Batman: The Joker's 6 Essential Stories

6. Joker - Brian Azzarello And Lee Bermejo

Released in the wake of Christopher Nolan's all-conquering blockbuster, 2008's The Dark Knight, Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Joker went for a more realistic portrayal of the character. Released from Arkham Asylum having proved his sanity(!), the story is told from the viewpoint of Jonny Frost, a hired goon/driver for the Joker, who witnesses Joker's return to the Gotham crimeworld, rebuilding his lost empire and seeing the man behind the reputation in his quieter moments. Azzarello's Joker is a man whose "insanity" is the result of drug abuse, snorting cocaine and popping pills washed down by liquor, sending him into bloodthirsty rages. Joker in this book is less cartoonish and more disturbing as Azzarello takes advantage of the comics format to have Joker perform horrifying acts in between the panels. Out of his mind on drugs, Joker breaks into a random apartment and slices up an elderly couple for no reason and then later on, he rapes Jonny's wife to test his loyalty! And yet Azzarello somehow manages to make Joker likeable in other moments, like when he's more sober and talking to Jonny, you can see he's a very charismatic person. An important quality of the Joker is his ability to make people do what he wants and Azzarello captures that character trait perfectly here, contrasting the extremely dark side of his personality. Joker is a dark but compelling tale and Lee Bermejo's realistic and gorgeous artwork makes it all the more gripping a read. Like Ledger's Joker, he draws Joker with knife-scars on the sides of his mouth where he's tried to elongate his gruesome smile. There's also a brilliant panel where Jonny witnesses Joker with Harley, being his true self which is definitely weird. Is it funny or sad? It's Joker, so it's probably both!