7/23/08
Required Reading Edition: The Joker
Ever since his first appearance in Batman #1 in 1940, the character of the Joker has been the most captivating (and easily the most lethal) foe in Batman’s rogue gallery. No single villain has gotten under Batman’s skin or been more persistent than the self-styled “Clown Prince of Crime”. He even managed to survive a de-fanging of his character in the 1950’s that came as a result of the creation of the Comic Code Authority.
The Joker also has the distinction of having the most actors to portray him out of all of Batman’s rogues. In the 1960’s it was Cesar Romero, who basically defined how the character would be portrayed in the comics for the better part of a decade. In 1989 the legendary Jack Nicholson brought his own brand of showmanship and a much-needed homicidal edge to the role. Mark Hamill carried the torch throughout the 1990’s as the voice of the Joker in the original “Batman: The Animated Series” in the 1990’s, and longtime animation voice-over veteran Kevin Michael Richardson voiced the character for the more recent animated series entitled “The Batman”. And now the late Heath Ledger brings a hint of punk-rock anarchy to bear in the just-released “The Dark Knight”, the much anticipated sequel to “Batman Begins”. Ledger’s castmates and critics alike have hailed his performance as groundbreaking, and the previews seem to corroborate that assessment.
The Joker of the 1950’s & 1960’s lacked the killer instinct that he was created to have in the 1940’s thanks to the CCA. Thankfully, this changed in 1973 when Denny O’Neil & Neal Adams returned the character to his lethal roots as a character that would kill anyone and laugh his fool head off about it.
Since then, other comic writers have explored various aspects of this character, each more fascinating than the last. Here is a primer on the most essential Joker stories from the comics (as well as the Trade Paperback they can be found in), and also a few story nuggets you might have missed.
The Usual Suspects
Batman: The Killing Joke
Writer: Alan MooreArtist: Brian Bolland
This story remains the definitive origin of the “Clown Prince of Crime”. The Joker kidnaps Commissioner Gordon, shoots his daughter Barbara (a.k.a. Batgirl) and subjects him to multiple degradations in an attempt to drive him insane. Throughout the story he flashes back to the days before he became the Joker, when he was a struggling stand-up comedian that got talked into participating in a crime in an attempt to get some money to take care of his pregnant wife. Batman, in a rare mood of forgiveness, makes a heartfelt attempt to reason with the Joker in the hopes of rehabilitating him.
The Dark Knight Returns
Writer: Frank MillerArtists: Frank Miller & Lynn Varley
In the third chapter of this future tale where Bruce Wayne dons the batsuit once again after 10 years of self-imposed retirement, Batman and the Joker do battle one last time. The Joker, after years of being in a catatonic state at Arkham Asylum, snaps out of it upon hearing that his old nemesis has returned. That is not, however, the most memorable Joker moment in the story. Feigning sanity and an urge to repent for his past misdeeds, his doctor gets him a guest spot on “The David Endochrine Show” (For the deprived souls that haven’t read this story, he’s just a caricature – albeit a pretty accurate one – of David Letterman). The talk-show host recaps the Joker’s overall body count and adds “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you’ve been holding out on us!” The Joker retorts “I don’t keep count. I’m going to kill everyone in this room”. Dave responds with a sarcastic “Well that’s darn rude!”. True to his word, he does indeed kill them all (including Dave and his other guest, Dr. Ruth).
Batman: A Death in the Family
Writer: Jim StarlinArtist: Jim Aparo
This story arc culminates in the death of Jason Todd, the second bearer of the Robin identity, at the hands of the Joker. The grinning ghoul waylays the ill-fated sidekick, viciously assaults him with a crowbar and blows up the building he leaves him in. Batman, naturally in a foul mood after this turn of events, has to delay settling the score with the Joker when he learns that the clown has been appointed the ambassador to Iran (which, as we know from “Lethal Weapon 2”, means he can’t be arrested due to diplomatic immunity).
Many years later, Jason Todd would return from the dead in Batman: Under the Hood. Taking over the discarded former Joker identity of the Red Hood, Todd ambushes him and in a bit of forced poetic justice beats him like a piñata with – you guessed it – a crowbar.
Outrageous One-shots
“The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” (The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told)
Writer: Denny O’NeilArtist: Neal Adams
This is the tale that brought back the homicidal Joker we all know and love back to the forefront. The Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum and methodically eliminates five former henchmen one by one. Batman is always just one step behind the Joker getting his victims throughout the story, and when he actually catches him at the scene he gets cold-cocked. Though Batman is at his mercy, the Joker lets his nemesis live, citing that life just wouldn’t be as interesting without the dark knight constantly pursuing him.
“The Laughing Fish” (The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told)
Writer: Steve EnglehartArtist: Marshall Rogers
This story features one of the more bizarre motives for a Joker killing spree. The Joker releases a variant of his patented poison (where they die laughing and are left with a rigored smile on their face) into the Gotham River. The fish that are caught in the water have the signature Joker smile, and the Joker wants to make money by placing a patent on the fish and having it sold in supermarkets. When the clerk at the patent office tells him this is not possible, he is naturally the Joker’s next victim. In an homage to his first appearance, the Joker announces on the air who his next victim is going to be, and follows up with another announcement once that victim is eliminated.
It's all about the Joker
These stories have taken the Joker and placed him directly in the spotlight.
Joker: The Last Laugh
Writer: VariousArtist: Various
The premise for this story is that the Joker is informed that he has an inoperable cancer and is told he has not got much longer to live. Seething at the fact that his lifetime killing spree will be cut short, he decides that he is going to take as much of the world as possible with him by infecting his fellow criminals with a variation of his Joker poison, making them as insane as he is. The results played out in crossover tales throughout the other DC titles, with a “Jokerized” Dr. Polaris wreaking havoc with the Earth’s magnetic fields at the South Pole to silence the buzzing in his head in JLA, Solomon Grundy defacing and beheading the Statue of Liberty in JSA, and Darkseid’s illegitimate son Grayven murdering stand-up comedians in an attempt to conquer the comedy world in Green Lantern among others. It’s not the most well-executed crossover DC has ever done, but it’s definitely a must-have for Joker fans.
