First Laugh
Chip Zdarsky reveals the secret origin of Batman’s arch-enemy in The Joker: Year One
IN THE WORKS since Chip Zdarsky started writing Batman in July 2022, The Joker: Year One shines new light on the origins of the Clown Prince of Crime.
“In a lot of ways, it’s been in my head since my first page of Batman,” Zdarsky tells Red Alert. “I always knew we were going to explore this period of Batman and Joker’s history, right after his fateful acid bath. I just wasn’t sure what form it was going to take.”
Rather than a separate publication, the three-parter is serialised in the pages of Batman itself, beginning with issue 142. “The main reason is that this story is building on what we’ve been doing in the Batman title as there are ties to my previous book, Batman: The Knight and to the current Batman of Zur-en-arrh storyline,” explains Zdarsky, referring respectively to his 2022 maxi-series and the recent return of the Dark Knight’s alternate personality.
“It’s being revealed to Batman at the same time as it’s happening to the readers. It’s not a standalone story, though it can still be read as one. Also, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s original Batman: Year One was published in the
Batman monthly series, so it felt right to continue that!”
Zdarsky also delved into some more recent storylines. “Tom King and Mitch Gerads have just fleshed out that Batman issue one story in Batman: The Brave And The Bold, so I’ve mostly been keeping up with their take to make sure things line up with my story,” he continues. “The other comics that I’ve been referencing a lot are Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Zero Year issues, as it’s the continuity that I’m dancing around here. Beyond that, we obviously have nods to The Killing Joke in Giuseppe Camuncoli’s art.”
Art duties on the three issues are divided between Camuncoli and Stefano Nesi, who illustrate the main narrative, and Andrea Sorrentino. “Giuseppe and Stefano are handling the majority of the story, which is set during the formative Joker ‘Year One’,” says Zdarsky. “Giuseppe has a great clean and iconic look to his work, which nicely fits in to the period. Then Andrea is telling a Joker story set in the future that relates to the ‘Year One’ period. It’s a dark and gritty time and he’s incredibly good at giving it the bleak and creepy qualities that it needs.”
With the Joker ranking as its leader, the Red Hood Gang plays a crucial part in what unfolds. “They play a big part in this, not only as a group trying to pick up the pieces after the Zero Year debacle, but also as an inspiration for other gangs in Gotham,” teases Zdarsky. Describing him as “just incredibly fun to write” and “an id unleashed,” Zdarsky has also enjoyed pitting the Joker against the Caped Crusader.
“He’s a perfect contrast to Batman,” he says. “Even though we’re revealing some elements of his inner workings, he’s still such a mystery to everyone involved.”