Review: Batman: Three Jokers

Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Warning, your opinion of this book will vary. Mostly on two factors that will certainly intermingle. One, it will depend on your opinion of Alan Moore's classic "The Killing Joke". And two, will be even further influenced by how you feel in regards to a direct sequel to said classic that wasn't written by the original author. Because, while the writing and art are undeniably good, it dives into a piece of comic scripture that some might be unable to detach from.

I'm going to flip the script a little bit and comment briefly on the writing. Normally, when reviewing graphic novels, I'll go on and on about things like plot and dialogue but will only speak briefly on the art unless it stands out profoundly. Here, I'll just say the writing is really good. A true master of the comic book format at the top of his game. There can be plenty said here of the nature of the emulation of other authors, namely Alan Moore, but the final project is a tight unrelentingly story that has a perfectly woven characterization of, not one, but three heroes and their signaler relation to the chaos that is the Joker.

Now, the reason I want to talk about the art so much is because it should be taught in creative classes on how to draw a damn comic book. Not just because the art is glorious, even though it is, but because it communicates an emotional impact unlike ninety percent of the content that currently exists. Simple details like head nods and eye movements display more emotion than the most strongly worded text. The level of mastery on the page is intense and delivers every punch the story wants you to take. I honestly can't get over how good it is.

I would never be one to say that all comic books need to be in a quasi-type of nine-panel format, but it certainly is a superior form for the comic book genre. It allows the reader to carefully follow every tick of emotion of the story, instead of just following the dialog bubbles as the plot unfolds. It more firmly makes the art, and the objects that are being drawn, that much more part of the story. There are too many comics out there where the story is mostly told through the speech bubbles and the art is just used to direct who is speaking and if any display of action accruing. This is not one of those comics. And, hopefully, it will teach others on how it's done.

Also, while we're on the nine-panel subject, I've seen other comic books that have a strict nine-panel per page structure. While this can work if the writing style suits it (looking at you Tom King), making the style more adaptive to the story, I feel, is just the better format. This way, you develop all the strengths of the nine panels but aren't restricted by its limitations.

I think I'm just going to finish up this review by saying this is very much a book for long-time Batman fans made by a long-time Batman fan. It has a deep knowledge and love of the history of Batman and his never-ending fight with the Joker. In a lot of ways, this book looks to define that relationship and pulls from its most famous aspects. I'm not going to debate the fandom politics of it all. One, because it's beneath me. Two, the final product succeeds in so many ways those arguments are mostly baseless. It's not perfect. But, when a cynic like me won't point out its flaws, you know it must be good.


View all my reviews