Mystery of the Three Jokers: When Will We See This Important Batman Story?

Artist Jason Fabok is teasing Batman and Joker fans with some of the art he is preparing for the upcoming Batman: Three Jokers mini-series comic book.  This tale promises to finally explain the whole “Three Jokers” mystery that arose soon after the DC REBIRTH event.

Writer Geoff Johns and artist Jason Fabok’s new Batman mini-series will run for three issues, each clocking in at a sizeable 46 pages each.  This story promises some action, as it is not for kids, being published under DC’s Black Label imprint, which is meant for more mature (does that mean old?).

Supposedly, there are three separate Jokers existing simultaneously in the main DC Comics continuity, as revealed when Batman used the Mobius Chair, and then later revealed to Green Lantern in Justice League Vol. 2 #50 (2016) that when he asked the Chair for Joker’s real name, it did not reveal it to him, but instead told him that there were Three Jokers.

So, to quote Green Lantern, “What the Hell does that mean?”  Let’s try to figure it out, shall we?

Since Joker first appeared in Batman #1 in 1940, Joker has has had several origin stories.  As often as DC has rebooted itself, that should not be a surprise, but each of the “Ages” of comicdom seems to have a Joker origin all its own.  One origin, from Detective Comics #168 (February 1951), has Joker as a lab worker who becomes the criminal Red Hood, who, when he fell into a vat of chemicals, is transformed into the Joker.  A variation of this story was used to introduce the Jack Nicholson movie version of Joker in 1989’s Batman movie. Other comic book Joker origins show him as a failed comedian (ala Joaqin Phoenix’s movie Joker), a failed gangster, a failed husband and father, and, even as a perfectly sane criminal who acts insane to escape traditional legal justice (as in, the government will not impose the death penalty on the criminally insane, hence, the existence of Arkham Aslylum for Joker and his fellow nut-cases).

While there is at this time no release date announced yet, perhaps the Three Jokers mini-series will show us that each Joker has an origin in keeping with the various versions we have seen in the comics.  One thing is for sure, Fabok and Johns are saying this will be a real treat for fans of the Batman and the Joker.