Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, John Carpenter asserted himself as a horror maestro with films like Halloween and The Thing. Now, he’s lending his genre expertise to one of the most terrifying villains in comics. DC has just announced that Carpenter is co-writing a new Joker one-shot for the publisher’s ongoing Year of the Villain event.
Carpenter will split writing duties with Anthony Burch on Joker: Year of the Villain. Video game fans might recognize Burch as the lead writer on Borderlands 2. He also collaborated with Carpenter on the twelve-issue miniseries Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack, a sequel to Carpenter’s 1986 film. Philip Tan and Marc Deering are handling the book’s artwork.
The new 40-page one-shot kicks off after Lex Luthor has transformed himself into the half-human, half-alien “Apex Lex.” This evolved being offers to help humanity reach its ultimate potential in exchange for surrendering to their most evil desires. Although several heroes and villains are listening, the Joker isn’t having it. The book will follow the Clown Prince of Crime “on a mission to get his swagger back in a world gone bad by out-badding everyone else, proving that the greatest evil is always the one that leaves them laughing.”
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“The Joker is the greatest villain in comics,” Carpenter said in a statement. “I’m proud to be reunited with Anthony on this project.”
”I’m excited beyond words to be writing for Gotham’s greatest villain,” added Burch. “I hope the Joker’s exploits make you laugh, shudder, and grow nauseous all at once.”
October is already shaping up to be a banner month for the Joker. Aside from Carpenter and Burch’s book, DC is also planning to release Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s Joker: Killer Smile through its Black Label imprint on October 30. Additionally, Todd Phillips’ Joker film headlined by Joaquin Phoenix arrives that month as well. But as Phillips has already admitted, that movie doesn’t draw a lot of influence from its comic book source material.
Joker: Year of the Villain hits comic store shelves on October 9. You can check out the cover art below, then tell us what you think in the comment section!
Recommended Reading: The Joker by Brian Azzarello & Lee Bermejo
