Joker

by Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo (Illustrator)

book data

395 ratings, 3.61 average rating, 105 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		22%
4		33%
3		28%
2		11%
1		3%

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published

October 28th 2008 by DC Comics

binding

Hardcover, 128 pages

isbn

1401215815 (isbn13: 9781401215811)

description

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 LU...more

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50 Books A Year: Slayermel's 2009 List :0)	2	17	03/08/2009 09:31AM

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10/29/08

Tom rated it:

The whole time I was reading this book my cogitation was overcome by speculations of Olsen twin #2's role in Heath Ledgers early-in-life-cycle transition to another dimension. This unnecessary analysis was brought on by the uncanny resemblance of the artists take on the clown prince to the real life counterpart Heathy played in The Dark Knight. The only logical resolution I could come to is that talks of a Full House reunion must have gone sour after Ledger bowed out of his prior commitment to ...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

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01/02/09

Seizure Romero rated it:

bookshelves: comics-graphic-novels

Read in December, 2008

I don't understand why so many panties are damp for this (or for the latest Dark Knight movie for that matter, but that's another argument). The art is good but not great. Artistically, the Joker here is obviously modeled after Heath Ledger's. The story is ok. The Joker gets out of Arkham Asylum and goes around killing people? Quelle surprise. I guess it's 'edgy' if you don't get out much, but I really didn't see anything new here. Telling the tale from the viewpoint of the henchman-wannabe-bada...more

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12/14/08

Evil_Dead_Junkie rated it:

bookshelves: comics

Welcome to the most overhyped Graphic novel of the year. Boring, pointless, and containing nothing interesting to say about The Joker either as an Icon or a Character. Boring, both over and under plotted, and with art that crosses the line from simply ugly to fucking stupid (Gotta Love 2 Fast 2 Furious Riddler).

Those hyping it as the next Killing Joke are kidding themselves.

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01/28/09

Matthew rated it:

bookshelves: comics

Read in January, 2009

The premise is fairly straightforward: Upon a rather questionable release from Arkham, the Joker wishes to get his 'sandbox' back, having lost the stranglehold he once had on the city to the other crime bosses while he was locked away. Although it's hardly Shakespearean, Joker certainly has the trademarks of a tragedy, not only because of the never ending psychosis the title character is trapped in, but also because our narrator Jonny Frost is doomed from the outset, telling his tale flashback s...more The premise is fairly straightforward: Upon a rather questionable release from Arkham, the Joker wishes to get his 'sandbox' back, having lost the stranglehold he once had on the city to the other crime bosses while he was locked away. Although it's hardly Shakespearean, Joker certainly has the trademarks of a tragedy, not only because of the never ending psychosis the title character is trapped in, but also because our narrator Jonny Frost is doomed from the outset, telling his tale flashback style whilst on the verge of death. A sort of unintentional riff on Double Indemnity, perhaps? Jonny has been criticized for being too dull or uninteresting to be the narrator for this story, but that's the whole point - he's meant to be boring. At least boring in comparison to the supervillains or Batman. He's a flawed man, not always in possession of the proverbial heart of gold, but poor Jonny Frost is the only character in this melee we can sympathize with.

Still, it's the Joker we all want to read about here. Azzarello's vision of the Joker is a clear nod to Heath Ledger's take on the part, both in visuals and characterization. He still has the same Johnny Rotten manic intensity we saw in The Dark Knight, although the character seems a bit more learned and haunted this time around; he's clearly been around the block a few times in the clown makeup and purple suit. One possibly controversial panel sees the Joker weeping in the lap of his girlfriend Harley behind closed doors, another sees him downing half a dozen pill bottles in one go. This man has no fear of death, although it's never quite clear whether or not he actually has a death wish (he plays Russian roulette with himself at one point, but then again he seems to be having too much fun blowing shit up to want to die). If it weren't for Mr. Azzarello's well-known disdain for the heroes, I'd say he was making his petition to be one of the screenwriters for the third Bat-film through this graphic novel.

Indeed, the whole novel seems to take place in the same pseudo-realistic Gotham that Christopher Nolan has created for his film series. One of the most satisfying elements of Joker is witnessing Azzarello's re-imagined supervillains. He tones down the Penguin somewhat, turning him into a crooked embezzling accountant, the Joker's main numbers guy. Two-Face no longer wears outlandish double-sided suits, although have no fear, he's just as deranged as ever. The Riddler has been altered dramatically, morphing into a tattooed cripple who rides around with a band of hired heavies in custom BMW's. It's so weird seeing Nigma like that, but somehow it works for this book.

