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Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2023)
Batman: The Brave and The Bold: The Winning Card
Prepare yourself for a shockingly brutal retelling of the first bloody clash between The Joker and the Batman!
Detective Jim Gordon must call on the mysterious Dark Knight to help investigate the latest string of murder and mayhem terrorizing Gotham City. But what will it take to find the culprit behind these darkly comedic antics, and what will the repercussions be for everyone involved?
The Eisner Award-winning team of Tom King and Mitch Gerads reunite to give life to what may be the most frightening Joker story in a generation! Collects King and Gerads's The Winning Card storyline from Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1-2, #5, and #9.
Detective Jim Gordon must call on the mysterious Dark Knight to help investigate the latest string of murder and mayhem terrorizing Gotham City. But what will it take to find the culprit behind these darkly comedic antics, and what will the repercussions be for everyone involved?
The Eisner Award-winning team of Tom King and Mitch Gerads reunite to give life to what may be the most frightening Joker story in a generation! Collects King and Gerads's The Winning Card storyline from Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1-2, #5, and #9.
112 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2024
32 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
May 11, 2024
This is basically a Year One story where Batman and Joker come into conflict for the first time. The art is really strong, and Tom King's writing is sharp as always. The Joker in this story is terrifying. If you're interested in a horror take of the Joker, this is a good book to read. Alfred is also written very well in this story. I would like a bit more personality from Batman. He is written as a force of vengeance in this story, which makes sense for a Year One story, but it isn't really the Batman that we know and love from stories set later in his timeline.
April 14, 2024
Having written a Batman run that ran for 85 issues, you would think that Tom King had said everything he needed to when it comes to the Dark Knight. And yet, from that run as well as the numerous limited series he has written about the character, King takes a similar cue from when Grant Morrison was doing their seven-year-long run, which is to explore every aspect of Batman, who can go from a hero of campy theatrics, or a brooding vigilante who lurks in the streets of Gotham.
Last year, DC Comics relaunched The Brave and the Bold, a comic book series that was originally published in 1955. Like the original publication, it serves as an anthology series that features stories centred around Batman and other Gotham City-based characters, in addition other DC Universe superheroes. Some of these stories, written and drawn by various creators, span across multiple issues, including “The Winning Card” that reunites King and his frequent collaborating artist Mitch Gerads.
As a retelling of Batman #1 from 1940, which served as the introduction of the Joker, this Year One-based story starts with Detective Jim Gordon seeking the help of the mysterious Dark Knight to investigate the latest string of murders and mayhem terrorising Gotham City. As Batman gets closer to the main culprit, who happens to be a clown-looking serial killer, their confrontation is only the beginning of a conflicting relationship that will define them both.
By this point, when it comes to the Joker, I can’t help but feel fatigue, given how much Batman’s archenemy has been exposed in comics and other media. With Joaquin Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning role in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux, and Barry Keoghan possibly reprising his Joker in Matt Reeves’ Batverse, there are many members from Batman’s rogues gallery who deserve a chance on the big screen. Although King has written the Joker in previous storylines, his approach to the Joker here takes a sinister turn.
Following a similar aesthetic to when King and Gerads were doing Batman: One Bad Day - The Riddler #1, the story doesn’t attempt to deconstruct the Joker, but re-visualizing his role as a figure of horror. Taking inspiration from Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs – which served as the main influence when Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson created the character – and that period of silent cinema, King and Gerads come up with interesting techniques. From the silent film-styled title cards used for his dialogue, to his white eyes with black sclera, the Joker is presented as this somewhat supernatural figure.
What could’ve been a Joker-centric narrative that negates Batman himself, King is still interested in him. A recurring theme that certain creators like Alan Moore have latched onto is how Batman and the Joker have this weird connection that is not just as the hero and the villain. Both characters are insane in their own way as they come to realise that with one another, hence why they are destined to battle each other. Looking very much how he did in Batman: Year One, Mitch Gerads also presents Batman as a figure of horror through panels where he is just a silhouette, whilst showing how the Batman persona creeps in whenever he is the playboy philanthropist Bruce Wayne by showing the white slits.
As previously stated, Tom King isn’t interested in bringing any new wrinkles to the Joker himself as he is presented here as a mysterious force of nature but provide some great moments of characterisation towards Batman who is arguably just as insane, despite wanting to do good in the city. As for Mitch Gerads, his art continues to shine with a style that leans to grim realism that fits well with this psychological horror that is a stunning retelling of the first clash between these two iconic comic book figures.
Last year, DC Comics relaunched The Brave and the Bold, a comic book series that was originally published in 1955. Like the original publication, it serves as an anthology series that features stories centred around Batman and other Gotham City-based characters, in addition other DC Universe superheroes. Some of these stories, written and drawn by various creators, span across multiple issues, including “The Winning Card” that reunites King and his frequent collaborating artist Mitch Gerads.
As a retelling of Batman #1 from 1940, which served as the introduction of the Joker, this Year One-based story starts with Detective Jim Gordon seeking the help of the mysterious Dark Knight to investigate the latest string of murders and mayhem terrorising Gotham City. As Batman gets closer to the main culprit, who happens to be a clown-looking serial killer, their confrontation is only the beginning of a conflicting relationship that will define them both.
By this point, when it comes to the Joker, I can’t help but feel fatigue, given how much Batman’s archenemy has been exposed in comics and other media. With Joaquin Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning role in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux, and Barry Keoghan possibly reprising his Joker in Matt Reeves’ Batverse, there are many members from Batman’s rogues gallery who deserve a chance on the big screen. Although King has written the Joker in previous storylines, his approach to the Joker here takes a sinister turn.
Following a similar aesthetic to when King and Gerads were doing Batman: One Bad Day - The Riddler #1, the story doesn’t attempt to deconstruct the Joker, but re-visualizing his role as a figure of horror. Taking inspiration from Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs – which served as the main influence when Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson created the character – and that period of silent cinema, King and Gerads come up with interesting techniques. From the silent film-styled title cards used for his dialogue, to his white eyes with black sclera, the Joker is presented as this somewhat supernatural figure.
