The Three Jokers By Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok

[Konja7]

Is Barbara stronger than Jason? it really is? I do not know.
She managed to get ahead with help, which Jason did not have, their situations were different, very traumatic, she clarified.
Barbara is shot, the Joker strips her naked to take pictures (there is a theory that she was raped, but so far I have not seen any proof of that, some psychopaths or serial killers do not have sex with their victims, they substitute torture and death).
Jason suffered torture to near death for a time that could have been hours, when he thinks he must have ended up just awake to find another horrible scenario, buried alive (jeez, you don't know how it terrifies me).
Barbara has tools to deal with her trauma, a better parent, friends, a support network.
Jason went from one home with violence to another (putting a child to fight villains, it is not very healthy) and when he returns he does not receive help, there are no friends, only a family who rejects him.

In the case of Jason, he was rejected by the Batfamily, because he was already killing people when he returned.

Honestly, I don't understand why people try Jason's time as Robin (aside from his death) as part of his trauma. It depends of the continuity, but it is usually a stable part of his life.


Barbara wasn't raped (in the traditional sense). However, the fact that Joker stripped her naked to take photos is considered a terrible sexual attack.

[Zaresh]

I would await the third issue to judge if they're retconning Jason's death or not. I doubt Johns would, it's too big retcon that bassically undoes Jason's background and makes the readers re-evaluate all his history, imho.

I haven't read the book yet, I'm waiting for it to be wholly published for diferent reasons; so I don't know if there're clues to that retcon or not. But here's my piece .

[redmax99]

In the case of Jason, he was rejected by the Batfamily, because he was already killing people when he returned.

Honestly, I don't understand why people tries Jason's time as Robin (aside from his death) as part of his trauma. It depends of the continuity, but it is usually a stable part of his life.

Barbara wasn't raped (in the traditional sense). However, the fact that she was stripped naked is consideres a terrible sexual attack.

never mind

[Zaresh]

Yeah, it was stable. 3 years at best, half a year at worst. It's hardly a long enough period to stablish healthy, balanced patters to follow in a teenager with his background. And those years were passed figting crime in the night with a vigilante.

That's not having a support system.

[Dark_Tzitzimine]

I would await the third issue to judge if they're retconning Jason's death or not. I doubt Johns would, it's too big retcon that bassically undoes Jason's background and makes the readers re-evaluate all his history, imho.

I haven't read the book yet, I'm waiting for it to be wholly published for diferent reasons; so I don't know if there're clues to that retcon or not. But here's my piece .

Big retcons are Johns bread and butter so I would expect something like that to be revealed in issue 3. Hell, the mere idea of the Joker being replicable is a colossal retcon on itself.

[Konja7]

Yeah, it was stable. 3 years at best, half a year at worst. It's hardly a long enough period to stablish healthy, balanced patters to follow in a teenager with his background. And those years were passed figting crime in the night with a vigilante.

That's not having a support system.

I've never say it was a big support system.

My point is that people using his time as Robin as part of his trauma seems pretty exagerated, since he is usually fine in that part of his life (his death is the big problem).

It usually just seems an easy way to blame Bruce for Jason problems.

Although these people don't notice that this could easily be used for "Jason shouldn't be Robin" argument that DC often use to victim blaming Jason.

[Godlike13]

In the case of Jason, he was rejected by the Batfamily, because he was already killing people when he returned.

Honestly, I don't understand why people try Jason's time as Robin (aside from his death) as part of his trauma. It depends of the continuity, but it is usually a stable part of his life.


Barbara wasn't raped (in the traditional sense). However, the fact that Joker stripped her naked to take photos is considered a terrible sexual attack.

Jason was the one who rejected them with his return. None of them knew he was even back from the dead till he started his bloodbath in Gotham. Telling them all how wrong they were, and even attacking them. Jason was a iconic victim, but too often everything about him gets unfairly victimized.

[Jackalope89]

Jason was the one who rejected them with his return. None of them knew he was even back from the dead till he started his bloodbath in Gotham. Telling them all how wrong they were, and even attacking them. Jason was a iconic victim, but too often everything about him gets unfairly victimized.

Leading up to and after his death, Jason was called "angry", "out of control", and "excessive" by Bruce and Alfred. Which, the only times he could come close, was for the rapist that fell to his death, and some nameless crook that was shooting him, Jason broke his collar bone. Prior, he really was a good Robin.

