COMIC REVIEW: ‘Batman: The Dark Knight’ #23.4 The Jokers Daughter

‘Batman: The Dark Knight’ #23.4 The Jokers Daughter

• Cover by Jason Fabok
• Written by Ann Nocenti
• Pencils by Georges Jeanty
• Inks by Dexter Vines
• Coloured by Michelle Stewart

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BEWARE OF SPOILERS

‘The Joker’s Daughter’ has been one of the more anticipated titles – not necessarily for good reason – under the ‘Villains Month’ banner just purely on the basis of the questions if poses over the origins of the character.

This title is written by Ann Nocenti whose previously work includes the ongoing ‘Catwoman’ series and reviews of her work that I have read are scathing at best. Batman-News.com has even collected a handy list of all the 2/10 reviews that this issue has gotten from around the web.

Why so bad? Well does The Joker really need a daughter? At least one who is not the lovechild of his partnership with Harley Quinn… the title is more than a little misleading as this is actually the story of Duela a very strange girl born to normal parents and who had a normal upbringing.

The story retells how she just didn’t fit in to her happy childhood and found herself living with the Nethers underneath Gotham City. Whilst hunting underground she comes across the face of The Joker floating in the reservoir and adopts it as her own using it to take over the male dominated Nethers-land.

It’s a fairly out-there concept and one I believe that is born out of an arc in the ‘Catwoman’ comic which see’s her interact with these underground people. It’s all fairly preposterous and a thinly veiled tail of female empowerment wrapped up in a strange psychosis.

I do think it is unfair to heap criticism on the artwork in this issue as it’s pencils are by none other than ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ alum Georges Jeanty. I recognised his handy work early on in the issue and I think he draws the underground world well and his representations of the severed Joker face are equally well done.

With this issue it’s a case of finding something likeable but I’m afraid beyond the artwork there’s not a lot to find.

The story continues in ‘Catwoman’ #24.

I’m going to split my score on this 2/10 for the story. 5/10 for the artwork.