What could’ve been a Joker-centric narrative that negates Batman himself, King is still interested in him. A recurring theme that certain creators like Alan Moore have latched onto is how Batman and the Joker have this weird connection that is not just as the hero and the villain. Both characters are insane in their own way as they come to realise that with one another, hence why they are destined to battle each other. Looking very much how he did in Batman: Year One, Mitch Gerads also presents Batman as a figure of horror through panels where he is just a silhouette, whilst showing how the Batman persona creeps in whenever he is the playboy philanthropist Bruce Wayne by showing the white slits.
As previously stated, Tom King isn’t interested in bringing any new wrinkles to the Joker himself as he is presented here as a mysterious force of nature but provide some great moments of characterisation towards Batman who is arguably just as insane, despite wanting to do good in the city. As for Mitch Gerads, his art continues to shine with a style that leans to grim realism that fits well with this psychological horror that is a stunning retelling of the first clash between these two iconic comic book figures.
October 12, 2025
I have to say I am disappointed. I had been looking forward to this book for a long time, but now I feel let down. The artwork is awesome. The macabre style of the works. It makes the Joker look his evil worst. What lets the book down for me is Batman.
Gotham is under attack by a new criminal. A chaotic demonic clown the Joker. The police can't stop him. He will kill or traumatise every man woman or child. Especially Batman is useless against him. I really mean useless.
I understand this is Batman early in his crime-fighting career, but in this book, Joker just destroyed him in every way. Even physically, the one place Batman is supposed to have the edge over him. This is reminiscent of when Batman and Joker fought in a church, and Joker had him dead to rights. It is the same fighting style as well.
If you are a Joker fan. This is the book for you as a Batman fan. It is a hard book to read. Alfred manages to take Batman down a couple of times in this book. Tom King seems to like Batman getting his butt kicked a lot.
Gotham is under attack by a new criminal. A chaotic demonic clown the Joker. The police can't stop him. He will kill or traumatise every man woman or child. Especially Batman is useless against him. I really mean useless.
I understand this is Batman early in his crime-fighting career, but in this book, Joker just destroyed him in every way. Even physically, the one place Batman is supposed to have the edge over him. This is reminiscent of when Batman and Joker fought in a church, and Joker had him dead to rights. It is the same fighting style as well.
If you are a Joker fan. This is the book for you as a Batman fan. It is a hard book to read. Alfred manages to take Batman down a couple of times in this book. Tom King seems to like Batman getting his butt kicked a lot.
March 25, 2025
The first meeting between Batsy and the Joker told - again - by Tom King and Mitch Gerads.
And it's very good indeed. I find that the shadow of Moore and Bolland's Killing Joke hangs over the book. The madness shared by the 2 protagonists is strongly supported by King, who uses his usual gimmicks to create a deeply oppressive atmosphere. An oppression rendered magnificently by a Gerads in great form. His Joker is simply terrifying.
And it's very good indeed. I find that the shadow of Moore and Bolland's Killing Joke hangs over the book. The madness shared by the 2 protagonists is strongly supported by King, who uses his usual gimmicks to create a deeply oppressive atmosphere. An oppression rendered magnificently by a Gerads in great form. His Joker is simply terrifying.
May 8, 2025
WOW... this might be the best thing of Batman I've read in a while.
Placing itself in Year One of Batman, this story tells the first time Batman went up against the Joker. The artistic style, particularly presenting Joker's words on a panel that looks like dialogue in a silent film, is genius throughout. Joker is presented so eerily that you genuinely believe his insanity and chaotic patterns.
This is a must-read for Batman vs. Joker fans. Strong recommend.
I'll be picking up more in this series to see if it continues to stay awesome.
One point... DC... just mark it "Black Label" and leave the cuss words in.
Placing itself in Year One of Batman, this story tells the first time Batman went up against the Joker. The artistic style, particularly presenting Joker's words on a panel that looks like dialogue in a silent film, is genius throughout. Joker is presented so eerily that you genuinely believe his insanity and chaotic patterns.
This is a must-read for Batman vs. Joker fans. Strong recommend.
I'll be picking up more in this series to see if it continues to stay awesome.
One point... DC... just mark it "Black Label" and leave the cuss words in.
July 20, 2025
very stylish Batman/Joker story...both art and word wise.
July 12, 2024
A retelling of Batman issue 1 by Rebirth’s Tom King, nearly 84 years later with a similar plot but different tone. This feels more rooted in the horror genre with a note of action.
The two stand-outs in the novel were the beautiful art work and the sinister depiction of Joker in his first encounter with Batman. I liked how King payed homage to The Man Who Laughs silent film (Joker’s inspiration) as well as homage to Jokers first appearance and how he recreated iconic scenes from the original comic but with a dark twist, turning Joker into something truly terrifying. At times this version of the Joker reminded me of Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise. Every time he showed up it was special.
My only issues with the comic were the times the dialogue directly states “Brave and the Bold” it was too on the nose. I also wasn’t a fan of the dump of curse words. Nothing is wrong with mature verbiage but at times it seemed to use cursing for the sake of cursing with no real point in doing so.
In conclusion, the art was extraordinary, Joker was at his best, the story was engaging, some of the dialogue was a bit juvenile at times but didn’t ruin or take-away from the story. Overall, I really enjoyed the comic and am happy to add it to my Batman collection!
The two stand-outs in the novel were the beautiful art work and the sinister depiction of Joker in his first encounter with Batman. I liked how King payed homage to The Man Who Laughs silent film (Joker’s inspiration) as well as homage to Jokers first appearance and how he recreated iconic scenes from the original comic but with a dark twist, turning Joker into something truly terrifying. At times this version of the Joker reminded me of Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise. Every time he showed up it was special.
