The Joker is out to prove a point- one bad day is all that separates the sane from the mad. He kidnaps Commissioner Gordon, hurts his family, and tortures him to teach him about the 'random injustice' of life and how the only rational response is . . . insanity. Will Joker break him? Are we all living in an illusion of order and morality?
This classic Batman tale is a good read. I think it's the first time we see Joker's origin story- told here in a series of flashbacks to a time when he had a wife and home- and that gives him a human element he typically lacks. (Another origin story, Lovers & Madmen, came much later, but is also good.) You almost feel compassion for him at times. The themes explored- life, its darkness, and our response to it- are a worthy discussion, and echoes of it are found in The Dark Knight. Joker ultimately draws the wrong conclusion, and it leads him to insanity. How do we respond?
Rating: A
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