Three Jokers #1

I've been going back and forth a lot on whether or not to get this comic. I've seen mixed reactions before deciding to see for myself. 

 SPOILERS AHEAD I enjoyed Geoff Johns' Booster Gold run with Katz but I wasn't looking forward to this. Some of Johns ideas work, some don't. For now continuity for this series is unclear and while I can ignore some bits like Alfred being alive other parts--such as character portrayals and in universe logic--don't work for me. The main plot of the series is the mystery of why there are three Jokers and what that means to the Batman mythos as a whole. The creators have stated that their not from the multiverse (*1) and having them around creates some confusion. They apparently plan on making more Jokers in an attempt to make a "perfect" one.

How could Batman not realize they were three different guys? 

Dialogue suggests the chemicals make DNA tests impossible, which feels like it's just being handwaved away. (Then again DC has ignored the identity of just one Joker for years.) Right away Jason notices that there's a physical difference as the one they captured is thinner. Honestly at this point the mystery is the least important part of this mini series for me. Sure, it will matter at the end, especially if it does become canon, but at the first issue I'm more concerned with the protagonists. Despite worries expressed online about Johns writing a decent Batman I never thought it'd be a problem. His Batman was fairly decent in Booster Gold, enough to make me think he'd have an okay handle on the character. Although I have to say given the way Bruce has been written lately I was more than a little taken aback by his "let's team up" attitude instead of having him shouting and hitting Jason. More so when he actually praises Jason's detective skills.

Predictably Johns has Barbara being written as the one who "healed right" while Jason "healed wrong." Which is why it matters when this story takes place if it's going to be considered canon at some point. Because Jason doesn't act like he does around/after the time Batman discovers the existence of three Jokers in Justice League. By that time he has friends that he's opened up to and isn't nearly as angry. 

He actually has helped to redeem criminals. If the Bat family is willing to work with Red Hood then he shouldn't be written like this. It doesn't feel like either Bruce or Barbara would trust him (and frankly I still don't know if I buy Bruce just letting the two of them work on this case in general.) The only way this works for me if they are on good terms is if Jason was triggered but we never see that moment before the graveyard.

Barbara pushes herself to ridiculous levels (I'm not sure if I buy her repeatedly breaking treadmills) and follows Batman's lead. If she did "heal right" it was because she was allowed to be around loved ones after her experience with Joker. Jason didn't get that (*2) and no one in the bat family apparently wants to talk to him about it. I know it's only the first issue but I don't understand why Fabok claims this version made him like the character. Thus far nothing original has happened, except maybe one of the retcons and whether that adds anything positive is debatable. There's certainly nothing that pushes Jason Todd to new heights of greatness. 

This definitely has a negative vibe to it as we see how angry, reckless and malicious he can be. The henchmen he fights in the graveyard tell him that they don't know where Joker is which Jason claims he already figured that out and laughs. He's nasty to them and gives the impression that he liked hurting them.

Later on he justifies his treatment of the Joker victim by saying the man is known for abusing his kid. (*3) Despite the fact he literally could have killed him before he got any information out of him. So Jason rushes in and stupidly endangers the mission on the slimmest of chances he'd learn something. Sure he has PTSD but this wasn't presented in a way to make us get what set him off, it doesn't help that we've seen him far more collected fighting Jokers' men in other comics (*4.) The only time I can think of him just losing it completely was when he first beat the crap out of Joker with a crowbar. He's also seen FAR more defensive than I ever recall him being about being taken down by an enemy. Maybe I could believe it more if it was presented in a different way but it just feels off.

All three leads listen to programs which highlight messages Johns wants to get across with the characters. Bruce has various physicals wounds and flashbacks to the night his parents died. He tells his mother that he'll protect her like Zorro yet is frozen in place when his parents are killed. This might relate to when Bruce tries to call Jason out for not working together on the case and Jason turns it back on Bruce always wanting to work alone. Jason points out that the Batmobile was never build to comfortably seat other people. Instead of admitting Jason is right Bruce claims he's projecting. 

Did Barbara just show up to help Bruce or did he call her in to make sure she didn't go off alone? Bruce throws himself in danger to prevent others from getting hurt, he also tries to deal with it alone. When Jason is being attacked by Joker Bruce reacts as fast as he can to brutally take down Joker, but he doesn't say anything about it. He leaves Jason and Barbara with a tied up Joker to work alone. In doing so he ignores the obvious problem of leaving them with the man (well one of them) that scarred them and is blatantly trying to trigger Jason.

Barbara excising her legs to reference her time in the wheelchair. While Jason is too emotional and Bruce is emotionally distant, Barbara seems to be the most balanced. Yes she hates Joker and like Bruce pushes herself but she also tries to talk Jason down after Bruce walks away. Sure she tried to have some control over the situation but I think the problem would have been solved if she simply knocked Joker out to shut him up. Or maybe she could have addressed Jason more directly and tell him that it doesn't matter what Joker says.