My only issues with the comic were the times the dialogue directly states “Brave and the Bold” it was too on the nose. I also wasn’t a fan of the dump of curse words. Nothing is wrong with mature verbiage but at times it seemed to use cursing for the sake of cursing with no real point in doing so.
In conclusion, the art was extraordinary, Joker was at his best, the story was engaging, some of the dialogue was a bit juvenile at times but didn’t ruin or take-away from the story. Overall, I really enjoyed the comic and am happy to add it to my Batman collection!
April 15, 2024
I like Tom King, can’t help it. And Mitch Gerard’s is an amazing ally for his storytelling. I read the first 2 issues of this story when they came out and I loved the dark, scary atmosphere of it, I knew this was going to be something great. Joker is genuinely menacing and violent, the dialogue panels add to the mysticism he represents on his first appearance, this new design is perfect too. We have an early days Batman trying to figure out how to handle this demon that will end up haunting him for the rest of his life. We do have this homage to The Killing Joke, specially with that Batman joke, which lands weirdly in a well constructed conclusion to the story.
July 20, 2024
Was this the best Batman Year One interpretation I've read to date? No, but it wasn't bad.
It's a Joker-Batman meet cute with a copious amount of homicides. Some relationships begin with a bang, others with a whimper but the rare few begin with both.
It's a Joker-Batman meet cute with a copious amount of homicides. Some relationships begin with a bang, others with a whimper but the rare few begin with both.
Read
January 17, 2025While I’ve never personally seen a man stuff himself down a porta potty toilet, I did not expect him to do it that way
July 21, 2025
Giro manierista de La broma asesina que vuelve a la relación entre Batman y Joker en los mismo términos, con un poco más de psicoanálisis de saldillo en explicaciones por si hay detalles que se te han escapado. Y más violencia y situaciones que fuerzan la suspensión de la incredulidad, con Batman en modo pelele que ni parece el mejor detective del mundo ni un maestro en el combate cuerpo a cuerpo. El único sentido que le veo al tebeo está en plantear con solvencia lo lejos que les quedan Moore y Bolland a King y Gerards. Y mira que lo intentan. Eso sí, algunos chistes molan.
July 19, 2025
Üç buçuk yıldız.
Bir Joker hikayesi. Batman karakteri kuru kalmış.
Tom King sert bir hikaye kaleme almış. Gayet de iyi çizilmiş. Fakat yazıdan ibaret panellerin fazlalığından ötürü görsel gücün etkisi azalmış diyebilirim. Bir çırpıda okunuyor, akıcı, ama kalıcı değil. Öyle hissediyorum.
Joker odaklı, stand up komedi kültürü temayı, şakaları, şakacılığın kullanımını sevdim.
Sert kapak almadığıma pişman olmadım.
Bir Joker hikayesi. Batman karakteri kuru kalmış.
Tom King sert bir hikaye kaleme almış. Gayet de iyi çizilmiş. Fakat yazıdan ibaret panellerin fazlalığından ötürü görsel gücün etkisi azalmış diyebilirim. Bir çırpıda okunuyor, akıcı, ama kalıcı değil. Öyle hissediyorum.
Joker odaklı, stand up komedi kültürü temayı, şakaları, şakacılığın kullanımını sevdim.
Sert kapak almadığıma pişman olmadım.
November 18, 2024
great art and a great take on the ever so complicated and layered relationship between batman and the joker; however tom kings awful dialogue really holds it back, tom king never cook again.
November 30, 2025
44%
Hmmm… okay, well, at least the art was great. Very nice colours, shading, and all that throughout this volume, so props to Gerads for that. As for the story, though… I have mixed feelings.
I think my main issue with this retelling is how weak Batman comes off as. I get it’s Batman in his first year - but it’s JOKER of all people. Batman’s learned a whole bunch of martial arts, no way Joker can hold his own in fights against Batman. But somehow in this volume, Batman was getting knocked out like instantly without putting up much of a fight. Got a little frustrating to be honest, especially since I like my Batman strong both in mind and body, but still fallible at times. This was more just Batman getting the shit kicked out of him the entire time😭
A couple more small nitpicks - Joker’s dialogue being presented like it was a silent film was pretty cool and interesting, however since Joker’s dialogue is mostly repetitive or kinda lacklustre, I found myself getting annoyed at it relatively quickly.
Also, Tom King was spamming curse words in almost every speech bubble, which for a censored comic book, got really tedious, really fast. I get there’s ‘realism’ and all that, but c’mon… I think like half the dialogue got turned into ‘&@$&@‘😤
Anyway, didn’t hate the read overall, but it was kinda meh to be honest. Was a bit disappointed and let down by the writing, but the art was pleasing at least.
Hmmm… okay, well, at least the art was great. Very nice colours, shading, and all that throughout this volume, so props to Gerads for that. As for the story, though… I have mixed feelings.
I think my main issue with this retelling is how weak Batman comes off as. I get it’s Batman in his first year - but it’s JOKER of all people. Batman’s learned a whole bunch of martial arts, no way Joker can hold his own in fights against Batman. But somehow in this volume, Batman was getting knocked out like instantly without putting up much of a fight. Got a little frustrating to be honest, especially since I like my Batman strong both in mind and body, but still fallible at times. This was more just Batman getting the shit kicked out of him the entire time😭
A couple more small nitpicks - Joker’s dialogue being presented like it was a silent film was pretty cool and interesting, however since Joker’s dialogue is mostly repetitive or kinda lacklustre, I found myself getting annoyed at it relatively quickly.
Also, Tom King was spamming curse words in almost every speech bubble, which for a censored comic book, got really tedious, really fast. I get there’s ‘realism’ and all that, but c’mon… I think like half the dialogue got turned into ‘&@$&@‘😤
Anyway, didn’t hate the read overall, but it was kinda meh to be honest. Was a bit disappointed and let down by the writing, but the art was pleasing at least.
November 6, 2025
This is a loose retelling of Batman #1, but it deviates from that story quite a bit. It is also way darker.
