#Joker: the World

[fractualized]

Alright, I wanna say more about Joker: The World other than flagging misprints (only one I saw, fyi), so here's a little round-up!

🃏 United States: "Epilogue is Prologue" Writer: Geoff Johns Art: Jason Fabok

Of course we kick off with a Three Jokers epilogue like oh my god why are you doing this to me stop trying to make three Jokers happen Johns what did we ever do to you

For a 6-page story, I could bitch a lot about it, but maybe in a separate post. Generally, it got an eyeroll from me because I am out of patience, but if you're into Three Jokers and/or really love Fabok's art, maybe it'll be one of your reasons to pick this book up.

Anyway, onto something new and engaging!

🃏 Spain: "Spring Break" Writer and Artist: David Rubín

Spain features Joker on a little vacation, with the narration being from a postcard he's writing to Batman. He talks about the corruption of this city, and how it makes him homesick, but not for the reason you'd first expect.

I liked this one! Put it in the plus column!

🃏 Germany: "No Jazz" Writer: Torsten Sträter Artist: Ingo Römling

This is my favorite art! Colorful lil Joker managing his big thugs and throwing them out windows. I had a hard time picking one panel. But besides that, it has a fun story that credits Joker for the conditions at Wacken Open Air, a heavy metal music festival, in 2023. The music is not to his taste. :(

Another plus!

🃏 Italy: "Strategy of Tension" Writer: Enrico Brizzi Artist: Paolo Bacilieri

This one is similar to the Spain story in that we have Joker on a vacation of sorts in Bologna, where he teaches a class on storytelling. His students protest against the government, and after one bloody day, Joker decides the authorities deserve "the fruits of their madness."

More on the philosophical end, had me pondering, another good one.

🃏 Brazil: "City of the Mad, Cemetery of the Living" Writer: Felipe Castilho Artist: Tainan Rocha

Arkham Asylum is franchising, and to prove they can handle the inmates, "Colônia Arkham" in Santana da Mantiqueira is accepting a transfer of the Joker. While there is sentiment against the facility, comparing it to the horrors of Hospital Colônia de Barbacena, there are also crowds outside the new facility to welcome Joker. Joker is basking in his fandom until his barber relates how the old Colônia manufactured madness instead of resolving it.

This is the third story with Joker contemplating horrors and corruption outside himself, and it's refreshing against all the stories where he personally is The Worst Thing Ever. Thumbs up.

🃏 Mexico: "The Wrestler" Writer: Alvaro Fong Varela Artist: Oscar Pinto

In Mexico, we're dropped in the middle of a festival, but the story revolves more around Joker's beef with a local wrestler, Ocelotl. Ocelotl was unable to complete a job for Joker, it seems, and Joker is offended that he sent his son to report the failure instead of appearing himself. And you know things end badly when you've irked Joker.

I'm kind of neutral on this one. I like the art, but the story is middling and drops in a "lesson" for Ocelotl at the end. The Batman stinger gave me a chuckle, though.

[7] Czech Republic: "Kafka, Beer, Semtex" Writer: Štěpán Kopřiva Artist: Michal Suchánek

This is a contender for my favorite story. Candidates for the Czech Joker (shown above) are interviewed by a panel overseen by the original, and each one explains their philosophy behind their crimes. Joker's choice in the end isn't particularly surprising, but the candidate's stories are fun and the art is dynamic.

Plus column!

🃏 Turkey: "Fool's Bootblack" Writer: Metin Akdülger Artist: Ethem Onur Bilgiç

In Istanbul we go back hundreds of years, when Ezekiel Arkham is among the Europeans visiting the city to take pieces of it back home. Like many westerners, he's been invited to a theater performance that night, and the Jester is encouraging his squad of shoe shiners to polish the shoes of all the patrons. The Mad Bat knows he's up to something and sweeps him away for interrogation.

Another neutral. I like the scheme, and I had to laugh when the Mad Bat's attempt to interrogate without a beating fails fast, but the story feels drawn out and the ending didn't really land for me.

🃏 South Korea: "Copycat" Writer: Inpyo Jeon Artist: Jaekwang Park

The Czech Republic tale introduced others taking on Joker's mantle, but this is the first story where other Jokers are fully center stage for a copycat spree in Busan. (And the original Joker does not make a showing.) Our protagonist is a cop who tries and tries to talk them down, but eventually the copycats become familiar with him, turning him into a target.

I'm on the fence about this one. The art is great, but it treats Jokerism like virus which… eh.

🃏 Argentina: "Funeral" Writer: Matías Timarchi Artist: Germán Peralta

In Buenos Aires, the story is also not about Joker. We follow a boy who grows up as part of his father's hooligan gang. He tries to take his father's position, but he's beaten down and not taken seriously— until he finds inspiration in stories of a homicidal clown in Gotham City.

On the fence about this one too. It's interesting how the protag's story isn't so different than the variations we've seen of Joker getting involved in crime early in life, before the vat, but it also leans into the issue of defining Joker more by outlandishness than by humor. You could see Joker himself remarking on that difference, but the story ends before that opportunity.

🃏 Cameroon: "Black Therapy" Writer: Dr. Ejob Gaius Artist: Bertrand Mbozo'o Zeh

In Cameroon, the protagonist already works as a clown, and he's frustrated by the lack of respect he receive in his community. But he's guided by a book, ominously titled Breaking the Chains of the Mind, into searching for the moment he can claim his salvation.

I had trouble connecting the dots on some details in this one. It's also another "spreading Jokerism" story that leaves me with more questions than the South Korea story. Joker is actually involved in this case, so it's part of a plan and not a virus, but… what is the plan? I don't think any of these stories are slotted for continuation, so it's just a case where it ends and you're like, well OK, I guess those answers are never coming.

🃏 Poland: "The Royal Jester" Writer: Tomasz Kołodziejczak Artist: Jacek Michalski

In Wawel Castle, Joker admires the painting of Stańczyk, from one of those memes you kids like. After the tour guide explains the painting's significance, Joker lingers behind to steal it, but he's foiled by Zawisza, a Black Knight with less patience for the clown than the Dark Knight.

It was nice to dig back into Joker himself as the book nears its close. His reasoning for why he finds the painting so attractive that he traveled to Poland is as lofty as you'd expect for him. There's more scene setting than necessary at the start, but by the end, I really liked this one.

🃏 Japan: "The Unfunny Joke" (Chapter 1 of Joker: One Operation Joker) Writer: Satoshi Miyagawa Artist: Keisuke Gotou

It's disappointing that this anthology closes with a reprint instead of a new story. And I've read all of One Operation Joker! I had a good time! But come oonnnnnn.

That said, look, you got Joker trying to care for Baby Batman. What better silliness and unexpected heartwarmth could you want?

🃏

Unevenness aside, I liked seeing these takes on Joker from writers across the world, whether they were about the character himself or the way his influence may reach far beyond Gotham City. (Except for the Three Jokers thing. Stop it. Stop it.) If you're a Joker fan, I say pick this book up.

And maybe I'll finally read the entirety of Batman: The World now! After I finish going through the Duke Thomas comics. And finally get back to Batman RIP. Ohhh and I still gotta start Knightfall! And

[smashpages]

‘Joker: The World’ will feature creators from 13 countries

The anthology will arrive in September, just in time for Batman Day.

[gray-r-regan]

Super-sanity confirmed

[readingtoinfinity]

Joker: The World

The Joker is used as the antagonist for Batman's stories far too often, and he's over-exposed as a result. Having said that, he's a great antagonist and fun to see in stories, so an anthology like Joker: The World is a great choice, both for exploring Joker stories across the world and giving people their own twists on the Clown Prince of Crime from their home countries.

As with all these anthologies there is a wide variance in taste and quality. I'm going to list the stories and nationalities of the stories and quick thoughts on them, though they'll probably only be a line or two unless I have more thoughts about them. As with most anthologies I think there's enough here to warrant reading. Spoilers will be freely discussed ahead.