Jason literally fights in a graveyard when we first see him to represent his death. I think that Johns tries so hard to make Jason the most damaged of the three that he misses the mark with the character more than once. He has Jason mock a henchman for being soft, makes excuses for not being able to defend himself and ties it all in a retcon about Robin Jason begging for his life. Then being desperate enough to say he'd do anything even be Jokers' Robin. Which just so ridiculous and isn't even original. Arkham Knight already had Joker break Jason. The "be my Robin" bit also sounds like the horribly written Battle for the Cowl and I really hope Johns isn't just getting inspiration from these stories.

DC has constantly victim blamed Jason and this takes away more of his strength from the actual story. It misses the point of the character that Bruce (written by Judd Winick during Under the Hood) knew was never scared enough for his own good. When we were first introduced to Post-Crisis Jason Todd he stole from Batman on a night when no one else dare enrage the dark knight. In the middle of his beating at Joker's hands he fought back and said "let's boogie." 

I'm pretty confused if Johns is trying to say Jason didn't die or Joker is trying to mess with him. Neither idea really works when you try to apply logic. Trying to retcon Jason's death makes zero sense even if you ignore stories like Lost Days and mentions in RHATO. For now I'm putting a pin in the concept of there being three Jokers but I do recognize the many issues it raises. The main one being Batman's detective skills, but he'd REALLY look dumb if he and medical professionals couldn't figure out that Jason was actually alive. I'm not sure if Johns was the one who came up with the original "Superboy Prime punched history" bit (though he did make fun of it) but this isn't the solution, in fact it's just as bad.

Somehow Jason, who was near dead, buried, injured and hadn't presumably eaten in days--managed to dig his way out of his own grave. Somehow Bruce remained oblivious of this despite checking to see if he was alive. Even with Talia in the picture I have trouble trying to piece together how it could work. Even if everything Joker says is BS Jason should know otherwise, and despite what he claims Joker's greatest victory was killing Robin. Saying otherwise and suggesting that he was creating Jason or molding him into something else? No, that really doesn't work. Hell, that's yet another idea we saw toyed with in RHATO.

I liked this issue more than I thought I would since I was expecting far worse. That's not to say it's great, and I think I'd like it a lot less if it's considered canon. The retcons were unnecessary, confusing and were pretty insulting to Jason's character. The only good part of Death in the Family was Jasons' parts, especially his defiance to the end and now we don't even have that? This is the type of B.S. that deserves to be ignored.

Johns seems to be furthering the idea that "one bad day" can change someone and implies that the Jokers will attempt to turn the leads into Jokers. I kind of expected Jason to kill at least one Joker but I am a worried that his range as a character might be limited thanks to this story. I've seen a lot of readers claiming this is the best Jason even though he's mostly being affected by his PSTD. I'm glad to see these characters deal with this stuff but I don't want this to be the only type of story they do.

There's two more issues and it can still get far worse. I don't want random nonsensical retcons, and while they seem to be heavily implying Jason will be turned I'm giving the creators the benefit of the doubt, for now. Mostly because he's been so heavily hinted as the next Joker (an idea seen on movie theory videos AND we've already seen that under Dini) it would be a heavy handed move unless this is a mislead.

Questions Raised?: Bruce mentions Jim giving him a nasty look and asks if he knows Barbara is Batgirl, she claims he doesn't. But did they both ignore the fact he offered her a ride? That's not something he'd do out of the blue, he knows Batman has the Batmobile and that she usually has her own ride.

Did Harley date three different guys and not know it? Or just one and get confused why she was being ignored by the other two?

Johns seems to be implying begging happened (although we never see a flashback of Jason saying it but Gaggy hints it before the reveal.) If Joker isn't lying about how Jason reacted then why did he wait so long to bring that up?

Why are these retcons "needed" again?

Did You Notice?: It looks like Jason is given Dick's hand-me-down costume again. I'm not a fan of that being Jason's costume for various reasons.

Not sure if it means anything but three panels lingered on Batgirls jumping into the area where Joker was created. Jason is also shown grabbing the Joker victim's neck much like Batman did to Joker at the end of Killing Joke.

I don't know if it was done on purpose but Barbara throwing the batarang does feel like a callback to Bruce tossing one at Jason in UTH.

Say What?: Apparently the helmet has more functions than we usually see. I'm a big fan of this.

Jason claims he picked the name Red Hood to own what Joker did to him and use it as a means to destroy him. I guess that works but I was always fine with Winicks' reason: Jason wanted a name that would get Batman and Jokers' attention.

*1 Which is iconic since Johns suggested that the Jason Todd from Under the Hood could be from another Earth.

*2 Talia didn't take him back to Bruce, she tells Jason not long after he regains his sense of self that he wasn't avenged and gives him proof of the Jokers' crimes.

*3 I'm not sure if this is supposed to be Jason projecting about Willis. Whether Willis was abusive was brought up and then glossed over in RHATO. But this is very ironic considering how Bruce has been written in main canon. 

*4 RHATO #48 for example shows Jason using rubber bullets against Jokers' henchmen even if he doesn't think they deserve much mercy.