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DC Anthology Specials
The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1
The Clown Prince of Crime celebrates 80 years of chaos! The Joker has been the greatest villain in comics since his debut and to celebrate we have a who’s who of comics’ finest talent giving the Harlequin of Hate the birthday roast he deserves. The stories feature a range of terror and anarchy, showing how the Joker has impacted Gotham City from the police to Arkham Asylum, from the local underworld to the Dark Knight and his allies! Make sure to RSVP to this birthday bash-you wouldn’t want to wake up with a Joker Fish on your doorstep, would you?
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2020
11 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,781 books5,169 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 7, 2020
Ten stories celebrating the Clown Prince of Crime plus some pinups. Standouts for me were the Scott Snyder / Jock story about a psychiatrist helping the Joker's victims. Tom Taylor and Eduardo Risso's story about the Joker meeting a little boy who pulls the legs off bugs. When he finds out no one came to the kid's birthday party, he forces kids to come. We also get Punchline's origin which I quite liked. There's also a story by the late Denny O'Neill. Sadly it's not very good. I did fell a bit cheated that there are 8 pages of reprints of iconic Joker covers when DC could have given us another story. All in all though a solid group of stories.
November 13, 2020
What do you get a clown for his 80th anniversary? If you’re The Joker, a 100-page bumper special!
Of the ten short stories collected here, only a couple really stood out for me. Tom Taylor and Eduardo Risso’s Birthday Bugs is a fun piece where the Joker takes pity on a budding young psycho and forces his grimy neighbourhood to throw him a party. Taylor’s dark sense of humour and Risso’s art makes this one the best of the bunch.
The creative team behind one of the best Joker books ever, Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, reunite to tell a pastiche of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest called Two Fell Into the Hornet’s Nest. The story felt unnecessarily obtuse but I enjoyed Bermejo’s masterful art which, unlike his previous depictions, wasn’t drawn in a realistic style and had an enjoyably cartoony look to it.
Of the many covers here, my favourites were Greg Capullo’s (the one on the front), Stjepan Sejic’s and Fiona Staples’. Scott Snyder and Jock’s middling story Scars, about a psychotherapist working with Joker’s victims, was a lot of intellectual musings on Joker, which wasn’t particularly interesting to read, but had some thoughtful insight into the character. Jock’s art wasn’t terribly good either.
James Tynion IV and Mikel Janin’s What Comes at the End of a Joke ties into the Joker War storyline and introduces a new Harley stand-in character (now that she’s gone solo): Punchline. She’s a bad girl at college - and that’s about it for a “story”! Janin’s art is great but I’m not that taken with the new character, about whom everything seems contrived and silly.
Paul Dini’s The Last Smile, with art by Riley Rossmo, was disappointingly forgettable - Joker is haunted by a nightmare about being laughed at by Batman as he dies; ho hum. Also substandard from another good Batman writer was Peter J. Tomasi’s The War Within, with art from Simone Bianchi, which was an allegorical story about Batman and Joker’s never-ending battle.
Then we’re into the dregs. Gary Whitta, Greg Miller and Dan Mora’s Kill the Batman was a whole lotta blather leading up to a lame punchline - the art also wasn’t as good as Mora’s usual. Denny O’Neil (RIP) and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s Introducing the Dove Corps was as good as anything I’ve ever read by O’Neil, which is to say it was terrible. Joker goes abroad to help people for a change of pace/scenery and things end predictably after a load of embarrassing campiness.
The less said about Eduardo Medeiros and Rafael Albuquerque’s No Heroes, about a young bank employee who stands up to the Joker, and Tony S. Daniel’s Penance, where a man confesses to a priest (or is it??), the better. Both were instantly forgettable, though both had decent art.
While this 80th Anniversary issue hasn’t got any exceptional Joker stories, the range of them shows the depth and richness of the character and highlights why Joker has endured for 80 years and will undoubtedly continue to for many more years to come. And if the writing didn’t captivate me much, the array of fine art from the numerous gifted artists contributing here definitely held my attention. This one is more of a visual feast with just enough variety of Joker antics throughout to make this a decent celebratory issue of the iconic character.
Of the ten short stories collected here, only a couple really stood out for me. Tom Taylor and Eduardo Risso’s Birthday Bugs is a fun piece where the Joker takes pity on a budding young psycho and forces his grimy neighbourhood to throw him a party. Taylor’s dark sense of humour and Risso’s art makes this one the best of the bunch.
The creative team behind one of the best Joker books ever, Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, reunite to tell a pastiche of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest called Two Fell Into the Hornet’s Nest. The story felt unnecessarily obtuse but I enjoyed Bermejo’s masterful art which, unlike his previous depictions, wasn’t drawn in a realistic style and had an enjoyably cartoony look to it.
Of the many covers here, my favourites were Greg Capullo’s (the one on the front), Stjepan Sejic’s and Fiona Staples’. Scott Snyder and Jock’s middling story Scars, about a psychotherapist working with Joker’s victims, was a lot of intellectual musings on Joker, which wasn’t particularly interesting to read, but had some thoughtful insight into the character. Jock’s art wasn’t terribly good either.
James Tynion IV and Mikel Janin’s What Comes at the End of a Joke ties into the Joker War storyline and introduces a new Harley stand-in character (now that she’s gone solo): Punchline. She’s a bad girl at college - and that’s about it for a “story”! Janin’s art is great but I’m not that taken with the new character, about whom everything seems contrived and silly.
Paul Dini’s The Last Smile, with art by Riley Rossmo, was disappointingly forgettable - Joker is haunted by a nightmare about being laughed at by Batman as he dies; ho hum. Also substandard from another good Batman writer was Peter J. Tomasi’s The War Within, with art from Simone Bianchi, which was an allegorical story about Batman and Joker’s never-ending battle.
Then we’re into the dregs. Gary Whitta, Greg Miller and Dan Mora’s Kill the Batman was a whole lotta blather leading up to a lame punchline - the art also wasn’t as good as Mora’s usual. Denny O’Neil (RIP) and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s Introducing the Dove Corps was as good as anything I’ve ever read by O’Neil, which is to say it was terrible. Joker goes abroad to help people for a change of pace/scenery and things end predictably after a load of embarrassing campiness.
The less said about Eduardo Medeiros and Rafael Albuquerque’s No Heroes, about a young bank employee who stands up to the Joker, and Tony S. Daniel’s Penance, where a man confesses to a priest (or is it??), the better. Both were instantly forgettable, though both had decent art.
While this 80th Anniversary issue hasn’t got any exceptional Joker stories, the range of them shows the depth and richness of the character and highlights why Joker has endured for 80 years and will undoubtedly continue to for many more years to come. And if the writing didn’t captivate me much, the array of fine art from the numerous gifted artists contributing here definitely held my attention. This one is more of a visual feast with just enough variety of Joker antics throughout to make this a decent celebratory issue of the iconic character.
June 11, 2020
Pretty fun celebration issue of the character. We also get Punchlines Origin which is pretty cool as well!
August 1, 2020
"The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1"
This comic features 10 new stories about the Joker. Almost all of those stories are written by well known coming writers and drawn by well known comic artists.
The first Story, "Scars" is written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Jock. This story is about a psychiatrist who treats people who have encountered Joker and his terrible acts of violence and manipulation. I liked this story because it truly understands Joker. It displays Joker's manipulating powers in an amazing way.
The second story, "What Comes After a Joke?" is written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Mikel Janín. This story is about Punchline getting scolded in college by the principal, because she wore a Joker t-shirt in the "Dress like your hero day" that the school put together after 3 coworkers of the brother of a student in the school were killed by Joker. Punchline stands up to him and the kills him to prove to Joker that he can trust her and work with her. I didn't like this story. The artwork wasn't really my style and the story felt totally unnecessary, uninteresting and boring.
