The Joker,he's a bit mad you know.
It's great to see DC giving Brave and the Bold some love but to be honest I was diappointed with the early issues of the Straczynski run on the title.Things are improving though,the previous issue with Dr Fate and Green Lantern was excellent and this issue is equally as good.
The Atom(Ray Palmer) is summoned to Arkham and asked if he will help save the life of The Joker by going inside his head and treating damage to his brain.As you would expect it's moral dillema time for Ray and he gets to share some of the Jokers memories of the good old days.The writing here is some of the best I've seen from Straczynski,I feel he has a habit of going a little over the top but here the writing is restrained,snappy and tells what is a fairly simple story in an entertaining way.
I imagine some fans would have liked the art a little darker which is normal in a story about the Joker but here it may be simple and clean but it's also full of detail and expression, it makes him look as menacing as he ever does.The fantastic cover by Jesus Saiz compliments it perfectly.
This is Brave and the Bold as it should be, strong self -contained stories beautifully illustrated,it may not have much impact on the wider DC universe but thats never been the point of the comic.If you haven't been reading it, now is the perfect time to start.
