- Switch
- Available from DC Comics
- 64 Pages
- Writer: Devin Grayson
- Artist: John Bolton
- Letters: Todd Klein
The Joker's Lost His Smile...
The plot of Switch is next to impossible to describe -- not because it doesn't have one, but because it barely makes sense even to the veteran comic book reader. The Joker is wrecking havoc in London, England, after being transferred there from Arkham Asylum for corrective cosmetic surgery. The theory is that if they can fix his face, maybe his fractured mind will follow.
Instead, the insane physician who claimed he could help the Joker has removed his mouth and put it on the back of his head, for no apparent reason other than because he could. The Joker doesn't know this and instead believes his smile has been 'stolen' (all the while conducting conversations with himself, one voice internal, one voice external). In a bizarre twist, he decides that the only way to be the Joker once more is to take up the mantle of detective--in essence, changing places with Batman--to find out what happened to his ghoulish grin and get it back.
The storyline gets weirder still as it's discovered that the doctor who did this to the Joker has performed the same sort of disfiguring procedure on countless other victims. Of course, it's up to Batman to stop him and set things right.
Tech Specs and Final Verdict
Devin Grayson, a fan favorite comic book writer and the only woman to ever be assigned a regular gig on a Batman title, takes us inside the twisted psyche of the Joker with such grace and ease that it's a pleasure. She shows the wholly illogical, upside down thought processes of the Joker, something that few comics writers before or since have pulled off so admirably. He comes off as a sympathetic victim in Switch rather than a wisecracking evil mastermind--a tortured, broken soul whose only real crime is being so insane he can't possibly know right from wrong.
The script lacks a little depth when it comes to Batman himself, however. Gotham's guardian seems two-dimensional and lifeless, appearing to be a brute rather than the world's greatest detective. It's a slap in the face to Batman fans everywhere to see one of the DC Universe's brightest minds reduced to nothing more than a pair of fists and a scowl. Yet, since the story is meant to focus on the Joker and how he sees the world, perhaps it can be forgiven. In fact, that might be what Grayson was trying to tell us--that in the Joker's mind, Batman is nothing but a bruiser.
Then again, maybe it was just weak characterization.
What makes Switch really special is John Bolton's artwork. Bolton deals in painted pages, each panel a masterpiece and very different from anything else in comics today. A distinctive style is considered by many to be what makes a great comic book artist and after reading Switch, there's no way you can look at a piece of Bolton's art and not know whose work it is. His chaotic yet oddly fluid pieces compliment the surreal script so well that it almost makes up for any deficiencies to be found in the plot and characterization. His monstrous portrayals of the evil doctor and his horrific experiments are truly disturbing.
However, reading Switch, you can see points where Bolton could've taken his artwork further into the realm of the macabre, making the visuals as razor sharp and arresting as the script indicates they ought to be. Instead, the artwork--while beautiful--seems watered down and tame compared to what it could have been. This is hardly an all ages story, but the art is pretty family friendly when measured next to the pieces in Arkham Asylum or other similar horror-based Batman titles.
The biggest problem with Switch also springs from its biggest selling point. The book offers you a look inside the Joker's sick, inside out mind, which is enticing--but the idea in practice comes across as terribly confusing. That's both the beauty of it and its flaw. Trying to make sense of nonsense can be frustrating when there are other comic books out there that will tell a cohesive, coherent Joker story, but this is probably the most accurate portayal of the Joker in recent history.
Still, the little scenic side trips--while confusing at times--are enjoyable for those looking to take a peek at the inner workings of one of comics' most disturbed men. It's fascinating, surreal and downright weird, but then again, what else would you expect from the Joker's inner thoughts?
Lydia Ballard - A writer who got her start in the perilous world of fan fiction, Lydia Ballard is an aspiring comic book writer and self proclaimed lover ...
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