I didn’t care for the plot too much, but it’s fairly straight forward. The dialogue was a bit of a mess too, so many censors that it was hard to make out half the sentences. I did quite like how the Joker was written though and his unique silent movie title cards.
The artwork by Gerad’s was incredible! As soon as I finished this, I moved a couple of his other books up my list. His aesthetic really made for a tense and horrifying atmosphere. The vibes this book give off are stronger than the story itself.
I didn’t care for the plot too much, but it’s fairly straight forward. The dialogue was a bit of a mess too, so many censors that it was hard to make out half the sentences. I did quite like how the Joker was written though and his unique silent movie title cards.
The artwork by Gerad’s was incredible! As soon as I finished this, I moved a couple of his other books up my list. His aesthetic really made for a tense and horrifying atmosphere. The vibes this book give off are stronger than the story itself.
September 21, 2025
I...think I like this? Tom King is one of those strange writers for me where most of his work I'm just fine towards; don't hate, but don't love, right in the middle. There will, usually, be some brilliant aspects marred by some questionable things, ranging from dialogue or characterization. And the few things I've really enjoyed by him, was in spite of the bad things in them...or a form of Stockholm Syndrome, at this point.
This is another retelling of Batman and Joker's first encounter and...it's something. Where the original comic with these two is still pretty good, and Ed Brubaker's fantastic modern take with "The Man Who Laughs", this doesn't feel wholly necessary. So, what's the difference? It's, essentially, recent Joker. And by that, I mean how he's been portrayed in the last few years, being retconned(?) to back then in the earlier years, when he was originally a bit goofier...which was kind of the point. Even the other Batman comics acknowledged this a few times, with Grant Morrison positing that he has a "super-sanity" where he, subconsciously, constantly reinvents himself, hence why sometimes he's a criminal mastermind one day, a comedic doofus another, or a deranged psychopath another. It's even been stated elsewhere that Joker was either hiding how truly evil he was from the start and only lately has been going full-blast with it, or just over time he worsened and became -- eviler. Either way, throw all that evolution out the window, this is spawn-of-Satan Joker, hiding under beds, in backseats of cars, waiting in the shadows, just to kill anyone and everyone -- which I will admit, are pulled off quite effectively in some 'scenes,' being genuinely creepy or terrifying. Other times, it just feels a bit much, like "look how adult I am, my story has blood and murder!"
And the $%^& dialogue in this &$%^* thing doesn't help, with some characters just ranting and !@#$%^ raving with keyboard symbols and punctuation marks to replace the swears, and will go on for so long it just gets tiresome. Like, seriously? I get he's swearing, but once again, REALLY comes off as if it's REALLY trying to be edgy and 'mature'!
The characterization of Commissioner Gordon also felt kind of off, where he seemed a lot more jerkish than I'm used to with the character, berating others and even Batman, who he called up for help. It didn't fit, for me at least.
Interspliced with these problems, as always with King, are some clever ideas and some fine execution. Having Joker's dialogue be in separate panels like a frame from old-timey silent films I thought was interesting, and I do like the idea that even the cops are becoming aware, with the Joker around, things are changing in Gotham, and maybe not for the better.
I'm always intrigued by Tom King, and weirdly look forward to reading other stuff from him. This wasn't bad, but it wasn't a great Batman/Joker story either.
This is another retelling of Batman and Joker's first encounter and...it's something. Where the original comic with these two is still pretty good, and Ed Brubaker's fantastic modern take with "The Man Who Laughs", this doesn't feel wholly necessary. So, what's the difference? It's, essentially, recent Joker. And by that, I mean how he's been portrayed in the last few years, being retconned(?) to back then in the earlier years, when he was originally a bit goofier...which was kind of the point. Even the other Batman comics acknowledged this a few times, with Grant Morrison positing that he has a "super-sanity" where he, subconsciously, constantly reinvents himself, hence why sometimes he's a criminal mastermind one day, a comedic doofus another, or a deranged psychopath another. It's even been stated elsewhere that Joker was either hiding how truly evil he was from the start and only lately has been going full-blast with it, or just over time he worsened and became -- eviler. Either way, throw all that evolution out the window, this is spawn-of-Satan Joker, hiding under beds, in backseats of cars, waiting in the shadows, just to kill anyone and everyone -- which I will admit, are pulled off quite effectively in some 'scenes,' being genuinely creepy or terrifying. Other times, it just feels a bit much, like "look how adult I am, my story has blood and murder!"
And the $%^& dialogue in this &$%^* thing doesn't help, with some characters just ranting and !@#$%^ raving with keyboard symbols and punctuation marks to replace the swears, and will go on for so long it just gets tiresome. Like, seriously? I get he's swearing, but once again, REALLY comes off as if it's REALLY trying to be edgy and 'mature'!
The characterization of Commissioner Gordon also felt kind of off, where he seemed a lot more jerkish than I'm used to with the character, berating others and even Batman, who he called up for help. It didn't fit, for me at least.
Interspliced with these problems, as always with King, are some clever ideas and some fine execution. Having Joker's dialogue be in separate panels like a frame from old-timey silent films I thought was interesting, and I do like the idea that even the cops are becoming aware, with the Joker around, things are changing in Gotham, and maybe not for the better.
I'm always intrigued by Tom King, and weirdly look forward to reading other stuff from him. This wasn't bad, but it wasn't a great Batman/Joker story either.
May 11, 2024
The winning card is a retell of the first encounter between Joker and Batman. It basically follows the structure of the original Joker first appearance by Bob Kane, minus Robin. The story is set in the year one of Batman, you can read it after Frank Miller’s Year One or after Chip Zdarsky’s Joker Year One.
First you need to know that I like Tom King, I didn’t not read his Batman run, and I don’t intent to, given the mix reviews. I read most of the rest of his stuff (Vision, Human Target, Supergirl). He thrives in short runs (4-12 issues) and he has a unique and distinctive voice.
