Back in November, I treated myself to a little Thanksgiving gift after seeing the artwork for the new graphic novel, The Joker. When I received the book in the mail, I was giddy with excitement over seeing that the writer, had clearly taken a page from the Nolan brother's writing and Heath's vocal intonations in his novel's dialog.

But even better than the writing was that the artist, Lee Bermejo, had clearly used Heath as the model for his Joker. Although Bermejo exaggerated the features even more than the film's makeup artists, there is no mistaking Heath's characteristics underneath the grotesquely drawn Joker.... Notice in Bermejo's drawings how he captured Heath's height, his shoulder width, legs, arm length, hands, feet, and even the Joker's gait/walk and swagger. Every little detail is clearly Heath's physicality, enough to give even this terrifying creature an unexplainable sexiness.

Check out The Joker's body language and facial expression when he's lusting after girlfriend, Harley Quinn, who's making a living by stripping in a sleazy dive. Here is another place where it's abundantly clear that Bermejo has studied Heath's physique, as you can see his long lean legs stretched lazily off the stool as his broad shoulders support his body leaning on the bar.

The Joker in this graphic novel is everything Heath's Joker was in TDK. He's funny, dark, dangerous, twisted but in some weird way logical, and even shows a spark of vulnerability and humanity underneath. He's also a real villain, a real threat, instead of some caricature making idiotic plans to spin the Batman to death on a giant spinning top or some such ridiculousness. . . this Joker actually skins a man alive.

I grinned from ear to ear (no pun intended) to realize how iconic Heath's Joker has already become. How he has already influenced the direction of The Joker in the next generation of DC comics.

Below are the first 6 pages and the back cover of the new graphic novel, The Joker. (click photos for full size)





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