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| creators = [[Jerry Robinson]] (concept)<br />[[Bill Finger]]<br />[[Bob Kane]]
| creators = [[Jerry Robinson]] (concept)<br />[[Bill Finger]]<br />[[Bob Kane]]
| affiliations = [[Injustice Gang]]<br/>[[Injustice League]]<br/>[[Secret Society of Super Villains|The Society]]<br/>[[Club_of_Heroes#Other_versions|Club of Villains]]
| affiliations = [[Injustice Gang]]<br/>[[Injustice League]]<br/>[[Secret Society of Super Villains|The Society]]<br/>[[Club_of_Heroes#Other_versions|Club of Villains]]
| aliases = [[Red Hood]], Jack<!--Do not add Jack Napier without discussing it on the talk page. Otherwise, it will be removed.-->, Joseph "Joe" Kerr, Clem Rusty, Mr. Rekoj
| aliases = The Clown Prince of Crime, [[Red Hood]], Jack<!--Do not add Jack Napier without discussing it on the talk page. Otherwise, it will be removed.-->, Joseph "Joe" Kerr, Clem Rusty, Mr. Rekoj
| powers= <br>Highly Intelligent<br>Skilled chemist<br>Access to [[Joker venom]] and a variety of gadgets<br>
| powers= <br>Highly Intelligent<br>Skilled chemist<br>Access to [[Joker venom]] and a variety of gadgets<br>
Experience in hand to hand combat<br>
Experience in hand to hand combat<br>

Revision as of 04:51, 24 July 2008

Joker
File:Manwholaughs.jpg
The Joker by Doug Mahnke
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceBatman #1 (Spring 1940)[1]
Created byJerry Robinson (concept)
Bill Finger
Bob Kane
In-story information
Alter egoJack Napier
Team affiliationsInjustice Gang
Injustice League
The Society
Club of Villains
Notable aliasesThe Clown Prince of Crime, Red Hood, Jack, Joseph "Joe" Kerr, Clem Rusty, Mr. Rekoj
Abilities
Highly Intelligent
Skilled chemist
Access to Joker venom and a variety of gadgets
Experience in hand to hand combat

The Joker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940), and was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. The Joker is a master criminal, whose characterization has varied from a violent sociopath who murders people, causes chaos and commits crimes for his own amusement, to a goofy and virtually harmless trickster-thief. The character is the archenemy of Batman, and has been responsible for numerous tragedies in the Caped Crusader's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) and the murder of Jason Todd (the second Robin). Wizard magazine rated Joker as the greatest villain of all time.[2] The Joker's real identity is unknown, and there have been different takes on his origin; the most common variation depicts him as having fallen into a vat of chemicals, which bleached his skin white, dyed his hair green and turned his lips bright red, giving him the appearance of a clown.

The character has appeared in numerous Batman related media; portrayed by Cesar Romero in the 1960s Batman television series; Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman (Nicholson's version of the Joker ranks #45 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 50 film villains); voice actor Mark Hamill in the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series television series; and Heath Ledger in the 2008 Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight.

Publication history

Creation

The Joker's first appearance in Batman #1 (Spring 1940)

Bill Finger, the ghost writer co-creator of Batman, brought credited Batman creator Bob Kane a photograph of actor Conrad Veidt wearing make-up for the silent film The Man Who Laughs (1928), and from this photograph the Joker was modeled. Reference was made to this influence in the graphic novel Batman: The Man Who Laughs, a retelling of the first Joker story from 1940.