Geoff Johns is good at writing Batman stories, and Jason Fabok is good at drawing them. I liked this issue because its twist ending (where the kid draws the Joker, the only safe care from Joker's game) is upsetting to the Joker and thwarts him in a way that he has to be thwarted, because it's funny.

A few times throughout this book I encountered stories that leaned heavily into the politics of their home country. This is the first, and it definitely feels like I'm only seeing the tip of the iceberg; I might have appreciated the history lesson more. I do like Joker's conclusion, however, that "In such a heinous city, I'm going to have to be especially heinous to stand out".

An oddly-heavy focus on music in this one; I feel like it would benefit the most from an adaptation if only to add sound and music. It's not really my speed, but I enjoyed how Batman was immediately accepted by the heavy metal festival at the end. Like, yeah, Batman's heavy metal for sure.

The first story that uses Joker as a revolutionary force and the second one about politics. I found this one difficult to read due to the style of speech bubbles used and the patterns of speech being applied. This comic also uses Joker's dislike of authoritarians (for being unfunny, not for being evil) to explore how he might look at student marches and the crackdown thereof in a way I hadn't thought of, which is novel enough to recommend.

Another that looks at Joker as a revolutionary force, but this time comparing him to the jackboots that stomp on personal freedom and expressions. An entire system of imprisonment of the outcast is compared unfavorably to Joker's madness, and again I feel I've only touched the edge of this topic because it's treated more like a potential rival than its own thing. I did enjoy seeing Fire in the comic, however.

This one puts Joker's relationship with organized crime right at the forefront, and is dripping with Artesenía, twisting the idea of Día de los Muertos with the cruel and sadistic acts of the Joker. It's beautiful but I found it hard to follow.

My personal favorite of the bunch, this one takes the time to introduce various ideas and cultural artifacts about the Czech Republic to the audience in search of the idea of the true "Czech Joker". The final idea of the story - that the Joker is the Joker, regardless of context or country - is a fascinating one in a story that also supplies so much context.

This one felt like it would've benefited from having more issues. It gets bogged down in the lore of this Ottoman Empire's version of the Dark Knight and his rogues' gallery, and it's the rare one where a history lesson didn't benefit it. Although I did chuckle that this version of Harley Quinn called the Joker "muhallebi", a pudding from the Middle East.

For all that its execution has been terrible I do love the idea of Joker as a supernatural force, something that is explored in this comic. Jae Kwang Park draws this book with gusto and personality, especially exemplified by the similar yet distinct smiles our copycat Jokers posses. The final twist comes out of left field a bit (the idea of a cop under stress turning into the thing he hates needed a little more setup) but the atmosphere from the drawings alone is wonderfully creepy.

Effectively a crime story, this one focuses on the Hooligan gangs of Argentina and how the Joker can be used as a tool to gain power. I'm not particularly a fan of crime stories so I didn't like this one as much, but it's good, particularly its analysis of Joker: he's a foundation for grabbing power, but not a stable one, and it will fall apart like a deck of cards.

This one was heavily focused on the environment of its story. Similarly to "The Wrestler" it drapes itself in imagery of Cameroon, focusing more on its society and structures than its mythology. It also has a similar twist to "Copycats" but manages to set it up better and have it be a conventional psychological attack than a supernatural idea virus. The facial expressions here are especially twisted and exaggerated, ranging from horrifying fear to macabre joy.

Ah, Polish. I will not be able to spell anything without help.

This story benefited greatly from having a history lesson. I had seen the painting of Stańczyk before in memes and art appreciation posts, but to have its history relate directly to the story at hand (twisted by the Joker to be a bringer rather than harbinger of doom) was a fascinating idea. "Only one city" rings in my head every time I think of it.

I gotta be honest: after many stories that explored the underlying psychosis of the Joker, this is one of my personal favorites for making me laugh. If nothing else, that's the perfect story to end an anthology about the Joker.

