John Carpenter Joins DC Universe to Co-Write Joker: Year of the Villain

The pre-Comic-Con announcements have started to kick off, but it seems like the latest from DC Comics will be tough to beat. Fan-favorite filmmaker John Carpenter has turned his eye toward the Year of the Villain and will be penning a new adventure featuring Batman’s greatest villain.

The mind behind The Thing, Halloween, They Live, and countless other cinematic classics will join Anthony Burch, writer of Borderlands 2 and League of Legends, for DC Comics’ The Joker: Year of the Villain #1. The one-shot comic will feature art from Philip Tan and Marc Deering; check out their awesome cover for the 40-page story below!

DC described the plot for Carpenter’s DC debut thusly:

“Now a human-alien hybrid, Lex Luthor has made his appeal to the world, asking its citizens to embrace doom and give in once and for all to evil, humanity’s true nature. In exchange, he will grant them the tools to ascend to their ultimate selves. While some DC villains (and heroes) are willing to hear what ‘Apex Lex’ has to offer, the Clown Prince of Crime isn’t going to wait around until Lex gets to him. 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.”

“The Joker is the greatest villain in comics,” said Carpenter. “I’m proud to be reunited with Anthony on this project.”

While this one-shot is the first time that Carpenter and Burch will be writing a DC story, they’re no strangers to collaborating on comic books that tell big, over-the-top and bombastic tales, having previously co-written BOOM! Studios’ Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack miniseries.

“I’m excited beyond words to be writing for Gotham’s greatest villain,” said co-writer Burch. “I hope the Joker’s exploits make you laugh, shudder, and grow nauseous all at once.”

The Joker: Year of the Villain is a 40-page one-shot priced at $4.99 and debuts in comic book stores and online retailers on Wednesday, October 2.

Expect to hear much more about this story and more DC Comics offerings at San Diego Comic-Con next week.