Batman: Three Jokers #3 By Geoff Johns

The final chapter of the most terrifying and personal Batman mystery is here! Still reeling from their last encounter with the three Jokers, Batman, Batgirl, and Red Hood discover the terrible truth about the Three Jokers’ plot. Will the caped crusaders have the strength needed to put an end to the maniacal menaces’ master plan once and for all, or will it be lights out for good? You won’t want to miss the stunning conclusion of Batman: Three Jokers as it completes its trajectory as the ultimate examination of The Joker and his never-ending conflict with Batman. Batman: Three Jokers #3

review ¶ eBook, PDF or Kindle ePUB Ø Geoff Johns

What a letdown. 10 for Fabok's art, 4 for Geoff John's disappointing conclusion. Batman: Three Jokers #3 Just finishing off some loose ends.

Suggested only for Batman/Joker die-hard fans...


EDIT: my full review for the whole mini series, in Greek @ comicdom.gr:

https://www.comicdom.gr/2020/12/07/ba... Batman: Three Jokers #3 Ah, o hype, esse diabinho danado! Quando ele se instala nas nossas mentes e corações nao tem quem o tire. Quer dizer, tem sim: a própria experiência que você tem com a obra de arte. Nesse caso, ou você se satisfaz com o que lehe foi prometido, ou se arrepende amargamente. Foi o caso dessa minissérie dos Três Coringas em muito antecipada pela DC Comics e os veículos de comunicação do universo dos quadrinhos. Geoff Johns costuma ser um bom roteirista, mas não acho que a sua pegada no Batman seja a ideal. Envolver Barbara Gordon e o meu guilty pleasure, o Capuz Vermelho, na história poderia render muitas coisas interessantes, só que não vai além do óvio. Junte tudo isso a produzir a minissérie para o seloBlack Label, ou seja, fora da cronologia oficial e do Cãnone, deixa tudo ainda mais insosso. Vale bater palmas para a arte detalhista de Jason Fabok, que costumo dizer que é um David Finch melhorado. E é isso. Não valeu nem busacar o número dois em outra banca para poder ler a história completa... Meh. Batman: Three Jokers #3 The final issue of the Three Jokers reveals a truth about the Joker's origin while still keeping the clown as mysterious as ever. This was a great finale as there were many standout moments. One of my favourites had to be the conversation between Joker and Batman in the police van. Overall, I highly recommend this 3 issue story arc to anyone interested in a great Batman/Joker story. Batman: Three Jokers #3 You. Me. And Him. At the scene of the crime.

Ever since this book was officially announced artist Jason Fabok has been toting out that the ending would be one of the ballsiest endings to a Batman story in his 80+ years of stories. He's certainly not wrong, this issue, more than the other two combined, really re-contexualizes a lot of Batman's mythos. And a lot of it I love, but the final gut punch at the end is something that's gonna take a lot of time to digest.

Following the events of the second issue, Batman, Barbara, and Jason all ruminate over all they know and try to find a lead to get ahead of the Jokers left standing, Batman and Jason get into a confrontation, Batman urging Jason to find a new identity. Jason refuses, but it's clear that Bruce is trying harder to get through to him after the other events of the series thus far. This admittedly is my biggest criticism of the issue, that Jason and Barbara are still important but they fall by the wayside in terms of importance compared to the first two issues.

However, what we get with Batman and Joker in exchange is stunning. Most of the issue takes place in a tense scene with The Criminal (The Joker that's based off the Golden age version), Joe Chill, and Batman in the Monarch Theater, where Bruce saw Zorro the night he became Batman.

Fabok's artwork is the best it's been throughout this entire series here, there's a LOT of stunning pages and panels, like goddamn, the dude worked his ass on this, it's worth the price of admission for the pretty pictures alone.

From here there's not a whole lot I can say with spoilers. Spoiler free, all I can say is that even if you don't end up enjoying it this is a series you need to check out if you're a Batman fan, I can't help but respect how much Geoff Johns put into this, he didn't play it safe, but it also never feels like he's just messing with elements of the mythos for the sake of it, it mostly all has a point, even if people don't end up liking Johns' vision. Batman: Three Jokers #3

Three Jokers became two… becomes one. Batman, Batgirl and Red Hood race to the dilapidated Monarch Theatre for the final act in Jokers’ insane plan, involving Joe Chill - the man who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. There can be only one Joker - but which one?