The third story "Kill the Batman" is written by Gary Whitta & Greg Miller and drawn by Dan Mora. In this story Batman has just died in the hands of Joker, Alfred reveals to everybody that Batman was Bruce Wayne, him, Superman and commissioner Gordon talk to Daily Planet about Batman and there's a funeral for Batman/Bruce. Joker attends this funeral and realises that without Batman he's nothing, so he retires from crime. The first half of the story, with Superman, Alfred and Gordon talking about Batman felt kinda weird and wrong, but the second half with Joker's inner monologue and his self-realisation was really interesting and I liked it a lot, although, the ending was terrible and unfunny.
The forth story, "Introducing the Dove Corps" is written by Denny O'Neil and drawn by José Luis García-López. In this story, Joker, goes to Guatemala to join the Dove Corps, a non lethal U.N. task force that tries to save some hostages, without killing anyone. Joker helps them by using a new, non lethal gun he invented, but then, when the mission is over, he kills everyone. That story was really stupid. Just really, REALLY stupid, from the first panel, to the last one. Every single panel, every single word balloon, everything was stupid. The dialogues are terribly written, the artwork was mediocre, the characters were badly written, the jokes were unfunny, the ending was unnecessary and just everything was wrong (and stupid).
The fifth story, "The War Within" is written by Peter J. Tomasi and drawn by Simone Bianchi. I really can't explain what happens in this story, but I loved it. The artwork was amazing, the writing was 100% poetic and everything was just incredible.
The sixth story, "The Last Smile" is written by Paul Dini and drawn by Riley Rossmo. In this story, Joker, talks to Harley Quinn about a nightmare he has every night. In this nightmare he is put on death row and he makes fun of everyone, but when he is in the electric chair he sees Batman looking at him and laughing. I liked this story, because the artwork was great and the writing was very good as well. It dives deep into Joker's soul in a very interesting way.
The seventh story, "Birthday Bugs" is written by Tom Taylor and drawn by the incredible Eduardo Risso. In this story Joker meets in the street a lonely kid that tortures small insects. He learns that it is the kid's birthday and nobody came, so he threatens all the other kids in the neighborhood, to make them come at the kid's party. While they are blowing the candles, the kids father comes back home and it turns our he works for the Joker and that the reason Joker came there was to kill him for missing out on a "job" they had last night, but he decides just to cut some of his fingers. I really liked this story. The artwork was amazing and the writing was incredible. It was emotional and touching in an unexpected way. The characters were all well written and the dialogues as well.
The eighth story, "No Heroes" is written by Eduardo Medeiros & Rafael Albuquerque and drawn by Rafael Albuquerque. In this story, an employee of the Gotham Bank tries to be a hero and save the other employees, when some robbers come in. He kills one of them, but fails to do more. One of the robbers takes his mask of and reveals that he's the Joker. He talks to this employee and spares his life. This story was interesting and it had to do with what makes someone risk his life to save the others. I quite liked this story, the writing was good, but I didn't like the artwork as much.
The ninth story, "Penance" is written and drawn by Tony S. Daniel. In this story a mobster that has been targeted by Joker for taking a medallion that one of Joker's employees had goes to church to talk to a priest. He talks to him about his sins and a dream he constantly has, in which he becomes Batman and tries to catch the Joker, but fails. After that the priest takes of his mask, reveals himself as the Joker and kills the mobster.
The tenth and final story, "Two Fell Into the Hornet's Nest" is written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo. This story had many similarities with Miloš Forman's classic, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". In this story Joker is an asylum (probably Arkham Asylum) with Batman, who's also kinda crazy. This story felt weird, but it wasn't bad. It was alright. The artwork was great, but the writing was mediocre.
Story 1: 10/10
Story 2: 4/10
Story 3: 6/10
Story 4: 1/10
Story 5: 10/10
Story 6: 8/10
Story 7: 10/10
Story 8: 8/10
Story 9: 7/10
Story 10: 7/10
The whole comic: 7/10
This comic features 10 new stories about the Joker. Almost all of those stories are written by well known coming writers and drawn by well known comic artists.
The first Story, "Scars" is written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Jock. This story is about a psychiatrist who treats people who have encountered Joker and his terrible acts of violence and manipulation. I liked this story because it truly understands Joker. It displays Joker's manipulating powers in an amazing way.
The second story, "What Comes After a Joke?" is written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Mikel Janín. This story is about Punchline getting scolded in college by the principal, because she wore a Joker t-shirt in the "Dress like your hero day" that the school put together after 3 coworkers of the brother of a student in the school were killed by Joker. Punchline stands up to him and the kills him to prove to Joker that he can trust her and work with her. I didn't like this story. The artwork wasn't really my style and the story felt totally unnecessary, uninteresting and boring.
The third story "Kill the Batman" is written by Gary Whitta & Greg Miller and drawn by Dan Mora. In this story Batman has just died in the hands of Joker, Alfred reveals to everybody that Batman was Bruce Wayne, him, Superman and commissioner Gordon talk to Daily Planet about Batman and there's a funeral for Batman/Bruce. Joker attends this funeral and realises that without Batman he's nothing, so he retires from crime. The first half of the story, with Superman, Alfred and Gordon talking about Batman felt kinda weird and wrong, but the second half with Joker's inner monologue and his self-realisation was really interesting and I liked it a lot, although, the ending was terrible and unfunny.
The forth story, "Introducing the Dove Corps" is written by Denny O'Neil and drawn by José Luis García-López. In this story, Joker, goes to Guatemala to join the Dove Corps, a non lethal U.N. task force that tries to save some hostages, without killing anyone. Joker helps them by using a new, non lethal gun he invented, but then, when the mission is over, he kills everyone. That story was really stupid. Just really, REALLY stupid, from the first panel, to the last one. Every single panel, every single word balloon, everything was stupid. The dialogues are terribly written, the artwork was mediocre, the characters were badly written, the jokes were unfunny, the ending was unnecessary and just everything was wrong (and stupid).
The fifth story, "The War Within" is written by Peter J. Tomasi and drawn by Simone Bianchi. I really can't explain what happens in this story, but I loved it. The artwork was amazing, the writing was 100% poetic and everything was just incredible.
The sixth story, "The Last Smile" is written by Paul Dini and drawn by Riley Rossmo. In this story, Joker, talks to Harley Quinn about a nightmare he has every night. In this nightmare he is put on death row and he makes fun of everyone, but when he is in the electric chair he sees Batman looking at him and laughing. I liked this story, because the artwork was great and the writing was very good as well. It dives deep into Joker's soul in a very interesting way.
The seventh story, "Birthday Bugs" is written by Tom Taylor and drawn by the incredible Eduardo Risso. In this story Joker meets in the street a lonely kid that tortures small insects. He learns that it is the kid's birthday and nobody came, so he threatens all the other kids in the neighborhood, to make them come at the kid's party. While they are blowing the candles, the kids father comes back home and it turns our he works for the Joker and that the reason Joker came there was to kill him for missing out on a "job" they had last night, but he decides just to cut some of his fingers. I really liked this story. The artwork was amazing and the writing was incredible. It was emotional and touching in an unexpected way. The characters were all well written and the dialogues as well.
The eighth story, "No Heroes" is written by Eduardo Medeiros & Rafael Albuquerque and drawn by Rafael Albuquerque. In this story, an employee of the Gotham Bank tries to be a hero and save the other employees, when some robbers come in. He kills one of them, but fails to do more. One of the robbers takes his mask of and reveals that he's the Joker. He talks to this employee and spares his life. This story was interesting and it had to do with what makes someone risk his life to save the others. I quite liked this story, the writing was good, but I didn't like the artwork as much.
The ninth story, "Penance" is written and drawn by Tony S. Daniel. In this story a mobster that has been targeted by Joker for taking a medallion that one of Joker's employees had goes to church to talk to a priest. He talks to him about his sins and a dream he constantly has, in which he becomes Batman and tries to catch the Joker, but fails. After that the priest takes of his mask, reveals himself as the Joker and kills the mobster.
The tenth and final story, "Two Fell Into the Hornet's Nest" is written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo. This story had many similarities with Miloš Forman's classic, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". In this story Joker is an asylum (probably Arkham Asylum) with Batman, who's also kinda crazy. This story felt weird, but it wasn't bad. It was alright. The artwork was great, but the writing was mediocre.
