Newsarama previews Batman Confidential #7

[Super Buddies Forever]

I've read the preview pages at Newsarama, and I absolutely love this.

I've never been sold on why the Joker needs to have a mysterious origin. Honestly, with as many fingerprints as he's must have left, blood he's shed, and hairs that could have been left at scenes of crimes, Batman and the GCPD would have had a positive ID on the guy by now. Hell, he's been imprisoned at Arkham Asylum. He's stood trial. It's not logical that he's this phantom that no one knows a thing about.

I'll agree that the important part of the Joker is not the why or how but what he does in the present, but that's also why I don't see his origin as a sacred cow. I also dig that elements from the '89 film and Animated Series are being carried over to the canon Joker, including the Jack name and the crime background. The failed comedian thing never sat right with me, because insanity alone doesn't equal crime genius.

[Paul Dee]

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=120199


That's the preview which I'm just about to look at. I'm not sure at all about the idea behnd it but I'll definitely be picking it up out of curiosity.

[jadrax]

Not sure about the premise, but from the preview the actual story looks good.

[Scrubz]

I want to read this but I don't at the same time. For me the Killing Joke is the best Joker origin story ever. I'm also slightly apprehensive because it is written by a someone who worked on Heroes, which in my opinion was crap.

[SKETCHSANCHEZ]

THought it was really coool that he was talking to Harley right there.

[tony2074]

should be interesting. thought the killing joke was THE joker origin, but didn't feel complete, like there should have been something more to it. i'll read this, see if i like it.

[The Xenos]

Ugh. If they're integrating stuff from the 1989 film into regular continuity, this sounds like utter s---. Nevermind that DC is yet again just grabbing some popular TV writer with no background in comics to craft quite an important story. This sounds like a total failiure.

Hey! We got a quintessential Joker origin story by comics icon Alan Moore. Who can we find to change that? Um.. that show Heroes is popular and mainstream and involves superheros. Hey, it even knocks off Moore's Watchmen. Let's take a random writer from that show and have him reinvent the Joker.

Grrr. And I like Heroes. It and its writers just doesn't have s--- to do with the Joker.

I'm tempted to pick it up for the Denys Cowan art, but the story and idea sounds awful.

Well, hopefully we can ignore this yet another revamp to Joker's origin. Plus I hope none of this crap is in The Dark Knight and parent company AOL TIME WARNER hasn't whipped DC into conforming into its older movies. Never mind the idiots making the movie were so creative they named the character after the actor playing him. (Jon Peters and Nicholson wanted extra royalties from action figures, so they made up a name for the Joker. Utter bulls---.)

The idea that the Joker was a criminal before hand is bullcrap. Moore's set up was brilliant. He was a good man, a failing comedian, who got suckered into doing one crime in that red hood get up. Then he falls into the vat.

All it took was one bad day.

Now they're going to change that very very important idea about Joker. They think adding more to the story makes it better, when all it does is ruin the soup. More is not always better.

Well, hopefully this will be forgotten and ignored just like the dumb attempt over in Batman Gotham Knights during the Hush fiasco.

Then again, this also adds to the mess that is DC continuity. Instead of simplifying things, they just keep making more of a mess.

Gee.. maybe this should go into the What is DC Doing Wrong thread.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=120199


That's the preview which I'm just about to look at. I'm not sure at all about the idea behnd it but I'll definitely be picking it up out of curiosity.

Oh dear s---. They have him and Harley meeting before hand. Dear s---, DC. Can they ever have one story and stick to it?

Wow. You can tell it's by a writer on Heroes. First issue and there's already an amazing coincidental meeting. Now, I enjoy it on that show. I don't enjoy it in Joker's origin.

[Paul Dee]

The idea that the Joker was a criminal before hand is bullcrap. Moore's set up was brilliant. He was a good man, a failing comedian, who got suckered into doing one crime in that red hood get up. Then he falls into the vat.

All it took was one bad day.


Yeah, I agree with this. As much as I love the DCU Batman (and Mask of the Phantasm in general) I really hated how they alluded to the Joker as being involved with crime before he became the Joker. It really should go down the "one bad day" route as far as I am concerned.

Oh dear s---. They have him and Harley meeting before hand. Dear s---, DC. Can they ever have one story and stick to it?

Yeah, I hate this and this was one of the things I was worried about to be honest - little knowing nods to the reader. It's unneccesary, and in this day and age it's over-done and embarassing. That preview was full of this sort of rubbish dramatic irony; him being referred to as a 'Joker', Harley being cut off and calling him "Mr J..". You just get the impression the writer is typing away thinking "HA! Look how clever I am being!".

I do still thing I'll get it though to see where it goesd and the art has a nice sketchy Klaus Janson feel to it (Cowan's art wasn't like this always was it?) which I like.


Oh, I did like the first page though; Batman's optimism about his work was great, especially since it's done just before he meets the guy who becomes the Joker.

[vazel]

Ugh. Well let's at least hope this isn't mentioned outside of the Batman Confidential series. I'm used to there being things I don't like in long-running franchises like Batman that has so many stories, it's inevitable, this is just another stinker story for me that I'm not even going to bother reading.

[SMMM]

Ugh. If they're integrating stuff from the 1989 film into regular continuity, this sounds like utter s---. Nevermind that DC is yet again just grabbing some popular TV writer with no background in comics to craft quite an important story. This sounds like a total failiure.

Hey! We got a quintessential Joker origin story by comics icon Alan Moore. Who can we find to change that? Um.. that show Heroes is popular and mainstream and involves superheros. Hey, it even knocks off Moore's Watchmen. Let's take a random writer from that show and have him reinvent the Joker.

