Batman: The Man Who Laughs
Encyclopedia
Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a one-shot prestige format
comic book
by Ed Brubaker
and Doug Mahnke
, released in February 2005, and intended as a successor to Batman: Year One
.
It tells the story of Batman's
first encounter with the Joker
in post-Crisis
continuity. The plot is based on the Joker's original introduction in Batman #1 (1940). The story "Images" in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50 (September 1993), is another, alternate take on the same story.
The title is a reference to the movie The Man Who Laughs
, whose star, Conrad Veidt
, was an inspiration for The Joker.
The story has been reprinted, in both hard and softcover, with Detective Comics
#784-786–a storyline entitled "Made of Wood," also written by Brubaker with art by Patrick Zircher.
and other officers are investigating a building filled with mutilated corpses. Batman enters and converses with Gordon. Next, Bruce Wayne is seen at a social event talking to fellow millionaire Henry Cladridge. On a TV in the next room, a reporter is overheard announcing that Arkham Asylum
is being reopened. She suddenly begins laughing and soon dies with a face similar to the mutilated corpses at the building. The Joker (who has not yet been given the name the media bestowed upon him) walks onto camera and announces he will kill Cladridge at midnight.
Bruce leaves the party and meets up with Gordon as Batman at Arkham Asylum. On a cell wall, the Joker wrote "One by One, they'll hear my call. Then this wicked town, will follow my fall." Gordon then has police stationed in Cladridge's house to protect him. Cladridge begins laughing as his face turns pale white. Batman crashes down through a window, but is too late to save Cladridge. Meanwhile on the streets of Gotham, the Joker enters the Williams Medical Center. After killing the security guards, he arms the inmates and releases them on the streets. Batman arrives and stops several inmates, and reveals his existence to the people on the streets.
While Bruce is researching in the Batcave
, the Joker appears on television again to make a similar threat, this time on Jay W. Wilde. Batman deduces that Cladridge was killed with a time-released poison and tells Gordon to run a blood test on Wilde. Gordon does so, but nothing is found. Gordon is at Wilde's estate with other officers when a police helicopter crashes outside the estate. The Joker then appears and releases poison smoke bombs into the building (all of the officers and Batman have gas masks.) Batman captures the Joker, but he escapes and Wilde is killed.
Bruce then disguises himself as a reporter and goes to the Ace Chemical Processing Plant. While undercover, he interviews several workers, one of whom has patches of white on his face similar to the Joker's skin. When asked about his appearance, the worker replies that it came from the chemical waste created from the plant spilling onto his face, and goes on to mention that another worker, who had stuck his entire hand into a vat of the waste, had dyed his arm hairs green.
The Joker makes another television appearance with a similar threat. This time, he plans to kill Judge Thomas Lake and Bruce Wayne. Police officers are at both men's houses; however, Gordon is at Lake's. Bruce starts laughing and turns white, but his butler, Alfred Pennyworth
, administers a shot to slow his heart rate to slow the spread of the poison. Meanwhile, a gang of armed men dressed as clown
s drive onto Lake's property where a shoot-out takes place. Bruce, while under the poison, hallucinates of the night his parents were murdered. He awakes, fully recovered, in an ambulance. Another gang of armed men dressed as clowns shoot at the ambulance. Bruce dresses up as Batman, exits the ambulance unnoticed and defeats the clowns.
Batman takes a police motorcycle and contacts Gordon via radio. He tells Gordon that Bruce Wayne is alive and that he figured out the Joker's plan. He tells Gordon to have the water to the city shut off. Gordon contacts the reservoir, but receives no answer. Batman heads there himself to stop the Joker from poisoning the water supply. He takes out the Joker's clown-thugs. Batman meets up with the Joker, who successfully poisons the city's water supply, but Batman, having previously rigged the viaduct
with explosives, detonates it, preventing the poisoned water from going into the city. Batman engages in a quick fight with the Joker, defeats him by disarming his hammer, and briefly contemplates dropping him into the poisoned water to avenge all those whom he killed. However, he cannot bring himself to do so, and instead has the Joker imprisoned at the newly reopened Arkham Asylum. Batman meets with Gordon on top of police headquarters and unveils to him the new Bat-Signal
.
, the beginning is tied into the ending of Batman and the Mad Monk
, in which Gordon reveals the warehouse of corpses.
Comics said that The Man Who Laughs "lack[s] the smooth pacing and adept dialogue of Moore
's The Killing Joke
, [but] this is a worthy companion to the classic Joker tale." Goldstein added, "Brubaker's take on the Joker feels incredibly authentic." Goldstein later ranked The Man Who Laughs #22 on a list of the 25 best Batman graphic novels.
Don MacPherson of The Fourth Rail felt that The Man Who Laughs "rob[s] the Joker of some of his mystery" but said that Brubaker and Mahnke "capture the chilling nature of the Joker's insanity and bloodlust, not to mention the intensity of the Batman." MacPherson in particular praised "how well [Brubaker] brings Jim Gordon to life."
Prestige format
Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. A prestige format comic book is usually longer than a normal, stapled 32-page comic...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
by Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...
and Doug Mahnke
Doug Mahnke
Douglas "Doug" Mahnke is an American comic book artist and penciller.-Biography:Mahnke's first prominent work was for The Mask, and he has since worked for DC Comics on JLA, Batman with writer Judd Winick, and Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein with Grant Morrison...
, released in February 2005, and intended as a successor to Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
.
It tells the story of Batman's
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
first encounter with the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
in post-Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
continuity. The plot is based on the Joker's original introduction in Batman #1 (1940). The story "Images" in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50 (September 1993), is another, alternate take on the same story.
