The Joker 1

Got to say this book is a lot better than I was expecting. I thought the Joker War was going to be the biggest Joker story, but the Joker is just getting started. This book picks right where Joker War left off.The only thing worse than chasing the devil is catching him. Jim Gordon has been hired by a mysterious benefactor to kill the Joker. Not catch but kill. Also it looks like he is not the only one. This book proves once again the Joker is the premiere evil in Gotham. Jim will have to relive his everything the Joker has done to him and his family. Also the Joker's biggest plan is yet to come.Great story, artwork and a huge prelude of things to come. The story starts out by calling The Joker the boogeyman and the devil he more than lives up to both monikers. The book (apart from the bonus stories) finish on cliffhangers for all, and introduce the next generation and established Gotham underworld. Yet the Joker us still a leap ahead of everyone. The final bonus story is the Dead Ringer from the Joker War.

Excellent .

“The Joker 1” collects the first five issues of this series (?), along with stories from Batman #100 and The Joker War Zone.So, how do you write a comic-book about a one-dimensional character?Well, you can do what Marvel recently did with Darth Vader, or you can give the character a ‘family’ or supporting cast to provide the extra dimensions, or in this case a co-star who brings so much baggage with him that he ends up being the focus of the story, leaving the one-dimensional character to maintain his air of mystery.The Joker; I’m talking about the Joker, not that other guy.Anyway, following the recent atrocity at Arkham, a mysterious woman drives up to the retired Commissioner Gordon, and hires him to find the Joker, just like in a noir film.Meanwhile, the star of the book is off on holiday in Central America, where he maintains his innocence of the Arkham business.Anyway, this is an excellent, almost (but not quite) old-fashioned story, which is slotted in to the current Batman/Detective continuity, and is basically a third title in that series, with plenty of its own sub-plots and spinning-off plot-threads, which emerge as the book progresses.Gordon is carrying a lot of baggage regarding the Joker, which is aired in depth as we move along, re-establishing/clearing-up Gordon’s own personal continuity while we do, and also stirring-up old questions about just how much he knows about secret identities and the like.This really is an exemplary comic-book, and the art is very good as well.