[K. Jones]

So I read this. I have a lot of the same critiques, bits, bobs and observations as most would. Continuing my same track from last issue, I'm like "art's lovely, Johns' still hasn't done anything to sell me on why this story exists". And I don't even mean that within the context of Batman Historical Comics Continuity, I mean that within the context of this story itself as a singular entity. There's this concept he threw out there. A wild concept, if not exactly a high concept. But it seems a bit thin to stretch out three super-sized issues into a premium format special series to explore this concept. So while I like individual elements of these two issues, can't say until it's over whether the exercise is worth it or not.

Also, this issue, frankly, the differences between Comedian Joker and Clown Joker are even less pronounced. Other than the overt reference to "Comedian's" Killing Joke origins, you'd be hard-pressed to really see much difference between them. Because 80s Joker is a character evolution of the same guy who was 60s and 70s Joker, the only thing that really makes them stand apart from one another is "Comedian" has this fantasy about Jeannie from TKJ, while "Clown" brought back Gaggy and the Shark. They otherwise more or less act the same, and muddling that even worse is that "Comedian" bashes up Jason with a crowbar and waxes nostalgic about what it was like the first time ... while "Clown" did the same thing last issue. So which one smashed up Jason in the 80s? Is there a point drawing distinctions between these Jokers if it's going to be muddled? And is there a point making "Three" of them when they're all the character arc or evolution of the same guy?

I'm not convinced there's a good reason to play out a story where there's Three Jokers that are different guys instead of just Three or Four "Phases" that Joker's gone through as a person.

[Godlike13]

Leading up to and after his death, Jason was called "angry", "out of control", and "excessive" by Bruce and Alfred. Which, the only times he could come close, was for the rapist that fell to his death, and some nameless crook that was shooting him, Jason broke his collar bone. Prior, he really was a good Robin.

And? He was dead so what does it matter what they called him as he wasn't around to hear it, and even still being called "angry", "out of control", and "excessive" is pretty tame. So they had some criticisms. So what.

[Jackalope89]

And? He was dead so what does it matter what they called him as he wasn't around to hear it, and even still being called "angry", "out of control", and "excessive" is pretty tame. Ooh, they had some criticisms. So what.

It was all in part for blaming him for his death.

[Sergard]

Okay, I thought about it a little bit. I wasn't sure if I like the second issue or if I'm triggered - and now I've decided that it's both.
I actually enjoy the story - but I also don't spend a second on considering this canon. It's good as a stand-alone - and from Jason's point of view an alternate version of Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 (released on March 20 2013). At least there are some similar elements - including Joker talking about himself as three people.

Jason being completely naked is weird though. People criticize the kiss scene for exploiting Barbara as a character - but this is considered fine? That's kind of a double standard. I'm sure people would have been mad if it had been Barbara instead of Jason.

[Dark_Tzitzimine]

Okay, I thought about it a little bit. I wasn't sure if I like the second issue or if I'm triggered - and now I've decided that it's both.
I actually enjoy the story - but I also don't spend a second on considering this canon. It's good as a stand-alone - and from Jason's point of view an alternate version of Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 (released on March 20 2013). At least there are some similar elements - including Joker talking about himself as three people.

Jason being completely naked is weird though. People criticize the kiss scene for exploiting Barbara as a character - but this is considered fine? That's kind of a double standard. I'm sure people would have been mad if it had been Barbara instead of Jason.

Jason isn't naked here though, he's wearing a pair of black shorts. And he's in that state because is a call-back to the Cleansing ritual shown in RHATO #5




Also, in RHATO #18 Jason isn't really talking to the Joker but to the part of his mind that represents his deepest fears, that takes the form of the Joker for obvious reasons.

See this is why I'm not impressed at all about Johns' hot takes about Jason in Three Jokers. Everything is just a rehash of stuff that writers with a far better handling of the character have tackled in the past. Johns' take comes off like someone with a shallow knowledge of the character writing fanfiction and acting all smug about their take being something really special when is just a pale shadow of others' works. Something that perfectly describes every attempt of Johns' at Moore's body of work, now that I think about it.

[Sergard]

Jason isn't naked here though, he's wearing a pair of black shorts. And he's in that state because is a call-back to the Cleansing ritual shown in RHATO #5

[...]

I was referring to Three Jokers #2.

[Dark_Tzitzimine]

Ah, my bad.

Well the answer is simple, another clumsy attempt of Johns to emulate TKJ, and show how "deep" his writing is.