Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Whereas in recent years the sub-strata of characters that have made their way into the lives of Batman and Gotham City have been on the more colourful side of the nightmare situation that haunts D.C.’s favourite son, there is no getting away from the fact that there is one villain who has, and always will, dominated the thoughts of the reader and who is arguably more associated with his own nemesis than any other comic character created.
The Joker stands out as the personification of evil genius for many reasons, mostly though it could be argued for the very simple fact that within each of us is the ability to be as a graceful angel, avenging or otherwise in the essence of Batman or to plumb the depths afforded us, the fall from absolution in the eyes of all by tearing both psyche and society apart; we all have the capability to hone a devilish streak to the point where being underground is normal and loathing, if allowed to fester, becomes all consuming, for the Joker in us all, it is all about results and the Endgame.
Endgame is perhaps the most poignant reminder yet of the struggle between good and evil and the power it has to suck into each facet others who might not realise what they are becoming. The whisper in the darkness, the sense of wanting to belong to something, of needing a friend where there is nobody to keep you on the straight and narrow are all to be found in the armoury of The Joker, homicidal, a genius with a sharp edge of corrupted lunacy riddled deep within him and one to whom this particular graphic novel owes much debt to Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, James Tynion IV, Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher for realising the impossible, for raising the question of what if the Joker had been around for centuries, what mayhem has he managed to inflict via stories and the strain of laughter.
The various threads that make up Endgame are brutal, so well crafted together that they deserve a branding label placed upon it and an art gallery space leased to show of the talent that was sewn into it. They also stand out as offering an insight into what many might consider to be the split in the human condition, the Jekyll and Hyde motif that hides in the shadows waiting for the wrong person to push it out and into the spotlight glare.
Whilst The Joker: Endgame deviates from the established time line, both from the original stories by Bob Kane and the later and highly enjoyable New 52 range, it nevertheless stands out as a colossus of the age and one that even the purest of hearts can sink into.
A great collection bound in one hell of a great graphic novel, The Joker: Endgame proves that in the end, the cosmic joke is on all of us.
The Joker: Endgame is available to purchase from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall