Publisher's Weekly Review
This provocative thriller set in the world of Batman poses the question: what if the criminally insane Joker could be cured? Thanks to a plot-handy new medication, he's reborn and rehabilitated as civilian Jack Napier. In turn, Batman becomes increasingly brutal, turning Gotham City and Commissioner Gordon against him. Treating the long-running Batman/Joker dichotomy as two sides of the same coin is hardly a new trope for the 75-year-old property, but Murphy (Batman/Scarecrow) cunningly depicts a sympathetic Napier and a supportive, nurturing Harley Quinn. The accompanying art is reminiscent of that of Tim Sale (Batman: The Long Halloween), especially in character designs, and depicts quiet moments of discussion as strongly as the many explosive action sequences. Hollingsworth's coloring brings chromatic richness and depth to Gotham City. This is the first offering in DC's Black Label imprint featuring mature, standalone stories set in its superhero universe, and it proves an affecting and entertaining kickoff. This newest take on the Dark Knight will please Batman's legion fans with its innovative and intelligent twists. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The first collection from DC's edgy Black Label imprint (think Watchmen and The Killing Joke) takes comics' most well-established rivalry and, with a few tiny tweaks, invites an entirely new perspective. Experimental drugs drive the Joker sane, and he reverts to the civic-minded Jack Napier. Launching a campaign to reveal Batman's inherent brutality and the police department's culpability in condoning him, Napier turns everyone, former sidekicks included, against a Dark Knight who may actually deserve his lumps. It seems that Murphy has bleakly boiled modern civilization's choices down to two figures: the merciless, autocratic Batman and the progressive but ultimately corrupt Napier. But, luckily, the deck is stacked. Napier, Batman, the Wayne family, and Gotham City itself yield secrets suggesting that, while darkness hides what's worst in us, it can also hide what's best. Though emotions are coiled tight throughout much of the tale, Murphy does a brilliant job of balancing action and emotion in a gonzo climax. He renders something genuinely touching about the Joker-Harley Quinn relationship and, in the end, offers Batman as not a damaged child but a struggling parent. Murphy haunts his shadows with unexpected silhouettes and Napier's face with a maniacally flexible mouth. His razor-keen linework imbues figures with a sense of danger, and his weary industrial cityscape completes the grim picture.--Jesse Karp Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Writer/illustrator Murphy (Tokyo Ghost Deluxe Edition) reimagines the seven decades-old dynamic between Batman and his greatest adversary, the Joker, in this action-packed and morally complex thriller. After a particularly brutal clash with Batman, the Joker finds himself suddenly cured of the madness that has compelled him to wreak havoc across Gotham City. Determined to redeem himself, the former clown prince of crime joins forces with his longtime paramour Harley Quinn in order to cure the city of its ills. Before long he finds himself unraveling decades of corruption within the police force and regarded as a hero by many, although still at odds with Batman, who refuses to believe that his nemesis has changed his ways. Will the Joker save the city and destroy Batman once and for all by simply negating the need for his brand of vigilante justice? Is the Joker actually cured, or is this yet another scheme to stir up chaos? VERDICT Murphy delivers breathtaking action sequences and enough fresh ideas to more than make up for an occasionally overly complicated plot.-Tom Batten, Grafton, VA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.