So how was the writing in the winning card? Nothing groundbreaking, we have seen this story told multiple times. I like the scenes, I like SOME of the dialogues (the jokes part got repetitive pretty quickly) but the overall story is meh. It takes the figure of the Joker to the next level, almost like a ghost / demon figure, which I honestly like. But nothing new happens: we know the Joker likes killing and he is crazy.
What about the art? The art was WOW, what an amazing work! Mitch always delivers!
So? What are my conclusions? For me it is three stars because I read this same story about the first encounter multiple times. If you are looking for a good Batman and Joker story and you are starting to read Batman, go for it. It is not a bad comic, but there are better comics out there.
First you need to know that I like Tom King, I didn’t not read his Batman run, and I don’t intent to, given the mix reviews. I read most of the rest of his stuff (Vision, Human Target, Supergirl). He thrives in short runs (4-12 issues) and he has a unique and distinctive voice.
So how was the writing in the winning card? Nothing groundbreaking, we have seen this story told multiple times. I like the scenes, I like SOME of the dialogues (the jokes part got repetitive pretty quickly) but the overall story is meh. It takes the figure of the Joker to the next level, almost like a ghost / demon figure, which I honestly like. But nothing new happens: we know the Joker likes killing and he is crazy.
What about the art? The art was WOW, what an amazing work! Mitch always delivers!
So? What are my conclusions? For me it is three stars because I read this same story about the first encounter multiple times. If you are looking for a good Batman and Joker story and you are starting to read Batman, go for it. It is not a bad comic, but there are better comics out there.
July 15, 2025
A re-telling of the Batman-Joker origin story. The art is excellent: think the pulpy comics of yore, but so slick it looks like a hyperreal 60s American ad. Following The Joker's murder spree is like shadowing a horror-movie monster: clinging discomfort each time he appears, mental hollers to the victim(-to-be) to escape, and dreadful inner scintillations as he crescendoes towards his murderous coda.
The Joker is shown as vicious, unwavering and unremorseful, much like Batman in this tale -- Batman's own monstrosity and similarity to Joker is emphasised. It causes one to think, whether the hero and villain's different ends are justified, if the means they utilise are similarly brutal?
The plot, like a lot of Batman-Joker tales, plays out like a tragic love story. Batman, the World's Greatest Detective, a creature of method, states that all criminals are superstitious and cowardly creatures. But he wonders: is the Joker more madness than method? Can this madness be contained, or is it something he wants to revel in? We know that the Joker is eager to see where this relationship goes. Like all great romances, this one is also open to many possibilities.
The Joker is shown as vicious, unwavering and unremorseful, much like Batman in this tale -- Batman's own monstrosity and similarity to Joker is emphasised. It causes one to think, whether the hero and villain's different ends are justified, if the means they utilise are similarly brutal?
The plot, like a lot of Batman-Joker tales, plays out like a tragic love story. Batman, the World's Greatest Detective, a creature of method, states that all criminals are superstitious and cowardly creatures. But he wonders: is the Joker more madness than method? Can this madness be contained, or is it something he wants to revel in? We know that the Joker is eager to see where this relationship goes. Like all great romances, this one is also open to many possibilities.
June 6, 2024
Not sure what to think of this one. It's a retelling of the very first joker story, while also trying to be a crowd pleasing early batman story, giving fun batman/gordon scenes and Bruce/Alfred scenes. I'm ok with both of those elements, and the art is great too. But I've never liked stories that treat Joker as an otherworldly force of nature. His face is often depicted in shadow with only white dots as eyes, and his dialouge takes up whole panels, shown as slides of text from a silent movie, complete with film grain that gets more pronounced as he gets further away. Also he just walks around telling jokes and then saying "GET IT? GET IT?" Which is kind of annoying. And then the book ends with references to killing joke, which isn't surprising but is kind of lame. Anyway if you really like tom king you'll probably really like this book, but if you only kind of like him you'll probably only kind of like it. Makes sense to me.
August 6, 2025
The Winning Card is a brilliant Joker vs. Batman story — both in art and narrative.
What stood out to me the most was how their first encounter was framed like a myth.
Two opposing forces — untouched until now — finally clash, not just physically, but philosophically.
One breaks his moral code.
One breaks his monstrous identity.
They don’t just fight — they shatter each other.
Mythical. Raw. Brilliantly executed.
What stood out to me the most was how their first encounter was framed like a myth.
Two opposing forces — untouched until now — finally clash, not just physically, but philosophically.
One breaks his moral code.
One breaks his monstrous identity.
They don’t just fight — they shatter each other.
Mythical. Raw. Brilliantly executed.
August 9, 2024
Gerads art in this volume is exceptional and incredibly appropriate to the content and tenor of the story. After being most familiar with the work he did for Mister Miracle, it is interesting for me to see how he handles a narrative that is both thematically and chromatically dark. As for King's writing, I don't know that this is as deep an exploration of the Batman character as he is known for. I'm also not convinced he has the fundamental understanding of the Joker he has of, say, Bane or The Riddler. Whatever we might conclude on these points, King and Gerads take us on an exciting ride in this 4-issue arc. At the end of the day, that's worth a helluva lot.
April 9, 2024
The Winning Card is a retelling of Batman #1 from 1940, which featured Batman's first encounter with the Joker, his eventual arch-nemesis. TWC updates the original story to fit in the modern Batman continuity (whatever that is, I don't even know anymore after all the retconning and rebooting).
The creative team is a pairing I'm a huge fan of. I think Tom King is one of the best writers working in the comic book medium right now and Mitch Gerards is a wonderful artist whose style is part Alex Ross and part Bill Sienkiewicz. These two crafted the Riddler one shot in the Batman: One Bad Day imprint in 2022, which was my favorite comic of that year, and Strange Adventures (or, at least the sequences set in the present), which was one of the best comics of the late 2010s.
