Michael Green, writer / producer of NBCs smash-hit series HEROES, teams with classic Batman artist Denys Cowan for a tale set early in the career of the Dark Knight that sheds light on who the Joker was before he became the Clown Prince of Crime. Discover how Batman first crossed paths with the punk who was destined to become his deadliest foe, and see just how far hell go in order tobring down the new criminal insanity that's inspiring Gotham Citys underworld.
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About the Author
Michael Green is a writer and co-executive producer for the TV series Heroes. His other TV writing credits include Smallville, Jack and Bobby, Everwood and Sex and the City. This is his first work in comics. Denys Cowan is one of the most acclaimed African-American comics creators of all time. As well as illustrating series including Spider-Man, The Flash and Green Arrow, he co-founded Milestone Media, where he co-created Hardware and Xombi.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Look at Lovers and Madmen...,
By
This review is from: Batman: Lovers and Madmen (Batman (DC Comics Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
I had not heard of this story before I bought it, instead catching a glimpse of it in the bookstore and deciding to give it a chance. I'm a large fan of Batman in general, and I'm always ready to give another adventure a try if it captures my interest.
Lovers and Madmen comes forward with another Joker origin, which as many people argue, is a problem in itself. Some of the Joker's best characteristics are due to his enigmatic past, but in my opinion, this is how you would do an almost untouchable subject justice. Since I'm sure people want to read the story itself, I'll just point out a few parts of the tale that I thought made it warrant these five stars. On one hand, the audience gets to watch Batman grow. He orders a hit on this man Jack, the future Joker. This seems so unthinkable, so non-Batman, that it almost jerks the reader out of the story. This is a younger Batman, a Batman who has not become his true self yet, who has not reached the potential and come to the values that make him Batman. He makes mistakes, and he loses his confidence when things don't go his the way he had planned. Once he meets Jack, a being who is outside of his comprehension and expectations, his confidence almost shatters. However, he comes closer to becoming our Batman. He makes the right decision in the end, just as he was meant to do. This Batman is human, still fresh on the job and becoming himself. In this story, the Joker starts out not as a criminal, but someone just simply evil. He's tired of his mundane life lacking challenge, and he finds purpose in the Batman. This strangely realistic view just feels right. The reader can visualize the connection between the two, the fascination that took Jack and made the Joker. It just makes sense. While the tale focuses, rightly, on Batman and the Joker, we get tidbits about future key players. There are glimpses of Dr. Crane and Harleen Quinzel, which just bring a little extra to the table. It may seem like a little thing, but it just adds more joy to the pages. The art fits the story well. The lines are somewhat layered and sketched, not clean. It's not a style for everyone, but there are moments where you just get caught up in the beauty of it. Personally, I adored Lovers and Madmen, and I could go on about why it's such a great read. I'm actually rather stunned with the downright terrible or just mediocre reviews it has collected. I urge you to go out and give this story a try. It's definitely deserving of at least a look. The only word of caution I have is this. This story is different; it is something new, an addition to a universe that has been growing for years. In order to enjoy it, you need to be open to it and accept what it gives you before making a decision on its quality. This is not The Killing Joke, and from what I've seen, it is when people start comparing this to it that it becomes less than what it is. I loved The Killing Joke, I still do, but as long as people hold above every other Joker origin, stories like this take hits.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not THAT bad...,
By MacMan73 (Fort Worth, TX United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Batman: Lovers and Madmen (Batman (DC Comics Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
I loved "The Killing Joke." Let's just get that out of the way.
I had already heard many bad reviews about this title when I saw it on the shelf at Borders. My curiosity got the better of me, and I bought it. And I actually liked it. Maybe it's because my expectations were low. Maybe I have bad taste, although that seems unlikely. The aforementioned "The Killing Joke", "Batman: Year One", "The Long Halloween", etc. are all favorites of mine. Anyway, I liked "Lovers and Madmen." Here's why: 1. The origin of the Joker here is, to me, more "real." I loved "Batman Begins." I know I will love the upcoming sequel, "The Dark Knight." The reason these movies work so well is because, as the director himself stated, they are created in a "realistic fashion." As I read L & MM, I felt that same kind of "heightened reality". The Joker's origin felt more REAL. It really drew on the idea that Batman is responsible for the Joker's existence, far beyond the traditional "Oops...I accidentally dropped a failed comedian into acid." 2. The Batman is portrayed as a real man who makes mistakes and then has to reconcile them. Batman ordering a hit was a surprise to me. But I wasn't offended over it, mostly because of how this knee-jerk decision affected the Batman. And by the end of the story, when faced with the same choice, he makes the right decision. Over the course of the story, he GROWS into the Batman we all know. I loved it. Again, it's more REAL. The only thing I didn't particularly care for in this story was the depiction of Gordon in his relationship to Batman. There is this resentment that Gordon seems to have for Batman... Anyway, this story is far from perfect, but it's actually not a bad read. As much as I loved "The Killing Joke," I really appreciated this new origin for the Joker. I actually prefer it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another Joker origin story,
By
This review is from: Batman: Lovers and Madmen (Paperback)
"Batman: Lovers and Madmen" contains "Batman Confidential" #'s 7-12 and details THAT comic's version of the origin of Batman's arch-nemesis.
Let's get this out of the way first off: THIS IS NOT ALAN MOORE'S "BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE"!!! This story comes on the heals of the "BC" #'s 1-6 story "Batman: Rules of Engagement", that details Batman/Bruce Wayne's conflict with Lex Luthor over corporate sabotage to win a military contract for robotic battle suits/A.I. soldiers. These stories appear completely separate from each other and don't reference one another so these story-lines appear to be non-canonical. Batman is enjoying the success of his campaign against crime, but a wild card has appeared: an unknown killer targeting people seemingly at random with no apparent motive - two facts Batman is unable to comprehend, believing that all crime has rhyme and reason. As Bruce Wayne, he meets and falls for a museum curator and finds himself enjoying the pleasures of a normal life that he considers giving up the cape and cowl all together. Meanwhile, our mystery killer - here, named "Jack" - has come to be dissatisfied with what he does simply because it doesn't give him any thrill. He shares this with a young psych. student named Harleen Quinzel, who unknowingly convinces him to go back and try again to find what he's looking for. He takes her up on the suggestion and later a robbery he's a part of is busted by Batman. Enthralled by someone in a costume looking to stop him from killing, Jack becomes obsessed with the Dark Knight and plans to find a way to meet him again. He crashes a museum showcasing and mortally wounds Bruce's lover and gets away; but not before Batman slices up his face with a bladed Batarang. Realizing that he's not up to the task of dealing with crazies - or "freaks" - Batman (in a HIGHLY UNCHARACTERISTIC move) places a mob hit on Jack; let the sharks eat their own as it were. Jack is kidnapped and taken to a chemical plant to be tortured to death. Batman soon realizes the error of his judgment and runs off to save him, bringing him to justice the right way. After a fiasco transpires between the mobsters and Jack, he comes to be engulfed in noxious chemicals and washed out into a marsh: he arises with green hair, bleach-white skin, and red stained lips on his mutilated face, leaving him with the appearance of a permanent grin. Now freakish maniac, the JOKER begins a campaign of laugh-tastic terror throughout Gotham, designed to make the Dark Knight fall. An interesting read, but again, it's not "The Killing Joke". The brief featuring of Harley Quinn and a guest appearance by the not-yet-Scarecrow Dr. Jonathan Crane was a nice touch, and the struggle to do what's right in the face of insurmountable odds is still good for those who enjoy the meeting of (as The Dark Knight put it): "...an unstoppable force..." and "...an immovable object...".
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