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It does surely look like a winner. I'm sure I won't be able to resist flipping it through at the store. Not that I would try resisting since i wanna form my own opinion before I do or don't buy it, but uhm... Thanks for the review... You had some interesting insights anyway!

^BTW, no snark intended whatsoever.

"Why SO serious ....?"

I'm not overly surprised that this got a "not recommended," given that I haven't read a thing worth a damn from Azzarello in years.

Still, it does look good, as people said. That first page is gorgeous.

I like the lettering on the cover. It reminds me of the lettering done by that guy who designed the title sequence for Dr Strangelove: Or how i learned to stop worrying about the bomb. Also used in Men in Black.

The pages that I've read so far, haven't really moved me, but I've heard mixed opinions on this. I might wait for the trade since the exhange rate is bad again.

I want that fourth page as some sort of poster.

I've never been as impressed with Azzarello as many readers; I tend to think his "great dialogue" and narrative captions are a little too close to their (to me) obvious sources in film noir. More to the point, he rarely seems to me to work with characters who are complex or subtle enough that much "great character work" can be accomplished.

And as to Azzarello's Croc from Broken City...well, no thanks. I didn't like Croc as an off-the-shelf gangster there, and I can't imagine I'll like it here. "Clever?" In what way, really?

Good timing on this from DC - they need to push the hell out of this book at Barnes & Noble.

Actually, the timing could've been a little bit better - we're still a couple weeks away from the Dark Knight DVD release.

Could someone tell me if there are spoilers in this review?

Because I stopped reading when it looked like he might give spoilers.

No, no spoilers.

I didn’t like Croc as an off-the-shelf gangster there, and I can’t imagine I’ll like it here. “Clever?” In what way, really?

Because it is a return to the way Croc originally appeared, and I don't think many people even remember what Croc WAS like when he first showed up - Azzarello apparently did, and went back to that take on the character (although, as you note, visiting the character further down the line) - it was both surprising and, at the same time, clever in its willingness to use an area of a character's background everyone else had forgotten (but, since it was there, no one could really say "you ruined the character!").

Azzarrello does great characterization? I just thought what he did was badly done, pretentious and wordy noir narration.

I trust you're judgments Brian, and I can see you make good points in your review... but then I look up at those 4 pages of art... and I know I'll be buying this one.

I just thought what he did was badly done, pretentious and wordy noir narration.

Nope, good character work.

Also, why is it alright for most superhero writers to write ridiculous purple prose when it suits them, but people have a problem with Azz because he took his inspiration from someone other than Roy Thomas and Chris Claremont?

I totally get that, Ben, that's why I highlighted the artwork - I know that the art by itself IS enough for a lot of people - that's fine.

I thought it was very well done aside from some of the nonJoker dialogue and captions, which were a little too over the top. The captions, for example, on the first couple of pages "God or the Devil - pick your poison", lol, are pretty discouraging, but once you move past them, its pretty clear sailing.

SPOILERS

I know I'm courting a verbal beat down with this, but I thought the suggestion of the Joker as a rapist was pretty well due (has this been done before? I haven't seen it). I mean, we've seen that the Joker isn't asexual and he certainly relishes others' misery. He's pretty much the most horrible human being imaginable. So if he wasn't a rapist, it begs the question, why not?

Also, I absolutely loved the whole bit about the phone, Joker's flip out when Two-Face was ignoring him. I disliked Broken City (a lot of rehash, a LOT of purple prose), but here Azzarello really writes a Joker I want to read. Unfortunately, I can't say this to the same extent about The Clown at Midnight and I MOST DEFINITELY WITH THE UTMOST CONVICTION OF MY SOUL cannot say this about the Joker who appeared in the most recent Batman Confidential, who's apparently so super level 99 evil that in one minute on the phone he can convince someone he's never spoken to before to hang themself.

Well, no, Croc wasn't an "off-the-shelf" gangster when he originally appeared. He was a freak with a psychotic aggression problem and ambitions of running a Gotham full of similarly psychopathic freaks...who wouldn't dare call *him* one. And along the way, he was vicious enough and strong enough to nearly kill Batman with his bare hands, not that he limited himself to such stuff. In many ways, he was Bane before Bane.

Azzarello's Croc is, well, a funny-looking gangster in outrageous pimpin' rags who Batman can calmly punch the teeth right out of for interrogation purposes. He's a blinged-out gangsta with eczema, and about as formidable as that sounds.

In short, an off-the-shelf gangster, the sort who might be played by Elisha Cook, Jr. plus some CGI.

Killer Croc originally wanted to run the Gotham City underworld.

Then he turned into basically an evil Hulk, a dumb brute who was there for strength alone.

Yes, Azzarello's Croc is a down-in-the-dumps former gangster, but that is more similar to the original Croc than what Croc became, and I think it was a great idea by Azzarello to revisit Croc's past.

Hell, Azzarello's about the only guy who ever acknowledges that Croc is black.

Azzarello’s Croc is, well, a funny-looking gangster in outrageous pimpin’ rags who Batman can calmly punch the teeth right out of for interrogation purposes. He’s a blinged-out gangsta with eczema, and about as formidable as that sounds.

haven't seen Azz & Bermejo's Croc yet, bu that description sounds slightly like the way he was portrayed in the The Batman cartoon.

and oh yeah, Cass... it was *kinda* implied in The Killing Joke that the Joker might have done more than just taken pics of Barbara Gordan after he shot her and stripped her naked. mangled. in fact, i think i read somewhere that Alan Moore originally wanted to be more graphic in the scene, but eventually backed away from it.

Croc's African-American, but he's not black; he's green

In any case, I stand by my general assessment of Azzarello's scripting.