The credit for creation of the Joker is disputed. Kane responded in a 1994 interview to claims that Jerry Robinson created the concept of the character:

Bill Finger and I created the Joker. Bill was the writer. Jerry Robinson came to me with a playing card of the Joker. That's the way I sum it up. [The Joker] looks like Conrad Veidt — you know, the actor in The Man Who Laughs, [the 1928 movie based on the novel] by Victor Hugo. [...] Bill Finger had a book with a photograph of Conrad Veidt and showed it to me and said, 'Here's the Joker'. Jerry Robinson had absolutely nothing to do with it, but he'll always say he created it till he dies. He brought in a playing card, which we used for a couple of issues for him [the Joker] to use as his playing card".[3]

Robinson, whose original Joker playing card was on public display in the exhibition "Masters of American Comics" at the Jewish Museum in New York City, New York, from September 16, 2006 to January 28, 2007, and the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in Atlanta, Georgia from October 24, 2004 to August 28, 2005, has countered that:

Bill Finger knew of Conrad Veidt because Bill had been to a lot of the foreign films. Veidt ... had this clown makeup with the frozen smile on his face. When Bill saw the first drawing of the Joker, he said, 'That reminds me of Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs.' He said he would bring in some shots of that movie to show me. That's how that came about. I think in Bill's mind, he fleshed out the concept of the character.[4]

1940s

In his initial dozen or so appearances, starting with Batman #1 (1940), the Joker was a straightforward mass murderer, with a bizarre appearance modeled after the symbol of the Joker known from playing cards. He was slated to be killed in his second appearance,[5] but editor Whitney Ellsworth suggested that the character be spared. A hastily drawn panel, demonstrating that the Joker was still alive, was subsequently added to the comic.[6]

For the next several appearances, the Joker often escaped capture but suffered an apparent death (falling off a cliff, being caught in a burning building, etc.), from which his body was not recovered. In these first dozen adventures, the Joker killed close to three dozen people.

1950s and 1960s

In the 1950s and 1960s, following the imposition of the Comics Code Authority censorship board, the Joker shifted toward becoming a harmless, cackling nuisance. He disappeared from Batman stories almost entirely when Julius Schwartz took over editorship of the Batman comics in 1964.

1970s-1980s

Batman #251 (Sept. 1973). Art by Neal Adams.

In 1973, the character was revived and profoundly revised in Batman stories by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams. Beginning in Batman #251, with "The Joker's Five Way Revenge", the Joker returns to his roots as a homicidal maniac who casually murders people on a whim, while enjoying battles of wits with Batman.[7] O'Neil said his idea was "simply to take it back to where it started. I went to the DC library and read some of the early stories. I tried to get a sense of what Kane and Finger were after."[8] Writer Steve Englehart and penciler Marshall Rogers, in an acclaimed run in Detective Comics #471-476 (Aug. 1977 - April 1978), which went on to influence the 1989 movie Batman and be adapted for the 1990s animated series,[9] added elements deepening the severity of the Joker's insanity. In the story "The Laughing Fish", the Joker is brazen enough to disfigure fish with a rictus grin, then expect to be granted a federal trademark on them, only to start threatening and attempting to murder bureaucrats who try to explain that obtaining such a claim on a natural resource is a legal impossibility.[10][11]

The Joker had his own nine-issue series during the 1970s in which he faces off against a variety of both superheroes and supervillains. Although he was the protagonist of the series, certain issues feature just as much murder as those in which he was the antagonist; of the nine issues, he commits murder in seven. The development of the Joker as a sociopath continues with the issues "A Death in the Family" (in which readers voted for the character to kill off Jason Todd)[12] and The Killing Joke in 1988, redefining the character for DC's Modern Age after the company wide reboot following Crisis on Infinite Earths.[13][14]

Harley Quinn

A major addition to the character was the introduction of Harley Quinn. Originally introduced in Batman: The Animated Series, Quinn is a clinical psychiatrist who falls hopelessly in love with the Joker in Arkham Asylum and now serves as his loyal, if daffy, sidekick, costumed in a skintight harlequin suit. Their partnership often resembles an abusive domestic relationship, with the Joker insulting, hurting, or even attempting to kill Quinn, who remains undaunted in her devotion.[15] She was popular enough to be integrated into the comics in 1999 and a modified version of the character (less goofy, but still criminally insane and utterly committed to the Joker) was also featured on the short-lived live-action TV series Birds of Prey.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Though many have been related, a definitive backstory has never been established for the Joker in the comics, and his real name has never been confirmed. He has been portrayed as lying so often about his former life that he himself is confused as to what actually happened. As he says in The Killing Joke: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!"[13] In Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth written by Grant Morrison, it is said that the Joker may not be insane, but has some sort of "super-sanity" in which he creates himself each day to cope with the chaotic flow of modern urban life.[16]

