The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1

The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1

Written by Various

Illustrated by Various

Colored by Various

DC Comics

2020

The Clown Prince of Crime celebrates 80 years of chaos! The Joker has been the greatest villain in comics since his debut and to celebrate we have a who’s who of comics’ finest talent giving the Harlequin of Hate the birthday roast he deserves. The stories feature a range of terror and anarchy, showing how the Joker has impacted Gotham City from the police to Arkham Asylum, from the local underworld to the Dark Knight and his allies! Make sure to RSVP to this birthday bash-you wouldn’t want to wake up with a Joker Fish on your doorstep, would you?

The way I see it, two kinds of people are likely to buy this issue – fans of Batman who buy everything related to the franchise anyway, and people who like to have all the big issues and milestones, in case they’re valuable some day. In my humble opinion, the rest will be missing out. This is a historical moment in comics, and just being around for it feels special. That the book is actually solid is a pleasant bonus.

I don’t have any love for the Batman series. It’s fine, and I keep up with most of the big moments, but even I love The Joker. I think more than any other villain, his relationship with the hero has defined comics for decades. He is as an important character as the star of the show, and most of the time he’s way more fun. And that is what I enjoy most out of this 80th anniversary celebration – it is fun to watch this maniac work. He is evil and terrible, and thank God he’s not real, but he is fun to read!

And what more could you ask for to celebrate his life of crime, than a collection like this? It’s got famous covers from all his biggest hits, and ten all-new stories to hint at what’s to come. Some of the stories are better than others, but with such a large variety, there’s sure to be something for every one. And the art is topnotch throughout. DC certainly didn’t pull any punches in that department. The book looks amazing!

So, if you’re a comic book fan of any kind, (and why would you be reading this if you weren’t?) you kind of owe it to yourself to pick this up. Maybe you don’t collect Batman, or maybe you’re out of touch with him for the last few years, maybe you don’t even really go for superhero stuff, (like me!) but you know all about The Joker, don’t you? Almost every one does. If you’re a fan or a collector, this one is a no-brainer. If you’re any one else though, this is really good. And really fun. And it’s kind of a big moment. Why wouldn’t you want to have a part of that?

Brian Reed

Brian has been reading comics since January, 1987, when the death of Optimus Prime rocked his young world. Once a regular presenter on The Nerdstravaganza Podcast, Brian now writes for Florida Geek Scene.