Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder teased the origin of Absolute Joker for months. Then, it was released in December and was a perfect way to end an amazing year of content.
In Absolute Batman No. 15, readers learned that The Joker (who goes by Grimm) has been around since the late 1800s. In that time, he was responsible for some of the worst atrocities in human history. That includes everything that happened during World War II. What Scott Snyder didn’t tell us was that it was only the beginning of Grimm’s horrific story.
Absolute Batman: Ark M creative team
- Writer: Frank Tieri and Scott Snyder
- Artist: Joshua Hixson
- Colors: Roman Stevens
Absolute Batman: Ark M starts with Dr. Amadeus Arkham talking to a man who bought Arkham Asylum. As Amadeus tours the facility with its new owner, he’s telling a story that we later learn comes from his journal. It’s a tale about how the deaths of his mother and siblings led to a desire to help people in need of assistance with their mental health. This goal leads to him building Arkham Asylum.
While Arkham Asylum is running, two people of significance come into Amadeus’ life. The first is a killer named Jack. The second is an unnamed boy who shows up at the hospital’s doorstep covered in blood. Whose blood it was is unclear. Nevertheless, Arkham takes the boy under his wing. Eventually, he became like a son to him. They even had a phrase that kept them going when things got bad. It was “Tomorrow’s a new page.”
Eventually, there’s a breakout that leads to multiple deaths. Initially, the thought is that Jack escaped, released all of the prisoners, and became the most notorious serial killer of all time. Part of that is true. The person who caused the breakout became a serial killer. However, it was the young boy who released the prisoners and killed Jack. And, to make it worse, that boy is the same person who purchased Arkham Asylum. They're both the man known as Grimm.
"The boy did it all just to make a fool of me, my hopes, my beliefs. He's the monster... the one laughing in the dark, always laughing."Dr. Amadeus Arkham
Scott Snyder and Frank Tieri are two writers I will never doubt, and putting them together was a wonderful way to start a new year in comics. In Absolute Batman: Ark M, they didn’t just tell more of Absolute Joker’s origin. Readers learned that Grimm had been evil and manipulative long before he became an adult.
If I had to guess, there’s more to Absolute Joker’s story. We’re only getting pieces as a way to build up the monster of DC Comics’s Absolute Universe. And, when the final chapter in Grimm’s life is written, he will go down as one of the most devious characters in comics. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out if that’s the case.