Graphic Novel Reviews: Joker and Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo

Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo

One of my major reasons for wanting to read Brian Azzarello’s Joker is that I’m a fan of Harley Quinn. A friend described the portrayal of the usually bouncy and obnoxious character and I was immediately intrigued. She doesn’t appear often, and when she does, she is utterly silent and not at all bouncy, but every appearance is powerful and solidifies her place at Joker’s side. Not as his crazy, obsessed girlfriend who tolerates his abuse because she is crazy and obsessed, but as his partner. Where she was once the needy one in an cruel relationship, this depiction makes her Joker’s equal, with one moment implying just how much he needs her in his life.

I love this book for Harley alone, but, as per the title, this is about the Joker first and foremost. It begins with Azzarello confirming Arkham Asylum’s questionable revolving door policy by releasing Joker with absolutely no explanation. Joker’s first priority as he gets into the car with Jonny Frost is to take back control of his assets from all those who had divvied up his turf and funds during his incarceration. Jonny has a few problems of his own, but catering to the Joker’s whims, unsurprisingly, takes priority. The result is a brutal, mayhem-filled romp through Gotham as the Joker hunts down his prey.

But the beauty of this book is that Azzarello does not give us a giggling, insane Joker. “I’m not crazy anymore, just mad,” he explains to Jonny, who spends the book trying to understand the man. I am not a fan of writers who simply excuse antagonists as “evil” and “crazy.” Given the amount of research in and awareness of mental health problems these days, I consider it lazy writing. Even if something is not working quite right in their heads, villains are still people and I love stories that give us their humanity, even if what we see is still deplorable. Azzarello’s Joker even goes so far as to meticulously pick apart the mental states of his adversaries, including wonderful scenes of his dealings with Harvey Dent. Plural.

Right down to the scarred face, this is definitely Heath Ledger’s Joker, though where the movie failed to firmly connect the Joker with Batman, Azzarello makes it clear in just a few panels why the one cannot exist without the other and why the sick, twisted city of Gotham needs them both.

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo

Upon finishing Joker, I learned that Azzarello and Bermejo had teamed up again on Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, another captivating character in the DC universe that is often poorly represented as simply a mad genius.

Where Joker is violent and unpredictable, Lex Luthor: Man of Steel reflects its main character’s cold, calculating subtlety. It lays out Luthor’s purpose right from the start, painting the undeniable picture of Superman as an alien. A monster with no understanding of humanity. Luthor despises the hero that Metropolis worships, but he is the only one who seems aware of how easily such a being could snap. In other words, that Man of Steel movie with the questionably violent Superman wreaking havoc and murdering bad guys in cold blood? That’s the Superman Luthor fears and wants to protect his city from. But Luthor is also intent on showing the world what Superman’s existence takes away from humanity. If Superman is there to do everything for us, what need is there for self-improvement?

These aspects of Superman are touched on in my other favourite Superman story, Superman: Red Son. The latter focuses on Superman himself, while Luthor is on the other side of the world thinking up bigger and better ways to defy Superman’s reign of perfection. The only problem I have with Red Son’s Luthor is that he is too cold and inhuman. Azzarello ensures that you never forget Luthor’s humanity as he works toward his ideal, which takes the form of a manufactured superhero Luthor aptly names, “Hope.” Luthor’s story culminates in his ultimate success and his ultimate failure in the most perfectly atypical way.

When I initially glanced at the issues of this series, I joked about Batman’s involvement since Bruce Wayne seems incapable of staying out of other people’s books. Yet it was when Luthor meets with Bruce Wayne to negotiate a business arrangement that this book went from five stars to simply delicious for me. Because if there is anyone who would appreciate Luthor’s hatred of Superman, it’s Bruce Wayne. The interactions between them are so intricate and delectable as they speak to each other in an intimate dance of words that reveals just how brilliant these two men are.

Graphic Novel Review: Joker by Brian Azzarello

Joker by Brian Azzarello

Publisher: DC Comics

Date of Publication: November 4, 2008

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Tiara's Rating: 4 of 5 stars - "I thought this was a great read. It's one of those comics that provide an alternative perspective of the Joker."

The Joker has been released from Arkham Asylum--released, not escape. No one is sure how the Joker managed such a thing, and he's unwilling to divulge his secret. This story is told from the POV of a hood with lofty goals named Jonny Frost. He volunteers to pick Joker up the day that he's released and follows him down a dizzying spiral of destruction as Joker begins a madcap scramble to reclaim what he considers his.

