The first thing that hits you about Sam Kieth’s collected Batman vs Joker series Secrets, is where the influence for his style of Joker comes from – straight from Dave McKean’s interpretation of the character in Arkham Asylum, all bug-eyed and manic-looking. In contrast to McKean’s vision, however, his Batman’s veering towards the freaky too, with an extraordinarily large jaw set on a muscular body of Herculean proportions.
The story is traditional Bats vs Joker though, as Batman finds his life falling apart as Joker frames him for a crime he, of course, didn’t commit. Joker complicates things by dragging up some ghosts from Batman’s past (like he hasn’t already got enough of those) to distract the caped crusader from the more pressing job of clearing his name and sending his adversary back to the madhouse.