I'm also a huge fan of Batman, and, by extension, the Joker. Batman would probably rate as my second or third fictional character of all time (Superman, by other contender for second or third, sometimes has Bats beat depending on my mood). I especially love stories set early in Batman's career, when he was a lone vigilante with more limited resources and only one true ally outside of his loyal butler/father figure Alfred. Batman's relationship with the Joker, likewise, is incredibly fascinating to me. I love the order vs chaos motif, the straight man vs funny man routine, and the endless stories that can be mined from said elements.
So, long story short, TWC was one of my most anticipated comics in a long, long time. Two creators I adore retelling the beginning of a fascinating relationship set in my favorite time period of one of my favorite characters' history? Sign this guy up!
When I finally sat down to read this as a collected trade, I found the experience to be a mixed bag.
I think King (who I adore) leans into some of his worst habits as a storyteller. You see, King rarely tackles a story in the typical comics format. Almost everything he's done has some kind of motif. Repeating dialogue, nonlinear sequence of events, re-using phrases or metaphors. Usually, this is an asset, but here, I think King was using his trademark style to overcompensate for such a simple story rather than having anything especially new to say. The motifs came off gimmicky and unearned to me (a story about using a worm as bait was particularly eyeball worthy).
Moreover, the portrayal of several characters felt off. Alfred, as usual, is unhappy with Bruce's war on crime, but here, in a truly baffling conversation near the end, he goes as far as implying that what Bruce is doing makes him just as crazy as the Joker (the usual "you're not so different" routine). If Alfred was aware of the Joker's backstory (let's say, as soul that Gotham damaged), then I'd accept the comparison. But Alfred knows nothing of the Joker in this story aside from his being a bogeyman who murders multiple children, along with several adults. Therefore, I find the comparison completely unwarranted.
Similarly, Batman himself was off-model. His dialogue is overly stilted and it feels that his skills as a crimefighter are both inconsistent with Batman: Year One (which this very much wants to be a sequel to) and entirely dependent on the needs of the story. Now, I know this is almost always the case in superhero stories. I'm not someone who cares about power scaling or whatever. But there's a point where Batman's incompetence breaks my suspension of disbelief. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've read the story. He also fails to save a single person from the Joker's rampage (except for a guy who he manipulated the Joker into targeting). I think Batman should be fallible this early in his career, and I think the Joker should be an opponent that gives him something of a wakeup call when they first meet, but this went way too far for me. Fallible isn't the same as incompetent.
There's also a callback (or call forward) to the Killing Joke at the end that was a step too far (a joke a bout a battery that I've been baffled by for a week).
However, I can't say this thing is a total whiff. The artwork by Mitch Gerards is incredible, with so many images that have stayed with me in the week since I read this. In particular, there's an image of the Joker in a porta potty that is absolutely chilling. Ditto for another sequence, set in Arkham Asylum, near the end. Honestly, I loved almost every sequence with the Joker himself. This portrayal is very much in line with the unstoppable bogeyman from Scott Snyder's run.
I also have to give King credit for always finding cool things to do with the comic book medium. The use of silent film dialogue frames to convey the Joker's dialogue was such a cool and effective idea.
Overall, I'm not sure I like Winning Card, but I'm glad this exists, and I'm glad Tom King and Mitch Gerards are working in the industry. I would gladly take the chance on more of their collaborations.
As a companion piece to this, I also read Batman: The Man Who Laughs, which was Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke's retelling of the first Joker story from 20 years ago. The two stories re fascinating to compare. Brubaker's is less ambitious, less memorable, but somehow is more effective (for me, at least). Man Who Laughs' portrayal of the Joker is much less inspired, but I found it far more enjoyable as a Batman story. It's less flashy than this book, but the story is more believable (of course, if you accept the conceit of this being a superhero universe).
The creative team is a pairing I'm a huge fan of. I think Tom King is one of the best writers working in the comic book medium right now and Mitch Gerards is a wonderful artist whose style is part Alex Ross and part Bill Sienkiewicz. These two crafted the Riddler one shot in the Batman: One Bad Day imprint in 2022, which was my favorite comic of that year, and Strange Adventures (or, at least the sequences set in the present), which was one of the best comics of the late 2010s.
I'm also a huge fan of Batman, and, by extension, the Joker. Batman would probably rate as my second or third fictional character of all time (Superman, by other contender for second or third, sometimes has Bats beat depending on my mood). I especially love stories set early in Batman's career, when he was a lone vigilante with more limited resources and only one true ally outside of his loyal butler/father figure Alfred. Batman's relationship with the Joker, likewise, is incredibly fascinating to me. I love the order vs chaos motif, the straight man vs funny man routine, and the endless stories that can be mined from said elements.
So, long story short, TWC was one of my most anticipated comics in a long, long time. Two creators I adore retelling the beginning of a fascinating relationship set in my favorite time period of one of my favorite characters' history? Sign this guy up!
When I finally sat down to read this as a collected trade, I found the experience to be a mixed bag.
I think King (who I adore) leans into some of his worst habits as a storyteller. You see, King rarely tackles a story in the typical comics format. Almost everything he's done has some kind of motif. Repeating dialogue, nonlinear sequence of events, re-using phrases or metaphors. Usually, this is an asset, but here, I think King was using his trademark style to overcompensate for such a simple story rather than having anything especially new to say. The motifs came off gimmicky and unearned to me (a story about using a worm as bait was particularly eyeball worthy).
Moreover, the portrayal of several characters felt off. Alfred, as usual, is unhappy with Bruce's war on crime, but here, in a truly baffling conversation near the end, he goes as far as implying that what Bruce is doing makes him just as crazy as the Joker (the usual "you're not so different" routine). If Alfred was aware of the Joker's backstory (let's say, as soul that Gotham damaged), then I'd accept the comparison. But Alfred knows nothing of the Joker in this story aside from his being a bogeyman who murders multiple children, along with several adults. Therefore, I find the comparison completely unwarranted.