Story 1: 10/10
Story 2: 4/10
Story 3: 6/10
Story 4: 1/10
Story 5: 10/10
Story 6: 8/10
Story 7: 10/10
Story 8: 8/10
Story 9: 7/10
Story 10: 7/10
The whole comic: 7/10
June 19, 2020
SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Wow, Joker has been doing his thing for a whole 80 years! Alright so I’m gonna give a controversial opinion here: Joker is an overrated villain. Yes, despite the 2019 origin story being my favorite DC movie ever (that was an exceptional masterpiece that made the character much better IMO) I consider him overrated.
That being said I still wanted to get this because he is without a doubt sort of an icon in not only comics but also culture in general as weird as that sounds. So yeah once again picked up this collection piece and a sweet variant!
(Artist: Lee Bermejo)
I was pleasantly surprised that this anthology special is a bit better than I expect from anthologies. I think part of it is that most of the stories feel more like short crime drama and/or horror stories. That being said some are better than others as always, there are some I didn’t care for but for the most part this was pretty good and I enjoyed it.
So yeah I guess even if you’re not a huge Joker fan you might enjoy this. If you are definitely pick this up!
4/5
Wow, Joker has been doing his thing for a whole 80 years! Alright so I’m gonna give a controversial opinion here: Joker is an overrated villain. Yes, despite the 2019 origin story being my favorite DC movie ever (that was an exceptional masterpiece that made the character much better IMO) I consider him overrated.
That being said I still wanted to get this because he is without a doubt sort of an icon in not only comics but also culture in general as weird as that sounds. So yeah once again picked up this collection piece and a sweet variant!
(Artist: Lee Bermejo)
I was pleasantly surprised that this anthology special is a bit better than I expect from anthologies. I think part of it is that most of the stories feel more like short crime drama and/or horror stories. That being said some are better than others as always, there are some I didn’t care for but for the most part this was pretty good and I enjoyed it.
So yeah I guess even if you’re not a huge Joker fan you might enjoy this. If you are definitely pick this up!
4/5
August 2, 2020
A collection of mini off-beat Joker stories, only of which is known to be canon. The fun of that is that we can see Joker on death row, Joker literally losing his mind, Batman dying, and so much more! And as none of it is canon it doesn’t mess everything up.
The couple of pages that are canon are centred around DC’s new sidekick for the Joker, Punchline. She’s the “anti-Harley Quinn” according to DC writers.
As a huge Harley Quinn fan I’m very excited to see what happens. She’s gone from the dark side to the light side (if you will) but she’s still crazy so who knows what to expect.
This was a great filler while I wait for Joker War to continue coming out over the next few weeks. It’s always fun to imagine the death or life of an iconic character. I am however thankful that none of these stories are ‘true’ because they all would mean an end to the best dynamic duo there is: Batman and Joker.
The couple of pages that are canon are centred around DC’s new sidekick for the Joker, Punchline. She’s the “anti-Harley Quinn” according to DC writers.
As a huge Harley Quinn fan I’m very excited to see what happens. She’s gone from the dark side to the light side (if you will) but she’s still crazy so who knows what to expect.
This was a great filler while I wait for Joker War to continue coming out over the next few weeks. It’s always fun to imagine the death or life of an iconic character. I am however thankful that none of these stories are ‘true’ because they all would mean an end to the best dynamic duo there is: Batman and Joker.
June 30, 2020
I actually really like these anthology one shots that DC puts together. They really give authors and writers a chance to do something a little different with characters and not be held to fleshing out a full issue. The Joker collection proved to be another fun read.
I think the best story for the The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is the Scott Snyder/Jock collaboration "Scars". I also really liked the Gary Whitta/Greg Miller/Dan Mora story "Kill the Batman" and the Paul Dini/Riley Rossko" story "The Last Smile."
"What Comes After A Joke?" is my first experience with Punchline. She seems like an interesting character so I'm curious to see her in action in Joker War. We also got a classic feeling story with Denny O'Neil (Rest in Peace)and José Luis García-López teaming up on "Introducing the Dove Corps.
I know a lot of people think Joker is a overrated and overused character, but when written well, Batman and Joker bring out great stories for both characters. And I think that is important. Writers just can't make Joker crazy. The best Joker stories bring some motivation and reason to his actions. Here is to another 80 years of the best ever comic villain.
I think the best story for the The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is the Scott Snyder/Jock collaboration "Scars". I also really liked the Gary Whitta/Greg Miller/Dan Mora story "Kill the Batman" and the Paul Dini/Riley Rossko" story "The Last Smile."
"What Comes After A Joke?" is my first experience with Punchline. She seems like an interesting character so I'm curious to see her in action in Joker War. We also got a classic feeling story with Denny O'Neil (Rest in Peace)and José Luis García-López teaming up on "Introducing the Dove Corps.
I know a lot of people think Joker is a overrated and overused character, but when written well, Batman and Joker bring out great stories for both characters. And I think that is important. Writers just can't make Joker crazy. The best Joker stories bring some motivation and reason to his actions. Here is to another 80 years of the best ever comic villain.
November 30, 2022
I picked this up for the origin of Punchline but that ended up being one of the least interesting stories in here. Most of the stories are at least ok, a few are really good and a few others are outstanding. Many of them are funny and a couple are downright terrifying.
Overall, this is a must read for any Batman or Joker fan.
Overall, this is a must read for any Batman or Joker fan.
June 21, 2020
I ain't the biggest fan of those comic anthology, but I like this one. We get a lot of variety in art style and story style as well. Some are better than other, but overall we get a good quality of story. My only concern, and it isn't for this book in particular, but all comic anthology, is that we get short story of comic story. Something between 5 to 10 pages is very short in comic and I just feel like we get just too few pages to get into each story. I would have like maybe a bit less story but more depth in them. Still very enjoyable and fun for every Joker fans!
April 28, 2021
Batman Especial Vol.02: Coringa - Aniversário de 80 Anos, como já diz o nome é uma antologia de dez histórias em quadrinhos homenageando o aniversário de criação do príncipe-palhaço do crime. Como toda antologia, seja de artigos acadêmicos, de contos, de poemas, de histórias em quadrinhos, alguns ítens são muito bons, outros nem tanto e alguns outros são horríveis. Se destacam as histórias de Tom Taylor e Eduardo Risso, e a de James Tynion IV e Mikel Janin. No outro lado do pódio temos as histórias de Peter J. Tomasi e Simone Bianchi, e de Brian Azzarello e Lee Bermejo. As demais são bastante regulares, pra nem tanto bom e nem tanto ruins. O interessante é que foi escolhido um time de primeira para conduzir os roteiros e desenhos dessas histórias, muitos deles com histórico produzindo histórias do Homem-Morcego (e do Coringa).
February 24, 2021
Worth the price just for one story, "Birthday Bugs" -- wow!
June 11, 2020
While there were some admittedly stellar moments dispersed throughout, the collection kind of fizzled overall.
The standout story without question is ‘Scars’ by Scott Snyder and Jock. It’s a truly chilling psychological masterpiece!
Other than that, there’s a nice backstory/introduction to Punchline courtesy of James Tynion, as well as a multitude of clever allusions to previous Batman lore.
Noticeable omissions include Jim Lee, Grant Morrison, Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, and Greg Capullo. I definitely would have liked to have seen Jeff Lemire and Sean Murphy included as well.
Also, I know that the story by Azzarello and Bermejo is some kind of play on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but I was totally lost beyond that.
The standout story without question is ‘Scars’ by Scott Snyder and Jock. It’s a truly chilling psychological masterpiece!
Other than that, there’s a nice backstory/introduction to Punchline courtesy of James Tynion, as well as a multitude of clever allusions to previous Batman lore.
Noticeable omissions include Jim Lee, Grant Morrison, Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, and Greg Capullo. I definitely would have liked to have seen Jeff Lemire and Sean Murphy included as well.
Also, I know that the story by Azzarello and Bermejo is some kind of play on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but I was totally lost beyond that.
