Review: Three Jokers
Quick Summary
Pros: The main mystery is interesting and serves as a unique examination into the Joker. The focus on the heroes is compelling and adds some great emotion to the mix. The conclusion is expertly accomplished and ties everything up nicely. The artwork is gorgeous and only serves to give the story more layers.
Cons: The book’s romance feels more like a distraction rather than something worthwhile.
Overall: This is an awesome comic that both new and old Batman fans can enjoy. This series has mystery, intrigue, emotion, character development, beautiful artwork, and a great habit for developing on the rich history surrounding the Joker’s past appearances. It hooks you in from the very start and, besides one minor subplot, is positive throughout the reading experience. Anyone who enjoys the history surrounding Batman, Joker, Batgirl, or Red Hood should absolutely read this book.
Story
I have to admit, I was a little worried going into Batman: Three Jokers. This storyline was teased years ago and the hype around it had built up more and more as each year passed. I was worried that the comic couldn’t live up to its own expectations or that, in a worse case scenario, the three Joker problem would actually distort some aspects that make Joker such a great villain. I’m happy to say that I was very, very wrong.
Three Jokers, by Geoff Johns, is a great story that is an absolute service to all characters involved. The book centers around an intriguing mystery, builds in some compelling character-driven drama, and then closes with a conclusion that only serves to make everything even better. Along the way, the characters are almost always written well and are approached in a way that shows amazing respect for their complex histories. The book’s only real problem is that the romance within it is poorly developed and ends up feeling like a distraction more than anything else. However, as this romance is only a very small subplot, the vast majority of the book is incredible and makes for an amazing read.
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The main narrative in Three Jokers is fantastic right from the start. The core of the volume focuses on the mystery surrounding the very existence of three Jokers. This is partially a way to build intrigue but it is also a meta way to explore how the Joker has changed across time, with each Joker representing a different “era” in the character’s history. All of this is well written and works as a solid story on its own while also serving as a retrospective for Joker’s past.
The story built around this core narrative is also just as good, if not better. This storyline revolves around the pain the Joker has inflicted on the Bat-family, with Batman, Batgirl, and Red Hood taking center stage. These are the characters the Joker has put through the most trauma and all of them have dealt with this in different ways. Bringing this all out in the open and showcasing it adds character-driven drama to a storyline that is already achieving some solid successes.
The conclusion of the story is particularly well done. Joker executes an elaborate plan that results in Batman being able to forgive the man who killed his parents, just so that Batman can get over that source of pain and Joker can become Batman’s greatest source of pain. It is twisted and weird in a way that perfectly suits the Joker. In a similar way, Bruce’s solution to Joker’s identity is brilliant as well and perfectly suits Batman’s character, in that he takes on a great burden simply to help someone else. Nearly every aspect of the story works and becomes even more poignant in the end.
The only weird element of the storyline is the romance between Jason and Barbara. The way this romance unfolds feels like a distraction from things, as it is one of the only aspects of the narrative that doesn’t add anything. In fact, it somewhat takes away from the feelings of genuine caring between them by complicating them with romantic attraction.
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Art
The artwork in Three Jokers is absolutely gorgeous and makes nearly every aspect of this book even better (and it was already great to begin with). Jason Fabok’s visuals are wonderfully detailed and have a awesome sense of realism to them. This, together with dark and realistic colors from Brad Anderson, give the book a serious tone that makes the narrative hit a little harder. Fabok also does an excellent job in drawing the individual characters. This allows them to look good in every scene but, more importantly, it allows them to display the wide range of emotion that is brought on by the Joker’s presence, which is a critical piece of the book’s character-driven drama. Finally, the entire work is well laid out and progresses in a satisfying way. All in all, the artwork here is beautiful and, even if this book didn’t have any text in it at all, it would still be worthwhile for the visuals alone.
Continuity
Batman: Three Jokers is a mostly standalone miniseries that tells an independent story. However, the origin of the series extends from a mystery that was first revealed at the conclusion of Justice League: Darkseid War (Review) (Reading Order).
The story from this volume does not directly continue in any specific comic.
This volume also references the stories from other comic books, detailed below:
- The entire storyline makes numerous references to what happened in Batman: The Killing Joke. This includes the Joker’s attack on Barbara Gordon (Reading Order) and the origin story presented over the course of the read.
- The entire storyline makes numerous references to what happened in Batman: A Death in the Family. This includes the death of Jason Todd (Reading Order) and his torture at the hands of the Joker.