Once The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing is over, it’s fair to say nobody will be able to write a duality of Joker’s story on this level again. Matthew Rosenberg has effectively told an ongoing story involving two Joker lookalikes and we don’t know which one is the real one. Meanwhile, backup stories have explored various ways Joker could have a clone, an other self, and the like in many different ways. This week, the main story continues in Los Angeles, and in the backup, we discover a Joker who wants to run to become president.
This week’s main story is a direct continuation of Joker’s attack on Los Angeles and his ongoing escape from the area. The issue starts with a mysterious superhero 45 minutes before Joker is fighting folks in the street. She showed up in the last issue, and we learned much about her. She’s in an Alcoholics Anonymous-type group, but she relays it’s not so much the drinking she’s trying to escape, but superheroine. This opening gives us enough backstory on her to allow for a nonstop chase sequence to commence as she tries to stop or maybe even kill Joker before he can escape on an airplane.
Mixed in with the chase sequence are funny references to pop culture and the goofy sidekicks Pancake and Waffles. There are cutaways to key characters as well, like Red Hood, who is now in jail and being sent to Blackgate prison. Carmine Di Giandomenico is very good at nailing comedic timing and keeping you on the edge of your seat with every dangerous choice Joker makes as he attempts to escape the mysterious hero.
Never trust Joker.
Credit: DC Comics
A two-page catchup on the Joker still in Gotham is a nice bit of confirmation something is up with this Joker and his ability to die over and over. It’s not much, but seeing Grundy interact with Joker is somewhat interesting. This two-page scene is a good example of how not a lot happens in this issue. It’s a chase sequence, mostly, so the plot doesn’t move along very much from where we left off the last issue. A bit of a bummer, but it’s a fun ride anyway.
The backup by Rosenberg and Ryan Cady, with art by Will Robson, is a delight. The backups in this series have been great fun since they can do whatever they like and not affect continuity. That’s the case here as the story leans into Joker running for president without superhero intervention. There’s a clever connection to the duality of Joker in this story involving the Secret Service, which is yet another example of the seemingly endless ways to play around with multiples of a character. Throw in a fun final reveal for the UK crowd, and you have an enjoyable done-in-one sort of tale.
The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #7 continues to bide its time with answers, but it’s a fun ride with a great chase sequence. Throw in yet another clever way of showing multiple Joker characters, and you have a solid chapter in this ongoing series that always seems to be taking chances.
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