Similarly, Batman himself was off-model. His dialogue is overly stilted and it feels that his skills as a crimefighter are both inconsistent with Batman: Year One (which this very much wants to be a sequel to) and entirely dependent on the needs of the story. Now, I know this is almost always the case in superhero stories. I'm not someone who cares about power scaling or whatever. But there's a point where Batman's incompetence breaks my suspension of disbelief. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've read the story. He also fails to save a single person from the Joker's rampage (except for a guy who he manipulated the Joker into targeting). I think Batman should be fallible this early in his career, and I think the Joker should be an opponent that gives him something of a wakeup call when they first meet, but this went way too far for me. Fallible isn't the same as incompetent.
There's also a callback (or call forward) to the Killing Joke at the end that was a step too far (a joke a bout a battery that I've been baffled by for a week).
However, I can't say this thing is a total whiff. The artwork by Mitch Gerards is incredible, with so many images that have stayed with me in the week since I read this. In particular, there's an image of the Joker in a porta potty that is absolutely chilling. Ditto for another sequence, set in Arkham Asylum, near the end. Honestly, I loved almost every sequence with the Joker himself. This portrayal is very much in line with the unstoppable bogeyman from Scott Snyder's run.
I also have to give King credit for always finding cool things to do with the comic book medium. The use of silent film dialogue frames to convey the Joker's dialogue was such a cool and effective idea.
Overall, I'm not sure I like Winning Card, but I'm glad this exists, and I'm glad Tom King and Mitch Gerards are working in the industry. I would gladly take the chance on more of their collaborations.
As a companion piece to this, I also read Batman: The Man Who Laughs, which was Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke's retelling of the first Joker story from 20 years ago. The two stories re fascinating to compare. Brubaker's is less ambitious, less memorable, but somehow is more effective (for me, at least). Man Who Laughs' portrayal of the Joker is much less inspired, but I found it far more enjoyable as a Batman story. It's less flashy than this book, but the story is more believable (of course, if you accept the conceit of this being a superhero universe).
May 12, 2024
I just read the Joker Year 1 arc from Zdarsky's run, so that is a lot of early Joker being published (and they do not reconcile, they cannot both be Gordon's first encounter with the Joker).
As a Tom King's Batman story, that was exactly as expected: small panels with quotations in between (here jokes or songs), gruesome acts of violence, portraying of mental illness. And 4 issues to setup a punchline. It was an ok read, one of the better ones actually, but nothing new in 2024 and the Joker again (I would give 4 stars to the same team on a other villain).
As a Tom King's Batman story, that was exactly as expected: small panels with quotations in between (here jokes or songs), gruesome acts of violence, portraying of mental illness. And 4 issues to setup a punchline. It was an ok read, one of the better ones actually, but nothing new in 2024 and the Joker again (I would give 4 stars to the same team on a other villain).
June 11, 2024
Talk about the darkest time line. The Winning Card (TWC) takes a golden age Batman comic of Jokers first appearance and brings it up to 11. If you have read Ed Brubaker's Batman The Man Who Laughs (which is another retelling of the same story) then you'll know the plot of this book.
Batman must find and deal with Joker who is creating patterns of muggings and murder as a set ups and punchline due to his criminally insane nature.
This definitely jumps up there with some of the darkest Batman stories such as The Cult. If that's your jam (like it is mine) then this book is for you.
Batman must find and deal with Joker who is creating patterns of muggings and murder as a set ups and punchline due to his criminally insane nature.
This definitely jumps up there with some of the darkest Batman stories such as The Cult. If that's your jam (like it is mine) then this book is for you.
September 22, 2024
Holy expletive, that was dark. And genuinely frightening. Mitch Gerads takes on art and colour duties here, and knows exactly what buttons to push to create genuine horror. King uses the odd technique of having most of Joker’s dialogue done in silent movie flash cards, which works unusually well, and adds to the terror of it all in a strange, unexpected way.
This book had me absolutely riveted, and possesses some of the finest horror art work I’ve seen in years. A short, super dark book for mature audiences only.
This book had me absolutely riveted, and possesses some of the finest horror art work I’ve seen in years. A short, super dark book for mature audiences only.
September 22, 2024
If we really needed a retelling of Batman #1, it could've gone wrong in a lot of ways ... but we're in good hands with Tom King. Others have noted that the Joker is truly terrifying in this story (he is) and Alfred is used well as a cautionary figure to Batman's rather foolish pursuit of vengeance (he is). But we also don't get much in terms of development -- much is derived from what we know of these characters, and the only real play here are some twists on the original tale.
April 13, 2024
Such a simple premise, yet told so well!!! I loved the art style a lot and the choice of using the silent film intertitles instead of comic bubbles for most of The Joker's parts of dialogue was so clever, it fits him so well!
The story itself is really plain, but it's just... the way it was delivered, that's what made it charming and unforgettable, frankly.
The story itself is really plain, but it's just... the way it was delivered, that's what made it charming and unforgettable, frankly.
April 30, 2024
I was really enjoying The Winning Card up to this point, but I feel like this final chapter really sunk the story. It tries to say a lot about Batman, but it falls flat. The quality of the stories themselves ends up being inconsistent. It's a shame. The art is good though, despite how often I could tell corners were cut to get this story out.
July 20, 2024
Loved this dark retelling of the first clash between Batman and the Joker. The art was amazing. The colouring and the creeping illustrations of the joker really added depth to the plot. The decision to have the Joker's lines as separate cells rather than speech bubbles was a cool addition that added mystery to the character.
