For the first time in decades, The Joker returns to headline his very own solo series! And you, dear reader, get the first #sneak-peek into the decidedly horrific story as only James Tynion IV can pen.
WARNING
Batman was not here to save the day in these pages. There are scenes of gore and violence.
Summary: Following the events of Infinite Frontier #1 , the Joker is the most wanted man in the world! But the Clown Prince of Crime is several steps ahead of law enforcement—and he’s on the run overseas. James Gordon, facing retirement, realizes this is the manhunt of his life and the last piece of a storied career…but what mysterious and deadly forces are also in pursuit of the Joker?
And in the backup story, following the events of the smash hit Punchline #1 , DC’s most controversial new villain navigates the infrastructure of Blackgate Penitentiary. While on the outside, Harper Row takes up the mantle of Bluebird to stop her brother from falling under Punchline’s influence.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed the first issue! I’m not much of a Joker fan, but using Jim Gordon as the protagonist is a brilliant move! Tynion has a great feel for Gordon’s voice, and I think March is a better fit for this book than the main Batman title. One question I had after reading it: Did the Joker still kill Sarah in the current continuity and were she and Jim married?Joker’s other crimes against the Gordons were mentioned in the issue, but not that one, which I thought was strange. Besides that pesky question, excellent debut!
Jim actually does refer to his affair with Sarah at one point. He never references their marriage but with DC’s current “it all happened” approach, safe to say it happened.
Yeah, I just thought that Joker killing Sarah would rate as a tragedy and more fuel to the fire.
Did you think Tynion and March really captured a Year One feel in this issue? The dialogue was definitely reminiscent of Miller’s characterization for Gordon and the artwork by March really gave me a Mazzuchelli vibe – particularly the Chicago flashback. Again, I was shocked how much I liked this issue.
I was surprised at how adeptly March was able to pull off the Year One feeling. He’s not normally an artist I would associate with that type of story. Thought it worked well though, and it was cool to see Gordon back in the spotlight.
I like that Joker is more of a force rather than a central character like Jim Gordon is. I am happy that it is just a good old fashioned mystery book. After being overexposed to DC Metal, I am glad it's back to the basics. No offense to those who liked Metal but fantasy isn't my thing. I was telling a friend the other day that it sort of reminds me of Streets of Gotham by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen.
And you, dear reader, get the first #sneak-peek into the decidedly horrific story as only James Tynion IV can pen.
WARNING
definitely puts a smile on my face 
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