Harley Quinn and the Riddler, and the one unfortunate downside, an ineffectually depicted Harvey Dent. While this obviously is the Joker's story, it serves little purpose in the grand scheme of things to portray other villains as weaker in order to make the Joker loom larger. As Batman can attest, you're only as imposing as your adversaries. All of the rogues have delightfully different visual looks, thanks to the imaginative illustrations of Lee Bermejo, whose work overall ranges from simply remarkable to occasionally awkward. As for Batman himself, he is only seen briefly at the very end, a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion that did appear a bit abrupt and condensed, but then again, this is more about portent and personalities than plot and practicalities. Comparisons to the creators' fantastic Lex Luthor mini are natural and indeed inevitable. That tale took Lex in a completely different direction than usual, and was a major part of its appeal. While this project didn't break any shocking new ground, it thankfully didn't retread the same tiresome and inane gag fests and mindless mania that many of his stories do. Azzarello instead wisely incorporated his trademark grit behind the grin, added danger to the drama, and in the process possibly produced this generation's unique Joker saga. Fans of these two talented men expected no less.

Few writers have ever really "gotten" the Joker like Alan Moore did with the prolific Batman tale, The Killing Joke. Grant Morrison seems to get the character to a point, but more than anything, the Joker is just a little too difficult a villain for many writers to really grasp. Not so for 100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello, whose original graphic novel The Joker finds the Batman arch-nemesis freed from Arkham Asylum and seeking to reclaim what's his. Whether this means joining up with Killer Croc, intimidating The Penguin, or royally angering Two-Face; Joker makes his mark, and Azzarello puts a distinct spin on the character from the perspective of a low-rent hood named Jonny, who himself seeks to claim a little piece of the action by working for Joker. With spectacular pencil work and paint work from Azzarello's Lex Luthor: Man of Steel partner Lee Bermejo; The Joker is the defining Joker tale for a new generation of readers, just as The Killing Joke was all those years ago. All in all, if you're a Batman fan in the very least, The Joker deserves a place in your library.