May 8, 2024
Recopilada y publicada hace apenas unas semanas en EE.UU (ECC ya ha anunciado que la sacará en español durante este año), "The Winning Card" reúne la historia que el maravilloso dúo de Tom King y Mith Gerards fueron contando a goteras el año pasado en algunos números de la serie "Batman: The Brave and the Bold". Se trata de una reversión (una más) del clásico primer encuentro entre Batman y el Joker, publicado hace 80 años por Bob Kane y Bill Finger. De estas previas reversiones la más destacada, y quizás insuperable, es "Batman: El hombre que ríe" (Brubaker, Mahnke, 2005), y Tom King -gran conocedor de la historia de los comics- en cierto modo parte de ella, pero le da una vuelta de tuerca más. La historia -tal como se nos recuerda en la primera página- se desarrolla en el "Año Uno" de Batman. El héroe recién está conociendo el mundo criminal de Gotham, Gordon es apenas capitán de policía y Alfred aún guarda esperanzas de que su pupilo abandone su obsesión por vestirse de murciélago. De pronto, aparece un sujeto disfrazado de payaso que avisa de antemano los crímentes que cometerá en contra de ciudadanos famosos de Gotham. Gordon no se lo toma en serio, y Batman, en principio, tampoco, pero ocurre que, a pesar de que toman todos los resguardos posibles, los crímenes sí llegan a cometerse. Para peor, luego el Joker comete otros crímenes horrorosos, pero que no tienen nada que ver con los anteriores. Batman, desesperado, nota que no hay un patrón en su conducta. Decide, entonces, él crear ese patrón y urde una emboscada contra el Joker, que no resulta y que lo deja mal herido. Tal como en la original "Batman: Year One" (Miller, Mazzuccelli, 1987), este es un Batman que se equivoca, que recibe golpes, que duda de sus capacidades. Incapaz de salir de la cama a causa de sus heridas, contempla cómo el Joker continua con sus matanzas aleatorias. Su sufrimiento es tal que -en un patológico deseo de autoflagelo-, le pide a Alfred que lo golpee, como si con ello pudiera limpiar la culpa que siente. Semanas más tarde, por fin logra apresar al Joker tras una sangrienta batalla en la cual ambos pudieron perder la vida.
A pesar de todo lo dicho, esta es una historia principalmente psicológica. Primero, Tom King quiere poner énfasis en algo que la versión del gran Ed Brubaker ya contenía, pero que no se desarrollaba, a mi juicio, con consistencia: la inexistencia de un patrón en los crimenes del Joker, reflejo de su locura, y que hace casi imposible su captura. Y segundo, King insiste en otro tópico: que la locura del Joker espejea una, por lo menos, inestabilidad mental en Bruce Wayne: su obsesión, su culpa, sus deseos de autoflagelo y las bromas con las que intenta responder a las propias bromas del Joker, así lo demuestran.
En términos de forma, la historia es un lujo. El Joker, por ejemplo, nunca habla a través de globos de texto, sino en viñetas oscuras aparte, que imitan las cintas de celuloide de las películas viejas, lo cual le añade más horror. Además, cada vez que Bruce Wayne se enfada, Gerards lo dibuja con los ojos angulosos, como un murciélago, y el rostro oscurecido, muy similar a la máscara que usaba su padre en el batman de Grant Morrison (el propio título de la historia alude a uno de los arcos del clásico run de Morrison en Batman). Y hablando de Gerards, su arte está en un nivel superlativo, quizás lo mejor que ha hecho desde "Mr. Miracle" (2018). Pinta a un Joker de pupilas blancas y esclerótica negra, y de una sonrisa que nunca deja de parecer atroz.
El único contra de la historia es que, en su retrato del Joker, recae, a pesar de los logros ya mencionados, en ciertos clichés (eso de que el Joker pase la lengua por el cuchillo luego de sus crimenes es innecesario). También podría criticarse que cierta ambiguedad en el final es también un defecto, pues King da a entender que ya tras su primer encuentro Batman intuye que tendrá que enfrentarse, en el futuro, constantemente contra el Joker, a pesar de que este en ese momento esté en la cárcel. ¿Acaso sabía que el Joker no tardará en escapar?
Pero lo centrar en esta historia es su desarrollo y el análisis psicológico (como es típico en King), de Batman y el Joker. No alcanza para estar entre lo mejor de King, pero eso no quita que sea una gran historia.
A pesar de todo lo dicho, esta es una historia principalmente psicológica. Primero, Tom King quiere poner énfasis en algo que la versión del gran Ed Brubaker ya contenía, pero que no se desarrollaba, a mi juicio, con consistencia: la inexistencia de un patrón en los crimenes del Joker, reflejo de su locura, y que hace casi imposible su captura. Y segundo, King insiste en otro tópico: que la locura del Joker espejea una, por lo menos, inestabilidad mental en Bruce Wayne: su obsesión, su culpa, sus deseos de autoflagelo y las bromas con las que intenta responder a las propias bromas del Joker, así lo demuestran.
En términos de forma, la historia es un lujo. El Joker, por ejemplo, nunca habla a través de globos de texto, sino en viñetas oscuras aparte, que imitan las cintas de celuloide de las películas viejas, lo cual le añade más horror. Además, cada vez que Bruce Wayne se enfada, Gerards lo dibuja con los ojos angulosos, como un murciélago, y el rostro oscurecido, muy similar a la máscara que usaba su padre en el batman de Grant Morrison (el propio título de la historia alude a uno de los arcos del clásico run de Morrison en Batman). Y hablando de Gerards, su arte está en un nivel superlativo, quizás lo mejor que ha hecho desde "Mr. Miracle" (2018). Pinta a un Joker de pupilas blancas y esclerótica negra, y de una sonrisa que nunca deja de parecer atroz.
El único contra de la historia es que, en su retrato del Joker, recae, a pesar de los logros ya mencionados, en ciertos clichés (eso de que el Joker pase la lengua por el cuchillo luego de sus crimenes es innecesario). También podría criticarse que cierta ambiguedad en el final es también un defecto, pues King da a entender que ya tras su primer encuentro Batman intuye que tendrá que enfrentarse, en el futuro, constantemente contra el Joker, a pesar de que este en ese momento esté en la cárcel. ¿Acaso sabía que el Joker no tardará en escapar?
Pero lo centrar en esta historia es su desarrollo y el análisis psicológico (como es típico en King), de Batman y el Joker. No alcanza para estar entre lo mejor de King, pero eso no quita que sea una gran historia.
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