ShareThisHe's been played by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. He's the principal foe of the world's most popular action hero, and has been around since 1940. His origins may or may not include the movie "The Man Who Laughs," a red hood, self-mutilation or a dump in a toxic chemical vat -- his past, he says, is multiple choice. He's the Clown Prince of Crime, the Harlequin of Hate, the Jester of Fear. And now he's got a graphic novel worthy of him."Joker" ($19.99), written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo, is a chilling adventure into the inventive madness of one of the most popular villains in fiction. Our host and narrator is Jonny Frost, a henchman -- and it is through him that we finally get the answer to the musical question, "Why on Earth would anybody ever work for the Joker?"I won't spoil that for you here, but I will promise dark, gritty and barely recognizable turns by Killer Croc, the Penguin, the Riddler, Harvey Two-Face, Harley Quinn and, yes, a certain Dark Knight. Because they've all got a piece of Gotham, a city the Joker considers his ... and he wants it back.This is a crime novel, and a very good one, by a very good crime writer, with hardly a hint of spandex. Azzarello has made a name for himself with gritty urban fare like "100 Bullets" and the Western "Loveless," which has been described as a post-Civil War "Bonnie and Clyde." As the book jacket says, "'Joker' is a true noir crime novel -- a harrowing journey into a city of rain-soaked streets, dirty sheets and nothing but bad choices."Well, here's one good choice: a Jackson for this hardback. Heck, even my wife and sidekick, the lovely and talented Video Vixen, proclaimed it "scary." High praise from someone who watches surgery on TV for relaxation.Elsewhere at DC Comics:-- It was 20 years ago this month that Neil Gaiman taught us all to dream.With apologies to the Beatles, Gaiman's incredible "Sandman" series -- begun in 1988 -- has never gone out of style, and is still guaranteed to bring a smile.Especially "Sandman: The Dream Hunters" No. 1 (of 4), a celebratory miniseries adapted from the Gaiman novel by the revelatory P. Craig Russell. Russell, for the uninitiated, is the artist whose lush, lyrical line- and brushwork has brought to beautiful life operas such as "The Magic Flute," "The Ring of the Nibelung," "Salome" and "Pelleas & Melisande"; Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book"; and Oscar Wilde fables such as "The Selfish Giant," "The Young King" and "The Birthday of the Infanta."And "Dream Hunters" is not only in that tradition, but maybe Russell's best work yet. Perhaps it's the opportunity to illustrate the mythology of another culture (Japan's), or perhaps Russell just gets better with each passing year. But there were panels in "Dream Hunters" that stunned even this jaded old fan: the expressive faces of anthropomorphic animals; the fury of a mountaintop storm; the fire of love in a young woman's eyes. (OK, it was actually a magical fox masquerading as a woman, but you get the idea.)So let me introduce to you the band you've loved for all these years: Gaiman and Russell. And they're better than ever on "Sandman: The Dream Hunters."-- Speaking of gorgeous, I direct you to "Fables: The Covers of James Jean" ($39.99)."Fables," I hardly need to mention, is the fabulous and imaginative Vertigo series by Bill Willingham that follows the adventures of familiar figures from mythology and folklore -- all of whom actually exist, simply because we believe in them.It's a wonderful series, one that I can recommend wholeheartedly. So start reading it already.In the meantime, go buy the oversize hardback "Fables: The Covers of James Jean," which includes the covers to the first 75 issues of "Fables," the wraparound covers to the first 11 "Fables" trade paperbacks and the cover to the graphic novel "1001 Nights of Snowfall." These lush paintings are not only jaw-dropping, but they also tell a story. A careful perusal reveals clever use of character, color, medium, shape and context -- all juxtaposed and manipulated to tell another version of the interior story.And if you're an idiot like me, and failed to understand the thought that went into some of these compositions the first time around, there are helpful notes with each cover. Whew!(Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us.)
The Clown Prince of Crime now gets a graphic novel
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