Joker

Joker

Genre: Graphic Novel

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artist: Lee Bermejo

Release Date: October 28th 2008

*Warning* Book Contains Graphic Violence

     Graphic Novels are filled with colorful villains of every stripe, performing every evil deed you can imagine and then some.  It is the nature of the medium.  Writers and artists are completely freed to depict however much or little detail they want.  Need more information for the plot?  Add a few panels.  Too much background causing a distraction?  Simplify the art.  Because of this, creators can take chances that wouldn't succeed in other mediums.

     Sometimes these risks don't pan out.  The story or character doesn't translate to the page the way he appeared in your head.  Maybe a feature of a character, or an entire character, just don't work the way you imagined.  Sometimes, though, a character comes through so perfectly, so precisely, so complete, that it feels less like a fiction, and more like a biography.  Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's one shot adaptation Joker falls squarely into this latter category.

     The story opens in a wide shot of Gotham City.  Through the narration, we learn a startling fact, one that right from the gate will shock any fan of the Batman universe, and set the tone for the rest of the book.  The Joker is being released from Arkham Asylum.  Jonny Frost, a low level henchman and the book's narrator, volunteers to go pick The Joker up at the gate, setting off a series of events that quickly spin far out of his control.

     Without missing a beat, The Joker does exactly what you would expect of him; he begins picking up where he left off.  Immediately, he starts a frantic and chaotic campaign to retrieve his territory, his underling, and his status.  Not everyone is thrilled about his return, though.  To get what's rightfully his, The Joker must crack some heads, spill some blood, and spread some good old fashioned fear among the criminal underbelly of Gotham.  He even has to put the hurt on a few familiar faces.

     Former rivals turn and, whether willing( like Killer Croc) or unwilling (like The Penguin), they help him in his attempt.  Others keep their distance from the situation as best as possible, such as The Riddler.  And still, others, such as Harvey Two-Face, actively try to stand against him.  As he has proven so many times before, though, however hard they strive to be, no one is the equal of The Joker.

     Joker is easily one of, if not the, most enduring villains in the history of comics.  Many writer/artist teams have tried to give the character their own spin, and not all of them have been successful.  It takes a very certain type of person to truly understand the character well enough to write for him, and Azzarello has done a brilliant job of it.  I think his choice to have a third party as the narrator was a very smart move.  No one can truly get into the mind of The Joker, and Azzarello must have known what an insurmountable task that would have been.  Rather, in having a narrator act as witness to The Joker's maniacal crime spree, and even participate in it, really works to convey to the reader that sense of madness, that total loss of control that is just a Tuesday for The Joker.  While reading it, we really feel that we are being swept up in something far bigger than we could have imagined.

     Bermejo's art is the perfect complement to Azzarello's writing.  Combining just the right elements from he character as he has appeared over the years, and with an obvious but perfect dose of Ledger's amazing portrayal in the movie The Dark Knight, we see on every page a world that could be.  Bermejo's art is realistic enough to make us discomforted by the events unfolding, as if we are actually watching them.  He has enough fantastical elements, though, and art that is stylized just enough, that we still feel like we are being held outside of events and the control of them (much like I imagine the Joker's victims must feel).

     The story they have chosen to tell is unsettling, disturbing, and brilliant.  The pacing keeps you on edge from start to finish.  I found myself so caught up in the story at times, I had to remind myself to stop and look at the art, too.  You will always find yourself on edge, waiting for the next more to be made.

     Two points of note:

     1) If you are looking for Batman, look elsewhere.  Though the Dark Knight does make an appearance, this is all about The Joker, and Bats has very little influence on this book.

     2) At a meager 128 pages, and of course, being a heavily illustrated Graphic Novel, this is a very fast read.  In fact, my only complaint was that I wanted more.

Story: 4.5 out of 5

Art: 4.5 out of 5

Length: 4.0 out of 5

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5