Grrr. And I like Heroes. It and its writers just doesn't have s--- to do with the Joker.

I'm tempted to pick it up for the Denys Cowan art, but the story and idea sounds awful.

Well, hopefully we can ignore this yet another revamp to Joker's origin. Plus I hope none of this crap is in The Dark Knight and parent company AOL TIME WARNER hasn't whipped DC into conforming into its older movies. Never mind the idiots making the movie were so creative they named the character after the actor playing him. (Jon Peters and Nicholson wanted extra royalties from action figures, so they made up a name for the Joker. Utter bulls---.)

The idea that the Joker was a criminal before hand is bullcrap. Moore's set up was brilliant. He was a good man, a failing comedian, who got suckered into doing one crime in that red hood get up. Then he falls into the vat.

All it took was one bad day.

Now they're going to change that very very important idea about Joker. They think adding more to the story makes it better, when all it does is ruin the soup. More is not always better.

Well, hopefully this will be forgotten and ignored just like the dumb attempt over in Batman Gotham Knights during the Hush fiasco.

Then again, this also adds to the mess that is DC continuity. Instead of simplifying things, they just keep making more of a mess.

Gee.. maybe this should go into the What is DC Doing Wrong thread.



Oh dear s---. They have him and Harley meeting before hand. Dear s---, DC. Can they ever have one story and stick to it?

Wow. You can tell it's by a writer on Heroes. First issue and there's already an amazing coincidental meeting. Now, I enjoy it on that show. I don't enjoy it in Joker's origin.

*applauds*

And for the love of god, stop with the joker puns. "Not a very funny guy, are you?" HAHA I GET IT!11!!1

[Captain Jim]

So far I'm liking this a lot. Very nice script by Green and while Cowen's stylized art isn't my favorite, this isn't bad at all.

[Vulgar]

I'm so torn. On one hand I don't want the Joker to have a definitive origin, and if he has to have one have it be Killing Joke style. On the other hand I know I'm going to end up getting this no matter how it turns out just on the slim chance it'll be excellent.

[the goddamn batman]

The art isn't my thing so much... it isn't bad but, it doesn't thrill me.

What really doesn't thrill me is the story. I mean, why doesn't a guy just walk through the scene with a giant neon Vegas-esque sign that reads: THIS GUY IS THE JOKER!!!

Man, I'm so not buying this garbage. Heroes is shite, and this doesn't look any better.

[joe bloke]

To the best of my knowledge, Confidential is outside of regular DC continuity, so this story should have no impact on any other Batman title. I'm Ok with the preview, it looks a damned sight better than the previous arc, at least, and I like Cowan's art. The Killing Joke is one of my all-time favourite Joker stories, of course, but I think there's room for other Joker origin stories. Multiple choice pasts, remember? I'll be giving it a shot.

Oh, and, hey, goddamn, you were right: Tank Girl actually turned out to be pretty cool, after all.

[Paul Dee]

To the best of my knowledge, Confidential is outside of regular DC continuity, so this story should have no impact on any other Batman title.

A lot of people seem to think this but it's not true. Confidential is in continuity - I think the idea is that it's his early and significant stories in the new post-IC continuity.

[Captain Jim]

Yeah, I was going to say, I hadn't heard anywhere that it wasn't in continuity. I wonder if that thought isn't a carry-over because of the similarity to LOTDK.

[The Cool Thatguy]

For my money, Killing Joke was the best origin. It gave Joker a nice, tragic quality.

Why DC is rehashing his origin again, I've no idea. I can all but promise no one will reference this new origin (unless the writer gets on one of the main books) and given Joker's pure insanity, it hardly even matters if they did. Joker's nuting futs. Failed comedian or wacky, insane criminal, it's not gonna change him in any real way.

Alan Moore gave us an awesome origin. Why rock the boat?

[joe bloke]

Ok. My bad. I was under the impression that Confidential wasn't regular continuity. If it is, then this kind of sucks a wee bit. I'm getting a mite cheesed off with them fiddling with my histories so much. Maybe it's the regular continuity on one of them other 50-something odd worlds? No? So, what? Killing Joke never happened, then? OR! Killing Joke DID happen, but it was all in the Joker's mind. OR! maybe THIS story doesn't actually happen. OR! maybe this story IS GOING TO happen, but it's all in the Joker's mind. OR! maybe they could just sod off and stop messing us about. I'm getting too old for this crap.

[OverMaster]

What I don't get is why it always has looked like Joker is much older than Harley, but now they apparently are around the same age. Does it mean New Earth Joker is much younger now, or New Earth Harley is much older now?

BTW, I hope this pre-Joker Jack still has the pregnant wife waiting for him at home, even if he is a criminal (and further explaining why didn't he show any interest on Harley).

[Captain Jim]

I haven't read The Killing Joke in years and years, but I don't recall that it ever purported to be the definitive origin of the Joker. Didn't he say something like, "That's how I remember it right now; tomorrow it might be different" or something like that?

[jadrax]

I haven't read The Killing Joke in years and years, but I don't recall that it ever purported to be the definitive origin of the Joker. Didn't he say something like, "That's how I remember it right now; tomorrow it might be different" or something like that?

It's pretty heavily implied that it's not accurate at all. I think he says that he remembers it different every time or words close to that.

[vazel]

That was to make it a tease and leave a doubt to the mystery of Joker's origin. Did it happen or didn't it? No one will ever truly know Joker's origin as fact.

[Titanium]

How would you react if at the end, this Jack doesn't turn out to be the Joker at all? I'd be ok with a surprise twist at the end. Something like this Jack really being the guy behind the red hood scheme, but ending up not being the one who falls in the vat and actually facing his fate at the hands of his partner who did.