If The Joker: Year One isn't an origin story, then what exactly is it?

Art from Batman #142 — (Image credit: DC)

The core Batman book is going all in on the Joker this month. Batman #142-144 is publishing weekly instead of monthly to tell a new three-issue story, 'The Joker: Year One', that promises to change what we know about the Clown Prince of Crime - even if writer Chip Zdarsky has stated that the story is not an origin story for the killer clown.

The first issue is out now and while it will likely prove somewhat bewildering to casual Batman readers with its plethora of references and multiple time zones, it digs deep into what makes the character such an eternally fearsome adversary for Bruce Wayne.

Spoilers for Batman #142 ahead

Zdarsky was not kidding. On the basis of this first issue, this is not a traditional "Year One" tale at all. For a start, it takes place across two distinct time periods, the past but also an apparent future, both drawn by different artists.

Article continues below

In the future scenes, distinguished by Andrea Sorrentino and colorist Dave Stewart's wonderfully dark and atmospheric work, the Joker has wreaked havoc across Gotham, though we're not entirely sure how just yet. He's also left a pair of distinctive red hoods behind, which leads Batman to recall some of their first conflicts - Batman: Zero Year, specifically, gets a callout here.

We then flashback to the past - and a very familiar panel of the Joker laughing maniacally. There are three Jokers here (presumably a nod to last year's 'The Bat-Man of Gotham' arc from #131-#135) who fight, with two seemingly being left for dead, though this aspect is honestly a little unclear.

Of course, when it comes to the Joker's many origin stories there is one that shines more darkly than any other. Batman #142 doesn't just reference The Killing Joke - it has artist Giuseppe Camuncoli directly replicate the moment where the Joker, having just dragged himself out of that fateful Ace Chemicals vat, breaks down laughing in one of the most iconic panels in all of comics. The bulk of the issue then follows the Joker as he tries to figure out precisely how to become a master criminal. If The Killing Joke was about showing the "one bad day" that broke the Joker, then this appears to be about following him in the many less bad but still not exactly great days that follow.

It's a, shall we say, bold move trying to fit a new story just after the events of The Killing Joke and it leaves you wondering exactly why this story is being told. The ambiguity of the Joker's background is a precious thing (even The Killing Joke, which spells things out pretty directly, is framed in terms of being only one possible explanation). While Batman #142 doesn't quite detract from that, it does risk feeling like a merely redundant add on to an all-time classic.

Perhaps that will change next week as the story progresses. The past section of the issue ends with the Joker meeting a mysterious figure who claims to be "the smartest man in the world" and also the person that trained Batman. Is the Joker about to take on a mentor? Hmm.

The issue returns to the future timeline. Duke Thomas has been "infected" and is causing havoc in Gotham. Batman is on his trail, but the path leads him to the dreadful realisation that Gotham has been hit with a plague that seemingly transforms ordinary citizens into the Joker.

This isn't the first time people have been "Jokerized", of course, but it's looking pretty apocalyptic here. It's a solid cliffhanger, undermined slightly by the fact that it feels so similar to the end of last month's Action Comics #1061 (which saw the citizens of Metropolis transformed into Bizarros) or even parts of the recent Titans: Beast World crossover.

It's impossible to judge a story arc on the basis of its first issue alone, of course, and there's a lot to like in Batman #142, not least a palpably sinister mood and some terrific art from Camuncoli and Sorrentino. Still, the next two issues need to deliver a stronger sense of direction and purpose if The Joker: Year One isn't going to be seen as merely a slightly confusing footnote to some of the all time classic Batman stories.

Batman #142 is out now from DC. The story continues next week with Batman #143.

Can you guess where The Killing Joke sits in our list of the best Joker stories?

Will Salmon is the Streaming Editor for GamesRadar+. He has been writing about film, TV, comics, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he launched the scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for well over a decade. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places too.