While the Joker is a dark figure in the DC universe, there's always this aspect of him that seems to be morosely gleeful no matter the situation. You don't often see him outside of that "clown" mode. In this book, there's something deadly serious about the Joker. For sure he's still the smiling murderer, but there are more moments where he's just not amused in such a serious way, and it shows all over his demeanor. I know there are moments in the past where he isn't amused with his current surroundings, but he's always managed to hide that behind murderous glee as he meted out his punishment.

In this comic, readers can catch glimpses of him where he appears to be angry and bitter with no smile in sight. There's even a scene where we catch the Joker in a very vulnerable moment with Harley. It's almost like a slip of the mask, very human moments from a character that doesn't show many other human emotions. Part of this different view on the Joker might be colored by the fact that story is told from Frost's point-of-view. So, Joker may be acting in the ways the reader normally sees him, but Frost's perception of Joker and the situation may temper this view.

Joker's sanity or insanity is never really directed addressed. This books allows the reader to speculate on this throughout. It's a topic that's actively avoided by the Joker with him saying only a few words about his release. I think that Riddler has the most interesting things to say about the Joker and his sanity/insanity when I wasn't being distracted by his belly tattoo and the fact that he looked like he was a rejected extra from The Fast and the Furious.

Another thing that was different was the Joker's reaction to Batman. Joker is not Batman's number one fan in this book. He's very antagonistic toward him when they finally encounter one another late in the book. So many writers tend to write Joker as a sort of twisted admirer of Batman who seems to cause all this mayhem as some of orchestrated play that involves only the two of them. While I liked this alternate view of Batman and Joker's "relationship," their confrontation felt a bit overdramatic and pulpy when it happened.

Even with me being a little ambivalent about the ending, I thought this was a great read. It's one of those comics that provide an alternative perspective of the Joker.

4 of 5 stars

Comic Review: Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Batman by Brian Azzarello

Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Batman by Brian Azzarello

This book is a series of mini-arcs giving a glimpse of a world where Bruce Wayne’s Batman doesn’t exist. It asks: “What kind of ripples would’ve been made in the world if Bruce had been the one to die in that alley and not his parents?” Initially, I read “Batman: Knight of Vengeance,” and that was it. That's all I wanted to read, I said vehemently. However, I finally decided to dive into the rest of the story and see what Bruce’s death changed beyond his parents lives.

In “Batman: Knight of Vengeance,” Thomas Wayne has taken on the mantle of the bat, and he is far more brutal, unforgiving, and decisive than Bruce. While Thomas subscribes to hyper-vigilantism and toes the line of being crime boss, Martha’s response to Bruce’s death is far more extreme than Thomas’. This story was heartbreaking in so many ways. From the Waynes to Selina to Commissioner Gordon, it was so poignant and painful to read. I have to say that this is my favorite story in the book.

“Deadman and the Flying Graysons” answers the questions of what happens to Robin (Dick Grayson) if there is no Batman. Dick’s parents live and they continue to tour with the circus. However, Aquaman and Wonder Woman war violently with each other, and the circus travels through war-ravished Europe, eventually finding itself on the receiving end of Wonder Woman’s fury. This was an okay story. Loved the basis for it with Wonder Woman and Aquaman’s war, but it wasn’t fully realized, in my opinion.

“Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager” follows the dread pirate Deathstroke who plans to profit off the turmoil that Wonder Woman and Aquaman have created, but first, he has to rescue his daughter, Rose, from his rival. To do any of this, though, they have to sail to Aquaman’s angry seas. What could go wrong there? I liked this more than I thought I would to be honest. It made Deathstroke very likable.

These two cause so much trouble in this book.

The last story “Secret Seven”… was maybe a little beyond my frame of reference. All I know is that a team is being formed to deal with the chaos on earth. I don’t want to call it a terrible story because it wasn’t… I don’t think. I just don’t have much experience with the character(s). It was a little offbeat, which I definitely don’t mind, but because I don’t have any real point to fix these characters, too, it was just… I’m not really sure how to describe it to be honest. I had way too many questions after reading this one, and I blame this on my ignorance of the characters.

Some would argue that these stories have no real connection and deal so little with Batman, but I disagree. They show that Batman, Bruce’s Batman, is both a blessing and a curse to the villains and heroes of the DC universe. It shows how his existence/non-existence shapes that world in broad terms. For instance, many of the villains lead drastically different lives. Some of them are already dead by Thomas’ hand. Some of the heroes are hardly what you’d call heroes at all. I do think that there needed to be more meat to this. The idea of what the world would be like without Bruce Wayne is a very fascinating question that this series only half-answered. However, I still mostly enjoyed this book.

Final Verdict:

3.5 of 5 stars