The Joker (Hardcover)

by Brian Azzarello (Author), Lee Bermejo (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An original hardcover graphic novel that tells the story of one very dark night in Gotham City--from the creative team behind the graphic novel Lex Luthor: Man of Steel.

The Joker has been mysteriously released from Arkham Asylum, and he's none to happy about what's happened to his Gotham City rackets while he's been "away." What follows is a harrowing night of revenge, murder and manic crime as only The Joker can deliver it, as he brutally takes back his stolen assets from The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face, Killer Croc and others.

Brian Azzarello brings to The Joker all the visceral intensity and criminal insight that has made his Vertigo graphic novel series 100 Bullets one of the most critically-acclaimed and award-winning series in all of comics.

A Look Inside The Joker
(Click on Images to Enlarge)

A Disease That Infected Gotham City	Pick Your Poison
The Joker	The News Spread

From Publishers Weekly
Building on Heath Ledgers performance in The Dark Knight (although long before the movies debut), Azzarello creates a memorably cringe-worthy story. Rather than a natty Clown Prince of Crime, this Joker looks like a glam rocker gone to toxic seed. Newly released from Arkham Asylum, he begins disorganizing the criminal establishment of Gotham City. Although he claims to want power and money when he confronts Two Face and his peers, he really seems just to enjoy playing with people—shooting them, setting them on fire or skinning them alive. Accompanying him is Jonny Frost, a young thug who takes a long time to recognize the drawbacks of seeing a vicious sociopath as a role model. Like Jonny, however, readers may find that, horrifying as the Joker is, they cant take their eyes off him. Even Batman, when he inevitably enters the action, functions largely as the Jokers partner in a dance of death. Azzarello has learned how to create a menacing, morally ambivalent atmosphere in his years of scripting 100 Bullets, and Bermejos jagged, shadow-saturated art sustains the mood. The result is fascinating but extremely dark. (Nov.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; First Edition/First Printing edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401215815
• ISBN-13: 978-1401215811
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,891 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joker Returns, November 4, 2008

By	AeroRep (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Ever wonder what it would be like to be in the employ of the Joker? Job security would certainly not be one of its selling points, nor would benefits like health and life insurance. In fact, it might be a good idea to purchase some beforehand. Just ask Jonny Frost, his new henchman. Brian Azzarello's much anticipated new Joker novel is seen and told through the eager yet anxious perspective of one of his new accomplices in crime, and no previous experience on the mean streets of Gotham is going to prepare him for the mayhem and madness that is to follow. This is a slightly different Joker than normally seen; more serious than silly, more reflective than refractive. He has just returned from yet another of his enforced sojourns in Arkham, this time released legally for a change, brutally back with a vengeance to reclaim lost turf, and heaven help anyone who gets in his way. Joining the party on various sides are Killer Croc, the Penguin, slightly reinvented incarnations of Harley Quinn and the Riddler, and the one unfortunate downside, an ineffectually depicted Harvey Dent. While this obviously is the Joker's story, it serves little purpose in the grand scheme of things to portray other villains as weaker in order to make the Joker loom larger. As Batman can attest, you're only as imposing as your adversaries. All of the rogues have delightfully different visual looks, thanks to the imaginative illustrations of Lee Bermejo, whose work overall ranges from simply remarkable to occasionally awkward. As for Batman himself, he is only seen briefly at the very end, a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion that did appear a bit abrupt and condensed, but then again, this is more about portent and personalities than plot and practicalities. Comparisons to the creators' fantastic Lex Luthor mini are natural and indeed inevitable. That tale took Lex in a completely different direction than usual, and was a major part of its appeal. While this project didn't break any shocking new ground, it thankfully didn't retread the same tiresome and inane gag fests and mindless mania that many of his stories do. Azzarello instead wisely incorporated his trademark grit behind the grin, added danger to the drama, and in the process possibly produced this generation's unique Joker saga. Fans of these two talented men expected no less.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best take on the Joker since The Killing Joke, November 4, 2008

By	N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Few writers have ever really "gotten" the Joker like Alan Moore did with the prolific Batman tale, The Killing Joke. Grant Morrison seems to get the character to a point, but more than anything, the Joker is just a little too difficult a villain for many writers to really grasp. Not so for 100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello, whose original graphic novel The Joker finds the Batman arch-nemesis freed from Arkham Asylum and seeking to reclaim what's his. Whether this means joining up with Killer Croc, intimidating The Penguin, or royally angering Two-Face; Joker makes his mark, and Azzarello puts a distinct spin on the character from the perspective of a low-rent hood named Jonny, who himself seeks to claim a little piece of the action by working for Joker. With spectacular pencil work and paint work from Azzarello's Lex Luthor: Man of Steel partner Lee Bermejo; The Joker is the defining Joker tale for a new generation of readers, just as The Killing Joke was all those years ago. All in all, if you're a Batman fan in the very least, The Joker deserves a place in your library.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good if you can forget everything you know about Joker, January 2, 2009

By	A. Arbit "technophile" (MN, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although a beautifully put together book, the story will likely find a lot of Joker fans wanting. Despite the fact that Joker is in nearly every panel in the book, I never felt like I was reading a book about him. It felt more like a book about a crime boss who gets out of jail and takes revenge on his old city. This Joker doesn't seem to have a lot of flair. He just comes across as a grumpy crime boss. If you felt the Joker in The Dark Knight film was a bit too grim for you, this Joker is even less of a thrill.

On the other hand, if you can forget you'd ever heard of the the Joker, this book does a great job telling the story of a young criminal who works his way to be the right hand man of the city's most feared boss. There is plenty of gritty detail, and cinematic panels that really bring you into the story.

On the whole, I feel this book has more to do with Scarface than with Joker.