About Heroes

Writer: Sean McKeever
Artists: Jamal Igle & Rob Hunter

If you thought the last foray into the multiverse was a superfluous tour of Wildstorm, and that these one-shots would do nothing to add to the DCU, grab this comic.  If you liked the Wildstorm issue, grab this comic.  There is a lot to like in this issue.  Unlike the format last time where it was essentially and expanded story from the pages of the abysmal Countdown, this issue delves directly into the character of the Jokester who is currently hitchhiking with the "Challengers of the Beyond" in the pages of Countdown.  We meet the Jokester, who's real name is never given, who was a struggling comic until he found his gimmick in making fun of Owl-Man, the Batman counterpart of Earth-3.  This soon rocketed his popularity until Owl-Man came to collect his revenge and sliced the Jokester's mouth open, creating the permanent smile.  Jokester decides to fight Owl-Man and his sidekick Talon (last seen in 52, and the 2-page spread of Titans in Titans Around the Wold) and eventually joins up with the Riddler Family (The Riddler, Three-Face, and Duela Dent).  We find out Duela's true origin, so anyone confused by where she came from in this New Earth look to this issue.  I really enjoyed this issue because we got an origin of a character, and it really let me get a feel of the earth, unlike last issue.  The best part?  The "Challengers" only appear in the 2 last pages of the book! 

Jamal Igle does the art on this book, and it looks a little different from the great work he was doing over on Nightwing.  While I'm glad DC got a well-known artist to do this one-shot, I'm sad that he had to leave Nightwing to do it, as the book kind of fell apart when he left, and he was only on it for seven issues.  In interviews he gave the impression that he was going to be on Nightwing for the long run with Marv Wolfman, similar to his long Firestorm run.  But alas, that turned not to be true.  Igle brings his best work to the issue, and with the writing from Sean McKeever it helps the comic seem important and worthwhile and not superfluous.  If you are even vaguely interested in Earth-3 or the Jokester, pick up this book, you will not be dissapointed. B+

P.S.  The Earth-3 Crime Society is different from the Crime Syndicate in the Anti-Matter Universe created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely in their great graphic novel.  Also, apparently, that Anti-Matter Earth still exists and is different from this Earth-3.  Go figure.  That's what they are saying over at Newsarama...