Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a 2005 one-shot prestige comic that tells the story of Batman's first encounter with The Joker in post-Crisis continuity, is based on the Clown Prince of Crime's initial introduction back in 1940's Batman #1 and serves as a loose sequel to 1987's Batman: Year One. The title of the story is a direct reference to Victor Hugo's 1869 novel The Man Who Laughs - the main character of which heavily influenced the creation of The Joker. The story redefined The Joker for modern day audiences by retelling his origin story - how both his body and mind were mangled by the Ace Chemical Plant - and uses elements of the villain's subsequent appearance to convey a more fleshed out version the character than previous origin tales had been able to deliver. It portrays a sinister version of The Joker who seemingly kills for fun and is undoubtedly one of the better Batman/Joker stories from the comic books.
