The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1 is published by DC Comics, written by Matthew Rosenberg, illustrated by Carmine Di Giandomencio and lettered by Tom Napolitano.
Issue #1 is available 4th October 2022 either directly from DC Comics online or from your local comic book store, digital copies will be available to download from the usual content providers.
Synopsis
The world once again holds its breath as The Joker strikes again! But how far is he willing to go this time? From the twisted minds of Matthew Rosenberg (Task Force Z, What’s the Furthest Place from Here?) and Carmine Di Giandomenico (Batman: The Knight) comes a violent, mind-bending new series that picks up from the cataclysmic end of The Joker and follows the mayhem across the United States. With the Clown Prince of Crime setting out on his most bizarre caper yet, will a fan-favorite vigilante be able to prevent certain tragedy? Or is he in on the joke? In the back-up—Joker’s got a hot date but he’s going to need a mirror to make sure he looks nice. Maybe Mirror Master can help.
Review
Just when you thought Gotham was safe again, or as safe as Gotham could ever be, this series shows the return of the most iconic villains The Joker and this time he is back with a bang and determined to make his mark once again. But this time is different Joker isn’t just satisfied with taking over Gotham’s underworld he has bigger plans and this time has his evil sights on the rest of America and mainly the glamorous Los Angeles.
A normal Joker is dangerous but one that is full of furious vengence is next level dangerous and is determined to shake up the underworld by taking out one Kingpin at a time, but what is the motive? What is driving him? What we can definitely say is it won’t be for the greater good. With the book ending on a cliffhanger the creative team have left the series with a platform to naturally grow the series to become one of the bigger series from the DC Universe and I definitely can’t wait to see it evolve.
For a character as iconic as The Joker it must be difficult to write a story around him and not regurgitate the same story that’s been told hundreds of times before, Matthew Rosenberg gives a fresh feeling to the name with a new story with a powerful edge, a vibrant story that intrigues the mind and rejuvenates the iconic legend.
The illustrations from Carmine Di Giandomencio illuminates the written story and breathes life into the words on the pages. A comic full of the normal dark tones we expect of a DC title but with that trademark Joker flair for good measure.
Verdict
A vibrant story that breathes new life into an iconic character, the creative team have somehow created a new monster out of The Joker making him more twisted and more evil than ever before, this is definitely going to be the series to look out for.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
