Horror maestro John Carpenter is writing a Joker comic book for DC

·Contributor

13 July 2019 at 2:55 pm

John Carpenter is set to write a new comic book featuring The Joker for DC Comics. (Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM/DC Comics)

Horror icon John Carpenter has signed up to take on the most famous villain in comic book history, co-writing a new story featuring the Clown Prince of Crime.

The 71-year-old Halloween filmmaker will join Anthony Burch, best known for penning video game Borderlands 2, to write 40-page, one-shot comic The Joker: Year of the Villain #1.

In a DC Comics press release announcing the collaboration, Carpenter described The Joker as “the greatest villain in comics” and said he was “proud” to work with Burch again.

Pleased to announce...! https://t.co/rhPLlkE9NQ
— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) July 12, 2019

The pair previously collaborated in comic book form on the Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack miniseries, spinning off from Carpenter’s 1986 comedy starring Kurt Russell.

The Joker: Year of the Villain #1 features art by Philip Tan and Marc Deering and comes in the same year as the upcoming R-rated Joker movie, starring Joaquin Phoenix.

The bizarre-sounding story for the new comic book puts Joker in direct competition with Superman villain Lex Luthor, who is now a human-alien hybrid encouraging humans to embrace evil as their true nature.

The synopsis reads: “This puts The Joker on a mission to get his swagger back in a world gone bad by out-badding everyone else, proving that the greatest evil is always the one that leaves them laughing.”

Joaquin Phoenix stars in the title role in Todd Phillips' upcoming supervillain origin tale 'Joker'. (Credit: DC/Warner Bros)

Carpenter recently celebrated a series of re-releases of his most acclaimed films and returned to the Halloween franchise last year with David Gordon Green’s reboot.

He served as executive producer, composer and creative consultant on the new film, marking his first direct involvement with a Halloween movie since 1982’s underrated Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

Carpenter hasn’t directed a film since 2010 horror The Ward, but has released numerous compilation albums of his movie score work in recent years.

The Joker: Year of the Villain #1 will be available from 9 October.

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