August 17, 2021
Ja, der Joker! Seit 1939 durfte er Comic-Fans aus der ganzen Welt in seinen Bann ziehen und erlebte dabei unterschiedlichste Inkarnationen. Für mich ein Grund ein mehr, mir die verschiedensten Versionen anzusehen, welche sowohl die Zeit als auch Künstler hervorbrachten.
10 davon durfte ich nun in dieser Collection für mich entdecken und muss sagen, das ich mächtig beeindruckt war. Den Joker im Laufe der Zeit zu erleben zeigte mir wie vielschichtig und überraschend seine Geschichten sein konnten. Zwar gab es hier stets viele Opfer, welche dazu auch noch wirklich üble „Scherze“ erlebten, aber eben mit Einfallsreichtum und Finesse. Ein schwieriges Kompliment, ich weiß.
Trotz der, wie es in der Kurzbeschreibung bereits steht, „brutalen Unberechenbarkeit“ des Jokers war ich gerade von der Optik der einzelnen Künstler mächtig angetan. Zwar waren viele der Storys sehr düster, doch gab es hin und wieder auch Lichtblicke mit satten Farben. Teils gingen die Geschichten für mich aber auch fast in Richtung Horror. Schon die erste Story zeigte nämlich was mit den Opfern des Jokers geschah und das hatte stellenweise wirklich etwas unheimliches.
Wer sich bisher übrigens selbst nur wenig mit dem Joker befasste und gerne einmal einen Blick in dessen Welt werfen möchte, hat hier wirklich leichtes Spiel. Da sich die Handlungen wirklich nur um den Joker drehen, hat man es eigentlich nie mit unbekannten Figuren zutun. Selbst die Einbindung von Punchline war sehr Einsteiger-freundlich.
Wem das nicht reicht, dürfte sich noch an den vielen Covern erfreuen, welche im Buch gezeigt werden und sich ebenfalls wie eine Reise durch die Zeit anfühlen. Besonders toll fand ich dabei die Cover-Galerie am Ende, in welcher man zusätzlich tolles Bildmaterial fand.
Fazit:
Ich würde glatt sagen, ich bin um ein paar Joker schlauer. Die 10 Geschichten zeigten mir die Vielfalt und auch die Entwicklung des Jokers, welche von unberechenbar, aber noch ok, bis völlig irre reichte. Einsteiger ins DC Universe dürfen hier genauso zuschlagen wie Kenner, da man wirklich sehr leicht zugängliche Storys gewählt hatte, welche dann auch noch von reichlich Extra-Cover eingerahmt wurden.
10 davon durfte ich nun in dieser Collection für mich entdecken und muss sagen, das ich mächtig beeindruckt war. Den Joker im Laufe der Zeit zu erleben zeigte mir wie vielschichtig und überraschend seine Geschichten sein konnten. Zwar gab es hier stets viele Opfer, welche dazu auch noch wirklich üble „Scherze“ erlebten, aber eben mit Einfallsreichtum und Finesse. Ein schwieriges Kompliment, ich weiß.
Trotz der, wie es in der Kurzbeschreibung bereits steht, „brutalen Unberechenbarkeit“ des Jokers war ich gerade von der Optik der einzelnen Künstler mächtig angetan. Zwar waren viele der Storys sehr düster, doch gab es hin und wieder auch Lichtblicke mit satten Farben. Teils gingen die Geschichten für mich aber auch fast in Richtung Horror. Schon die erste Story zeigte nämlich was mit den Opfern des Jokers geschah und das hatte stellenweise wirklich etwas unheimliches.
Wer sich bisher übrigens selbst nur wenig mit dem Joker befasste und gerne einmal einen Blick in dessen Welt werfen möchte, hat hier wirklich leichtes Spiel. Da sich die Handlungen wirklich nur um den Joker drehen, hat man es eigentlich nie mit unbekannten Figuren zutun. Selbst die Einbindung von Punchline war sehr Einsteiger-freundlich.
Wem das nicht reicht, dürfte sich noch an den vielen Covern erfreuen, welche im Buch gezeigt werden und sich ebenfalls wie eine Reise durch die Zeit anfühlen. Besonders toll fand ich dabei die Cover-Galerie am Ende, in welcher man zusätzlich tolles Bildmaterial fand.
Fazit:
Ich würde glatt sagen, ich bin um ein paar Joker schlauer. Die 10 Geschichten zeigten mir die Vielfalt und auch die Entwicklung des Jokers, welche von unberechenbar, aber noch ok, bis völlig irre reichte. Einsteiger ins DC Universe dürfen hier genauso zuschlagen wie Kenner, da man wirklich sehr leicht zugängliche Storys gewählt hatte, welche dann auch noch von reichlich Extra-Cover eingerahmt wurden.
June 15, 2020
Of all the tributes DC and Marvel have been doing, really liked this one. Joker's just a fun character, but definitely not queer enough for my liking :/
September 5, 2020
it was good and mysterious in some wys
July 19, 2020
3.5 Average
The first three were stellar. A couple of the middle and end ones let me down and a few more were really great or had aspects that were good without full follow through. If you are a comics fan and you want to celebrate eighty years of The Joker I would recommend and I look forward to reading more anniversary editions of other beloved characters.
5 Stars-Scars [Written by Scott Snyder, artist: Jock, David Baron: colours, Tom Napolitano: letters]
This was my favourite of the all of the stories, it follows a psychotherapist that is trying to help Joker's victims heal after attacks, it is haunting, it is beautifully written, explored and drawn. And an amazing place to begin this anthology with.
4 Stars-What Comes At The End of The Joke [James Tynion IV: Writer, Mikel Janin: Artist]
This explores the origin of Alexis Kaye and how she became Punchline. It is beautifully outlined in how the art makes the story have much more of a punch, it subverts a lot of traits and discusses a lot of elements around current culture, I took a lot of notes for this one]
5 Stars-Kill The Batman [Gary Whitta/Greg Miller: Writers, Dan Mora: Artist]
I truly loved this one as well, all the cameos and the end was point and the very end was hilarious. It looks into the idea of 'What is a villain without a hero?'
1.5 Stars-Introducing The Dove Corps [Denny O'Neil: Writer, Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez: Artist]
This one just wasn't for me, it was just meh. UN Guatemala Trip, soldiers who are committed to not killing, no one being at all curious that they have a dude with white makeup, green hair and plastered on smile . . . matching the description of one of the world's most well known terrorists.
2.5 Stars-The War Within [Peter J. Tomasi: Writer, Simone Bianchi]
This is written in songlike verse next to a gritty art style. I would give the story 2 Stars, it had potential but didn't fully live up to it but the writing 3/3.5 stars. "Is he the martyr or the madman?"
is the truly poignant line, but that last image will haunt me.
3 Stars-The Last Smile [Paul Dini: Writer, Riley Rossmo: Artist]
This is surprisingly the only story that includes Harley Quinn, when it begins with Joker waking up from a nightmare and Harley using those old psychologist's talents to calm him down and talk him through. This story included Poison Ivy, and a lot of nods to characters and the end is a gut punch.
3 Stars-Birthday Bugs [Tom Taylor: Writer, Eduardo Risso: Artist]
This is a seemingly endearing story, where Joker bonds with a boy who mutilates his bugs and than coerces neighbours to come to his birthday party. It includes one of the funniest lines to me: "Seriously? You keep one box of torture bugs and everyone's judgemental." and of course it also is deeply horrifying.
4 Stars-No Heroes [Eduardo Medeiros: Writer, Rafael Albuquerque: Writer/Artist]
This one follows a young man who is an intern at a bank, and 'is a hero' trying to stop the armed robbery, which results in him killing a man. Joker leaves him with "You know I have a bit of a crush on heroes because sooner or later, they all become martyrs."
2 Stars-Penance [Tony St. Daniel: Writer/Artist]
"Killing is a mortal sin, we've had this conversation before" A head of a Gotham Crime Family stops by a church to confess his sins. I must admit, this is one of my favourite tropes. It is the part I loved so much about the Daredevil show and many other medias that incorporate it. It is juxtaposed and funny to be when it involves this dynamic. The end took a turn that was cool if it didn't kind of seem like very incongruent and left me a bit unfulfilled.
