What do you get when you cross Masterpiece Theatre, the Clown Prince of Crime, and one of the greatest rogues gallery comics has to offer? Why that particular concoction will yield a 5 issue mini-series of one-shots called Joker’s Asylum. Each particular issue begins with a brief narration by the Joker before delving into a short, self contained story starring the various villains of Gotham City. Each story, though, focuses on the villains themselves and less on the Caped Crusader, an approach that makes this series all the more interesting to read.
Each issue is devoted to one villain, with Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, the Penguin, Two-Face, and the Joker, each starring respectively. The Joker also narrates and offers his own twisted take on what could be considered the “moral” at the of each story. Every issue is written and drawn by different writers and artists so collecting all 5 of the Joker’s Asylum stories yields a bountiful mixture of art and writing styles.
One specific issue I particularly enjoyed was the one with Two-Face. The end certainly caught me off guard and was well worth the 3 dollars or so one must spend to procure these delightfully macabre collections. I won’t spoil it here other than to say if you left Dark Knight and didn’t get quite enough of the district attorney with a dichotomy problem, then this is definitely the comic to pick up next time you find yourself at the comic store. In the spirit of Two-Face, flip a coin. Heads you pick up Jokers Asylum, tails you miss out. See where Lady Luck takes you.
This man says…if you’re smart, you’ll use Harvey’s coin…before the explosion.
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many thanks to Lucas for another great review!
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