[animusrox]

World’s Finest, Part III Superman: The Animated Series

[duckysprouts]

if you were at your worst, if you’re a villain or a screwup or whatever, there is a goth man dressed as a giant bat who keeps coming after you, bothering you. he sabotages your journey of self destruction over and over. ur ready to give up but he won’t let you. you think, today he won’t come. today he will give up on me too. he never does.

[graphicpolicy]

The Clown Prince of Crime heads around the World in Joker: The World including the first African Joker

The Clown Prince of Crime heads around the World in Joker: The World including the first African Joker #comics #comicbooks #graphicnovel

[essayofthoughts]

Genuinely, I think one of the most fun and crunchy things about any character is

How far they will go for things they want

What they will do to get things they want

Things they won't do, no matter how much they want what they'd get in exchange

Because these things tell you some very important things about the character, namely their limits, their price, and their absolute No's. (And it lets you create some really REALLY crunchy conflict)

[axoqiii]

🦋 whichever path you choose

[satoshy12]

It took a while to notice, but Batman, like other heroes, noticed that there were fewer villains? So Batman tried to find out why, but in the end it was the Joker who told him.

The Joker:" Ah, I will not be a cheat like the rest, Batman. They found a new hero and moved on, but I stayed loyal". Batman learns that most of his not-so-evil villains have left their city to join the new hero.

+ Amity Park looked at the new people and just accepted them. They always had them in their city, from day one.

Danny likes to fight them! They're fun, and ironically, they make sure people don't get hurt when he fights Ghost.

+ The Rouge, like the little Hero. He has no idea about the outside world, which the town has made sure stays that way, and people treat him normally. Just don't attack them and we don't care about your past. Get a new job or not. Live well.

[thatgothsamurai]

sum j&j sketchi

thanks to them ig i can slowly escape my 3 months old artblock :>

[fractualized]

PSA if you wanna pick up a copy of Joker: The World. Misprint in the Turkey story. :(

[ezra-and-the-sun]

Supernatural at 2?? Scott Pilgrim at 4?? FUCKING HOMESTUCK AT FIVE??

Average Tuesday night for tumblr in the year of our lord 2024.

[gray-r-regan]

Mexican artists are built different.

The blurs are distant voices. The entire premise is clear in four panels and minimal dialogue.

You could fucking cry.

[gravitysoda]

refusing an impossible wish and settling for one last game of chess.

[bet-on-me-13]

Danny kills the Joker. Every Joker.

So! As the King of the Infinite Realms, Danny has to deal with the complaints of his subjects a Lot.

Some of them want to suggest changes in certain Laws, others complain about other Ghosts who wronged them, but by far the most common reason was that they died in a violent manner and wanted revenge.

And by far, the main person they sought revenge for was the same person. A guy known as The Joker.

But unfortunately, as the Infinite Realms was connected to multiple Universes, many of those Complains were about different Jokers from alternate Universes. And there were so many of them that he couldn't really just kill a few of them and call it a day, at least some of his subjects would remain Unavenged. And that just wouldn't do!

So he just decided to do away with the whole lot.

Danny began to Personally Hunt Down every single version of the Joker in the Multiverse. Or at least the part of it that was connected to the Realms.

Unfortunately, the news that some ungodly eldritch being being was hunting the variants of the Joker across the entire Multiverse did not go unnoticed. Quickly enough, news spread across the Multiverse that somebody had decided to do away with the Clown that had been such a consistent thorn in the side of most Universes.

Eventually, that news reached the Main DC Universe, and got to Batman.

One day Batman was approached by Justice League Dark about the situation. They had managed to intercepted an Interdimensional message about what was happening, and decided to inform Batman ahead of time.

Now he had a choice.

Either he could try to stick by his Morals and protect even the Joker's life from an unknown force out for his life, or he could let it happen and absolve himself of the blame for the Jokers death.

It didn't help that for the past few days Jason had been in such a good mood after hearing about the Jokers impending Death.

He didn't really get to see Jason smile like that often...

...decisions, decisions...