WRITER EXCLUSIVE
Chip Zdarsky reveals the secret origin of Batman’s arch-enemy in The Joker: Year One
IN THE WORKS since Chip Zdarsky started writing Batman in July 2022, The Joker: Year One shines new light on the origins of the Clown Prince of Crime.
“In a lot of ways, it’s been in my head since my first page of Batman,” Zdarsky tells Red Alert. “I always knew we were going to explore this period of Batman and Joker’s history, right after his fateful acid bath. I just wasn’t sure what form it was going to take.”
Rather than a separate publication, the three-parter is serialised in the pages of Batman itself, beginning with issue 142. “The main reason is that this story is building on what we’ve been doing in the Batman title as there are ties to my previous book, Batman: The Knight and to the current Batman of Zur-En-Arrh storyline,” explains Zdarsky, referring respectively to his 2022 maxi-series and the recent return of the Dark Knight’s alternate personality.
“It’s being revealed to Batman at the same time as it’s happening to the readers. It’s not a standalone story, though it can still be read as one. Also, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s original Batman: Year One was published in the Batman monthly series, so it felt right to continue that!”
Zdarsky also delved into some more recent storylines. “Tom King and Mitch Gerads have just fleshed out that Batman issue one story in Batman: The Brave And The Bold, so I’ve mostly been keeping up with their take to make sure things line up with my story,” he continues. “The other comics that I’ve been referencing a lot are Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Zero Year issues, as it’s the