2 Stars-Two Fell Into The Hornet's Nest [Brian Azzarello: Writer, Lee Bermejo: Artist]
I loved that it took place in Arkham, loved that included almost the whole rogues gallery, loved that the smile looked glued on. (One of my favourite aspects throughout was seeing the different renderings of Joker and especially the depiction of his smile). . . . but the rest was a strange fever dream. I have my own speculations but I am not sure what message or plot this was trying to convey. Insanity, abuse of patients, illusions, arrogance of Bats, the everchanging reality of Joker and his past and story, that 'treatment' is what drove him, that he and Batman are the same. . . I honestly don't know. Maybe none. Maybe all.
_________
also a note: out of the 37 writers/artists/colourist, letterers, only one is female
of the additional 13 artists used for one take pages/cover: two more are female
there are no female writers, and Fiona Staples is the only female artist employed that was given creative freedom and of that is given one page, the very last page.
Jordie Bellaire was a colourist, and Michelle Madsen was a co-artist.
3/50 is 0.06% meaning less than one percent of people hired were women.
The first three were stellar. A couple of the middle and end ones let me down and a few more were really great or had aspects that were good without full follow through. If you are a comics fan and you want to celebrate eighty years of The Joker I would recommend and I look forward to reading more anniversary editions of other beloved characters.
5 Stars-Scars [Written by Scott Snyder, artist: Jock, David Baron: colours, Tom Napolitano: letters]
This was my favourite of the all of the stories, it follows a psychotherapist that is trying to help Joker's victims heal after attacks, it is haunting, it is beautifully written, explored and drawn. And an amazing place to begin this anthology with.
4 Stars-What Comes At The End of The Joke [James Tynion IV: Writer, Mikel Janin: Artist]
This explores the origin of Alexis Kaye and how she became Punchline. It is beautifully outlined in how the art makes the story have much more of a punch, it subverts a lot of traits and discusses a lot of elements around current culture, I took a lot of notes for this one]
5 Stars-Kill The Batman [Gary Whitta/Greg Miller: Writers, Dan Mora: Artist]
I truly loved this one as well, all the cameos and the end was point and the very end was hilarious. It looks into the idea of 'What is a villain without a hero?'
1.5 Stars-Introducing The Dove Corps [Denny O'Neil: Writer, Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez: Artist]
This one just wasn't for me, it was just meh. UN Guatemala Trip, soldiers who are committed to not killing, no one being at all curious that they have a dude with white makeup, green hair and plastered on smile . . . matching the description of one of the world's most well known terrorists.
2.5 Stars-The War Within [Peter J. Tomasi: Writer, Simone Bianchi]
This is written in songlike verse next to a gritty art style. I would give the story 2 Stars, it had potential but didn't fully live up to it but the writing 3/3.5 stars. "Is he the martyr or the madman?"
is the truly poignant line, but that last image will haunt me.
3 Stars-The Last Smile [Paul Dini: Writer, Riley Rossmo: Artist]
This is surprisingly the only story that includes Harley Quinn, when it begins with Joker waking up from a nightmare and Harley using those old psychologist's talents to calm him down and talk him through. This story included Poison Ivy, and a lot of nods to characters and the end is a gut punch.
3 Stars-Birthday Bugs [Tom Taylor: Writer, Eduardo Risso: Artist]
This is a seemingly endearing story, where Joker bonds with a boy who mutilates his bugs and than coerces neighbours to come to his birthday party. It includes one of the funniest lines to me: "Seriously? You keep one box of torture bugs and everyone's judgemental." and of course it also is deeply horrifying.
4 Stars-No Heroes [Eduardo Medeiros: Writer, Rafael Albuquerque: Writer/Artist]
This one follows a young man who is an intern at a bank, and 'is a hero' trying to stop the armed robbery, which results in him killing a man. Joker leaves him with "You know I have a bit of a crush on heroes because sooner or later, they all become martyrs."
2 Stars-Penance [Tony St. Daniel: Writer/Artist]
"Killing is a mortal sin, we've had this conversation before" A head of a Gotham Crime Family stops by a church to confess his sins. I must admit, this is one of my favourite tropes. It is the part I loved so much about the Daredevil show and many other medias that incorporate it. It is juxtaposed and funny to be when it involves this dynamic. The end took a turn that was cool if it didn't kind of seem like very incongruent and left me a bit unfulfilled.
2 Stars-Two Fell Into The Hornet's Nest [Brian Azzarello: Writer, Lee Bermejo: Artist]
I loved that it took place in Arkham, loved that included almost the whole rogues gallery, loved that the smile looked glued on. (One of my favourite aspects throughout was seeing the different renderings of Joker and especially the depiction of his smile). . . . but the rest was a strange fever dream. I have my own speculations but I am not sure what message or plot this was trying to convey. Insanity, abuse of patients, illusions, arrogance of Bats, the everchanging reality of Joker and his past and story, that 'treatment' is what drove him, that he and Batman are the same. . . I honestly don't know. Maybe none. Maybe all.
_________
also a note: out of the 37 writers/artists/colourist, letterers, only one is female
of the additional 13 artists used for one take pages/cover: two more are female
there are no female writers, and Fiona Staples is the only female artist employed that was given creative freedom and of that is given one page, the very last page.
Jordie Bellaire was a colourist, and Michelle Madsen was a co-artist.
3/50 is 0.06% meaning less than one percent of people hired were women.
April 30, 2021
Im Sammelband „Der Joker“ im Sinne der DC Celebration steht der Superschurke Joker im Vordergrund. Wer mich kennt, weiß, dass Joker mein allgemein liebster Charakter aus dem ganzen DC Universum sowie Marveluniversum ist. In diesem Band dreht sich wirklich alles um den Joker. Die Autoren dieses Buches präsentieren uns auf diesem Wege viele kleine Geschichten, die über 80 Jahre im DC Universum mit Joker als Protagonist stattfanden. Und es wird spannend. Kleine Abschnitte finden in diesem Band ihren Platz, in denen Joker Batman ermordet oder einfach komplett wahnsinnig ist – a la Joker eben.
Aber dabei bleibt es nicht nur bei den kurzen Comicabschnitten. Die Autoren dieses Buches fügen einzelne Joker-Cover mit in den Band ein. Dazu werden dem Leser ganz alte Cover aus den 1950er Jahren präsentiert aber auch recht neue Cover. Hierbei merkt man, wie unterschiedlich die Gestaltung der einzelnen Covers ist. Zudem sind die Comics in ihrer Gestaltung auch einzigartig. Jeder der Designer weißt einen einzigartigen Zeichnungsstil auf. So vielfältig und so gut!
Fazit: Für jeden Joker-Fan ist dieses Buch einfach ein Muss. Man merkt wie sich der Antagonist in den Jahren entwickelt hat. Klare Leseempfehlung für DC-Fans!
Aber dabei bleibt es nicht nur bei den kurzen Comicabschnitten. Die Autoren dieses Buches fügen einzelne Joker-Cover mit in den Band ein. Dazu werden dem Leser ganz alte Cover aus den 1950er Jahren präsentiert aber auch recht neue Cover. Hierbei merkt man, wie unterschiedlich die Gestaltung der einzelnen Covers ist. Zudem sind die Comics in ihrer Gestaltung auch einzigartig. Jeder der Designer weißt einen einzigartigen Zeichnungsstil auf. So vielfältig und so gut!
Fazit: Für jeden Joker-Fan ist dieses Buch einfach ein Muss. Man merkt wie sich der Antagonist in den Jahren entwickelt hat. Klare Leseempfehlung für DC-Fans!
June 1, 2024
Snyder, Taylor, Azzarello, Dini gibi piyasanın önde gelen isimleriyle çalışılarak görkemli bir anma töreni hazırlanmak istenmiş fakat her yazar kendi kısa öyküsünü sunduğundan ortaya çıkan yapı ne bütünlüklü ne de tatmin edici.
Derlenmiş hikayelerin kimisi psikolojik kimisi daha aksiyona dayalı kimisi de diyaloglara. Hikayeler belirli bir seviyede kaliteyi tuttursa da yine de aralarda daha güzel ve daha kötüler de mevcut. Aynı durum çizimler için de söylenebilir.
