Batman: The Man Who Laughs (One-Shot) (Repost)

Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a one-shot prestige format comic book by Ed Brubaker (winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Writer) and Doug Mahnke, released in February 2005, and intended as a sequel to Batman: Year One. It tells the story of Batman's first encounter with the Joker in post-Crisis continuity. The book is similar in format and cover typography to the famous 1988 one-shot Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. The storyline is based on the Joker's original introduction in Batman #1 (1940). While the story seems to take place directly after Year One, the beginning is tied into the ending of Batman and the Mad Monk, in which Gordon reveals the warehouse of corpses. The story "Images" in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50 (September 1993), taking place some time after their first meeting (according to Batman), is tied into continuity as Batman's second encounter with The Joker. The title is a reference to the movie The Man Who Laughs, based on the book of the same name by Victor Hugo, whose star, Conrad Veidt, was an inspiration for The Joker. Belongs right up there alongside The Killing Joke as the definitive Joker story. Hilary Goldstein of IGN ranked The Man Who Laughs #22 on a list of the 25 best Batman graphic novels (Number one is Batman: Year One).

A mysterious maniac is murdering prominent citizens of Gotham City, each time leaving a ghastly grin on the victims' faces. Batman soon tracks down the killer: the Joker! This volume gives readers new insight into the early encounters between Batman and The Joker that led the Clown Prince of Crime down the path to insanity. – solicitation, dccomics.com