The most startling alteration to a character is Killer Croc, the Joker's top muscle in this story. Azzarello turns the sometimes silly crocodile man into a roided up gangbanger with scaly skin, possibly from a burn accident (thus giving him the nickname 'Croc'), or maybe it's just a really nasty skin disease? Either way, this version of the character could easily work in a Nolan film as a secondary villain - he would certainly provide a real physical challenge to Bats, that's for damn sure. It's also wonderfully disturbing when Croc's... um... 'unique' way of getting rid of evidence is revealed to us.

The Batman is a silent watcher, venturing out of the shadows for only a cameo at the climax, and the lone police officer here is on the take, working for one of the other criminal elements in the city. There is virtually nothing to protect Gotham from the murder and mayhem the Joker's presence triggers. It's a book filled with violence, certainly (illustrator Lee Bermejo has one panel where an unfortunate associate of the Joker's has been flayed alive), but Joker never descends to the purely gratuitous Frank Miller/Garth Ennis levels of torture porn that seem so popular these days. Sometimes it's a lot more effective to force the readers to use their imaginations than to simply show everything.

Comparisons with Alan Moore's The Killing Joke are almost mandatory, I'm afraid. Azzarello's Joker is somewhat similar in tone to Moore's masterpiece, but it presents the story from a completely different perspective. Whereas The Killing Joke was a glimpse into the mania of the Joker through the eyes of Batman and Gordon, Joker is an up-close-and-personal take on the day to day life of the Clown Prince of Gotham, told by a more mundane, sympathetic character. Perhaps, in the grand scheme of the comic book landscape, Joker will not be heralded as a big game changer like The Killing Joke was, but it's still a fine work for fans of the character, and certainly the best Joker tale in a long, long time.(less)

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12/28/08

Fawn rated it:

Read in December, 2008

This was the first book about, the joker, i could get my hands on. And it really suked me in. From the first page to the last, my mind was strained with questions. Starting with the question presented at the begining- why was Joker being released from Arkhan Asylum? Many other questions arise though out the book as a consequence to Joker's unpredictable, astonding, and unexplainable actions. Complements to Mr. Lee Bermejo, for his art and depiction of the characters(espesilly Joker- He was able ...more

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11/20/08

Matt rated it:

I always thought that Alan Moore's 1988 masterpiece Batman: The Killing Joke was the definitive Joker story of all time. Not any more. Brian Azzarello's Joker is a frightening look at what true insanity is. Azzarello and Lee Berjemo (arist)model their Joker off of Heath Leger's Oscar worthy performance in this summer's Dark Knight. That is to say, the Joker has always been portrayed prior to Dark Knight as a goofy, evil clown. In this graphic novel (as well as the Dark Knight movie) he is actual...more

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05/29/09

Mark Desrosiers rated it:

bookshelves: comics

Read in May, 2009

Just what any 100 Bullets fan would hope from Azzarello: a Joker comic that concentrates entirely on the organized-crime angle of his career. The narrator, a ballsy wiseguy neuro named Jonny Frost, seems like an homage to Ray Liotta's performance as Henry Hill. And the Joker himself is just nasty and humorless, and I gotta give credit to the author for coming up with strange "jokes" that are a tad disturbing and not remotely funny. As usual, there seems to be a requirement to cram ever...more

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02/06/09

Michael rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Read in February, 2009

Joker has been declared "cured" and is released from Arkham Asylum. No one wants to pick him up, except one down-on-his-luck hood who we then see the entire tale through his eyes. And being one of the Joker's henchmen, has to rank as one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. But because the hood shows Joker respect, he lives through a war to take back his turf from the other crime lords in Gotham... and gets a glimpse of what exists in the mind of madness.

I liked t...more

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12/08/08

Wesley rated it:

recommended to Wesley by: Me

When I finished this book, I was left with one really big question: Who in their right mind would let the Joker out of Arkham Asylum? I mean seriously, you would think that with his reputation they parole board at Arkham would be, to say the least, hesitant about letting him out.

All that withstanding, this books portrayal of the Joker is really quite amazing. Usually when writers portray the Joker, they make him comedic and predictable. Mr. Azzarello portrays the Joker as an unpredic...more

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02/10/09

Tamora Pierce rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novel

Read in February, 2009

This is a graphic novel; the writer is the scripter of the award-winning 100 Bullets series. I'd say this is as masterful a depiction of the Joker as Heath Ledger's, though it's not the same Joker. I read somewhere that someone thought it was more like Jack Nicholson's Joker, and I can see that, but . . . Well, you'll have to read it for yourself. The story is really that of Jonny, a small time hood who gets picked by the gang to give Joker a ride home from Arkham Asylum, and by Joker as a di...more

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04/18/09

Kurt rated it:

bookshelves: batman

This was a good story. Azzarello creates an interesting plot that shows the structure of crime in Gotham City. Unfortunately, I felt I've read this story before in several other Batman tales. Some of the narrative involving Joker proves what we already know...he's crazy and you don't want to be around him. This is made clear as our narrator (a low level thug who becomes the Joker's wheel man) goes from wanting to be somebody to just being another statistic on the Joker's body count. Nothing...more

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02/09/09

Aaron rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Given the cultural elevation of The Joker as arch-nemesis, the bar is set very high to provide a new take on the character. This isn't it.

