Batman The Man Who Laughs TP (Joker)

This is my second Graphic Novel that I have read and one that I have known about for a very long time. The Joker is one of the most iconic characters in history and this version is simply my favourite in every single way. It catches that perfectly Maniacal but beautifully written character of the Joker and tells the story of the first time Batman ever laid eyes on what became his greatest enemy so perfectly that I could not find a single fault. The art in this story is drawn beautifully and really catches the full dark extent of Batman's world. Batman is built bigger in this comic unlike his Year One counterpart (You can read my review for that on the Batman: Year One - Deluxe Edition page) which is great to see as I love the way Batman is drawn and I see him as a bigger man who has made himself that way. Overall the story of the first sighting of the Joker is told fantastically and is a must read for any Batman or Comic Book fan. Or even a first time reader! Second to that, we get a second story! Which follows the story of a 40 year old cold case where we get to see our favourite Dark Knight team up with the original Green Lantern, Allen Scott! To solve a serial killer case that has haunted the Green Lantern ever since the first murder. It is a brilliant detective tale and one that is paired brilliantly with The Man Who Laughs! The relationship between Bats and GL is portrayed perfectly and you really get that sense of two very different heroes trying to work together on one case. Overall, it doesn't quite live up to The Man Who Laughs but is a fantastic story in of itself and is a wonderful surprise after a fantastic first story. Overall, a brilliant double feature that is definitely worth the price and the read! Definitely recommended!

Batman The Man Who Laughs contains 2 stories, first The Man Who Laughs and another called Made of Wood. While I'm no expert on comics and most of my experience is from Marvel I really have grown more partial to Batman and am still new with only Batman Year One, The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Hush, The Dark Knight Returns, A Death In The Family, and now The Man Who Laughs, so take my opinions as you will. The Man Who Laughs is a one shot written by Ed Brubaker, artwork from Doug Mahnke and colours by David Baron. Released in 2005 this story introduces the Joker following Frank Miller's Batman Year One. It's an interesting story because at this point Batman has never encountered anything like the Joker and the impact a single criminal can have on Gotham. The artwork was great and at times can be disturbing complementing the laughing gas to make you visually as well as mentally uncomfortable with the thought of something so terrible. Overall it was a great story, I feel it was an appropriate introduction into the Joker and left me wanting more and luckily, there a lot of Joker to be read. Next up is Made of Wood is a 3 issue story (Detective Comics #784-786) from 2003 written by Ed Brubaker, art from Patrick Zircher, and colours from Aaron Sowd (parts 1-3) and Steve Bird (part 3). This is a decent detective issue, I think I preferred the artwork in this issue. In these 3 parts the re-emergence of a killer is made after several decades of absence. The case was never solved and now Batman and Green Lantern team up to attempt to solve this case that Lantern couldn't solve and haunts him. I will say I do think the 3rd part is kind of short compared to the previous 2 but still good. Overall a nice one to have, and an easy recommendation to anyone who has already read Year One. The introduction of the Joker in the first story and a Batman Green Lantern team up being detectives in the second. Both have appealing artwork with decent stories and well worth picking up, maybe not as iconic or as essential in my opinion as A Death In The Family but worth a read. Hopefully you found this review helpful and happy reading.

The book confusingly contains two very different stories. The first is its name sake Batman the man who laughs and the second is the completley non Joker related made of wood story line. I'm all for the release of any Batman/ Detective Comics collected editions but picking up this book you would have thought to get a complete Joker related experience. The four stars is based on the collection as a whole. while it was disappointing to only get half a book starring the Joker both stories are enjoyable. The first half which is Batman the Man who Laughs is set after Batman: Year One, Shaman, The Monster Men and The Mad Monk and details the first confrontation between Batman and Joker. The storyline although its no Killing Joke is still highly enjoyable and amusing. With mentions in other novels of the joker attempting to poison Gothams water supply here we finally see the plan in fruition. While its hardly a master plan i take into account that this is Jokers first go round with Gotham so i cut him some slack. Overall its relatively well written with a few good joker lines but it does feel a little rushed. it would have been good to explore Batman and Jokers first encounter in more detail and see the relationship develop between them. The art is ok i much prefer the clear crisp solid art of books such as Killing Joke but the art in this story is still better than certain other novels. The second story Made of Wood consists of Detective comics Issues: #784 - #786 and is set years away from the Man Who Laughs story set after the No Mans Land, Officer Down, Murderer and Fugitive story lines with Jim Gordon well into retirement. it mainly revolves around a Batman and Vintage Green Lantern team up (Not the cool Green Lantern). Involving alot of detective work and not too much action some may find this story boring. The story has no particular wow factors and is overall pretty mediocre but still enjoyable. I doubt this would have sold well as its own Graphic Novel. I myself, who try (note the try) to be a bit of a chronology buff just enjoyed seeing Jim Gordon actually in action again after his long ongoing absense and occasional cameo in the bat stories set around the time of these issues publication. but obviously you wont have those same views as we just saw Jim Gordon a couple of pages ago in the previous years ago storyline. The art is actually better than Man Who Laughs being detailed, defined and solid with good use of shadows and character details. If modern Batman novels where drawn like this i would be alot happier whilst reading them. Combined the stories just scrape four stars this is a point of interest story if anything, just remember you are only buying half a Joker book. and the second half may confuse you if your not familiar with Batman lore.

I remember reading the original batman 1 story, which this is partly based off and there is some differences, given that this is basically a sequel to Batman year one, so robin is not in this version. I think that it does a great job at been a updated version of the original batman story and whoever written it did a great job. It also gives you a little possible origin story for the joker, but does not tell you directly that it is. There is also a bonus story at the end, which features the original Green lantern ( Alan Scott ). All in all it is a great story and a must have if you are a fan of the Joker or comic books in general. 10/10

I'm new to graphic novels and this is my 1st purchase and I must say...WOW...the story had me gripped from start to finish, the artwork is amazing. I was hoping it would be a longer read as it ends quite suddenly which was annoying just as your really getting into it. I'm very happy with this and now I want to expand my collection with more stories

Batman stories containing the Joker are always fascinating reads; from "The Killing Joke" to "The Dark Knight Returns" to "Endgame". This one delivers on all fronts. See Batman tested and pushed by the demented actions of a new threat to Gotham in the shape of a mysterious pyscho criminal dubbed The Joker.

The Man Who Laughs features two separate stories, named The Man Who Laughs and Made of Wood, each approximately 70 pages long. The first of these is the story you are probably looking for, and tells the story of Batman and the Joker's first encounter. This is a dark story that shows Batman adapt to his first 'supervillain'. The story is dark and twisted, like the Joker himself, and I consider it an essential read for any Batman fan, my only complaint being that at 70 pages long this is a fairly short story. The second story, Made of Wood, is a crossover story of Batman and Green Lantern investigating a series of murders. This story takes place much later in Batman's career, and is entirely unrelated to The Man Who Laughs, though still a decent story. I recommend reading both Batman: Year One and Batman: The Killing Joke before reading The Man Who Laughs.

Good read