| Joker | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Date | October 17, 2008 |
| Main character(s) | Joker Batman Killer Croc Riddler Two-Face Harley Quinn |
| Page count | 128 pages |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Brian Azzarello |
| Artist(s) | Lee Bermejo |
| Inker(s) | Mick Gray |
| Letterer(s) | Robert Clark |
| Colorist(s) | Patricia Mulvihill |
| ISBN | ISBN 1401215815 |
Joker is an original graphic novel written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. It was published in 2008 by DC Comics. It is based on characters from DC's Batman series, focusing primarily on the title character. It is unique take on the Batman mythos, set in an alternate reality, and narrated by one of the Joker's henchmen.
Contents |
Publication history
Azzarello and Bermejo had previously worked on a similar take on the main Superman villain in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, and Joker grew out of a discussion following completion of the project and was greenlit by DC Editor Dan DiDio the following day.[1] The initial plan was reflect this connection with a title sharing the same structure, Joker: The Dark Knight but it was felt to be too similar to the film The Dark Knight, and so the name was shortened.[1] When the writer was asked if he preferred writing villains he said "I relate to them. [Laughs] I don't relate to the heroes. The Man, tryin' to keep you down!"[2]
Plot
The story is told from the perspective of Jonny Frost, a low level thug who is sent to Arkham Asylum to pick up the Joker. Frost becomes part of the Joker's gang and assists him in trying to regain his former status as the high profile gang figure within Gotham City, clashing with figures such as Two-Face, Killer Croc, The Penguin and Batman.
The novel kicks off when Jonny Frost is sent to pick up the Joker. Joker immediately takes a liking to Frost, using him as a chauffeur. Frost drives Joker to the lair of Killer Croc, a cannibalistic African American. The three then arrive at the Grin and Bare It, a strip bar formerly owned by Joker. With the help of Harley Quinn, an employee at the bar, Joker makes a grand re-entrance in the crime scene, skinning the new owner alive and asking anyone who is willing to help him take his city back.
Next morning, Joker robs a bank and coaxes the Penguin (mockingly referred to as "Abner"[3]) to invest the stolen money. Joker then embarks on a mad killing spree, murdering many thugs, including Tommy "Bang Bang". Informed by the Penguin that Harvey Dent is angry at him, the Joker, in a fit of pique, destroys the Grin and Bare It. Meanwhile, Frost meets with Dent, who warns him the Joker will kill him, laughing with Frost's blood on his hands. Subsequently, Frost is late to Joker's meeting with the Riddler, here a crippled hoodlum. They exchange a briefcase, and Joker leaves. Once on the road, the Joker's crew is shot at by off-duty cops, and Frost saves Joker's life in the scuffle.
Joker's response to the incident is to embark on a total turf war against Dent, eventually prompting him to meet with Joker. At the meeting, Joker murders all of Dent's men and whispers to him that he knew how to kill one of Dent's personalities. After helping Frost get his ex-wife back from Dent, then raping her, Joker says the two are even for Frost saving him earlier. Later, Harvey paints a bat on a spotlight, pleading with Batman to stop Joker. When Joker and Frost return to the apartment building they reside in, they find the window shattered and flee to Croc's lair. Nowhere is safe however, as Batman has already subdued Croc and his gang.
In a final attempt to escape, Joker and Frost flee to a nearby bridge. They find Batman in wait, and Joker holds Frost at gunpoint, asking why Batman leaves his mouth exposed. Joker argues that this reveals Batman's "chiseled good looks," thus shattering his persona as a monster. Batman replies "to mock you", and Joker shoots Frost in the neck. Joker and Batman begin to fight, and Frost leaps off the bridge.
Characters
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Jonny Frost - The narrator, referred to by the Joker as 'Jonny Jonny' most of the time, is a typical noir protagonist: morally ambiguous, he is a sympathetic character who is nevertheless no hero, aiding and abetting the Joker in numerous crimes, including multiple murders. A low-ranking gangland "soldier" at the book's opening, Jonny quickly latches onto the recently-released Joker as his means of escaping petty crime and rising to the underworld notoriety he has always sought. Although he is instinctually afraid of the Joker, he also seems to like, respect, and, most of all, admire him as a symbol of the power and impunity a life of crime can provide. Only toward the end of the book, when his ex-wife becomes embroiled in a standoff and the Joker begins killing innocents at random, does Jonny come to regret his course.
The Joker - After getting picked up from Arkham Asylum by Jonny, he seeks to regain his place as "The Clown Prince of Crime". Unlike other crime bosses portrayed in the book, Joker doesn't care to spend his time living luxuriously while lackeys do his dirty work; he relishes dealing death and punishment personally. Also, unlike the semi-asexual Joker of most continuities, this version freely rapes women, despite having a sexual relationship with Harley Quinn. When asked how he got out of Arkham Asylum, he will say nothing more than, "I'm not crazy anymore . . . Just mad." He uses pills (prescriptions, presumably opioids and benzodiazepines), cocaine, and alcohol throughout the day. Throughout the story he is compared to a deadly disease that has spread through Gotham. Bermejo's artistic interpretation has been frequently compared to Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight. However, these similarities are entirely coincidental as Bermejo's depiction of the Joker was developed prior to The Dark Knight's production. [4] Neither have the unusually-long chin of the classic comic-book version, and both have a Glasgow smile scar, rather than a real grin "frozen" in place (as in The Joker's earliest appearances in the comics[5], and onscreen in 1989's Batman). This Joker is motivated, not by some psychological drive to "play" with the Batman, nor by any wish to "cure" Gotham's citizens of their boring, unsmiling sanity; but by sadism, hatred of the world and a desire to own Gotham and do whatever he pleases with it.
