So, after the wait, we’re finally at the end of this series. Three Jokers has been an interesting ride, but we’re not done with it yet. As I have with the last two reviews, I want to look at how Issue #3 holds up contained before I go into how Three Jokers as a whole stands. The full review will be in a future post.

Now, with the previous two installments of Three Jokers, I found myself more or less satisfied with their ability to be an independent narrative. As this is the final act and thus intended as a resolution, it’s probably not entirely fair to hold Issue #3 to that same standard, so I will afford it some reasonable slack. That being said, this book is not a narrative within itself, though it has some flashback instances that tie it to the earlier issues. The advantage of being the conclusion to the whole series is that it has a stronger ending than Issue #2, which was designed as a bridge to the beginning of this issue.

While I’m on the more negative side of critiques, I want to bring up an idea in this series that I really can’t stand. At this point, I’m assuming that anyone reading my review has in fact read Three Jokers #2 and is willing to hear some minor details about Issue #3. If you have not or want to be totally spoiler free, I recommend clicking away from this article until you’re all caught up.

Particularly in the final moments of the story, Geoff Johns decided to revisit a moment that I though to be an interesting throwaway in Issue #2, which was the kiss between Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon. My feelings are always that Dick Grayson belongs with Barbara, but even removed from that, I find the pairing of the two to be a bit hollow and reductive. The kiss they shared in Issue #2 was a moment of affection that I found interesting because it was two people with shared trauma connecting, letting each other they weren’t alone. In that sense, it worked, but only if the romance doesn’t proceed any further. In this issue, Jason is all puppy-dog in love over Barbara and it just comes off awkward. This will-they-won’t-they didn’t take up that many panels, but it took up too many for a mini-series that will never answer that question. Not to mention, Barbara seemed fairly uninterested in continuing, which makes Jason feel a bit creepy for pressing the matter further. I’m not an anti-romance person in general, but for a story that mostly had flawless page economy, this pairing is grating to me because of its fauxness. It doesn’t work, it should have been left behind in the draft stage.

Now onto my greatest praises. The pacing is excellent in this issue, romantic dabblings aside. While plotwise this issue can’t stand apart from the previous two installments, it sticks the landing as far as starting us off on relatively solid footing and then leading us into the climax. And, what a phenomenal climax. Action and psychology play a powerful role in Batman stories in general, and they are utilized to expert effectiveness with each beat of this issue.

The remaining two Jokers in this story also are chock-full of intrigue. I was enthralled with them every panel they appeared in. I don’t want to go too deep into the wider effects Three Jokers implements and creates in the Batman mythos in this review, but I will say that if this story, like The Killing Joke, was adopted into a psuedo-canon status, it shakes up what we know about Batman and Joker’s relationship, in a way that is both concerning and exciting. One of my biggest concerns with this story was that it would be a “Yeah, that happened” kind of flash in the pan. I don’t feel that way at all, even based on just this issue. I feel like I’ve been presented with truly new information that could freshen up the Joker’s place in DC Comics if used sparingly and effectively. The twists, man, the twists! They’re great, truly great.

A quick minor gripe before I go: there is an element to this story that feels a bit derivative of Gotham. That show decided to pick up the idea of there being three Jokers before this story had even been written, and used it as a justification for its version of the character going through so many shifts. There are beats within one Joker’s motive that tie back to the Joker’s Gotham plot. I don’t know if it was intentional, or poorly disguised, but I noticed it immediately in my first read of the issue.

As we reach the final panel of Issue #3, I find myself in the same place I do at the end of a great novel. I’m satisfied narratively and yet somehow wishing there was more. My worries about not delivering a punching and concise ending were assuaded and then some, and I’m happy to say that for any griping I’ve given friends and family in the last few years, this series was worth the wait. I can’t recommend it enough. We’ll be back very soon for a full series review.

-Vincent