You could make the argument that The Joker is the greatest comic book villain, if not THE greatest villain, of all time. There are many reasons for that, but that's another argument for another day. So when DC is celebrating the Year of the Villain, you want to be able to get the most terrifying version of the Clown Prince of Crime that you can. Now an icon in the world of horror will be bringing that story to life.
John Carpenter, yes THE John Carpenter, will be writing The Joker: Year of the Villain for DC. He will be joined by Borderlands 2 and League of Legends writer Anthony Burch, with art from Philip Tan and Marc Deering. The one shot will be available on October 9th and will be an oversized 40 pages. Carpenter and Burch have worked together before, teaming up for Boom! Studios' Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack.
Here is the synopsis from DC:
Now a human-alien hybrid, Lex Luthor has made his appeal to the world, asking its citizens to embrace doom and give in once and for all to evil, humanity’s true nature. In exchange, he will grant them the tools to ascend to their ultimate selves. While some DC villains (and heroes) are willing to hear what “Apex Lex” has to offer, the Clown Prince of Crime isn’t going to wait around until Lex gets to him. This 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.
This news comes in the same week where it was announced that Jeff Lemire would be writing Joker: Killer Smile for DC's Black Label. The upcoming Joker movie will be released in October, as well. Bottom line, if you love Joker stories, it's a great year!
Photo Credit: DC Comics