Günün sonunda her şeyden biraz olunca hiçbir şeyden tam olamama durumu yaşanıyor maalesef. Kısacık kitaba on tane hikaye sığdırınca da hikayeler yeterince olgunlaşamadan bir anda oluveriyor. Bir de sekseninci yıla özel bir kitabın bize üç yıl sonra ulaşması durumu var ki o da apayrı bir mesele.
Derlenmiş hikayelerin kimisi psikolojik kimisi daha aksiyona dayalı kimisi de diyaloglara. Hikayeler belirli bir seviyede kaliteyi tuttursa da yine de aralarda daha güzel ve daha kötüler de mevcut. Aynı durum çizimler için de söylenebilir.
Günün sonunda her şeyden biraz olunca hiçbir şeyden tam olamama durumu yaşanıyor maalesef. Kısacık kitaba on tane hikaye sığdırınca da hikayeler yeterince olgunlaşamadan bir anda oluveriyor. Bir de sekseninci yıla özel bir kitabın bize üç yıl sonra ulaşması durumu var ki o da apayrı bir mesele.
July 16, 2020
Some good and a lot of bad or mediocre in here. That last story in particular is all sorts of bad, and it leaves one wondering why it was even included.
My full review is up at http://thebatmanuniverse.net/joker-14/.
My full review is up at http://thebatmanuniverse.net/joker-14/.
August 3, 2021
É uma HQ divertida para uma leitura rápida e descontraída. São diversos contos fechados do Coringa e, em sua maioria, são bons, vale a leitura.
Destaque para o último conto da HQ que aparece a Punchline, seu surgimento e adesão à gangue do Coringa que desembocará na Guerra Coringa.
Destaque para o último conto da HQ que aparece a Punchline, seu surgimento e adesão à gangue do Coringa que desembocará na Guerra Coringa.
August 10, 2020
Sigh. Why must I hate what everyone else loves?
The Joker is, in my humble opinion, an overrated, overused, overly beloved character. Most of these stories are just so full of violence, cruelty, and brutality that it's difficult to understand why Joker is so well "liked" (for lack of a better word). I can't understand why DC is so intent on promoting the ugliest kind of violence with Batman and the Bat-related characters in general, and this character in particular.
I couldn't find any entertainment in the stories here. They just made me feel gross afterward. It's time to stop presenting the Joker as a hero, or "antihero" or "relatable" or whatever DC is trying to do with the character lately.
I've had enough Joker (and Batman) for a long while.
The Joker is, in my humble opinion, an overrated, overused, overly beloved character. Most of these stories are just so full of violence, cruelty, and brutality that it's difficult to understand why Joker is so well "liked" (for lack of a better word). I can't understand why DC is so intent on promoting the ugliest kind of violence with Batman and the Bat-related characters in general, and this character in particular.
I couldn't find any entertainment in the stories here. They just made me feel gross afterward. It's time to stop presenting the Joker as a hero, or "antihero" or "relatable" or whatever DC is trying to do with the character lately.
I've had enough Joker (and Batman) for a long while.
October 5, 2020
The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is a commemorative issue that celebrates the eightieth anniversary of The Joker. It is a collection of ten short stories that celebrate the Clown Prince of Crime and is penned and penciled by the best alumni from DC Comics.
Scars (★★★★★) is written by Scott Snyder and penciled by Jock. It is an outstanding story about Dr. Reeder, a psychiatrist, who treats people who have encountered Joker and his terrible acts of violence and manipulation – only to end up a victim himself.
What Comes After a Joke? (★★★☆☆) is written by James Tynion IV and penciled by Mikel Janín has Alexis Kaye as Punchline getting scolded by Dean Bob, the headmaster of Snyder College, because she wore a Joker t-shirt on "Dress Like Your Hero Day", which was rather insensitive, because three co-workers of the brother of a student in the school were killed by him.
Kill the Batman (★★★☆☆) is written by Gary Whitta and Greg Miller and penciled by Dan Mora has Lois Lane from the Daily Planet doing a story on the death of Batman at the hands of The Joker. She interviews Alfred Pennyworth, who reveals the identity of Batman, Superman, and Commissioner James Gordon. The Joker attends this funeral of Batman and realizes that without Batman he's nothing, so he retires from crime.
Introducing the Dove Corps (★★☆☆☆) is written by Dennis O'Neil and penciled by José Luis García-López has the Joker heading to Guatemala to join the Dove Corps, a non lethal U.N. task force, that tries to save some hostages, without killing anyone. Joker helps them by using a new, non lethal gun he invented, but then, when the mission is over, he kills everyone.
The War Within (★★★★★) is written by Peter Tomasi and penciled by Simone Bianchi. It is an outstanding probing story about the Joker mentally walking in the shoes of Batman in order to beat him for his next caper. It delves into the relationship between Batman and The Joker from the perspective from the villain.
The Last Smile (★★★★☆) is written by Paul Dini and penciled by Riley Rossmo has Joker waking up from a dream and he tells Harley Quinn about his reoccurring nightmare. In this nightmare he is put on death row and he makes fun of everyone, but when he is in the electric chair he sees Batman looking at him and laughing. It is rather an interesting story about the depths of the Joker's soul.
Birthday Bugs (★★★★☆) is written by Tom Taylor and penciled by Eduardo Risso has the Joker meets a lonely kid torturing small insects on the streets. He learns that it is the kid's birthday and nobody came, so he threatens all the other kids in the neighborhood, to make them come at the kid's party. As they are blowing the candles, the kids father comes back home and it turns out he was one of his henchmen that missed out on a "job" they had the night previous and cuts off some of his fingers instead of killing him.
No Heroes (★★★★☆) is written by Eduardo Medeiros and Rafael Albuquerque and penciled by Rafael Albuquerque has Ronald Fergunson Jr., an employee of the Gotham Bank tries to be a hero and save the other employees, when some robbers come in. He kills one of them, but fails to do more. One of the robbers takes his mask of and reveals that he's the Joker and they converse and spares his life as living for him is more hellish than death.
Penance (★★★★☆) is written and penciled by Tony S. Daniel has Braccio, a mobster that has been targeted by the Joker for taking a medallion that one of Joker's employees had. He goes to church to talk to a priest and confesses his sins and a reoccurring dream in which he becomes Batman and tries to catch the Joker, but fails. It is revealed that the priest he is talking to is The Joker and kills him.
Two Fell Into the Hornet's Nest (★★★☆☆) is written by Brian Azzarello and penciled by Lee Bermejo. It is an odd story that has the Joker is an asylum with Batman, who is also insane, and how they would grow old together in the asylum – again an odd story.
In addition to the short stories above there are wonderful pinup pictures penciled by Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen, Stjepan Sejic, Ivan Reis and Marcelo Mailo, Tim Sale and Brennan Wagner, John Romita Jr., Danny Miki and Peter Steigerwald, and Fiona Staples. It also has half a dozen covers of important issues that the Joker had starred in.
All in all, The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is a wonderful issue to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of The Joker.
Scars (★★★★★) is written by Scott Snyder and penciled by Jock. It is an outstanding story about Dr. Reeder, a psychiatrist, who treats people who have encountered Joker and his terrible acts of violence and manipulation – only to end up a victim himself.
What Comes After a Joke? (★★★☆☆) is written by James Tynion IV and penciled by Mikel Janín has Alexis Kaye as Punchline getting scolded by Dean Bob, the headmaster of Snyder College, because she wore a Joker t-shirt on "Dress Like Your Hero Day", which was rather insensitive, because three co-workers of the brother of a student in the school were killed by him.
Kill the Batman (★★★☆☆) is written by Gary Whitta and Greg Miller and penciled by Dan Mora has Lois Lane from the Daily Planet doing a story on the death of Batman at the hands of The Joker. She interviews Alfred Pennyworth, who reveals the identity of Batman, Superman, and Commissioner James Gordon. The Joker attends this funeral of Batman and realizes that without Batman he's nothing, so he retires from crime.
