Everyone wants the Joker to be supermegaevil, and that gets annoying after a while.

Listen, he's a killer. He's killed a lot and he wants to kill more. That's a basic fact of his character. But he's also CRAZY, and he's actually kinda crazy in a FUN way, even as he's homicidal. If that makes any sense.

It must make perfect sense to the creative team behind Emperor Joker, because they deliver a version of the Joker that's spot-on perfect: Homicidal, yes, but very crazy, and demented, and willing to use his crazy dementia in very frightening ways when given the power to do so.

In Emperor Joker, he gets that power--the world becomes ruled by the Joker. Not just him governing all the countries; he's literally a nigh-omnipotent presence in the universe. Which means everything within it is instantly transformed, and it's up to Superman to make things right.

There's a lot of fun little gimmicks and easter eggs scattered throughout Emperor Joker, and that shows just how much thought and planning must have gone into this arc. These writers and artists really sat down and tried to figure out just how fubar the universe would be if Joker were God. That may have been enough to land them in an asylum themselves, but it was probably worth it, because this is a fun, easy read that's perfect for a casual Superman fan or anyone who just likes good, clever superhero comics.