The DC Black Label banner will be launching one of its very first titles this year called Batman: The Three Jokers. We have recently come to discover that the DC Universe does not have one but three different Jokers. With the DC Fandome event nearing, the highly anticipated Three Jokers arc will be a subject of intense, polarizing discussions.
There will be a Connection to The Killing Joke
The Killing Joke will forever be remembered as Batman’s most tragic and gruesome story arc. The Joker kidnapped Barbara Gordon and her father Jim Gordon. He would then put the father-daughter duo through some inhuman psychological and physical trials that were morbidly traumatic. James Gordon was scarred for life. But it was Barbara who suffered the most. She was shot and paralyzed from the waist down. The Killing Joke is a testament to Batman’s many, many failures. The Three Jokers are going to have a connection to Alan Moore’s masterpiece of an arc. The hype train just went into overdrive!!
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It will be Rather Short
The comic book miniseries will be a three part issue. It will have one hundred and forty four pages in total, with each part getting around 48 pages. The length of the issues does create some confusion. The arc is supposedly DC’s most ambitious comic book project of this decade. Will merely 144 pages be enough to tell a story which does not have one but three entirely different Jokers? If the series ended too soon or left everything at a cliff hanger for dramatic effect, it is going to leave a very bad taste at the readers’ mouths. That is something DC cannot afford at the moment. Maybe each issue will be dedicated to one Joker each. That means the possibility of the Three Jokers teaming up will remain a dream for now. We really hope they increase the page count to 240 or more.
Might Reveal Details about Joker’s Past
The Three Jokers arc is going to give us many never before known or heard details regarding the life of the Joker before he became the Clown prince of Crime. Since we know that there are three different Jokers operating independently, there are going to be three different origin stories. We know only one of those. Two other Jokers mean there will be two different tales of how they came into existence. Did they also have their ‘One Bad Day’? How gritty is their story compared to the original. Moreover, it will also give the Jokers a much needed shot in the arm in terms of potency. If DC does this right, the readers will be able to connect with the other two Jokers the same way they connected with the Original Version. That would be a sure fire way to turn this thing into a best-seller.
More Focus on the Original Batman-Joker Relationship
Two members of the Bat Family that have been hit really hard by the Joker’s actions are Barbara Gordon and Jason Todd. Barbara was shot in the waist, raped by the Joker, and then crippled from the waist down during The Killing Joke. Jason Todd was beaten to death by the Joker with a crowbar in Death in the Family. They have suffered a lot. But the one who has taken the most physical and mental toll of squaring off with the Joker is Batman. He has lost the most from his encounters with the Clown Prince of Crime. What the Joker has brought upon his life is the very definition of a living hell. It is time the questions about the dynamic between the Caped Crusader and his grinning arch nemesis are answered.
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Jason Fabok returning
Jason Fabok is one of the greatest artists and illustrators in the trade. He is of high demand in the industry. Fabok has regularly taken jobs to illustrate Batman comics. He was the one that penned the Batman Run during the New 52 reboot. Fabok’s art is very lifelike and manages to capture the graphic undertones any Batman arc would like to be painted with. The fact that Fabok is going to be the head illustrator for Three Jokers might be reason enough for many hard core comic book fans to give it a shot. We suggest you do too. The Three Jokers’ artwork is going to be of another league entirely.
Potential Revisit to Death in the Family
Apart from The Killing Joke, the other Batman arc that also reminds that Batman is but just a man behind a mask is Death in the Family. Jason Todd was mercilessly beaten to death. Todd returned from the dead later but it left a bitter aftertaste in Batman’s memories. The deep psychological trauma was an iconic turning point in the way Batman fought crime and evil in Gotham City and beyond. Maybe one of the three issues will focus on Jason Todd and the impact of finally getting another shot at avenging his own death will have on him and the entire Bat Family. Things will certainly be getting more interesting.
It will be Bloody and Brutal
Batman comics are exceedingly violent and way darker than any other DC Superhero’s issues. That is why many fans fell in love with his limited series runs. It is because they have something to offer no other superhero does – mature graphic content. The Three Jokers arc will continue the trend. It is indeed, as we said earlier, is taking inspirations form two of the greatest Batman comic books arcs – The Killing Joke and Death in the Family. The comic book series will be raw and brutal to the naked eye. It is the very reason it is being included within the DC Black Label banner. The arc is not for everyone. It will only be for those who have the guts to stomach what’s coming their way.
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It Will Affect the Mainstream Continuity
The DC Black Label was launched to tell alternate reality story lines based on mainstream characters without affecting the official canon of the DC Universe. Batman: The Three Jokers will be set within the DC Black Label continuity. But here’s the thing. Jason Fabok, Chief Illustrator for the arc, has claimed that the repercussions of The Three Jokers arc will be too huge to be ignored. The ripple effects will probably spill onto the mainstream DC Universe and whether that is good or bad is still up for debate. Since the Black Label stories are supposed to be grittier and bloodier, aimed at adult audiences, the consequences of it affecting the official DC Continuity are huge. If things go wrong (touch-wood!!), then DC will have a potential catastrophe in their hands akin to the New 52 debacle.
