On top of The Man Who Laughs graphic novel, this volume also includes a never-before-reprinted Elseworlds tale called Batman: Gotham Noir. Alongside his own partner-in-crime artist Sean Phillips, this collaboration beautiful captures their style of narrative and visual storytelling, giving us a stellar noir mystery centered around James Gordon as he weaves his way in and out of complicated situations to ultimately unveil his own internal and personal struggle to overcome his haunting past. This is an excellent addition to this deluxe edition as previous volumes never included this story before. Don’t worry, Batman. There are plenty more billionaires in Gotham City. The Joker can't kill them all. Right? Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a quintessential story exploring the Joker’s first appearance within Gotham City.

One of the main problems with this outing is that it felt misleading. Only half of the total content is the cover story while DC had thrown in another completely unconnected story. But most of all, this was just a really entertaining story. It’s not as dark and brooding as Year One or the 2008 Dark Knight movie. This is not a story that dives deep into the Joker’s psychological profile. Instead it’s a fun, fast-paced adventure with a lot of action and some excellent art. Ed Brubaker did the Joker justice with this tale, which I’d rate 4.5 stars.

signed by Jock

I don't even know why I like the Joker anymore. Now that first statement is probably the most heinous blasphemous remark I will ever type (and will never type again) as an avid Bat-fan. But I felt the need to confess it because I've been keeping it bottled up inside since...well, since Heath Ledger's outstanding performance in The Dark Knight film. It was only during and after Death of the Family crossover event that I think I became one of those fans who contracted the "Joker fatigue" wherein I found everything that New 52 advertised and hyped about the return of the Clown Prince to be insufferable and diluted.

Joker is displayed in all his maniac and haphazard glory and he truly comes across as the nemesis that Batman deserved , here to bring in chaos and display that he is not just a mad man , but a mad man with a genius brain that even puzzles The world's greatest detective , often times staying 2 steps ahead of the caped crusader . I was handed this by a friend who had given it a high amount of praise. When I saw that Ed Brubaker had written it, I couldn't blame him! Of course it's going to be awesome, it has Brubaker's name attached to it. Discover the answer in The Batman Who Laughs—a terrifying reimagining of one of comics' greatest heroes—and villains—from the premier Batman writer of our time!

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Forgoing the surprise/disappointment I mentioned in my Gotham Noir review about this being a 3 issue arc rather than the full 9 or 10 issues I expected given the length of the book, The Man Who Laughs was a solid, if unspectacular effort from Brubaker. Although given the growing number of his non-independent titles I've read lately, solid but unspectacular seems to be where Brubaker is at when it comes to his DC work. I've yet to read any of his Marvel stuff at present. The second half of the book is a boring 3-shot story of Batman and the original Green Lantern Alan Scott as they try and solve a 50 year old murder mystery of a killer called "Made of Wood". I'm not a Green Lantern fan so I wasn't so keen on this and it has nothing to do with the Joker so I have no idea why it's twinned with the first story.

I really have to buy the anniversary hardbound collection of the Joker stories soon. I feel that it's the remedy I've been looking for to purge me from my ongoing Joker fatigue at this moment. Evil can pervade the purest of hearts, but nothing could ever explain the mind of the Joker. Many have tried to understand his reasoning, his raison d’être, or even his existence. In fact, it might be the absence of these very ideas that makes his character an emblematic personification of evil. For Batman, he turned out to become his ultimate life partner as they developed an immortal bond representing the quintessential necessity of good and evil. How did Bruce Wayne even attempt to solve the mystery behind this madman’s mind though? This latest deluxe edition of the classic graphic novel includes the landmark story of Batman: The Man Who Laughs, the never-before-reprinted Elseworlds tale Batman: Gotham Noir, the mystery “Made of Wood” from the issues #784-786 of the Detective Comics comic book series, as well as a special collection of preliminary art by artist Doug Mahnke. The “Made of Wood” story-arc, written by Ed Brubaker and penciled by Patch Zircher, explores a murder-mystery where Batman teams up with the Green Lantern (Alan Scott) to take down a serial killer that has been active for over half a century.A war like no other--a war of the Batmen--has begun. As Batman's closest friends, deadliest enemies, and doppelgängers from across the Multiverse get caught in the crossfire, only one question Who will have the last laugh? Half Batman. Half Joker. Combining everything that makes the Caped Crusader a hero and the Clown Prince a killer, the Batman Who Laughs is the Dark Multiverse's deadliest criminal mastermind. Now he's come to Gotham to turn Bruce Wayne's home into an incubator for evil. Given that Alan Moore has already completed the definitive story on the origin of The Joker as well as his first meeting with Batman, this had a lot to live up to. Could Brubaker create an instant classic? Could he introduce us to The Joker in a way that was fresh and memorable? While sampling of the digital (most notably in the audio form) has been around for decades the cultural process running underneath that creative process has been around since the dawn of Humanity. Truly there is nothing new under (this) sun and Brubaker here well exemplifies this archaic axiom by recycling yet another industry and cultural standard. However, the references employed here are mixed with only minor additions of the original. Banking on its utilization of well-known samples in lieu of forging its own additions of original content, for more thoughtful takes on the Batman mythos, most notably and recently Alan Moore and Christopher Nolan’s seminal contributions to the Caped Crusader’s mythology, ultimately Brubaker’s forged homunculus feels more paper-thin pastiche than anything in drab comparison.

A different take on a Batman story, Made of Wood is a crime story involving Batman, a retired James Gordon, the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and a string of unsolved 1940s murders. Little did I know that Scott was based in Gotham just like Batman. A war like no other—a war of the Batmen—has begun. As Batman's closest friends, deadliest enemies, and doppelgängers from across the Multiverse get caught in the crossfire, only one question remains: Who will have the last laugh?

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The Man Who Laughs actually contains two separate Batman stories. The first is a direct sequel to Batman: Year One. At the end of Year One, Gordon mentions that an unknown character called the Joker has been making threats against the city. The Batman Who Laughs Deluxe Edition is currently set for release on April 18, 2023. This new collection is set to gather together the full seven-issue Batman Who Laughs miniseries and the one-shot special issue The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight. Together, these comics tell a full storyline written by one of the creators of the Batman Who Laughs, Scott Snyder. This wouldn’t have worked so flawlessly if it weren’t for artist Doug Mahnke’s artwork. Without ever purposefully depicting a grim, dark, and sinister Gotham City, he captures the city’s fear and panic strictly through his character designs. Without a doubt, his iteration of the Joker strikes all the perfect chords, depicting him in his purple suit, with his fedora hat on top of his green hair, with his white and wrinkly skin, with his ghastly grin, and his skinny yet combat-savvy figure. The visual style is also reminiscent of an era of comic books bathing in mystery and suspense, scoring points in terms of appeal and direction. There simply couldn’t have been a better origin story for the one villain that will forever torture the Caped Crusader throughout his war on crime.