batman: the joker's last laugh

batman: the joker's last laugh
chuck dixon
graphics/superheros
dc comics
published 2001

They say that dying is easy, while comedy is hard.  But what happens when you combine the two?  For the Clown Prince of Crime, a diagnosis of terminal cancer means that it's time for his final performance - and it's going to be a real showstopper.  Because if the Joker is going down, he's going to take everyone with him - and all the heroes of the DC Universe may not be enough to stop the laughter.

I think the only reason why this is titled as Batman is because Joker is Batman's villain, but the Bats is not the focus here.  If anything, I would say Oracle and Nightwing are carrying this story.  But what was annoying about the story was it was incomplete!  There are places where it has an * with the note that if you want to 'read more about this battle' read Nightwing issue whatever.  What?!  Super boo!

But there's so much going on and everything just kind of scrapes the surface.  The whole prison break is so full of sci-speak that I found myself literally nodding off.  The villains are easily dispatched when members of the JLA and the rest of the Bat-family step in.  The art is good, but again a little too cartoony for me.  If you want to read a good Joker story I suggest The Killing Joke, but the part with Harley Quinn did crack me up!