The third and final part of Three Jokers is… not bad. Which is a shame because I’d hoped it was going to be a barnstormer of a finale and it kinda fell flat.

Everything before the Monarch Theatre felt repetitive and useless - Bruce and Jason yelling again over the pros and cons of shooting Joker(s), yadda yadda yadda. And the final confrontation is fine but sorta underwhelming for the most part. Joe Chill’s “confession” isn’t earth-shattering but obvious, and Joker’s explanation for making all these Jokers in the first place didn’t make much sense.

The idea of making a “better Joker” only really clicks from our real-world perspective - that is, if Joker was really someone from Batman’s past, then his relationship to Batman would seem more tragic/villainous/poetic; being the cipher he is can seem a bit of a cop-out to some, but I think that makes him a better character.

I think it’s a decent idea though, particularly in the context of this being a sequel to The Killing Joke. Killing Joke is viewed by many as being the definitive Joker origin story so it makes sense to make the sequel, Three Jokers, also revolve around origins - the origin of a new Joker. Hence threatening to turn Joe Chill into the new Joker, whose murder of Bruce’s parents would make him a more meaningful Joker to Bruce - or even turning Jason into the new Joker, a former Robin and current Red Hood.

Unfortunately, the story plays out in a way that’s just a tad too neat: Batman saves everyone, the problem of multiple Jokers is solved, the possible Barbara/Jason romance is swiftly dismissed, and that’s that. Done and done! I hadn’t realised this was the sequel to The Killing Joke until those final few pages which might be controversial to some but didn’t mean that much to me anyway and ultimately felt unnecessary. The comedian’s wife and son are alive and well, living in a secret location far away. Also, just like Joker knows his true identity, Batman apparently knows Joker’s real name and has done since the first week he met him - not that he’s telling!

The callback to The Killing Joke with Barbara smashing the Joker’s camera into his face and yelling “Smile!” as payback for what he did to her in that book - that was a cool moment. And Jason Fabok’s art is spectacular as it’s been throughout this miniseries. The gradual lead-up to the Monarch was creepy - all those ominously silent panels - and the action in that final confrontation looked amazing, from Joker knife-fighting with Batman against the inferno, to Batman staring at Chill in the alleyway; there’s not a weak spot in the visuals here.

And it’s not a bad comic, it’s just that the conclusion is an underwhelming one - everything Geoff Johns set up doesn’t really amount to anything much. The revelations are pointless, the motives are weak and it feels like a wasted premise - it doesn’t really tell us anything much more about the Joker. Three Jokers is just another done-in-one Joker story rather than building on Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s classic book in any way and that’s disappointing.

Three Jokers #3 is a perfectly ok, if weak, ending to this surprisingly decent miniseries. I suppose not even Geoff Johns is allowed to tell us too much of Joker’s true origins but I had hoped for more than we ended up getting - it’s like we were being teased to start with and we’re still leaving with blue balls! Superhero comics really are all middle-story and Three Jokers is no different. Batman: Three Jokers #3 3.25 stars. Decent ending. What they did with the Jason and Barbara thing was a nice touch. What the Joker was trying to accomplish was cool I suppose. And what they did with the Killing Joke lore was interesting. Amazing artwork also. Solid. Batman: Three Jokers #3 LIMPS TO A DETACHED ENDING.

The first issue got full marks from me. I was amazed how self-contained this was, for such a far-reaching story and how quickly it summarized years of Batman for new readers. The art was(and still is) consistently breath-taking and the dialogue was punchy and impactful. The mystery really seemed dark and impying huge consequences and I was just tremendously hyped. The whole aquarium scene was amazing and the ending, what a shocker and yet how true to the characters.

