A Sneak Peak At DC Comics ‘Joker’

To most everyone who saw “The Dark Knight” this summer — and by now, who didn’t see “The Dark Knight” — whether you liked the story or not, one thing darn-near everyone agrees on is Heath Ledger not only stole the show, but managed to completely transform the character of the Joker to a point where Hollywood will be hard pressed to find a suitable replacement should the character factor into future “Batman” films.

And now, DC Comics has delivered an original graphic novel that does for the comic book Joker what Ledger did for the films. Writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo’s “Joker” — which hits shelves October 29 — paints the “Clown Prince of Crime” as a sadistic, unpredictable and absurdly violent psychopath, or in other words, exactly the way the character should be portrayed. And while the story takes place well-outside the realm of Christopher Nolan’s vision of Gotham City, if you liked “The Dark Knight,” “Joker” is a must-have for your bookshelf.

Check out the sneak peek of the book below and see for yourself.

The story — narrated through the voice of one of the Joker’s recently-hired goons — follows the just-released-from-Arkham Asylum villain as he seeks to reclaim his rightful spot at the top of Gotham criminal hierarchy by any means necessary. In order to get to that spot again, he’ll have to face the rest of Gotham’s top dogs — including Two-Face, The Riddler, Killer Croc and the Penguin. (From the MTV Splash Page)