Introducing the Dove Corps (★★☆☆☆) is written by Dennis O'Neil and penciled by José Luis García-López has the Joker heading to Guatemala to join the Dove Corps, a non lethal U.N. task force, that tries to save some hostages, without killing anyone. Joker helps them by using a new, non lethal gun he invented, but then, when the mission is over, he kills everyone.
The War Within (★★★★★) is written by Peter Tomasi and penciled by Simone Bianchi. It is an outstanding probing story about the Joker mentally walking in the shoes of Batman in order to beat him for his next caper. It delves into the relationship between Batman and The Joker from the perspective from the villain.
The Last Smile (★★★★☆) is written by Paul Dini and penciled by Riley Rossmo has Joker waking up from a dream and he tells Harley Quinn about his reoccurring nightmare. In this nightmare he is put on death row and he makes fun of everyone, but when he is in the electric chair he sees Batman looking at him and laughing. It is rather an interesting story about the depths of the Joker's soul.
Birthday Bugs (★★★★☆) is written by Tom Taylor and penciled by Eduardo Risso has the Joker meets a lonely kid torturing small insects on the streets. He learns that it is the kid's birthday and nobody came, so he threatens all the other kids in the neighborhood, to make them come at the kid's party. As they are blowing the candles, the kids father comes back home and it turns out he was one of his henchmen that missed out on a "job" they had the night previous and cuts off some of his fingers instead of killing him.
No Heroes (★★★★☆) is written by Eduardo Medeiros and Rafael Albuquerque and penciled by Rafael Albuquerque has Ronald Fergunson Jr., an employee of the Gotham Bank tries to be a hero and save the other employees, when some robbers come in. He kills one of them, but fails to do more. One of the robbers takes his mask of and reveals that he's the Joker and they converse and spares his life as living for him is more hellish than death.
Penance (★★★★☆) is written and penciled by Tony S. Daniel has Braccio, a mobster that has been targeted by the Joker for taking a medallion that one of Joker's employees had. He goes to church to talk to a priest and confesses his sins and a reoccurring dream in which he becomes Batman and tries to catch the Joker, but fails. It is revealed that the priest he is talking to is The Joker and kills him.
Two Fell Into the Hornet's Nest (★★★☆☆) is written by Brian Azzarello and penciled by Lee Bermejo. It is an odd story that has the Joker is an asylum with Batman, who is also insane, and how they would grow old together in the asylum – again an odd story.
In addition to the short stories above there are wonderful pinup pictures penciled by Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen, Stjepan Sejic, Ivan Reis and Marcelo Mailo, Tim Sale and Brennan Wagner, John Romita Jr., Danny Miki and Peter Steigerwald, and Fiona Staples. It also has half a dozen covers of important issues that the Joker had starred in.
All in all, The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is a wonderful issue to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of The Joker.
February 11, 2024
A great celebration mega-issue about the Crime Prince of Gotham, adding the talents of names such as Scott Snyder, Paul Dini, Denny O'Neil, Tony S. Daniel, even Brian Azzarello in the writing department, the 100-page anthology also gathers the great artistic collaborations of Jock, Mikel Janin, Dan Mora, Rafael Albuquerque, Lee Bermejo, etc. The Joker has always been a pinnacle regarding pop-culture villains to the point of becoming an icon on himself, since his rivalry with Batman has defined generations of comic book stories transcending even to tv and films. With a 80 year legacy, it's fair to say this is a worthy entry, collecting great short-stories with several and properly distinctive styles of different writers and artists. If I'm honest, I'd say "What Comes After a Joke" by James Tynion IV and Mikel Janin, and "Two Fell Into the Hornet's Nest" by Azzarello, and Bermejo were the only ones I didn't fully get into, to the point of perhaps removing them from the anthology; "What Comes..." Was only a quick teaser for the upcoming (at the time) "Joker Wars" event, where the character of 'Punchline' was introduced, and "Two Fell..." Felt painfully pretentious and uneven, even for Azzarello standards, having Bermejo's art feeling like a let down as well. The rest are great tales that encapsulates the complexity and attractiveness of the Joker as a character, not only as a villain. If I have to pick a favorite I would say "No Heroes", by Eduardo Medeiros and Rafael Albuquerque (who also draws) was the biggest surprise, and the one that better understood the thought-provoking and grim ideas behind the character's psyche in a story that isn't that complicated, but was so well executed. My second favorite came–to my surprise– from Tom Taylor, who I'm not a fan of, but in "Birthday Bugs" he provided a cleverly creepy insight on the Joker's criminal insanity, delivered by a peculiarly fitting art by Eduardo Risso. The rest were quite good, "The Last Smile" by Paul Dini and Riley Rossmo was funny and in tone with the animated series' themes, but I felt Harley Quinn kind of hijacked the story by the end, and "Introducing the Dove Corps" by O'Neil and José Luis García-Lopez was something that resembles that dark narrative and phony approaches from the 70s and 80s in the Batman comics, although, it did share a certain "callback" to 'The Killing Joke' that kept it from being 100% authentic as a stand-alone. All in all, this is a must have for any fans out there of Batman's absolute nemesis, and a great casual reading that pays tribute and respect to one of the all times greatest villains not just in comic books, but in any media existing.
September 23, 2020
Regardless of how you feel of the Joker, the Joker is the most infamous of the Batman villains. He's one of few who cuts Batman where it hurts. The Joker isn't my personal favorite Batman villain, however, I mostly purchased this to see how Punchline is introduced. If you're an avid Batman or DC collector like I am, this is a notable anniversary edition to add.
Sprinkled throughout the numerous stories are infamous Joker covers. This includes Joker & Death in the Family along with the Killing Joke. I pretend that the Killing Joke isn't canon because I HATE what the Joker does to Barbara. That's the thing with the Joker though, he deals personal blows to Batman whereas other villains don't go there.
Punchline is the Joker's new girlfriend. Punchline is one of the worst names they could have come up with, but I love her look. The purple edgy look with her teal hair and the red circles on her cheeks compliments the Joker's clown look. I'm interested to see how Punchline is developed in future comic issues.
With an anthology like this, there are stories I liked and some that were a miss. Besides the Punchline story, I liked the first story in this issue. There's also the story taking place after Batman dies The stories of Joker visiting a child's b-day party and hallucinating killing Batman weren't my personal favorites.
I was surprised how little Harley was in these stories. I know she was introduced in the 90's and the Joker was created back in 1942 (according to the first cover in this book), but Harley still served a part in the Joker's story. Harley is featured with Poison Ivy drinking at a bar, but that's about it.
As a fan of DC Comics, I'm glad I purchased this. It was reflection of the Joker's introduction into comics.
Sprinkled throughout the numerous stories are infamous Joker covers. This includes Joker & Death in the Family along with the Killing Joke. I pretend that the Killing Joke isn't canon because I HATE what the Joker does to Barbara. That's the thing with the Joker though, he deals personal blows to Batman whereas other villains don't go there.
Punchline is the Joker's new girlfriend. Punchline is one of the worst names they could have come up with, but I love her look. The purple edgy look with her teal hair and the red circles on her cheeks compliments the Joker's clown look. I'm interested to see how Punchline is developed in future comic issues.
With an anthology like this, there are stories I liked and some that were a miss. Besides the Punchline story, I liked the first story in this issue. There's also the story taking place after Batman dies The stories of Joker visiting a child's b-day party and hallucinating killing Batman weren't my personal favorites.
I was surprised how little Harley was in these stories. I know she was introduced in the 90's and the Joker was created back in 1942 (according to the first cover in this book), but Harley still served a part in the Joker's story. Harley is featured with Poison Ivy drinking at a bar, but that's about it.
As a fan of DC Comics, I'm glad I purchased this. It was reflection of the Joker's introduction into comics.