Joker: Devil's Advocate
Writer: Chuck DixonArtist: Graham Nolan
This little-known Joker tale picks up as the Joker gets arrested and convicted for a murder he (for once) actually didn’t commit. Instead of being escorted to his usual suite at Arkham Asylum, he gets found guilty of first degree murder and is sentenced to death. Batman, while agreeing that the Joker’s crimes have to be answered for, doesn’t much care for him being executed for a crime he is innocent of, and finds himself in the otherwise unlikely position of trying to save his life. Everyone close to Batman, including Robin and Alfred, are puzzled as to why he would stick his neck out like for the Joker, knowing that the crimes he committed would be enough to get him the death penalty many times over. The Joker, meanwhile, is amused by all the press he is getting, and decides to forego the lengthy appeals process in order to give the public the show of a lifetime with his execution. It’s only when he finds out on the date of his appointment with the chair that the execution won’t be televised that he decides he doesn’t want to die after all.
Superman: Emperor Joker
Writer: Jeph LoebArtust: Ed McGuiness
The Joker manages to get his hands on the reality-altering powers of 5th Dimensional imp & Superman annoyance Mr. Mxyzpltlk. Among the changes he makes to reality are making Bizarro #1 the preeminent superhero on the planet, Superman a semi-permanent resident of Arkham Asylum and Batman a homicide victim on a daily basis. Supes manages to hit on the Joker’s Achilles Heel by pointing out the fact that he is unable to erase Batman from existence because his existence is defined by his opposition to Bats.
A little Joker goes a long way
Even when the Joker is cast as an ensemble player in a larger drama he still finds a way to shine. Here are some tales where the Joker chews up scenery (and almost everything else).
JLA: Rock of Ages
Writer: Grant MorrisonArtist: Howard Porter
Lex Luthor, seething at the fact that Superman has joined the JLA, takes it upon himself to gather together an Injustice League, recruiting Ocean Master, Circe, Mirror Master, Dr. Light and the Joker. Luthor’s ace in the hole is an artifact known as the Philosopher’s Stone, which enables its bearer complete mastery over space and time. The Joker doesn’t really play well with the other villains, creeping out Flash rogue Mirror Master and threatening to use a nerve-gas squirting flower against Luthor. That doesn’t make him any less effective against the heroes, as Luthor devises a method to mentally link the Joker’s insane mind to a hard-light labyrinth trap that Superman and J’onn J’onzz get caught in. Later on he poses a danger to the entire world once he manages to get his hands on the Philosopher’s Stone through a bait-and-switch. J’onzz manages to get the upper hand on the Joker, telepathically forcing his mind into a rare state of sanity and giving the Flash enough time to confiscate the stone. The Joker’s reaction to his own insane actions as a sane man is flooring, and even Batman is taken aback as he uses the stone to make amends by resurrecting his latest victims before losing his sanity once again.
Outsiders: Looking For Trouble
Writer: Judd WinickArtist: Tom Raney
This story is one of the few featuring the Joker where he isn’t trying to get the better of any costumed heroes. Instead, he coerces Gorilla Grodd into leading a gorilla invasion of New York City to distract from his kidnapping of then-President Lex Luthor, who he intends to torture into giving him high tech weaponry. Just before the Outsiders track them down, Luthor baits the Joker with a statement implying that the reason he focuses on making so much trouble for Batman is that he has an unrequited homosexual crush on him. Naturally this takes the Joker out of his normally jovial mood as he decides to cut the torture short and just kill him.
The Joker at his most insane
There are two Joker stories in particular that give a disturbing insight into his insanity. They both happen to have been penned by Grant Morrison. Read into that what you will.
Arkham Asylum
Writer: Grant MorrisonArtist: Dave McKean
This disturbing tale begins with an inmate uprising at Arkham Asylum. Led by the Joker, the inmates wrest control from the administrative staff and make a series of demands to the police, the last one being that Batman join them in the asylum for a little game of hide-&-seek. Of course, the Joker is the leader of the bunch, and he has never been drawn in a more eerie fashion than by Dave Mckean. The really interesting part involving the Joker comes with the diagnosis from one of the asylum psychiatrists. She posited that his psychosis is unlike any other that their staff have come across (and to be fair, Arkham has seen a lot). She theorized that the Joker may actually be a form of super-evolved sanity that is more suited to modern urban life that allows him to constantly reinvent his own erratic behavior patterns. This diagnosis is followed up in a major way years later in our next story…
Batman and Son
Writer: Grant MorrisonArtist: Adam Kubert
Morrison’s most recent stab at the Batman character literally opens up with a bang, as a Batman impostor takes it upon himself to shoot the Joker in the face during a hostage standoff. He managed to survive the experience (albeit with facial damage that looks disturbingly similar to Heath Ledger’s version of the character ), and later in the book there is a prose chapter that takes place in Arkham Asylum once again, where the Joker is convalescing from his wounds. The doctors at Arkham reference the theory originated in Arkham Asylum and fear that the trauma from his being shot will lead the Joker to re-evolve into an even more dangerous lunatic. His actions during an attempted breakout, including his casual attitude toward killing his former flame Harley Quinn, seemed to bear the theory out.
The Bottom Line
Unlike my normal review columns, this column is meant to take on a shotgun-like approach meant to expose as much source material for an upcoming movie as possible. Read as many or as few as you like, but in my opinion they are all worth at least a look.
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