Batman: The Smile Killer is due out June 23 from the Eisner Award-winning team of writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino…and today DC Comics has shared the first interior pages from the forthcoming one shot.
The book is a follow-up to the recently-completed Batman story the duo did, Joker: Killer Smile. Both of these are part of DC’s prestige imprint, Black Label. The first book was essentially about a psychotherapist who was (somewhat arrogantly) trying to treat and cure an imprisoned Joker. The psychotherapist was not able to do that, he was drawn into The Joker’s mania, violence ensured, and a pretty good comic book emerged.
The second story involves a young Bruce Wayne who has grown up watching a clown-centric show called The Mr. Smiles Show. The twist here is that — as the teaser text below points out — “the show might have been watching him back!” It’s an interesting premise to tell a Bat-story from. Mix in the stellar Sorrentino art…and well, this is one for Bat-fans to be excited about.
You can find the new artwork from Batman: The Smile Killer below, following the jump…enjoy!
Bruce Wayne grew up watching The Mr. Smiles Show – and the show might have been watching him back! And not only was young Bruce watching, he was listening… listening as Mr. Smiles spoke across the airwaves only to him… Lemire and Sorrentino land one last gut-punch to the mythos of the Batman, turning it on its head in the most devastating trick The Joker has ever devised!
Batman: The Smile Killer is a $5.99 Prestige Format one-shot available on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The book will feature DC’s “Black Label” content descriptor, appropriate for readers 17 and older.
