Batman: The Man Who Laughs #1 (One-Shot)
CBR | DC Comics | Released Feb 2005 | 67 Pages | 35.02 MB
is a one-shot prestige format comic book by Ed Brubaker (winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Writer) and Doug Mahnke, released in February 2005, and intended as a sequel to . It tells the story of Batman's first encounter with the Joker in post-Crisis continuity. The book is similar in format and cover typography to the famous 1988 one-shot by Alan Moore. The storyline is based on the Joker's original introduction in (1940). While the story seems to take place directly after Year One, the beginning is tied into the ending of , in which Gordon reveals the warehouse of corpses. The story "Images" in (September 1993), taking place some time after their first meeting (according to Batman), is tied into continuity as Batman's second encounter with The Joker. The title is a reference to the movie , based on the book of the same name by Victor Hugo, whose star, Conrad Veidt, was an inspiration for The Joker. Belongs right up there alongside as the definitive Joker story. Hilary Goldstein of IGN ranked on a list of the 25 best Batman graphic novels (Number one is ).