By Michael Green, Denys Cowan & John Floyd (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-722-8
Apparently every writer wants a crack at the big guns and that seems to constitute rewriting the origin of a character every five minutes, so imagine my surprise that this re-re-re-working of the first meeting between Batman and the Joker reads so very well. Although I’ve complained about it often enough, a rethink on the relationship doesn’t have to be a desperate stunt or cheap trick.
Gotham City: Batman has prowled the night for only forty-two weeks but in that time has made a big impact. Crime is on the run and the obsessed hero allows himself the reward of falling in love with the vivacious and feisty Lorna Shore. In his hubris Batman imagines that he’s on top of his self-appointed mission and ready for anything. But Gotham has never before experienced a criminal like Jack…
Unlike previous origin tales such as the Red Hood (gentleman bandit of the 1950s) or the tragic victim of The Killing Joke, the man who will become the Joker is a cold, emotionless sociopath. This career criminal is already coldly crazy and the best Batman has ever faced. So when the outmatched and floundering hero makes a devil’s bargain with a gang-boss the events that lead to the birth of the Harlequin of Hate are his fault. And every death the Joker causes is forever Batman’s responsibility…
Screen Writer Michael Green has crafted a solid, compelling thriller that does much to delineate what the post-Infinite Crisis Batman will be. There are novel revelations and wonderfully intimate asides for long-time fans to appreciate. As ever the raw kinetic energy of Denys Cowan’s drawing adds penetrating edginess to the mix. If you have to reboot classic characters every so often, then this is the way to do it.
Top rate action and adventure, but continuity reactionaries and general nitpickers might want to wait for the eventual softcover release and leave themselves one less thing to bemoan.
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