The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 Review -

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg

Art: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Nick Filardi, and Tom Napolitano

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 3rd, 2023

Why did The Joker cross town? To get to the bottom of the mystery that has been haunting him: Who is the man pretending to be The Joker and what does he want? But every lead he follows is a dead end, and every move he makes brings the Red Hood one step closer to him. Additionally, what happens when the former Clown Prince of Crime comes face-to-face with the current crime boss of Gotham? Let’s dive into The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 by Matthew Rosenberg and find out!

If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 Review.

THE DISPATCH

Matthew Rosenberg pushes the envelope this week as The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 ushers readers through the Joker’s escape. However, what do I mean by “pushing the envelope”? Well, Rosenberg puts on his finest Joker cap and provides readers with some pretty sick and twisted humor involving sick hospital children and dementia patients. The jokes themselves were a bit over the top, borderline, and a bit too far. Nevertheless, the premise was sound and readers get to see Rosenberg channel his inner Joker well this week.

So truthfully, what are you reading a Joker comic for? You know the character well and thus would understand his dark, morbid humor. Therefore, to the Joker fan, The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 probably isn’t too far at all. Additionally, Rosenberg continues to heat up the Red Hood angle this week and promotes something a bit deeper down the line between these two. Sure, this story is building towards a climax between the Jokers. However, Red Hood is weaving into the mix nicely. So, if not in The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing, maybe in a follow-up Joker series we can iron out more between these two.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Rosenberg does a spectacular job infusing fear into The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 without showcasing silly murders and grotesque, bloody scenes. The fear emanates off the page through Joker’s mannerisms, words, and the sinister situations Rosenberg puts the Joker in. Sure, fans will find some borderline moments buckling through the pages in The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4. Nevertheless, I can’t shake that feeling that fans interested in this comic know what they’re getting into in the first place.

Moreover, for a writer to channel the inner psyche of the Joker in order to come up with some of this demented stuff has always made me wonder what mindset you’d have to be in in order to write this. Why? Well, some of these jokes were pretty dark and powerful. If that’s your thing, you’ll love the heck out of this issue that truly pushes the envelope with some of its satire. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!