Three Jokers was first teased during Geoff Johns'
Justice League run, but the long-delayed DC Comics event series is finally set to hit shelves this summer. Earlier today, the comic book writer confirmed that the three-issue book won't suffer
Doomsday Clock-style delays because he and artist Jason Fabok have finished it, but more details have now been revealed along with some preview art.
Plot details remain a closely guarded secret, but
The Killing Joke looks set to be a major inspiration visually, and what the Clown Prince of Crime did to both Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon looks set to play a key role in what Johns has said won't be
"just another Batman-Joker story."
"One of the reasons I've never done one before is because there are so many amazing ones," he explains,
"so I was only gonna do one if it was different and surprising and looked at the Joker and the meaning of the Joker and his effect on Batman and his family in a new way. We’re not introducing a multiverse of Jokers, we’re not out to change these characters forever, but we are turning over some rocks about these characters and their relationships."
"It goes back to the beginning when Batman first encountered the Joker, but it’s also The Killing Joke and A Death in the Family that speak to the book and that we’re building off emotionally. Barbara and Jason have gone through so much, as has Bruce, and it’s really focused on healing, on scars and wounds and what that does to somebody."
"If you suffer some trauma, you don’t just get over with it and move on with your life, it changes who you are," the comic book writer continues. "Sometimes it changes you for the better, sometimes it changes you for the worse. You can heal right, and you can heal wrong. That’s really what the book’s about: Healing right, healing wrong, and surviving."
Three Jokers is certainly an intriguing premise, and after the mixed reaction to Doomsday Clock, it will be interesting seeing how fans respond to yet another game-changing event series from DC.
After all, the apparent reveal that there are three versions of The Joker in the DC Universe is a big deal, and something that could change Batman's relationship with the villain for years so come.
You can check out some newly revealed artwork from
Three Jokers below: