Joker finished laughing, a comic that tells us more about the personality of the Joker. And that's not very reassuring…
One volume, two stories
In Joker fini de rire, we discover two stories that revolve around clown of crime. In the first title of Sain of Mind, which dates from 1994, the Joker manages to kill Batman. An unexpected stroke of luck but which paid off. What will become of him without his Nemesis? This is the question he asks himself and the only answer he finds is to find a quiet little life. But when you've killed hundreds of people and injured more, it's not easy to forget everything… The media is picking up the case, no more Batman or Joker, but what are they doing? And Gordon who does not know how to react in this turmoil of questions. The second, The Devil's Advocate released in 1996, the Joker finds himself on trial for a case of poisoned stamps. If he loses, it will be death row. He says he is innocent and only Batman seems to believe him, the latter will try to prove his innocence. Moral dilemma for those who accompany him: let an innocent die or get rid of a murderous madman permanently. For the black knight, there is no hesitation, justice above all. 
The 90s, another era
One may be surprised when reading this volume to find it more violent than some current stories. Well, it's about this crazy Joker, who doesn't care about others, but violence is present. The opening of the first story is done on a circus parade. The Joker is one of them and has fun throwing explosive juggling balls into the crowd. There are dead and injured among the children and parents who had come to see and have fun. As for the second story, it is violent but in a more direct way. Like in this scene where the Joker beats a fellow prisoner with his shoe. All this remains justified, we are talking here about an unstable and sadistic man. Like in killing joke where he has fun with Oracle and ends up making her paraplegic.
Two authors, two cartoonists
J.Mr. DeMatteis is on the script and Joe Staton is on the drawing for Sain d'esprit. It is always interesting to see drawings that are starting to date. The first boards can sting the eyes, but soon enough, we dive into the story. A story quite well crafted because it starts from the premise that the Joker succeeds in what he has always tried: kill Batman. The rest for the criminal clown is more complicated because integrating into a system that he rejects and that has rejected him, proves difficult, even if he finds love… Devil's Advocate is written by Chuck Dixon and drawn by Graham Nolan. It takes the opposite of the previous story, the Joker does not wish for redemption. On the contrary, he brags during his trial of all that he has done and of his murderous genius. This is another facet that is explored here, that of successfully turning any situation to one's advantage. Stato's drawings perfectly succeed in transcribing the madness of the Joker. Whether he is disgruntled, dismissive, or hilarious, his trait does justice to this iconic character of the DC Universe. 
Joker fini de rire is a comic book published by Urban that is primarily aimed at fans of the Joker, but also at others who enjoy the franchise. It's nice to have two stories centered on this famous enemy of Batman. It is an interesting and enjoyable book to read that should have a good place in libraries.
