Joker (DC Black Label Edition)

Brian Azzarello’s The Joker is a haunting, visceral dive into Gotham’s criminal underworld through the eyes of one of its most unpredictable inhabitants. This is not your typical comic book — it reads more like a hard-boiled noir graphic novel, complete with gritty artwork, morally gray characters, and a tone that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.What makes this book stand out is its unique narrative perspective — told through the eyes of Jonny Frost, a low-level thug who becomes Joker’s right-hand man. This angle gives us a fresh and terrifying view of the Clown Prince of Crime, stripped of theatricality and shown as a truly dangerous, volatile force of nature. Azzarello’s writing is sharp and atmospheric, capturing the Joker’s chaotic essence without over-explaining him — a mistake many interpretations make.Lee Bermejo’s art is phenomenal. The hyper-realistic style adds to the tension and brutality of the story. Every panel is dripping with mood and menace, making Gotham feel more alive — and more broken — than ever. This hardcover edition does justice to the artwork with high-quality printing and presentation.This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s violent, grim, and intense — but that’s exactly why it works. It dares to show the Joker not as a cartoonish villain, but as a disturbing, compelling symbol of chaos. Highly recommended for mature readers who appreciate dark storytelling and unforgettable visuals.An essential addition to any serious Batman or Joker fan’s collection.

It's been a while since I read a comic/graphic novel, about a year or so. I knew Lee Bermejo's work from the Batman Noel comic, but this one is before that, and here, we can see his distinctive way of drawing and showing the story through the panels. I'm always a fan of the Scott/Capullo duo, but here, the Azzarello/Bermejo collaboration left me speechless.Such a dark story, with a slow yet thrilling plot, making you anticipate what will happen next in each panel, each page. I love the way the drawings are mixed between more detailed ones and those with fewer details/shadows, but without losing their quality and form.The quality of the comic itself is superb, the hard cover, the printing, the visual aspect, the drawing, everything is excellent.For Batman fans and even more so for Joker fans, this is a must-have.

JOKER is a chilling portrayal of everyone's favorite psychopath from the perspective of one of his henchmen. What makes this book interesting is that you get a fresh look at how the Joker operates behind the scenes.The StoryThe Joker is released from Arkham Asylum after he is declared sane and starts to take back Gotham City. He reunites with some of Gotham's more colorful characters and chaos ensues. This portrayal of the Joker is more realistic than some of the other books. He's a ruthless criminally insane drug addict who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.The ArtThe art is creepy and unnerving to say the least. The characters are expressed well and have a more realistic and gritty look to them. There is some violence and disturbing gore.The DialogueThe dialogue is good and there are some good lines. As you are reading this, you really get an idea of what the Joker is like. At any point, he can flip out and kill just about anyone around him on a whim. It's really unnerving.OverallNot everyone will love this book. This is not a book about Batman trying to stop one of the Joker's Crazy Plots. It's not about Batman... it's not about Commisioner Gordon... it's not about Gotham City... it's not even really about the henchman... It's more of a behind the scenes psychological study of the Joker as he does what he does. Action fans will probably not be satisfied with the book and Batman fans will be wondering where the caped crusader was during all of this. If you want a high action Batman book, this is not for you. But if you ever wanted to see how the Joker operates and feel what it's like to be caught in the tangled web that he weaves, this is a must read.Note: If you want a great Batman vs. The Joker story, read The Killing Joke.

An interesting, if not stellar work. As can be expected from Azarello who pens the outstanding "100 Bullets," this take on The Joker is less a superhero tale than a gritty film noir with some rather eccentric characters.And it is noir.Like its predecessor "Batman: Broken City," Gotham is the filth encrusted urban hell that breaks the big time dreams of the small time hustlers, scammers and assorted losers.The story is told through the eyes of small-time gangster Johnny Frost who becomes enamored of The Joker, thinking that he can hitch his star to the Clown Prince as he violently tears through Gotham's underworld after his unexplained release from Arkham, looking to reestablish himself as the top criminal in the city.But, true to the noir trope, Johnny realizes only too late that The Joker is not simply an uber-racketeer with a pretty smile, but rather he's got his own agenda understood only to him - that brings madness and destruction eventually to all who enter his orbit.The characterization of The Joker is subtle because at first he just seems to be similar to Azzarello's reinterpretation of all the Rogue's Gallery as gangsters and molls. Only later does it become apparent that his behavior only makes sense (if you can call it that) in light of his relationship with The Batman.But still I was somehow left unsatisfied. Because if there is one thing that makes The Joker stand apart from the rest of the Gallery it is his complete lack of normal criminal motivation. In this book, The Joker just seems a little too "gangstery" (Although as noted before, this might be just because we are really only seeing The Joker through Johnny Frost's eyes.)I really enjoyed The Joker's cameo appearance in "Batman: Broken City" where, locked in a cell in Arkham, he does a turn as a sort of a green haired Hannibal Lecter, giving the impression to Bruce that he is controlling events on the outside somehow.Bermejo's artwork is excellent, moving back and forth between the standard pen and palette to outright oil paintings similar to Alex Ross. He has a gift for focusing on the details of a decaying Gotham and literally making the city a character in the story.All in all it's a good work.

