REVIEW: Knight Terrors: The Joker #2

The Joker continues his assent up the darkest corporate ladder ever in Knight Terrors: The Joker #2. Will The Joker ever get serious and figure out what’s going on or is this just one long sick gag?

There is still a Batman corpse in his closet and he is still working at Wayne Enterprises, but now Joker is having dreams of the Batman…or is he actually the Bat? This is another twistedly entertaining trip through a villain’s new 9-5 life. The writing is quite hilarious, something very difficult to accomplish in comics. The Joker interviews two of his fellow supervillains and has an exchange with Mr. Freeze that made me actually laugh out loud. He also has a very interesting dinner with Bruce Wayne himself. It’s a fun watching the tables turn seeing Bruce being the one messing with The Joker’s mind here. It is easily the most intriguing and surreal moment in either issue. It’s easy to see that the writer Matthew Rosenberg enjoyed writing this short series and it’s a pretty wild ride.

In a run that has such a surreal premise and goes to a lot of weird, funny, and violent places, the art is the key in putting it all together. The art team of Stefano Raffaele and Romulo Fajardo Jr. hit the ball outta the park here. The art is bright and bold then dark and brooding. The Bat-Joker stalking the rooftops is a memorable panel while a helmeted Mr. Freeze in a suit is both funny and strangely terrifying. And in the Joker and Bruce dinner scene, Bruce is wearing the iconic outfit worn by the Joker in “The Killing Joke” storyline, an absolute amazing touch. There are so many cool things going on visually in nearly every panel.

With genuinely funny humor and visual treats left and right, Knight Terrors: The Joker #2 nearly has it all. The only problem is that it doesn’t quite stick the landing. In fact, it just kinda ends. It’s unfortunate because this could’ve been one of the best Joker side stories in recent memory with a proper ending. Instead, it’s a very, very entertaining Joker story. The Joker leading Wayne Enterprises versus Lex Corp in a softball game was the scene I didn’t know I needed in my life until this story came along. While it may not add much to the Knight Terrors overall storyline and leaves a few questions unanswered, this is still a must read for fans of the Clown Prince of Crime.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4.5 Stars
Coloring – 5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Matthew Rosenberg
Art by; Stefano Raffaele
Colors by; Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by; Tom Napolitano
Published by; DC Comics

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Christopher R. Ford

Writer, author, and blogger. Published author of three children's books and also writes for the boy Creators For The Culture. Part-time sneaker head, full time nerd.