Joe, by Jove!
I bet a billion everyone knows Joe by now. He has been around for nearly three-fourth a century (69 years). Like the folk-star Bob, he has been reinvented countless times. Very recently, Heath (RIP) made a chilling portrayal of him on silver screen. By now, it must ring a bell as to who I am scribing about. If it doesn’t yet, Wizard ranked him #1 on the list of 100 Greatest Villains of All Time. Still doesn’t ring it! Alright, the persona I am getting to is Mr. Joker. In this story I was reading, my first digital read, there is a progressive panel that goes: knock… knock… Who’s there? Joe. Joe wh--. See the change of expression for yourself.
The story I read is the one-shot graphic novel entitled Joker authored by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. Azzarello is best-known for his 100 Bullets run for Vertigo, a Hellblazer run, El Diablo, and the ongoing Loveless. His forte is crime noir and Western (what else is Western but!). A story set in Gotham City, lead by Joker, calls forth such an author.
The story opens Joker being released from Arkham Asylum having been locked up for a long time. In his absence, the rest of the rogues, unmindful of his stake, have already exploited his resources. Joe gets freaked. All he wants is to take it all back. So begins his mission to pluck his cherries.
As the moments of wet-to-dry humor building up almost giving an impression that he is going to take it slow and easy, boom! Joe picks a bloody diverse route. His exploits can be as unexpected as they can be expected. The impact of Clown Prince of Crime loose in the alleys of City of Crimes is one hell of a blow.
Although the story was planned before the advent of The Dark Knight flick, visually Joe is reminiscent of Ledger’s. The artwork is a treat mostly. Riddler’s funky rockstar look gave me an impression if Riddler is Bats’ nemesis in the next flick, by all means Depp must play it.
Harley Quinn is an elegant stripper here. She has the knack to be discovered too late and deadly in the most unlikely of places. That justifies Joe better have a girlfriend like her than single and have no shoulder to cry.
Joe is a dangerous boss one can have, even more dangerous enemy, and the most dangerous to cross with.
Batman only shows up in the third act. How can Joker be complete without Bats? So there you go with practical jokes and punches. Lock Joe up chained tight, in a wink he comes up mocking sanity and order. No wonder Bats is so exhausted? Facing his archenemy as long as there is psyche left intact.
The best thing about the narration is it is told in the perspective of his low-life accomplice Johnny. The yarn takes its shape and revolves around him. He comes the closest to understanding the chaos ways of Joe.
The violence is something that can only be achieved in this graphic medium. Movies haven’t the privilege to portray such explicitness and if translated panel by panel would be the most devastating to witness. There goes the genre scot-free but yet most liberated.
As far as my reading has seen, this is most violent portrayal of Joe in any medium. Moore’s The Killing Joke is a near equal in this regard, but better crafted story wise. There was one revelation, which The Killing Joke left to imagination, of what would’ve Joe done to Barbara back then. That makes him very inconvenient to behold.
It is a fine story nonetheless. Another crown for the Clown Prince, a bleeding one at that; however, very appropriate. If ever Joe comes knocking on your door, don’t let him in or near, just embrace him tight and tell him in a tender voice how nice of you being the pawn of the artists’ (in turn humanity’s) expression of the shadow – the seat of creativity.
The story I read is the one-shot graphic novel entitled Joker authored by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. Azzarello is best-known for his 100 Bullets run for Vertigo, a Hellblazer run, El Diablo, and the ongoing Loveless. His forte is crime noir and Western (what else is Western but!). A story set in Gotham City, lead by Joker, calls forth such an author.
The story opens Joker being released from Arkham Asylum having been locked up for a long time. In his absence, the rest of the rogues, unmindful of his stake, have already exploited his resources. Joe gets freaked. All he wants is to take it all back. So begins his mission to pluck his cherries.
As the moments of wet-to-dry humor building up almost giving an impression that he is going to take it slow and easy, boom! Joe picks a bloody diverse route. His exploits can be as unexpected as they can be expected. The impact of Clown Prince of Crime loose in the alleys of City of Crimes is one hell of a blow.
Although the story was planned before the advent of The Dark Knight flick, visually Joe is reminiscent of Ledger’s. The artwork is a treat mostly. Riddler’s funky rockstar look gave me an impression if Riddler is Bats’ nemesis in the next flick, by all means Depp must play it.
Harley Quinn is an elegant stripper here. She has the knack to be discovered too late and deadly in the most unlikely of places. That justifies Joe better have a girlfriend like her than single and have no shoulder to cry.
Joe is a dangerous boss one can have, even more dangerous enemy, and the most dangerous to cross with.
Batman only shows up in the third act. How can Joker be complete without Bats? So there you go with practical jokes and punches. Lock Joe up chained tight, in a wink he comes up mocking sanity and order. No wonder Bats is so exhausted? Facing his archenemy as long as there is psyche left intact.
The best thing about the narration is it is told in the perspective of his low-life accomplice Johnny. The yarn takes its shape and revolves around him. He comes the closest to understanding the chaos ways of Joe.
The violence is something that can only be achieved in this graphic medium. Movies haven’t the privilege to portray such explicitness and if translated panel by panel would be the most devastating to witness. There goes the genre scot-free but yet most liberated.
As far as my reading has seen, this is most violent portrayal of Joe in any medium. Moore’s The Killing Joke is a near equal in this regard, but better crafted story wise. There was one revelation, which The Killing Joke left to imagination, of what would’ve Joe done to Barbara back then. That makes him very inconvenient to behold.
It is a fine story nonetheless. Another crown for the Clown Prince, a bleeding one at that; however, very appropriate. If ever Joe comes knocking on your door, don’t let him in or near, just embrace him tight and tell him in a tender voice how nice of you being the pawn of the artists’ (in turn humanity’s) expression of the shadow – the seat of creativity.
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