The re-making of the Joker into the ultimate dark villian is fairly recent and is mostly due, I think, to the grand performances of the late Heath Ledger and the upcoming one by Joaquin Phoenix. Which is very much unlike how the character was portrayed by Jack Nicholson or the very campy 1960's show. It seems that as comics become a mega-industry they grow less and less playful and much more, well dark, as in Dark Knight.The comic is unusual as it explores the relationship between the Joker and the OTHER Batman villains, building up his uniqueness as the Clown Prince of Gotham while also being 'loyal' to the truthfulness of the other characters. If you read and re-read the work you begin to notice just how smart it is in the way the art and dialog combine to direct the flow of the story. This comic is epic, the art is superb and the world it describes is 'complete' - and it'll stick with you long after you finish reading it.

This is one of my favorite Joker graphic novels. To be honest, what drew me in was the artwork that looked almost exactly like the Heath Ledger Joker. I'm not sure if it inspired the Joker of TDK, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. The story is somewhat like applying the "The Dark Knight Returns" treatment to the Joker. Yes I know the Joker was in that story, but that's not what I mean. The whole idea behind this is a Joker that has been imprisoned for a long time and finally gets out of Arkham. Yet even as an older version, he's still the same character: ruthless, cold and wicked to the core. The cast of characters also includes the Penguin, Killer Croc and other familiar Batman foes. The artwork is just terrific. The story is quite good, but a bit short. If you like Batman and the Joker, this graphic novel needs to be in your collection.

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

Dark Gritty joker Story 5/5 great addition to any DC Comics collectors or if you just want a good visual story

Great story. Dark, brooding, and insane. Great addition to the collection. Definitely recommend.

I wasn't prepared for it. The art is quite impressive, and the story was fine.

La combinación Azarello y Bermejo es siempre de lo mejor que vas a encontrar, en particular esta edición pasta dura es del 2019 y aun mantiene el logo de "DC Comics" en vez del "DC Black Label", pero la calidad es buena, un cómic imperdible, para audiencia adulta, con un fondo profundo y oscuro lleno de adrenalina, además, este cómic es la precuela de batman damned.

An alternative portrait of the Joker, a super interesting story set in a very dark and violent modern Gotham.Drawings are pure art, dialogues are superb.

Tolles Comic Buch und für Neueinsteiger des Batman/DC Universums geeignet.Die Zeichnungen sind wirklich gut gemacht,aber vorallem ist die Story wirklich Mitreißend. Wer hierbei den Joker als Figur nicht verehren möchte,hat Probleme.Zudem gefällt mir,dass 2-Face und der Pinguin auch noch ihre Auftritte bekommen.Das ist ein neuerer Comicband,in dem der Joker an die Heath Ledger Film Version angelehnt ist.Batman hat eigentlich kaum eine Bedeutung darin,taucht nur kurz auf,also bekommen wir Joker pur. Oder doch etwas anders: Die Geschichte ist aus Sicht des Kleinkriminellen Jonny Frost geschrieben.Der meldet sich für den Job,den gefährlichen Joker aus der Irrenanstalt "Arkham Asylum" abzuholen und sich somit endlich mal als ein Jemand zu fühlen. Dabei bekommt der Leser den Joker wie im Film zu sehen,also absolut durchgeknallt,aber gleichzeitig auch als extrem Intelligent und vorallem als brutal.Der Comic ist jedem zu emfehlen,der wie ich sich nur mal ins DC Universum verirren wollte.Du kennst nur die Dark Knight Filme und möchtest dich mal in die Comic Welt einlesen? Das nimm diesen Comic!