The Joker #2: Death Awaits

Writers: James Tynion IV, Sam Johns / Artists: Guillem March, Mirka Andolfo, / DC Comics Last issue featured Jim Gordon being approached with a mysterious offer: To kill the Joker for money. You might think that Gordon would turn this deal down instantly. But this Gordon is broken. His son is dead, and his daughter has an implant in her spine to keep her from being paralyzed. The person responsible for those two things? The Joker. So, you can’t blame Gordon for thinking about it. And that’s exactly what he does in issue two. Most of this issue follows Gordon as he grapples with the offer that sits in front of him. He reaches out to Batman but doesn’t tell him about the killing part. The two devise a plan for him to capture the Joker. But he’s still not sure he wants to capture him.

As Gordon and Barbara conceive and solidify the plan, the rest of the people that the Joker has wronged gear up for an all-out assault on the Clown Prince of Crime. Meanwhile, my dude is tanning on a nice secluded island, ready for anything that may come his way.  I said this in the first issue, and I’m saying it again. This book may be called Joker, but, at least so far, it’s really about Jim Gordon. And for now, that’s working. The dialogue and narration are a little on the heavier side, which leads to a longer read. But I really feel like I’m getting to know this Gordon a lot more than we have in recent years. This is the type of book that is showing his growth into something more than t…