Matthew Rosenberg, James Tynion IV and Francesco Francavilla’s The Joker #5 is an eerie look back on a formative moment for the Joker and Jim Gordon.
Semi-retired Jim Gordon has been hunting the Joker throughout James Tynion IV and Guillem March’s The Joker series. Its newest issue chillingly delves into Gordon and Joker’s sordid past while telling the engrossing story of the Joker’s first night in Arkham Asylum. Written by Matthew Rosenberg and James Tynion IV with art by Francesco Francavilla, The Joker #5 is a haunting, self-contained story featuring one of DC’s most charismatic villains.
Like the first four issues of the series, The Joker #5 is told from the perspective of Jim Gordon. But unlike previous installments, this issue follows a young Gordon working as a police captain on the mean streets of Gotham City. Captain Gordon is an ambitious man struggling to juggle his responsibilities as a police captain, his relationship with his wife and his preoccupation with the madman known as the Joker, who has just been sentenced to Arkham Asylum. Gordon isn’t confident in Arkham’s security, so he goes to check on the Joker himself.
Rosenberg and Tynion IV tell a tale that stands on its own while adding context to the series as a whole. This younger version of Gordon is as obsessive as the more mature version that readers see throughout the rest of the series, but he isn’t as cynical. This story goes a long way in explaining the origins of Gordon’s grim outlook. The Joker’s appearance is brief and chaotic. Tynion IV and Rosenberg make it clear that the criminal clown upset Arkham’s residents, but his exact actions remain unclear. They frame him as a villain capable of inciting all manner of madness without showing his methods, which adds an unsettling mystery to the villain. He’s a force of nature that’s best characterized by the wreckage he leaves in his wake.
Francavilla’s stylized linework and brilliant colors add to the insular nature of this issue. He uses a limited color palette than the colorists in the run’s previous issues, which helps to separate this story from The Joker‘s central narrative. This version of Gotham looks more like a hard-boiled detective story than a superhero comic. Much like Sean Phillips’ artwork, there is something inherently pulpy about Francavilla’s. He draws a Gotham cloaked in menacing shadows and populated with world-weary policemen and lunatics. When the time comes to draw the Joker, Francavilla brilliantly captures the villain’s manic nature. He is initially depicted as a fairly average-looking young man, but, as he and Gordon continue to talk, he becomes more and more deranged.
The Joker #5 is certainly a change of style and pace for the series. It is difficult to determine how effective it is in the context of the entire series, but as a stand-alone comic, it functions as a remarkably engaging and haunting tale. The entire creative team has created an aesthetically distinct story addition to the Joker canon. The interaction between Gordon and the Joker is emblematic of the Joker’s entire career and will likely leave readers on edge for a while after they’ve finished it.
About The Author
For all the latest Comics News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
