Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #10 Review

     

   

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg

Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla

Cover Price: $5.99

Release Date: September 6, 2023

Here's what DC Says: What are dark, red, and not safe for anyone? The streets of Gotham as the battle of The Jokers begins. The good news for the people of Gotham is that someone is going to finally put an end to The Joker's reign of terror. The bad news is that person will also be The Joker!

Here's what I Say: I'm still waiting for the damn thing to start!

Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #10 is another non-issue that leaves readers with a sense of disappointment and frustration, which, unfortunately, is par for the course here.  The series, penned by Matthew Rosenberg, has been spinning its wheels since it started, and at this point, it's obvious this thing is going nowhere...slow! Is anyone holding their breath to see how this book ends?  I doubt it, but I hoped that Rosenberg would at least care.  I don't know, but this issue makes me feel like the only thing he cares about is wrapping this shit show up and finding the exit.  Listen, I don't expect some mind-bending twist ending or anything, but after reading ten issues, each at a criminally high $5.99 price point, these last two will have to perform some Herculean feats to make this all feel worthwhile!

So, what goes on in this issue?  Well, the Joker (the one who has been in Gotham this whole time) finds out the other Joker (the one who seemed to exist so Rosenberg could workshop his "LA, am I Right?!?" standup material) has hit town with a few days to kill and is taking out all of the Joker's men.  By the end, the Joker might have solved the whole mystery, using a Wonder Woman comic for some reason.  Some may call it meta, but I am going with bullshit as my description.

One of the few redeeming aspects of this issue is the art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, which maintains its high quality. However, good art can't salvage this issue or a series that has already been canceled, casting a shadow of futility over the entire endeavor. By itself, I did like the backup more than any of the others, but once again, it was for the outstanding Francesco Francavilla art and not really for the story.

Bits and Pieces:

Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #10 is a waste of both time and money. The lack of story progression has killed the intrigue this series promised and I don't see Mathew Rosenberg suddenly righting the ship in the two remaining issues. I'm not surprised this series was cancelled, just that it took this long.

3/10