Batman: The Man Who Laughs #[nn]

The Joker's chalk-white face dominates this hardcover collection, rendered in unsettling close-up by Doug Mahnke — green hair, yellow-green eyes gleaming, and that infamous wide grin pulled tight as he holds up a playing card bearing the Batman symbol. The image says everything about the dynamic at the heart of this story: Gotham's greatest villain treating the Dark Knight as just another card in his hand. Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Doug Mahnke make for a compelling creative pairing, and this 2008 DC hardcover is a fine way to experience their take on Batman's most unpredictable nemesis.