Then the second issue happened. Painfully melodramatic and having honestly for me, incomprehensible behavior by Batman and Batgirl, with Bruce spouting the stupidest reasons for his negligence of Jason. I actually think Jason is an amazing character but going about it with this rehash, especially when far better stuff has been done before on him, felt like just stretching the story and adding unnecessary subplots to it. I wouldn't mind this plot-wise but just the way it was executed, with the same old You belong to me bs just turned me off. Also I think this issue is damn lazy. Batman kicking open Joe Chill's cell after staring at it and talking to it and then realising no one is inside?! He's supposed to be the smartest guy on the planet right? It's actually damn funny how immediately after that Barbara comes running and is like They moved him Hahaha what bs is this man hahaha Batman punching hordes of people with all his power, calling in the Batmobile and sending people flying. Like I get drama and how bullshit that clause is, but if you focus on him not killing Joker because of his morals, at least show him trying in these other portions too no? Please. Also with that Batgirl and cough cough ending. Really? This felt like the Killing Joke movie all over again. Please stop. She's an amazing icon of strength, do we really need to get the all side-characters some love interest or soft spot? That's just lazy replacement of character development.

Anyway, now the third is here. And I feel like a fool. I had such high hopes for this. The last issue becomes some bs about knowing Joker's name and the whole which one is real or are there three Jokers is at first discussed for some pages and then kind of just thrown aside. It doesn't matter haha. Joker is chaos. Really, we needed 3 issues to know that? You built it up for so many years and your answer to this whole riddle is some unknown Joker is manufacturing these Jokers but it doesn't really matter The whole thing becomes this save the old repentant guy dash and for what? That is Joker's reasoning? He wants to heal Batman so he can become his only pain WHAT?! I guess Joker could think this but this just comes off so cringey and as just the writers trying to make up bs to cover their lazy plot threads. The whole Barbara thing again, as I expected, is just treated as a fling. I should have known better. The opening is really beautiful though, with this spread of all possible Joker origin variations and Jason Fabok's art in this issue as well just astounded me with how pretty it was, nostalgic but also so clean and modern. He is the brightest light of this whole caper. Then, Geoff's writing takes over and we get this wildly overreacting Batman. Is Geoff Johns lazy or I don't know, what is his problem? He had years to write this. And we get Batman finding a couple of letters, taking them to the resident priest, having a discussion with him about them and then after telling him they're addressed to Bruce Wayne, conveniently at the end of the discussion, finding the one letter which is addressed to Batman? Is there any sense to how the Greatest Living Detective acts here? Isn't he in a hurry to save the old guy? I don't know. I must iterate, Fabok's art is brilliant through all of this. We get these 3x3 panels, divided column-wise into the three characters, we get match cuts, it is just glorious. Geoff tries to keep up, dialogue drifting and drifting and connected various threads in funny ways, but again, so much of it comes across so flashy and dumb that the effortless beauty is just lost here(unlike Watchmen and other giants). We get a big flashy fight in the end, fire in the background(why must Batman media fixate on this? I get the contrast, but it's so stale by now). The epilogue after that, especially that Batman Joker conversation is even more frustrating. I would suggest staying off this series, it starts so high and just crushes you by the end.

Formulaic, melodramatic, it is just a mess. It's a shame what years and years of hype has led to. Just shame.

Batman: Three Jokers #3 Geoff Johns has got to stop stripping the carcass that is Alan Moore's body of DC work. It borrows heavily from Moore's The Killing Joke, and there is intent to craft this as a sequel. Other than that, its a solid and entertaining Batman story that explained the title, Three Jokers. Batman: Three Jokers #3 And so the conclusion is here. I personally wasn't expecting much from 3 Jokers, and for that, I think I enjoyed it more than people who were wondering the mystery behind it.

In truth it gives you a answer. One you might not like or already heard, but the reveal of the 3 jokers, many jokers, A joker, is all given. And the reason why too, just depends if you're satisfied with it. The push on for Barbara and Jason is also there, and while some might dislike it, I liked where it ended. The final punchline was actually given by Bruce this time, instead of the Joker, and was a nice twist on things.

Is it perfect? NO. But it was a lot of fun reading and to me, as strong as issue 1, with issue 2 being the best still. A 3.5-4 out of 5. Batman: Three Jokers #3