I am FAR from being a fan of the Joker, and never found anything about the character particularly interesting, but I thought "The Three Jokers" was a really solid and even gripping story. The idea of there being multiple Jokers and not a single, constant entity is quite creative, and it really feels like each of these main 3 are well thought-out and distinctly motivated, which makes the story seem even more delightfully chaotic and unpredictable. I read "The Killing Joke" a couple months back (and liked essentially nothing about it) so seeing that big plot twist at the very end was a bit of a jaw dropper. The art is also enjoyable, and while I don't really care for those big, exaggerated drawings of rippling superhero muscles and unrealistic boobs (poor Barbara), the art was still dynamic and had wonderful paneling. Finally, Batman's personal journey in this volume is one of the best yet - seeing him get closure with Chill and have to come face to face with those emotions was touching, and I was so happy to see it end how it did.
There are still some aspects that could have used improvement (the "romance" is forced and sucks, Barbara's unrealistic recovery time, the somewhat confusing Red Hood drama) but overall I think this was very well done, and one of the best Batman graphic novels yet. ( )

Batman: Three Jokers is essential a sequel of sorts to the events of The Killing Joker. The essential premise of this is what if there were Three Jokers running things in Gotham? The Criminal, The Clown, and The Comedian. What if they were all different? And how would Batman, Jason Todd, and Batgirl - all victims of the Joker's cruelty deal with such a crisis?

This instantly feels like a classic. It is consistent with Batman/Joker's origin story AND the creation of the henchmen that would do the Joker's bidding.

It's a quite emotional tale, with a quite satisfying ending. I highly recommend this if you're a Batman fan. ( )

Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns

Plot Summary: Batman, Batgirl, and Red Hood are drawn into a widespread conspiracy after they discover that there are, in fact, three different Jokers killing influential figures at the same time, leading to a sweeping search for both their identities and the truth behind who the REAL Joker is. Meanwhile, the three heroes struggle with their relationships to one another through their past experiences -- all centered around their interactions with the Joker.

Review: The concept is certainly intriguing, and for the most part is well done -- the idea of the Joker being a title borne by multiple people is a very introspective one, and it is done wonderfully here. The detective work from the Caped Crusader and his companions is also a nice touch, and I also appreciate the time split between the three lead heroes and the three Jokers themselves. While some are given the shaft more than others, there's a lot of good character arcs and development here, but the strongest is, of course, the titular characters: Batman and the Jokers. Without giving too much away, we get to see a stark deviation between Bruce and Jason (Red Hood) in terms of their approach to forgiveness and handling their grief and pain, and it is a touching, emotional moment towards the end of the book. There a few issues I do have: as it tends to go with many graphic novels, it feels a bit too short and it could have been padded out to add some more depth to certain characters, such as Batgirl and Red Hood, but I have to remind myself that this was a three-issue comic run initially and not a full-fledged book. Also, the romantic subplot between Barbara and Jason kind of felt out of left field. Apart from those small issues, though, this is a very good standalone story, particularly its character moments of Batman and the three Jokers storyline.

Content: Bloody violence is a constant throughout; characters are beaten, shot, blown up, and otherwise, and we do see a fair amount of blood and *lite* gore, as a couple characters are shot in the head, but nothing extremely graphic is shown. There are also a couple of shots of a few male characters nude, but the shadows and strategically-placed props keep anything too graphic from being shown. As far as language goes, there are a total of 18 uses of vulgarity (3 "d-mn," 9 "h-ll," 3 "b-st-rd," and 3 "a--").

Final Thoughts: A really good look into the character of Batman, who must maneuver through his own inner demons while facing off against not one, but three Jokers. There are a couple of issues in regards to how other characters are handled and presented, and some colorful language throughout, but the payoff at the end is definitely worth the read in how it reinforces the strengths of Batman's character. Definitely worth a read for Batman fans, and the general story is strong enough to at least be of interest for more casual comic fans.

*August 3, 2022* ( )

Batman: Three Jokers
Author: Johns, Favok, and Anderson
Publisher: DC Comics: Black Label
Publishing Date: 2020
Pgs:
Dewey: 741.5973 BAT
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
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REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
Batman doesn't understand how or why, but the fact is certain: the man he has spent a lifetime chasing isn't one man at all. There are three Jokers. Now that he knows the unbelievable truth, Bruce needs real answers. Joined by Barbara Gordon and Jason Todd, two former victims of the Joker's brutality, the Dark Knight is finally on a path to defeat the madman once and for all. Every last one of him.
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Genre:
DC Comics
Graphic Novels
Mystery
Superhero

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The Feel:
Seems like we're focusing on Bruce and Jason's trauma, and ignoring Barbara's. Comics as inadvertent sausage part? Man-grief? And the “relationship” between Barbara and Jason…if that was going to be a story, it should have been written 20 years ago. Even to old comics fans, that seems like a ship that sailed a long, long time ago.

Plot Holes/Out of Character:
The note on the door was extremely out-of-character. Just plants the future seed of one more thing that Jason and Dick can compete over and does a disservice to Barbara's character.

Favorite Scene:
Joker shark.

The army of Joker toxin victims rolling out of the darkness of The Ace Chemical Factory.

Favorite Quote:

Favorite Concept:
The deathbed scene is well done. Bruce Wayne is a better man than most of us. Don't know that I could ever do that.

Cover and Interior Art:
Beautifully drawn and colored.

Hmm Moments:
Figured this was going to lead to a Dread Pirate Roberts. Didn't expect this.

Would've been interesting if somehow The Joker was the Dread Pirate Roberts.

The Sigh:
The font on the radio broadcast in the opening pages is way too tiny.

The Unexpected:
Red Hood’s revenge was unexpected. And robbed of his potency by the mystery itself.

Missed Opportunity:
Did this story get subsumed in New 52, Metal, Batman Who Laughs events? This could, and I guess could still be with the way continuity is handled like thinly sliced swiss cheese in comic books, the basis or elementally important to many future stories.

Get Off My Lawn:
Shouldn't Joe Chill be too old for this stuff? If I go with the idea that he was of an age with Thomas and Martha when he shot them, or older, usually seems to be presented as older, then he’d be in his late 50s or 60s now and I doubt he would make a good future Joker.
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Pacing:
Very well paced. The pages flew by way too fast.

Last Page Sound:
I liked it.

Questions I’m Left With:
But how long have there been three of them? And are there just the three? Seems if everyone ever exposed to the toxin could be one, a future one, or a current one, there could be a virtually unending supply of them.

Conclusions I’ve Drawn:
Of course, with all that Joker juice they spread around in this, there are a lot of candidates for the next understudy (ies).

Things I’d Like to See:
Blurb writers and comic writers and editors, specifically, stop using the “once and for all” trope.

Reread Pile:
Probably not.
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Great concept and very good execution. The first book was absolutely brilliant with its three Jokers - criminal, comedian, clown. The second dragged a bit with a slow story that seemed to not know where it's going. But then I read the final book and it all clicked. It's the most "Batman" ending I've ever seen, which isn't a bad thing. I loved the rationale of the "Joker" we see near the end, and the way they wrap up Joe Chill's arc was deftly handled. ( )