Writer: Chuck Dixon, Penciller: Jim Aparo, Inker: John Cebollero, Colorists: Noelle Giddins, James Sinclair, Letterer: Bill Oakley, Editor: Andy Helfer, Assistant Editor: Harvey Richards
CHUCK DIXON!!! What else do I need to say?
Okay...well maybe a little more.
Oh how Oh HOW... I wish he was back at DC, writing for the characters I love. Dixon knows these characters and knows how to tell a story. Alright...I'm done...oops one more....DIXON!!!Come BACK!!!
Cough cough...I think I'm good now....
The Demon Laughs is mostly a stage for Joker. All the other characters are just cameo's circling around the master. The covers of the single issues are awesome. The interior art is passable, no two page splashes, mostly just story, but Aparo's facial expressions for the Joker are great.
The Plot: Joker is recruited by Ra's Al Ghul in his plan to reshape the world into his view of Utopia. It is all that Batman can do to track these two down to stop them before these partners in crime
succeed.
SPIOLERS (minor):
Good ol' Ra's really got more then what he bargained for when he decided to use Joker in his plans. Joker "doesn't care if he wins or loses," he just want's part of the game. Ra's playing the straight man to Joker's high jinx's was perfect. After all, Ra's is uptight, straight laced, and arrogant, a great foil for all of Joker's one liners.
The biggest problem I have with this story is the same problem I have with all of these types of plots. Whether it is Ra's Al Ghul or Lex Luther...recruiting Joker. I have trouble believing that these particular straight men would actually illicit help from Joker. Ra's is a maniacal master mind in his own standing. WHY would he break anyone out of Arkham for help, when they couldn't break themselves out of Arkham...etc?
The other thing is that it is mostly a Joker story...not much of a Batman story, but even with that, while reading... I came to want more Ra's/Joker panels just to see Jokers high jinxes with Ra's.
