Batman Annual #3

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    gmanfromheck

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    Edited By gmanfromheck

    The Good

    Who doesn't love a good Joker story? The interesting thing about Joker in the New 52 is, we haven't really seen too many actual Joker stories. Some might feel that's a crazy statement but if you think about it, we only really had two main stories, Death of the Family and the current Endgame arc. Joker did appear in 2011's DETECTIVE COMICS #1 but then wasn't really seen until his return after his face was cut off. Despite having Endgame on the cover, this focuses more on just the Joker.

    James Tynion IV has the task of delving into who Joker is and what he's capable of. Starting off 'five years ago,' we get some glimpses into Joker's activities over the years. When a reporter looks into uncovering more about the Joker, Joker forms a twisted attachment to him. You can imagine how something like that might go.

    Tynion gets the chance to showcase Joker's brutal nature without making the story feel like it's going over the top. He manages to make Joker feel extremely frightening at a more psychological level. If you've read my past reviews, you know I enjoyed Death of the Family and I'm loving Endgame. It is also refreshing to be able to see Joker in a smaller setting. Seeing him go after someone other than Batman is pretty creepy.

    I wasn't familiar with Roge Antonio's art before. He has an interesting style that gives us a mix of an angry yet playful Joker. It might sound like a weird combination but it works for Joker. It's interesting to see the flashback sequences and adventures over the year as the story builds. It makes you stop and think about all the other possible adventures we're simply not aware of. This is something we haven't really thought about since the New 52 began.

    The Bad

    There is a tiny bit leading up to Endgame towards the end. This is really just a pure Joker story instead of a firm connection to the current arc. Being labeled as part of Endgame could be a good or bad thing depending on whether or not readers want an annual tied to the event or not.

    There were some moments the art left me wondering a little. It might be an editorial decision but the idea that Harley Quinn has been wearing her same current outfit for the past "five years" is a little unsettling. It would've been nice to see some variation and possibly even her original outfit used. There were also some instances when the colors felt too vibrant considering the tone was more on the dark side.

    There is also the problems with a specific "five years ago" timeline. This has been bothersome to some readers since the New 52 started. It's a little confusing because now we're not entirely sure how many years have actually passed since the New 52 started. Are we to assume the opening with Joker took place during the same time Darkseid attacked in the first JUSTICE LEAGUE arc or is this now a year or two after those events? It's a minor concern but can be problematic if you allow yourself to think about it.

    The Verdict

    If you've been looking for some pure Joker wackiness without being tied to a huge story event, this is the issue for you. Despite being labeled as part of Endgame, it's really more of a self-contained story that slightly leads up Joker's current standing. James Tynion IV delivers some refreshing and twisted moments in Joker's life as we see what it means to be friends with him. The art by Roge Antonio gives us a nice different take on Joker over the years. If you've been wondering what Joker's been up to when not involved in a long battle against Batman, this is an issue you'll want to check out.

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    WarDishy_

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    I hate DC's timeline but get around it by basically pretending it doesn't exist. I don't care if they say it's five years, I'll decide how long ago I want it to be!

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    gmanfromheck

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    @wardishy: From the beginning, it would've been better to just say "years ago." It might be silly to get worked up or concerned over but we are comic book readers. It's what we do.

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    Boynerdgeek

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    @g_man: yes, agree. It should be years ago not five years ago in Justice League issue 1

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    WarDishy_

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    @g_man: Yup. Really, it's just best to ignore it. Most readers come up with their own "head-canon" after they've been reading for a while to decide which stories "matter" and which don't. If people don't like a story, or disagree with a timeline, they can just pretend it happened differently.

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    gmanfromheck

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    @wardishy: It seemed the books started moving away from stating specific time periods. But again, this was a pretty cool look at the Joker away from a big event. That's what we should focus on here.

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    Saren

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    I liked it --- felt like a slow burn for nearly half the issue, but a pretty satisfying finish. It's nice to see someone take the Joker back to psychological warfare and away from apocalyptica for a bit. It's a self-contained story, but if you haven't been following Endgame you'll miss out on the impact of that last page.

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    obsidian_raindrop1

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    Why is eight-teen issues such a dry spell for one character to be missing from comics?

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    MadeinBangladesh

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    I don't know if I should read this or not....

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    sonofodin25

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    I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I got a weird satisfaction out of seeing them as friends by the end. I hope we see this guy return. As for the timeline, let's just do what DC does and say fuck it. I just pretend these stories take place in pre-52 anyways.

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    AbdullahZubair

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    @g_man:

    @g_man said:

    @wardishy: From the beginning, it would've been better to just say "years ago." It might be silly to get worked up or concerned over but we are comic book readers. It's what we do.

    You are definitely right!!! I think righting years ago or just saying earlier would actually build up the mystery of who when and where that are usually related to joker.

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    NightFang3

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    Joker is perfect for psychological horror!

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    CaptainHoopla

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    I enjoyed this story. A great look at just how much of a psychological terrorist/tormentor Joker is.

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    longbowhunter

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    Anyone else reminded of "Joker's Favor" episode of B:TAS? I thought this was a good stand alone story. Very appropriate for an annual, while still loosely tying into Endgame.

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    batmite1995

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    The Average Bear

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    I loved this issue. I had absolutely no idea where it was going and it was so fun the entire way. This is more of the kind of the Joker story we need! Not some Pennywise crap

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    the_stegman

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    #20 the_stegman  Moderator

    Waste of five bucks. I thought this was gonna actually tie in to Endgame, like how GL annual continued Godhead, but no, I get Joker, and some guy I don't care about.

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    Knightsofdarkness2

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    I agree about the New 52 timeline being confusing.

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    derf_jenkins

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    This annual could have been written by Snyder and I may have felt better about it. I understand annuals are sometimes by another team. I also believe Scott wrote the first 2. I guess if I detach it from the current batman series it feels better. When I try to tie it with the rest of the series it feels out of place.

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    TDK_1997

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    This issue was brilliant. I can say that this is one of the best Batman issues since the start of the New 52. If anyone is wondering why, the answer is simple - it's great to see Joker back to his basics. Not being some kind of a god or something like that but being a person who relies on psychological attacks and he manages to ruin a person's life that way.

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    dotwilson

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    Sporedust

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    I wonder why nobody is mentioning that the Joker is Eric Border?

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    mak13131313

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    This issue was awesome!

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    StarBrand1

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    @sporedust:

    becuase it has nothing to do with this annual.

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    Mucklefluga

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    That was a really, really good issue, legitimately frightening in some parts.

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    deactivated-57dd84d2af8d3

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    This was a great issue and I love self-contained stories, especially since we haven't been getting them. Also, this clearly borrows from Joker's Favor which isn't a bad thing at all.

    I do have a gripe and it's not just this story, it's any New 52 story with Harley, I hate her outfit. It doesn't look good at all and it's not in character. Her old jester get up is far superior to anything she has gotten recently.

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    captain_elburn

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    This issue is easily a 5/5. Very similar to Joker's Favor from Batman TAS.

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