Killer Croc - More resembling an African-American man than a crocodile in this comic, his skin is somewhat scaly, and he appears to have unusually sharp teeth, still retaining some aspects of the original character. He works for Joker and spends the majority of his time in a meat freezer. There are various hints scattered throughout Joker's dialogue that may indicate that Croc eats human flesh. In fact, the Joker may be taking advantage of this. When Jonny unwisely tries to rush Croc through a meal (a pot full of unidentifiable meat on the bone), Croc says, "Damn, you got no idea, do ya? I'm workin'." By "workin'", Croc may mean he's getting rid of evidence.
Harvey Dent - Despite his disfigurement, he leads a somewhat functional life in a large mansion, often seen spending time in a chair by the fireplace, next to a telephone, brooding. He keeps his ever-present coin in hand, but does not seem to use it to make decisions. As Jonny narrates, "Harvey Dent was the rackets in Gotham. The price of doing business was doing it with him." He is vying to keep the Joker out of power, which is the source of significant conflict between the two criminals. The Joker incessantly teases him about his split personality. He asks Batman for help after the Joker tells Two-Face that he will discover a way to murder one of his personalities. In the novel, he is rarely called Two-Face, only Joker uses the nickname for him during their final showdown. Portrayed as a mobster kingpin, Dent doesn't wear costumed suits reflecting his split personality and facial disfigurement, and does not use any duality themed props or weapons.
The Penguin - The Joker often intimidates him for laughs, and has dubbed him "Abner" as a form of disrespect.[3] It is unclear if this is the real name of this universe's Penguin, or just a nickname given by the Joker. Penguin handles most of Joker's personal investments in the story, as well as dealing with incoming revenue from boxing matches.
Harley Quinn - Frequently present, but silent and relegated to the background, she first seems to be a stripper, though this may only be a ruse. She is the Joker's girlfriend (Azzarello's Joker, unlike other interpretations, is clearly sexually active). Though nonspeaking, she proves herself the Joker's most reliable underling, skillfully executing his plans—and his enemies—throughout the book. One particularly interesting scene depicts the Joker, on his knees, crying at Harley's feet, who is wearing only her underwear. Near the end of the story, Batman is shown bursting through her window, looking for the Joker, but her fate after that is unknown.
The Riddler - In this continuity, Edward Nygma is portrayed as a disabled man (providing a reason to carry his question-mark cane). He is a clever hustler and thief. ("It was supposed to be impossible to steal", he says to Joker, "So I stole it.") He has a circular series of question mark tattoos around his navel (which may have been pierced to serve as the dot). He is powerful enough a criminal to have his own entourage of thugs, who drive him around in customized BMWs. (The Joker, by contrast, is shuttled about by Jonny in a Trans Am). In his only scene in the book, Nygma is shown selling something to the Joker (the subject of the preceding quote), but it is never explained what it is(it's been noted that this may be a reference to the film Pulp Fiction, wherein a mysterious chest is featured).
Batman - The Batman is seen very little, but the Joker is certain that the Dark Knight is watching him all along. Perhaps because Joker is, primarily, killing other criminals, rather than innocent citizens, Batman does not intervene until a certain other criminal pleads with him to (even going so far as to create his own bat-signal). Some readers may miss Batman's first shadowy background appearance, near the beginning of the story. Unlike many other recent interpretations (for example, in The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's Joker says "I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you?"), this Joker does not actively seek out the Batman, though he does at one point invite a confrontation. He only wants to be "king of the Gotham City rackets" (as the book's back cover summary puts it), to "own" Gotham, and sees the Batman as an obstacle. In some scenes, Joker seems openly frightened of the Batman, as well as truly loathing him, such as during the beginning of their confrontation at Joker's hideout. And, though the Joker is a lunatic, this Batman seems to know how to push his buttons—Batman's one comment to the Joker drives him fully into a murderous rage.
The Crooked Detective - Like Jonny Frost, an original character of the book. He works for Harvey Dent, but also appears with a group of off-duty police officers who engage Joker's gang in a drive-by shoot-out. Prior to that fateful shoot-out, he intimidates Jonny in an annoyingly cheerful way, pushing him into a secret meeting with Dent.
Reception
The graphic novel generally received positive reviews. IGN stated "Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Joker is a deeply disturbing and completely unnerving work, a literary achievement that takes its place right alongside Alan Moore's The Killing Joke as one of the few successful attempts to scratch beneath the surface of the Joker's impenetrable psyche".[6] AICN noted that "The story is compelling, especially the gut-wrenching showdown at the end of the book, and the art is mouth-wateringly good." [7]
References
- ^ a b Exploring the Joker - Brian Azzarello Talks, Newsarama, September, 2008
- ^ CCI: Brian Azzarello Q&A, Comic Book Resources, July 26, 2008
- ^ a b Joker's Wild Ride (an interview with the author), on IGN.com
- ^ [1].
- ^ See The Batman Chronicles, Volume One for "The Joker" and "The Joker Returns" from Batman No. 1, Spring 1940
- ^ Review. IGN
- ^ Bug, Ambush. "THIS HALLOWEEN AICN COMICS REVIEWS JOKER+preview! DARK CRYSTAL! RISERS! MUSCLES&FRIGHTS! FINAL CRISIS...oh the horror! + MORE!!!". Ain't it cool news. http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38909#1. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
External links
Interviews
- Bad Azz Mojo - Part 4, Broken Frontier, October 13, 2006
Reviews
- Review, Comic Book Resources
- Best Shots Extra: Joker, Newsarama
- Graphic novel slugfest, Comics Bulletin
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