July 16, 2022
Ein Grund zum Lächeln
Fazit: Must-Have für alle Joker-Fans, tolle Optik und Abwechslung! Gesamt: 4/5
Inhalt: Mit "DC Celebration: Der Joker" liefern eine ganze Handvoll Autoren ihre Geburtstagsgeschenke für den Killer-Clown ab. In verschiedenen Kurzgeschichten geht der Joker seinen Lieblingsbeschäftigungen nach: Verbrechen und Lachen. Ob er nun einen Psychiater, der den Opfern des Clowns Unterstützung bietet, seine Ängste näherbringt, einem Jungen, der Insekten maltretiert eine Geburtstagsparty schmeißt oder willkürlich zweite Chancen verteilt. Besonderes Schmankerl: Der Leser erfährt von Punchlines Ursprung.
Bewertung: Die DC Celebration für den Joker hat mich durchaus überzeugt. Die Stories sind fast alle sehr gut gelungen und sorgen für Unterhaltung. Der Joker tritt überzeugend psychopathisch wie immer auf. Nichts und niemand ist vor ihm sicher. Niemand weiß, was er alles Nächstes tut. Genauso hat man den Charakter über 80 Jahre kennengelernt und geliebt. Am Besten gefiel mir persönlich Punchlines Origin-Story, die mich auch zum Kauf dieses Bandes überzeugte. Diese Figur ist für mich ausgesprochen gut und ich bin gespannt, was die Autoren in der Zukunft aus ihr machen. Auch die Zeichnungen waren sehr aufregend zu verfolgen und sehr unterschiedlich. Von fröhlich über ernst bis zu gruselig. Von weichen Tönen bis zum Dunkel. Große Abwechslung hier! Einziger Kritikpunkt: Die schöne Cover-Galerie am Ende hätte Platz für eine weitere Geschichte geboten. Man wird schließlich nur einmal 80.
Fazit: Must-Have für alle Joker-Fans, tolle Optik und Abwechslung! Gesamt: 4/5
September 14, 2020
💡Spoiler-Free Book Review for 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕁𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕣 𝟠𝟘𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝟙𝟘𝟘-ℙ𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕡𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘💡
🃏 Can you believe the Joker has been around for 80 years? 🤩 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕁𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕣 𝟠𝟘𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝟙𝟘𝟘-ℙ𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕡𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 provided by @dccomics is an 80-year celebration of the Joker, packaged and wrapped up in a comic anthology of 10 stories that will leave you laughing for more!😁🤣
🦇 I love the Joker!🤩 And this comic anthology did not disappoint!😉 I found myself relishing this outstanding collection – my favorites being “Scars” and “Birthday Bugs.” The illustrations provided by a variety of artists brought the stories to life! And the writers whom wrote the scripts really know how to leave you laughing. Also, we are reminded of the fascinating Yin-Yang relationship the Joker and Batman share! And how they are responsible for creating one another. What I really enjoyed here (that I noticed isn’t always present in other comics) was the depth given to the characters. There were times I found myself empathizing with the Joker, feeling his pain, and understanding why he is the way he is. Overall, this is an outstanding collection and a must for all Joker vs. Batman lovers!🥰🖤
🃏 Can you believe the Joker has been around for 80 years? 🤩 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕁𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕣 𝟠𝟘𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝟙𝟘𝟘-ℙ𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕡𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 provided by @dccomics is an 80-year celebration of the Joker, packaged and wrapped up in a comic anthology of 10 stories that will leave you laughing for more!😁🤣
🦇 I love the Joker!🤩 And this comic anthology did not disappoint!😉 I found myself relishing this outstanding collection – my favorites being “Scars” and “Birthday Bugs.” The illustrations provided by a variety of artists brought the stories to life! And the writers whom wrote the scripts really know how to leave you laughing. Also, we are reminded of the fascinating Yin-Yang relationship the Joker and Batman share! And how they are responsible for creating one another. What I really enjoyed here (that I noticed isn’t always present in other comics) was the depth given to the characters. There were times I found myself empathizing with the Joker, feeling his pain, and understanding why he is the way he is. Overall, this is an outstanding collection and a must for all Joker vs. Batman lovers!🥰🖤
January 21, 2021
3.5 stars
The weaker stories in this suffer a bit more than the other similar recent DC anniversary issues, since a bad Joker story tends to fail due to weak humor or boring edginess, but I really enjoyed the highlights that worked for me.
Snyder/Jock open with a victim-focused therapy session that looks great and ends on a genuinely horrific twist. Tynion writes a sort of origin story for his new Joker sidekick Punchline and Janin draws it with the attractively heightened realism he used for so many of King’s Batman issues. The Mora-drawn issue looks great; the story of Joker’s regrets at losing his frenemy is less original but its hilarious endnote made me laugh. Dini writes a quirky Harley/Joker story about Joker’s recurring nightmare and Rossmo’s odd cartoony style fits the tone well. The Taylor/Risso story adopts a crime comic style with Joker as much more of a creepy brute than usual, and I thought it worked really well. After some duds, the final story is a Azzarello/Bermejo Cuckoo’s Nest homage that I don’t love narratively but looks gorgeous.
The weaker stories in this suffer a bit more than the other similar recent DC anniversary issues, since a bad Joker story tends to fail due to weak humor or boring edginess, but I really enjoyed the highlights that worked for me.
Snyder/Jock open with a victim-focused therapy session that looks great and ends on a genuinely horrific twist. Tynion writes a sort of origin story for his new Joker sidekick Punchline and Janin draws it with the attractively heightened realism he used for so many of King’s Batman issues. The Mora-drawn issue looks great; the story of Joker’s regrets at losing his frenemy is less original but its hilarious endnote made me laugh. Dini writes a quirky Harley/Joker story about Joker’s recurring nightmare and Rossmo’s odd cartoony style fits the tone well. The Taylor/Risso story adopts a crime comic style with Joker as much more of a creepy brute than usual, and I thought it worked really well. After some duds, the final story is a Azzarello/Bermejo Cuckoo’s Nest homage that I don’t love narratively but looks gorgeous.
March 22, 2021
A disturbing book that perfectly captures the Clown Prince of Crime. These short snapshots, all by a variety of artists and writers, provide a pretty solid character study. My favorite one was probably the AU where Batman died. For one, my heart grows three sizes like Grinch's whenever Alfred refers to Bruce as his son. Secondly... the death of Batman causing the Joker to go straight because he no longer has a suitable audience... and that going "straight" for him means torturing people by working at the DMV. I mean... I had a nice out-loud chuckle over that. Over all, I'm not a huge Joker fan, but if you are, this collection will definitely give you what you're looking for. Added bonus: It's a super fast read. I read it in one lunch break.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2020
Una muy buena colección de historias originales. La demencia llega a nuevos niveles con muchas de estas historias y vemos al Guasón en papeles que van más allá de solo ser el villano. Las primeras historias fueron normales, no hubo mucha sorpresa, aunque sí creatividad, pero me encantaron principalmente Birthday Bugs y No Heroes. Muy, muy recomendadas.
A very good collection of original stories. Insanity reaches new levels with many of these stories and we see the Joker in roles that go beyond just being the villain. The first stories were common, there was not much surprise, although there was creativity, but I mainly loved Birthday Bugs and No Heroes. Highly, highly recommended.
A very good collection of original stories. Insanity reaches new levels with many of these stories and we see the Joker in roles that go beyond just being the villain. The first stories were common, there was not much surprise, although there was creativity, but I mainly loved Birthday Bugs and No Heroes. Highly, highly recommended.
September 8, 2021
It’s difficult to give this one a concrete rating due to it being a collection of short stories. Overall, I gave it 3 stars because most of the stories were interesting and somewhat memorable, and it had a great array of art and colouring with some appearances from my own personal favourites Simone Bianchi & Lee Bermejo.
The stories that stood out to me were Scott Snyder’s ‘Scars’, James Tynion IV’s ‘What Comes at the End of a Joke’ and Tom Taylor’s ‘Birthday Bugs’. Other than those three, the rest of the stories were mediocre at best. Still think it was worth the read though, I love seeing these varied interpretations and presentations of the Joker.
The stories that stood out to me were Scott Snyder’s ‘Scars’, James Tynion IV’s ‘What Comes at the End of a Joke’ and Tom Taylor’s ‘Birthday Bugs’. Other than those three, the rest of the stories were mediocre at best. Still think it was worth the read though, I love seeing these varied interpretations and presentations of the Joker.
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