John Carpenter to write Joker comic

[Silver Nemesis]

DC Comics has announced the Halloween director will take part in their 'Year of the Villain' series by writing a one-shot comic about the Joker, with the comic set to be released on October 9. Illustrations will be handled by Philip Tan and Marc Deering.

Carpenter will be co-writing the comic with Anthony Burch, who last worked with Carpenter on Big Trouble In Little China: Old Man Jack, a one-off comic that tied into the director's 1986 Kurt Russell-starring action classic.

"The Joker is the greatest villain in comics," Carpenter, who is rumoured to be executive producing two new Halloween sequels as well as composing the new films' music, said in a statement.

"This new comic puts The Joker on a mission to get his swagger back in a world gone bad by out-badding everyone else, proving that the greatest evil is always the one that leaves them laughing."

www.nme.com/news/film/horror-legend-john-carpenter-write-new-dc-joker-comic-2528535#wRWlpleE6sVpMALh.99

[thecolorsblend]

I'm in. I think Carpenter knows that the Joker is the Joker and won't try turning him into Michael Myers.

At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

[Silver Nemesis]

The first promo image for this comic was posted online a few weeks ago, and Carpenter's Joker appears to be sporting the same Pagliacci makeup design as Joaquin Phoenix's version. Whether he'll look like this in the finished comic is anyone's guess. It might just be a tribute to the upcoming film.

[The Dark Knight]

I like that image because it has moody sophistication. Joker's teeth resemble the skull he's holding, and the messy red lips and death warmed up face contrast nicely against the suit and tie.

I've read the premise for this project and it sounds fine to me - someone who feels his crown has been taken by others, and he's out to take it back by force. Should provide some delicious violence, and the fact it says "the greatest evil is always the one that leaves them laughing" suggests to me we're not going to get a Michael Myers knockoff.

[thecolorsblend]

Boy, did this fall off the radar or what? Poked around a while ago and couldn't find an update about it. DC has been through at least two different bloodbaths recently so I'm hoping this comic book didn't get killed in the crib.

[Silver Nemesis]

It's a decent little story seen from the perspective of an escaped mental patient who's been recruited as the Joker's sidekick. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's ok. There are some throwbacks to older comics like A Death in the Family, but I can't say I spotted any major connections to Carpenter's film work.

I did however stumble across this hilariously bad article about it.

John Carpenter's Joker Is WAY More Problematic Than Todd Phillips'

One of the main concerns with director Todd Phillips' Joker was that it would portray violence as a way for mentally ill and toxic males to express themselves. Some theaters were extra cautious in case of potential shootings. Also, following a leak of an early draft of the script that suggested Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck broke bad after being rejected by a woman in his apartment complex, people anticipated controversy.

Luckily, the film isn't that extreme. It's a character study of Arthur and portrays Gotham's mistreatment of the lower class. However, when it comes to a toxic Joker story, look no further than this week's Joker: Year of the Villain one-shot from legendary director, John Carpenter, which is as problematic as it gets.

Carpenter's known as a master of action and horror due to movies like The Thing, Christine and Escape from New York, so fans were eagerly anticipating this story, co-written with Anthony Burch. But rather than having an organic reason for the Joker to descend into the chaos we're accustomed to, in this story the character goes off the rails after he's rejected by the Enchantress.

After escaping Arkham, Joker and his henchman, Six of Hearts dress up as Batman and Robin, parody the Dynamic Duo and wreak havoc with a spate of violent murders. However, Enchantress teleports in on behalf of Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad to survey the damage. An intrigued Joker asks if she wants help but she tells him and Six to stay out of her way. This triggers an enamored Six, as well, who can't believe she's not giving the pair the time of day.

Joker, however, takes it a step further. He uploads a video to a Reddit/YouTube-type website that's meant to be a rallying cry for the men of Gotham to unite against Enchantress. He insists they stand tall and proud, banding together to defeat the witch. This is similar to when folks lash out in the real world at women for not taking kindly to their advances.

Honestly, it's gross and downright uncomfortable the way Joker manipulates his minions. He says Enchantress won't be happy until all of Gotham's men "are on their knees," echoing the tactics sexists use to attack the concept of feminism. In the current climate, especially with all thie vitriol on social media, this isn't a message we should be reading.

Online uproar is one thing but physical violence is another. Sadly, the men hunt Enchantress down, but she's way too powerful for them and enslaves the goons with her magic. Ironically, as Joker escapes, he kills these lackeys in a moment of irony, proving they're nothing but pawns.

Still, his mindset isn't something to promote. Rejection doesn't warrant aggression. Joker and Six come off as privileged and entitled. It's the kind of misogyny that fuels incel culture. The story also puts mental illness in a bad light. Six was depressed, vulnerable and a tad deranged, so his actions in the story seem to indicate someone like him will simply go off their rockers if they don't get their way.

Also, for Joker to use Six and the other guys who buy into his message -- some of whom are also mentally ill -- plays into the stigma that mentally troubled people are walking weapons. Seriously, using the men of Gotham like this doesn't feel right at all, and painting a target on a strong woman trying to stem the trouble brewing just isn't a good look.

https://www.cbr.com/john-carpenters-joker-more-problematic-than-todd-phillips/

Oh boy.

Firstly, the incident with Enchantress is a relatively minor event in the story that comprises about three pages out of the entire issue. It is not the catalyst that sends the Joker "off the rails" as this reviewer incorrectly claims, and that entire subplot is mostly played for laughs. Joker and his henchmen get soundly owned by Enchantress before moving on to their next objective.

Secondly, the Joker is a bad guy. That's why this story was released under the 'Year of the Villain' banner. Bad guys do bad things. Why would you read a comic about an evil villain and then complain that it's "problematic" when he does evil and villainous things?

Thirdly, the parallels between the main character and real life incels are clearly deliberate, just as they were in Todd Phillips' movie. In both cases, the storytellers are trying to explore how an ordinary person can become a monster in a contemporary societal context. To say that such a narrative "isn't a message we should be reading", thereby falsely conflating character motivation with authorial intent (or "message") and suggesting it should be censored, is supremely condescending and intellectually puerile. The mindset of people like this commentator, who wish to infantilise adults by choosing what literature we can and cannot read, is far more damaging to society than any Joker comic.

Still, at least he signalled his virtue.

[thecolorsblend]

Sounds like it's already out then? Weird, can't find it on Comixology.

[Silver Nemesis]

Yeah, it came out in October 2019.

https://www.comixology.com/Joker-Year-of-the-Villain-2019-1/digital-comic/808987

I think it was somewhat eclipsed by the furore surrounding the release of the Joker movie that same month.

[The Dark Knight]

At first I didn't think much of the story. But after reading it a number of times I really dig it. The Joker's personality is presented in a pure way and he's definitely not a Myers clone. What I like the most is how flippant he is. He's being silly and has a mindset of just not caring, while killing a good number of people, beating his 'sidekick' senseless and finally disappearing out of lost interest.