We get a brave stab at self-destructive, schizo unpredictibility and a splash of cruelty. The rest is mostly mundane. Killer Croc is straight muscle, and the Riddler no more than a cameo.

For the blurb to drop the N-bomb ("noir") is a huge stretch; this book is unashamedly without plot.

The book fares better with Bat...more

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11/28/08

Charles rated it:

bookshelves: comics

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Charles by: Evan Hill
recommends it for: Comic fans everywhere

How incredibly disturbing and what a thick storyline. This short story about the Joker being released from Arkham Asylum takes a very unique look at his gang. All of his characters are so well developed and their conversations are loaded with symbolism. The book itself follows a smaller character in the gang who tells the story like an old detective, slowly examining the Joker's idealistic insanity and motives with a magnifying glass.

You might read through this book a first time and...more

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02/13/09

Slayermel rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, fiction, graphic-novels, male-authors, own

Read in March, 2009

recommended to Slayermel by: T
recommends it for: Adults who enjoy batman

This was a very dark and adult story. Brian Azzarello really seems to have captured the Jokers twisted personality within this story and the mind games he plays on all around him. The Art work in this story is absolutely amazing, dark and full of detail. The violence that jumps off the page is unforgettable and really brings the story home. This was definitely not a sugar coated batman story for kids.

The Joker is released from Arkham asylum, and is looking to take his city back ...more

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04/20/09

Loyd rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Read in April, 2009

I'm usually a big fan of Azzarello's writing (especially 100 Bullets) but this came across as too derivative of Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight, and frankly, I thought the art was just plain ugly. I know they were going for grotesque tortured-reality look, but as they said in the dumb old play Butterflies Are Free, "...so's vomit, but I hardly call it entertainment." I don't mind it being intense or brutal when it is called for, but the art seemed to wallow in ...more

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11/06/08

Ailsa Lillywhite rated it:

Read in November, 2008

This is great for someone (like me) who really enjoys seeing personalized artistic takes on older characters and premises. Bermejo and Azzarello's Joker is pure poker psychosis mixed with bloody breath and dirty fingernails tore-up with glass. Excellent madness. I know that the work on this has gone on for years now, long before The Dark Knight, but there is a Heath Ledger feel to the character. It isn't as heavy as you might expect, so people who want to read it purely for the similarities to t...more

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06/07/09

paul rated it:

Read in June, 2009

Intensely dark, street level first person narrative, told from the perspective of a wanna-be underworld somebody and mercifully free of super-heroics, 'Joker' was obviously inspired by (and possibly meant as a posthumous mash-note to) the portrayal of said icon by the late Heath Ledger. A more perfect rendering, I think, than Moore's 'Killing Joke' of the humorless nature of the perpetually grinning Clown Prince of Crime, drawn in tortuous detail of blood and shadow and razor-cut line by the ast...more

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06/04/09

Tezzle rated it:

(review of isbn 184576983X)

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Read in June, 2009

Not much to say about this, but it was pretty sweet. A great look at the Joker from a perspective other than Batman's. The villains are designed more realistic, especially Killer Croc, but the art is too astounding for me to care. I would've liked to see more done with Harley. She was just kind of there, and she's too great character to just have in the background. I liked that Batman was nowhere to be found until the very end. He did have some lines, which I thought ruined the whole gimmick wit...more

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05/08/09

Doug rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Read in May, 2009

Joker started out strong, but slowly fell apart as the story progressed. Too many characters were introduced and then not used for anything. Penguin was solid, though Joker calls him Abner (I'm pretty sure his name is Oswald Cobblepot), and the Riddler was really interesting, but he was only on two pages, so what was the point? The story also didn't need Batman or Two-face. The art was weird...there were some panels that looked amazing, almost like they were painted, but 90% of the panels we...more

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01/28/09

Shaun Baker rated it:

A very cool noir story about the Joker after he's let out of Arkham (Joker never says why...a cool touch) and tries to take back the city. It's told from the perspective of a new cronie, and does well at imitating the darkly insane Heath Ledger style of Joker like from the movie. The art's good, but a little uneven, and I don't really like a couple of his takes on some of the classic rogues, but the Joker characterization is a spot on snippet of why Joker is the most feared criminal in all of co...more

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