Also, why is it alright for most superhero writers to write ridiculous purple prose when it suits them, but people have a problem with Azz because he took his inspiration from someone other than Roy Thomas and Chris Claremont?

i don't have a problem with Azz taking inspiration from someone other than Roy Thomas and Chris Claremont...I hate their dialogue too. I have no problem with noir narration. Ed Brubaker and Frank Millar are GREAT at noir narration. My problem is that Azzarello does BAD noir narration...His noir narration is purple as it gets. It reads almost like a noir parody, except it's too relentlessly cynical and dull to be a satire so he must be playing it straight. What character work does he do? Everyone is just varying degrees of cynical, gruff and disillusioned. Regardless of what a character is established to be, optimistic, evil, good-hearted, or murderous, under Azzarello's pen they are just varying shades of grey. Everyone is cynical, disillusioned and ultimately impotent in the big picture.

Where is this great characterization? Making everyone cynical, gruff and/or depressingly disillusioned is not great characterization, it's flat, 2-dimensional and boring. And the actual noir narration he uses IS

Croc’s African-American, but he’s not black; he’s green

In any case, I stand by my general assessment of Azzarello’s scripting.

Hehe, I did actually consider saying "was black."

My question -- why does Joker repeatedly call Penguin "Abner"? It's sort of thing that begs an explanation, even if the explanation is "it's just this random thing the Joker does."

"a similar narrative to the beloved Batman masterpiece, “Hush,” only with actually less of a plot than that venerable storyline."

I can't tell how much of this statement is sarcastic.

Aside from that, I'll back Brian's point about Croc: he's much more interesting as a wannabe gangster with a skin condition than a poor man's Lizard (except without the prior relationship to the hero ... or the sympathetic back story ... or anything else interesting to talk about).

haven’t seen Azz & Bermejo’s Croc yet, bu that description sounds slightly like the way he was portrayed in the The Batman cartoon.

Kind of, only less blinged-out and more gumbo-ed up. And more like the original than Azz's version, in that Batman couldn't just knock him out effortlessly.

I can’t tell how much of this statement is sarcastic.

At least "beloved", "masterpiece", and "venerable".

And possibly also "plot" and "storyline", if Brian was feeling particularly vicious.

I gave it a read last night, and I enjoyed it to a reasonable degree. The art was amazing... Bermejo really captured the physicality of The Joker, and I thought they achieved that 'Bill The Butcher' feel they were going for. It wasn't all that far off Ledger's Joker, either... it was quite easy to think of the dialogue in his 'voice'. I liked that no attempt was made to make him sympathetic, too.

On the other hand, some of the dialogue and narration felt a bit off... I know Azz was going for naturalism, but there was the occasional sentence that made no damn sense whatsoever, to me. And the whole 'Abner' thing wouldn't have bothered me, if they didn't insist on calling the Penguin that at least five times every time he appeared.

Then again, Batman's answer to The Joker's question was just so damn perfect (even if it doesn't make literal sense, it's such a great verbal smackdown) that a lot of the faults are easy to overlook.

@Cass: I think we haven't seen it because on some level, we want to like the Joker. Why they shouldn't go there is for the same reason: you can no longer like a character like that. Well, at least I can't. I think many of us have felt an urge to kill someone, even if we'd never do it (especially whilst in traffic!). So when Joker kills someone, even if we'd never do it, it's somehow forgivable, relatable in a weird way. But the idea of rape is just so thoroughly disgusting, and divisive, it's not a smart way to keep a reader's interest. I don't think very many people have ever had the "urge" to commit rape, at least I hope not. It jut makes the villain too villanous to even want to keep reading about. For me, it actually ruined the story. It turned a story I wasn't enjoying into a story I hated. It's just too far.

@don...

joker as a rapist..... like cass writes... why not??

the urge to kill like you've said and exampled, and justified.... is a form of power statement between one individual to the other and the world... (wouldn't you felt powerless if you've got a sadistic serial killer in front of your face?)

well.. to rape, is another form of power statement... and judging by numbers and statistic, rape (rape-murder included) is by far outnumbered murder... why? because it is also intertwine with another individual basic needs and want, that is sex.... and only humans have sex for pleasure isn't it??

and that my friend... what makes it/him more human than any other villains.. just it happens in the dark-side...

for closure... joker that azz wrote did had a "way" that he does what he does when he wants to.... why? because he could...and would...

imagine and think of all the human beings potential to do bad and put it in one character....
that's what make him thick...

but, this joker isn't all that... he to had emotional feelings... and what he does, what he wants.... affected by those emotions...

so... the joker as rapist, while it is disgusting and divisive... it is not too evil for #1 villain in wizzard's list, wouldn't it? so... why not?

after all, he IS the archenemy of the dark knight! means, he should be more darker and if not darkest form of humans worst potential...

yow, "not recommended"...

this was a Joker dream story for me; i always wanted to see what it would be like for Joker to take on a henchman, not kill him right away and have some weird, twisted relationship develop. to me, the Joker/Jonny Frost relationship was the story and i thought it was well-done; for this reason, i didn't feel cheated because there was no plot.

it was creepier the first time i read it, and i reread it a few more times after that. in fact, i remember crying the first time i read it, because of the violence.

i heartily recommend it, but only for mature audiences.

4/5

by the way, i thought i'd answer a question... McK asked why (Azzarello had his) Joker refer(red) to The Penguin as "Abner";

The Penguin's real name is Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, as if his given name wouldn't be hideous enough to call him, and Azzarello himself briefly explained that Joker calls Penguin "Abner" as "... a form of disrespect."

The ending was weak, but the rest was really, really, really good.

I loved the heck out of it.