Customer Reviews
Classy Joker novel with superb surreal art - By: BatDan, 24 Sep 2008 
I enjoyed this Joker story which sees the Joker released from Arkham by a corrupt parole board. The Joker then attempts to frame Batman using misleading & then faked photographs, while blackmailing one of Bruce Wayne's childhood friends into helping him.
Sam Kieth's artwork is my favourite thing about this graphic novel. His portayal of the Joker gives a surreal & insane feel to the story which fits the Joker perfectly. The story itself is good although not spectacular, but I liked the idea of the interludes, which see Batman & Joker having conversations about the story & also previous encounters, including a reference to 'The Killing Joke'.
I've mentionedin previous reviews that I prefer Batman when he's working alone, & this story is another example of how batman has more depth when the story isn't cluttered by lesser members of the Batman family hogging the limelight.
Overall 'Batman - Secrets' is a classy novel which, although not on the same level as 'Killing Joke' or 'The Man Who Laughs', is worth it's placein the Batman canon of stories. It's worth reading just for the artwork & definately makes my Top 5 Joker stories list.
the real phyco - By: Mr. J. Black, 07 Apr 2008 
wow what a book, this book portrays the real dark side to the joker, with some fantastic gothic artwork to boot,
"Well, here we are again. Trapped in the same hell together, on opposite sides." - By: R. Wood, 19 Mar 2008 Batman & the Joker have always had quite the rivalry, perhaps the most iconicin the whole superhero/super villain genre. Both are polar opposites, yet also have morein common than one might think. It's because of this bond that has made them both world-famous, & allowed the greatest Batman stories to be told. The most notable examples being The Killing Joke & A Deathin the Family, as well as animated classics Batman: Mask of the Phantasm & Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
As the Joker saysin this graphic novel, "Well, here we are again. Trappedin the same hell together, on opposite sides," & that sums up Batman: Secretsin a very nice nutshell. Although by no means a major turning-point like The Killing Joke & A Deathin the Family, this is a Batman-Joker tale unlike anything that's been done before, & as such, it's an experiment that produces some really high-quality stuff.
The premise is that the Joker is out of prison again. But instead of escaping, he's actually been granted parole this time. If that's not enough, he claims he's reformed, has written his autobiography & has settled down with Gotham's assistant district attorney, Terry Ammons.
Naturally, this `reformed' Joker isn't to be taken for granted. Soon after his release, the Clown Prince of Crime commits a murder & cleverly frames Batman for victimisation. As the Dark Knight struggles to clear his name to a rampaging media, the Joker's campaign targets an old acquaintance of Bruce Wayne's, & soon threatens to uncover the darkest secrets of all those involvedin this twisted scheme.
The most striking thing about Batman: Secrets is obviously the artwork. This is Sam Kieth's story & he presents the perfect visuals to accompany his writing. The artwork is very surreal, very nightmarish & very Tim Burton-esque. Needless to say, it's a style that suits Batman, & works really well, & Alex Sinclair's colours truly brings it all to lifein a horrifically beautiful way.
Sam Keith's storytelling has been restrained to focusing purely on the characters he felt was best to tell this mini-series with, & that's not only sensible, but admirable, as it allows something new to be done with Batman & the Joker. It also brings the other central characters A.D.A. Terry Ammons & journalist Mooley Williams into the fold, thus debuting fascinating extensions of the hero & villain, & interesting charactersin their own right.
The whole theme of Secrets is based around...well, secrets. But it's not as obvious as it may seem, which is surprising & laudable. Because again, it's stuff that's original. An incident from Bruce Wayne's childhood, details of the Joker's release, the reasons for Terry fallingin love with the killer clown, & exactly how Mooley's career started are all secrets that define their roles, link them together & strengthen the already engrossing concept of this story.
Another reason why I really enjoyed Secrets was because of the fact that it's not just another round of the Joker being hell-bent on destroying the Dark Knight & all he cares about. This is mostly between Batman & his greatest enemy, that not only provides the psychological warfare we all enjoy reading but also some really haunting interaction. The kind that hasn't been done before.
The story is broken up by some absolutely excellent interludes which feature only Batman & the Joker talking with one anotherin pitch black nothingness, & it's here where Sam Kieth really stands out with his writing & artwork. The hero & villain discuss so much about their rivalry & secretsin conversational moments that are not only believable, well-scripted & inventive, but are also eerie, haunting & visually stunning. It's such a refreshing take on the Batman/Joker feud & perhaps the high-point of the whole book, I'd say.
Because this is Batman vs. the Joker, you can naturally expect it to be really, REALLY dark. There is disturbing content present here which is at the same level of thatin The Killing Joke & A Deathin the Family. So be warned that this is best suited for mature readers. I personally didn't find it off-putting, but others may. The whole read is quite quick & `over before you know it' as well, which is a shame as this is such a deep, grim & enthralling tale that could`ve gone on longer.
My nitpicks are just nitpicks, really. Batman: Secrets is another classic featuring the Dark Knight & his greatest nemesis that the `machine' has recently demanded & got, as the Joker says. Like I said, it doesn't change the current status quoin Batman, but it doesn't really need to. Batman: Secrets is a recent masterpiece that I feel every fan should own. The artwork is obviously its greatest strength, but it also has an excellent story to back it up. A really magnificent graphic novel indeed.
Such a shame... - By: Bungle, 15 Jul 2007 
After reading this novel, i am sorry to say that the story is terrible. At first after flicking through this book i enjoyed the surrealness & different style of the art presented by sam keith. It really is a shame because it is obvious the artist has talent with most of his depictions of batman brilliantly presented. However the warped presentation of the joker gradually becomes more & more aggrevating, showing him as small & weak as batman himself is around 4 times bigger than himin every scene.
The story is just plain boring, nothing special, just an average batman-gets-framed story. The joker also seems like a completely different character even though he does show his darker side at parts. Also, the story has barely any actionin it meaning its focusing on the medias representation of batman. Allin all, if youre looking for a graphic novel with much action, stay away from this. The art is also VERY subjective & i can imagine it not being very popular with most comic book fans.
Dark and surreal; an essential read - By: Susan P. Butts, 01 Jul 2007 I picked this one up at my local bookstore because it was low-priced. Well, I read it within a few nights & was very pleased. First off, the art here is donein an unusual, somewhat hyper manner (the joker's face, at one point, is stretchedin a manner that makes one think one's having a bad acid trip). The characters can look deformed or warped sometimes, but this actually adds to the mood set by the story. The basic theme here is actually news stories, & the public is led to believe Batman is guilty of a crime he didn't commit. Guess who frames him. Anyway, the story here has many layers & it keeps jumping back to one occurrencein Bruce Wayne's past; one that has never been touched on before. I won't spoil it for you, just know that you'rein for a very noir experience.
