Review: The Joker Vol. 1

Quick Summary

Pros: The main narrative is a great James Gordon story that reflects back on a lot of his history. Aspects of the narrative also offer some unique looks at Joker. The book has an interesting central mystery. The artwork is positive throughout the read.

Cons: The Joker feels like a background character in his own book and ends up having a more lackluster personal story than usual.

Overall: This is an enjoyable book and a solid introduction to a new series. The volume has a great James Gordon story, a compelling mystery, positive artwork, and some decent Joker moments. However, fans should be aware that this book ends up placing more of an emphasis on James Gordon than it does on the Joker, who feels more like a secondary character. Readers who like Gordon and don’t mind this shift in focus should definitely consider picking it up.

Story

The Joker Vol. 1, by James Tynion IV, is good in multiple ways but may not be exactly what the reader is looking for. It does a great job in telling an emotional and interesting James Gordon story. This narrative looks at the hardships Gordon has faced at the hands of the Joker and has him take on a thrilling mystery. However, readers simply picking this book up to see a ton of the Joker may end up disappointed. The Joker has a few solid moments and the book teases more involvement from him in the future, but it is definitely more focused on Gordon than Joker. The end result is still a captivating and enjoyable read but readers should make sure they are aware of what they are going into before they go into it. 

(spoilers start here)

As mentioned above, the main narrative in The Joker Vol. 1 isn’t really about Joker as much as it is about James Gordon. It explores his past with the Joker, reflects on his current condition, and asks if he would be willing to serve as judge, jury, and executioner for a being he considers to be genuine “evil”. In this way, the book is seriously compelling. It is filled with emotional turmoil, complex moral issues, and even a few surprising developments, such as when Gordon reveals that he knows his daughter is Batgirl/Oracle.

The book is also successful in providing the introduction to an interesting new story arc. Gordon’s quest to find Joker reveals that there is some sort of conspiracy underfoot. Joker claims that he was framed for a crime he didn’t commit in order to stop a crime he plans to commit in the future. The story seems to indicate that he is actually telling the truth here. Though the book doesn’t dig too deep into what exactly is happening, what it does explore is interesting and has me excited to read the next volume.

The biggest point of contention in The Joker Vol. 1 comes from its main focus. Despite having “Joker” in the title and having large images of Joker on the covers, this book is surprisingly light on Joker. There are moments where he is given an opportunity to shine and I enjoyed hearing about his method of disappearing from Gotham City. However, his actual contributions to the book are pretty light and occasionally not that interesting. Ultimately, fans should just be aware that this Joker book isn’t as Joker-centric as one would expect.  

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in The Joker Vol. 1 is positive all the way through. Guillem March does a fantastic job in depicting the Joker. His depictions of the Clown Prince of Crime jump from zany and cartoony to devilish and mad at the drop of a hat, which suits Joker’s temperament throughout this book. Even the page structures lend themselves to this, presented either crazed or well-defined and structured depending on what is required by the narrative. It also helps that March does a solid job in depicting the rest of the characters and in depicting the book’s various locations. All in all, March is able to properly produce all of the artwork this collection requires, which is a huge plus for the book as a whole.

Continuity

The Joker Vol. 1 is the first volume in a new Joker comic series. This series is mostly a continuation of Joker’s (Reading Order) personal story from the conclusion of The Joker War (Review) (Reading Order) event.

The story here will presumably continue in The Joker Vol. 2, though this volume has yet to be released.

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Multiple references are made to Joker’s (Reading Order) recent attack on Gotham City. This attack is depicted across the entire The Joker War (Review) (Reading Order) event.
• References are also made to a gas attack on Arkham Asylum. This was depicted in Infinite Frontier #0, collected in Infinite Frontier.
• James Gordon (Reading Order) mentions having an affair with a woman named Sarah. This is originally shown in the Batman: Year One story arc.
• Several references are made to the time Joker attacked Barbara Gordon (Reading Order) and tortured James Gordon (Reading Order). These events are depicted in Batman: The Killing Joke.
• Recent events involving James Gordon Jr. (Reading Order) are mentioned. These events are depicted across Batgirl Vol. 8: The Joker War, specifically in Batgirl #49. In addition, an altercation between Batgirl and James Gordon is mentioned, this took place in Batgirl #50.