DC Comics reviews 5/2/23 – The Flash #798, SHAZAM! #1

The Joker the Man Who Stopped Laughing #8

The Joker The Man Who Stopped Laughing has always walked the tightrope of being overly frivolous and stalling for time. This issue felt like the plot started to slip off.

Writer Matthew Rosenberg evenly splits the story between the Joker in Gotham with Solomon Grundy and the LA-based one battling Manhunter and looking to return to Gotham and kill his imposter.

Both think the other is the fraud, a gimmick that’s feeling like it’s run its course now. It’s mainly due to Rosenberg writing both Jokers in a similar, unhinged manner.

The LA storyline is decent with Manhunter focused on preventing Joker from causing anymore tragedies when he gets an unexpected assistance from another Batman rogue.

In Gotham, Joker deals with Killer Croc, who’s out for revenge on Joker and anyone helping him.

These subplots would feel more impactful if Rosenberg explained the stakes a bit more and advanced the story to a greater degree. This feels like too much regurgitation from previous issues without progressing any of the subplots. The Red Hood subplot comes off as intentionally vague and little story development.

At least the Jokers’ dialogue is sharp with some strong bits including the dangers of carjacking in a frantic Los Angeles.

Carmine Di Giandomenico’s art remains lively with his rough energetic style infusing more tension into the action and scenes further detailing the Joker mystery.

Colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr.  provides some electric combinations and choices to mirror the story’s anything can happen tone. Letterer Tom Napolitano does a solid job of conveying the various character voices with subtle shifts in the dialogue layout.

This title has a breezy read feel, but with a large mystery at play, it’d be nice to see Rosenberg start delivering some answers even if new ones arrive to take their place.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Photo Credit: DC Comics