DC Comics just revealed a new series called The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox, which will have readers following the unreliable narration of the Joker as he is the only villain speaking after a grisly murder. The Clown Prince of Crime will tell "seemingly unconnected" stories to Gotham City Police Department about his fellow inmates, leaving readers to decide what happened and whether the Joker's accounts can be trusted.
The Joker Presents: A Puzzle Box #1 will be a seven-issue miniseries by Matthew Rosenberg (Future State: Dark Detective), Jesus Merino (Justice Society of America), Joshua Hixon (Shanghai Red), and Ulises Arreola (Justice League Dark). The solicit reveals that Gotham Police will discover a dead body and a magical box, all while the most dangerous villains are in jail. In order to solve the crime, they turn to the one person who is willing to spill the beans: the Joker. Throughout the series, the Joker's description of each of his fellow inmate's activities will be what the G.C.D.P. will have to go on. Can they trust his word or does Joker have something bigger at play?
Readers will be left attempting to solve the puzzle weaved by the Joker. Unlettered preview images for the series show Jim Gordon and another cop (potentially Harvey Bullock) interrogating the Joker deep into the night. It seems Joker's tales grow immediately tiring for the pair of cops, as they're seen arguing with one another before they start yelling at him. Joker, who has blood splattered on his jacket, just smiles and laughs as he's handcuffed and chained up. Check out the cover for the series by Chip Zdarsky.
The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox #1 will feature additional covers from Riccardo Federicci, Christopher Mooneyham, and a 1:25 variant from Merino. Throughout the series, a rotating team of artists will draw the different tales from the Joker, including Mooneyham, Merino, including Keron Grant, Dani Domo Stanton, Ricardo Ortiz, Vanessa Del Rey, and Juni Ba.
DC Comics revealed subscribers of their DC Universe Infinite comic book subscription service will get early access to a "Director's Cut Bonus Box," on June 7. The director's cut will help readers stay "two steps ahead of the Joker," with additional clues about the murder mystery - those same clues will be in the print edition of the miniseries. The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox #1 will be 40 pages and releases in both digital and print formats on August 3. Will readers be able to solve the Joker's murder mystery before all is said and done?