The title is a reference to the movie The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs (1928 film)
The Man Who Laughs is an American silent film directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni. The film is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name and stars Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine and Mary Philbin as the blind Dea...
, whose star, Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
, was an inspiration for The Joker.
The story has been reprinted, in both hard and softcover, with Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#784-786–a storyline entitled "Made of Wood," also written by Brubaker with art by Patrick Zircher.
Plot summary
Captain James GordonJames Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
and other officers are investigating a building filled with mutilated corpses. Batman enters and converses with Gordon. Next, Bruce Wayne is seen at a social event talking to fellow millionaire Henry Cladridge. On a TV in the next room, a reporter is overheard announcing that Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to simply as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital in the DC Comics Universe, usually appearing in stories featuring Batman...
is being reopened. She suddenly begins laughing and soon dies with a face similar to the mutilated corpses at the building. The Joker (who has not yet been given the name the media bestowed upon him) walks onto camera and announces he will kill Cladridge at midnight.
Bruce leaves the party and meets up with Gordon as Batman at Arkham Asylum. On a cell wall, the Joker wrote "One by One, they'll hear my call. Then this wicked town, will follow my fall." Gordon then has police stationed in Cladridge's house to protect him. Cladridge begins laughing as his face turns pale white. Batman crashes down through a window, but is too late to save Cladridge. Meanwhile on the streets of Gotham, the Joker enters the Williams Medical Center. After killing the security guards, he arms the inmates and releases them on the streets. Batman arrives and stops several inmates, and reveals his existence to the people on the streets.
While Bruce is researching in the Batcave
Batcave
The Batcave is the secret headquarters of fictional DC Comics superhero Batman, the alternate identity of playboy Bruce Wayne, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his residence, Wayne Manor.-Publication history:...
, the Joker appears on television again to make a similar threat, this time on Jay W. Wilde. Batman deduces that Cladridge was killed with a time-released poison and tells Gordon to run a blood test on Wilde. Gordon does so, but nothing is found. Gordon is at Wilde's estate with other officers when a police helicopter crashes outside the estate. The Joker then appears and releases poison smoke bombs into the building (all of the officers and Batman have gas masks.) Batman captures the Joker, but he escapes and Wilde is killed.
Bruce then disguises himself as a reporter and goes to the Ace Chemical Processing Plant. While undercover, he interviews several workers, one of whom has patches of white on his face similar to the Joker's skin. When asked about his appearance, the worker replies that it came from the chemical waste created from the plant spilling onto his face, and goes on to mention that another worker, who had stuck his entire hand into a vat of the waste, had dyed his arm hairs green.
The Joker makes another television appearance with a similar threat. This time, he plans to kill Judge Thomas Lake and Bruce Wayne. Police officers are at both men's houses; however, Gordon is at Lake's. Bruce starts laughing and turns white, but his butler, Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
, administers a shot to slow his heart rate to slow the spread of the poison. Meanwhile, a gang of armed men dressed as clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
s drive onto Lake's property where a shoot-out takes place. Bruce, while under the poison, hallucinates of the night his parents were murdered. He awakes, fully recovered, in an ambulance. Another gang of armed men dressed as clowns shoot at the ambulance. Bruce dresses up as Batman, exits the ambulance unnoticed and defeats the clowns.
Batman takes a police motorcycle and contacts Gordon via radio. He tells Gordon that Bruce Wayne is alive and that he figured out the Joker's plan. He tells Gordon to have the water to the city shut off. Gordon contacts the reservoir, but receives no answer. Batman heads there himself to stop the Joker from poisoning the water supply. He takes out the Joker's clown-thugs. Batman meets up with the Joker, who successfully poisons the city's water supply, but Batman, having previously rigged the viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
with explosives, detonates it, preventing the poisoned water from going into the city. Batman engages in a quick fight with the Joker, defeats him by disarming his hammer, and briefly contemplates dropping him into the poisoned water to avenge all those whom he killed. However, he cannot bring himself to do so, and instead has the Joker imprisoned at the newly reopened Arkham Asylum. Batman meets with Gordon on top of police headquarters and unveils to him the new Bat-Signal
Bat-Signal
The Bat-Signal is a distress signal device appearing in the various interpretations of the Batman mythos. It is a specially modified Klieg searchlight with a stylized symbol of a bat attached to the light so that it projects a large Bat emblem on the sky or buildings of Gotham City...
.
Continuity
While the story seems to take place directly after Year OneBatman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
, the beginning is tied into the ending of Batman and the Mad Monk
Batman and the Mad Monk
Batman and the Mad Monk is an American comic book limited series, featuring the DC Comics superhero Batman. It is set during the Batman: Year One continuity, but after the events of Batman and the Monster Men and before the events of Batman: The Man Who Laughs...
, in which Gordon reveals the warehouse of corpses.
Critical reaction
Critical reaction to The Man Who Laughs has been mostly positive. Hilary Goldstein of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Comics said that The Man Who Laughs "lack[s] the smooth pacing and adept dialogue of Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's The Killing Joke
Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: The Killing Joke is an influential one-shot superhero graphic novel written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland. First published by DC Comics in 1988, it has remained in print since then, and has also been reprinted as part of the trade paperback DC Universe: The Stories of Alan...
, [but] this is a worthy companion to the classic Joker tale." Goldstein added, "Brubaker's take on the Joker feels incredibly authentic." Goldstein later ranked The Man Who Laughs #22 on a list of the 25 best Batman graphic novels.
Don MacPherson of The Fourth Rail felt that The Man Who Laughs "rob[s] the Joker of some of his mystery" but said that Brubaker and Mahnke "capture the chilling nature of the Joker's insanity and bloodlust, not to mention the intensity of the Batman." MacPherson in particular praised "how well [Brubaker] brings Jim Gordon to life."