Review: Batman – Three Jokers #2
Batman – Three Jokers may be Geoff Johns’ (JSA, Teen Titans, Stargirl) best work…seriously! I didn’t think it was possible to tie together everything Joker related into one story but he is doing it and doing it well. The latest issue, Batman – Three Jokers #2, ties together elements of The Killing Joke by Alan Moore, Death in the Family by Jim Starlin, Batman The Animated Series created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, The Dark Knight movie by Christopher Nolan, Golden Age Joker and Joe Chill created by luminaries Bob Kane and Bill Finger and more all in one issue. Johns manages to tie all of these elements into one storyline/narrative while building the mythology and making you want to know more.
Issue #1 left us with the death of one Joker at the hands of Jason Todd, Red Hood. Barbara Gordon, Bat Girl, appalled by Jason’s actions goes to find Batman while Todd goes off in search of the “real” Joker. This issue opens with a brilliant flashback to “The Killing Joke” and features, presumably’ the same Joker from that story, The Comedian. John’s writes this brilliantly and it is rendered with equal genius, more on that in a bit. I highlight this scene, and leave much more for you to find out on your own, because it is emblematic of John’s genius in this series so far. Here, Johns hearkens back to the infamous scene of the failed comedian eating shrimp in “The Killing Joke”. He also evokes images of the family that now long departed man might have had in the person of a, presumably, kidnapped woman and her son. What is fascinating, is that the woman and her son turn out to be figments of his imagination, 
delusions of a psychotic mind lending weight to Joker’s admission in that same Killing Joke that his past is multiple choice and who knows what is real or not real in a twisted mind like his. This scene brilliantly captures the feel of that book while bringing it forward and tying it together with other events in the long history of Joker and Batman.
However, Johns does not reserve his best writing solely for the Joker but also turns his attention to the Bat Family as well. I do not want to give away the plot points of the book but I will say that Johns draws upon many stories (see above). One of the pivotal ones in this issue is “Death In The Family”. Johns takes that story and the damage it did to one Jason Todd, mirrors it against the damage done to Barbara Gordon in “The Killing Joke”, and lays bare the emotional deficiencies of Bruce Wayne in a heartbreaking and brutal way. It is a brilliant bit of storytelling and does not tear down or deconstruct Batman but rather illuminates what we’ve know all along; Bruce is but a shell of a man covering the superhero who is committed to justice (or vengeance) leaving him incapable of being the human being that others around him might need.
None of this would work half as well without the brilliant art and color by Jason Fabok (Justice League, Batman Eternal) and Brad Anderson (Action Comics, Star Wars Republic) respectively. Fabok’s work is nearly flawless in this issue, combining modern design and story elements with an older look that is reminiscent of “Batman Year One” and “The Killing Joke” itself. While the scene itself features Joker eating octopus, Fabok draws it in such a way that it unmistakably hearkens back to the shrimp I mentioned. Anderson then comes right behind him and exactly matches the shade and color saturation from that book so that the parallel can not be missed. Scenes of carnage, 
terror, torture and redemption are similarly rendered with incredible attention to detail that hearkens back to a different age of visual storytelling. However, Fabok does not fail to bring forward new techniques and some of Bat Girl’s sequences are beautifully drawn and colored in a style and standard that is the province of the best DC Comics books out today. Simply said, the book is not only a riveting read but a joy to look at…well worth the higher cover price and a pleasant surprise.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I think this is an incredible book and series. I can not wait to see where this story goes. I must admit that my initial impressions of the project have been proven completely wrong and I’ve never been so glad to be wrong in my life. This book is a treasure and I think it is a seminal event for both Batman lore and DC comics. A decade from now I hope we are talking about this series in the same way we talk about the first Crisis event by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. I think it is that good. If you haven’t read it yet I sincerely hope this review encourages you to pick it up. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 5 of 5 Stars
Ink – 5 of 5 Stars
Color – 5 of 5 Stars
Overall Score – 5 of 5 Stars
Writer – Geoff Johns
Art – Jason Fabok
Color – Brad Anderson
Letters – Rob Leigh
Publisher – DC Comics Black Label
Author Profile
- Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.
He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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