Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a story written by Ed Brubaker, a writer whose work I've been constantly happy with. I figured this would be an easy graphic novel to review as my second entry.
B:TMWL is actually two stories, something that surprised me. The first story is about Batman's first encounter with the Joker. In Batman's then short career, he had never seen anything as dangerous or confusing as the Joker. Nor did he ever plan to meet such a manic. We find Batman trying to make sense of a man who is lost in madness. The second story is a classic detective tale. It is a good read because we see Batman team up with the Golden Age Green Lantern. The contrast between the two is very revealing.
Likes - I was enthralled reading this book. Both stories are great. In fact, the back-up story was even better then the main one.
The Man Who Laughs - This story was really fun to read for a longtime Batman like myself. You see Batman's first take on the Joker, who didn't even have his moniker until middle of the story. This story let's you see the basic, classic elements of the Joker. The mass murder, the dark humor, the twisted brilliance. For as much as I love Batman, I love the Joker so much more. He is why Batman is so amazing to follow. Trying to keep your sanity fighting a guy like that time and again is an amazing feat.
Made of Wood - The back up story really threw me for a loop. A man is killed with the words "Made of Wood" carved onto his chest. This murder recalls a series of deaths that occurred during the time of Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott's heyday as a hero. This was one case he never solved and has haunted him for decades. Along comes Gotham's current crusader, Batman, has he tries to uncover the truth. The story does an amazing job of what it means to be a hero versus simply doing the right thing. Another interesting plot point was what it meant to be a detective. Batman explains to Scott how to think and act like a detective, something Scott confesses he never mastered. Made of Wood is a interesting and nuanced story about the different kinds of heroes that exist and the fact these men are simply trying to do whats right in their eyes.
Dislikes - There is only one thing I disliked about this book. The overall art for TMWL wasn't that consistent. There are panels and pages where the madness and paranoia are palpable. Other parts though show a almost cartoonish version of the Joker. Since the story was so good I didn't notice it much. After a second skim though, I picked up on it. Still, the art is good overall and doesn't hurt the story in any way.
Overall - I think this book is a steal. For the $10ish that it was on Amazon, you get two great, unique stories. I am really happy that I got this when I did. It has all my favorite elements of Batman in a nice little package! This is a great buy and should be picked up ASAP.
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