Joker: One Operation Joker, Vol. 1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

After falling into a similar vat of chemicals that changed the Joker into the madman he is today, Batman reverts into the form of a baby. The Clown Prince of Crime is tempted to just kill the child but he sees a greater chance at revenge by becoming the tyke's father and raising him as his son. The Joker feels that it would be a moment of great irony if someone as sick and twisted as the Joker could raise Batman into becoming a symbol of justice. 

However, raising a one-year old isn't all it's cracked up to be and it's eating into the Joker's day job as a master criminal. Hopefully, the Joker can get the child he calls 'Batbaby' into a premium daycare so the fiend can resume plotting his numerous heists. It costs a lot of money to keep a toddler in diapers and with all the sleepless nights and new found responsibility, Mr. J's bank account is just about at zero.

Joker: One Operation Joker was originally a 21-chapter manga that ran in the pages of Morning KC. Published by Kodansha under an agreement with DC Comics, the series appeared sporadically from 2021 until about early 2023. It was written by Satoshi Miyagawa (Space Battleship Tiramisu). The art is by Keisuke Gotou (sometimes spelled Goto), who is perhaps better known as the voice of Beni in the 2014 anime series DRAMAtical Murder and it's subsequent video game spin-off.

While not officially canon, Joker: One Operation Joker culls from over 80 years of Joker appearances in comics, television and movies. For example, in the first chapter, the staircase the Joker uses to exit the Gotham City subway are the very steps Joaquin Phoenix dances on in 2019's Joker. Even if you're not a big fan of manga, fans of the Joker and DC Comics will enjoy the many, many Easter eggs hidden throughout this paperback edition that contains chapters 1-7.

Don't be fooled into thinking that because this story is set in Gotham City, that it is not a traditional manga. This book is very much Japanese in terms of both the art style and the culture. The process the Joker must go through to get Batbaby into daycare is based on Japan's points system that is determined by an applying family's financial hardship and other social factors. Also, like a traditional manga, this book has to be read from right to left.

The entire Joker manga storyline was published in 3 volumes and all 21 chapters can be accessed through the DC Universe Infinite website. 

Completing this review completes Task #35 (A Manga Work) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.