Los Angeles riot by The Joker reveals how flexible the Clown Prince Of Crime is and sets him apart from the DC Universe’s other villains.
This article contains spoilers for Joker: The Man Who Stops Laughing #6, currently available at DC Comics.
The Joker is often regarded as one, if not all, of the evilest villains in comics. Since Batman’s early days, the Clown Prince of Crime is a familiar figure. He has seen much evolution and changed over time — becoming more frightening each day. The comic book version of the Joker is a refreshing take on an iconic character.
The Joker – The Man Who Stopped Laughing #6 by Matthew Rosenberg, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Arif Prianto. This story is a serious take on the Joker’s violent riot. The creative team behind the series uses this issue to make it funny, and not a horror or thriller story. It is a wonderful reminder of the Joker’s versatility as an actor.
RELATED: DC’s Most Disturbing Couple Just Reunited. But It’s a Complex
The Joker Returns to Gotham with an Exciting Exit
The plot of The Joker: The Man Who Stops Laughing has been dramatic for most of the series. Although there were some moments of comedy, the majority of the series was a character study about a mysterious man who believes he is the Joker. He also happens to be the “real” Joker who moved to Los Angeles after becoming bored of Gotham. He is shocked to learn that his counterpart is in the streets, and decides that it’s time for him to return home. He launches an attack on LA before he can. He destroys multiple police precincts simultaneously and causes a riot. Joker initially is happy with the outcome and has a private plane ready to take him out of the chaos. Then it turned out that and his henchmen had sent the plane to LAX instead of leaving Burbank’s airport.
The Joker must navigate a burning Los Angeles trying to find his way, fully aware of the fact that he has lit the match. This is a hilarious tale. This premise could be interpreted in many different ways. The comic could include horror elements from its previous issues. This could be an action-packed story where Joker is constantly trying to keep one step ahead of everyone else. This could even have been a drama about how a city that isn’t conditioned to supervillains responds to such an attack. Instead, the issue is a dark comedy that plays up the chaos and has many punchlines and deaths.
RELATED: Joker, More DC Manga Official English Language Releases
DC made the Joker fun again
The Joker can be many things. The Joker is able to switch between scary, funny, pathetic, or terrifying in a single scene. This strength partly explains his versatility and endurance in pop culture. The Joker’s ability to incite fear has been a hallmark of his character over the past decade. Many Joker stories focus on the frightening nature of the Joker, his ability to destroy entire cities with one plan or just appear from the shadows. The Joker #6: The Man Who Stops Laughing was a refreshing breath of air. Its central premise is refreshing.
Although he complains about LA’s traffic, he is amazed at the chaos in LA. He is reluctantly coerced into taking photos with a man in a Batman costume along Sunset Boulevard. This entertains unassuming tourists until he finally decides to kill “Batman”. Even his attempts to hail a taxi are met with humor. These Joker stories help to distinguish him from the other serial killers of Gotham. This gives him a personality that characters like Professor Pyg and Zsasz can’t match. His bizarre depth of character is what makes him so compelling. It’s wonderful to see the Joker have fun again. This is something that has been lacking in modern stories.