Batman: The Dark Knight 23.4
Special “Villains Month” Title: Joker’s Daughter 1
Ann Nocenti, Georges Jeanty
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
The newest Batman: The Dark Knight (or, more accurately, Catwoman) tie-in to Villains Month and Forever Evil featured the origin (and first full appearance) of the new Joker’s Daughter. And though the artwork of Georges Jeanty may be great, the script of Ann Nocenti is definitely not her best work to date. It’s slow and full of clichés, but even so, it still remains an enjoyable read due to the sheer disturbing nature of the story’s thematic elements that are not only touched upon, but flat-out displayed in the savagery of its main character.
Duela is a young woman with a self-inflicted scarred face who has sought refuge among the various forgotten people living underneath Gotham City. She is a lost soul looking for a new lease on life and a purpose, when one, quite literally, floats up to her in the form of the Joker’s detached face (last seen at the conclusion of the epic Death of the Family storyline last February). This is the best scene in the comic, when she “tries it on” and finds it to be a perfect fit, giving her just the purpose (and the power) she needs. With her new identity, the Joker’s Daughter brutally burns smiles into all of the men she encounters and unites the people in her new cause: To bring a little ugliness to the surface world.
Now, I’ll be completely honest. The speculator market had me really hesitant to even participate in purchasing this book, but when I saw the cover, I was the first to admit that it is definitely worth the extra buck for the fancy cover. The interior art is just as great (I’ve always been a fan of Jeanty’s work), and even though the dialogue is not very realistic (the Joker’s Daughter’s inner monologue is fine, but the dialogue between characters seems awkward), it is still a good comic. I’m more interested now to see what happens in the pages of Catwoman in coming months than I was before. Ever since Nocenti took over, I have steadily lost a little bit of interest each and every month. But I remain hopeful that this is the storyline that is going to change my opinion for the better. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint!
My Rating: 3/5