The Joker, before the accident, with his pregnant wife. Art by Brian Bolland from The Killing Joke

The first origin account, Detective Comics #168 (February 1951), revealed that the Joker had once been a criminal known as the Red Hood. In the story, he was a scientist looking to steal from the company that employs him and adopts the persona of Red Hood. After committing the theft, which Batman thwarts, Red Hood falls into a vat of chemical waste. He emerges with bleached white skin, red lips, green hair, and a permanent grin.[17][18]

The most widely cited backstory, which the official DC Comics publication, Who's Who in the DC Universe, credits as the most widely believed account, can be seen in The Killing Joke. It depicts him as originally being an engineer at a chemical plant who quits his job to become a stand-up comedian, only to fail miserably. Desperate to support his pregnant wife, Jeannie, the man agrees to help two criminals break into the plant where he was formerly employed. In this version of the story, the Red Hood persona is given to the inside man of every job (thus it is never the same man twice); this makes the man appear to be the ringleader, allowing the two criminals to escape. During the planning, police contact him and inform him that his wife and unborn child have died in a household accident.[13][14]

The Joker emerges from chemical-ridden water and goes insane in The Killing Joke. Art by Brian Bolland.

Stricken with grief, he attempts to back out of the plan, but the criminals strong-arm him into keeping his promise. As soon as they enter the plant, however, they are immediately caught by security and a shoot-out ensues, in which the two criminals are killed. As the engineer tries to escape, he is confronted by Batman, who is investigating the disturbance. Terrified, the engineer leaps over a rail and plummets into a vat of chemicals. When he surfaces in the nearby reservoir, he removes the hood and sees his reflection: bleached chalk-white skin, ruby-red lips, and bright green hair. These events, coupled with his other misfortunes that day, drive the engineer completely insane, resulting in the birth of the Joker.[13][14]

The story "Pushback" (Batman: Gotham Knights # 50-55) supports part of this version of the Joker's origin story. In it, a witness (who coincidentally turns out to be Edward Nigma, a.k.a. the Riddler) recounts that the Joker's wife was kidnapped and murdered by the criminals in order to force the engineer into performing the crime. In this version, the pre-accident Joker is called Jack.[19]

The Paul Dini-Alex Ross story "Case Study" proposes a far different theory. This story suggests that the Joker was a sadistic gangster who worked his way up Gotham's criminal food chain until he was the leader of a powerful mob. Still seeking the thrills that dirty work allowed, he created the Red Hood identity for himself so that he could commit small-time crimes. Eventually, he had his fateful first meeting with Batman, resulting in his disfigurement. However, the story suggests that the Joker retained his sanity, and researched his crimes to look like the work of a sick mind in order to pursue his vendetta against Batman.

The latter origin is featured in the second arc of Batman Confidential (#7-12). This origin once more states his name as Jack, and eliminates the Red Hood identity. Bored with his work, Jack becomes obsessed with Batman, and crashes a museum ball to attract his attention. In doing so, he badly injures Lorna Shore (whom Bruce Wayne is dating). An enraged Batman disfigures his face with a batarang as he escapes. In retaliation, a furious Batman sells Jack out to mobsters who he had crossed, who torture Jack in a disused chemical plant. Turning the tables, Jack kills several of his assailants, but falls into an empty vat. Wild gunfire punctures the chemical tanks above him, and the resultant flood of toxins alters his appearance to that of the Joker or a clown.[20]

Criminal career

From the Joker's first appearance in Batman #1, he has committed crimes both whimsical and inhumanly brutal, all with a logic and reasoning that, in Batman's words, "make sense to him alone."[21]

In Batman: The Killing Joke, the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon (then known as Batgirl and in later comics as Oracle), paralyzing her. He then kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and taunts him with enlarged photographs of his wounded daughter being undressed, in an attempt to prove that any normal man can go insane after having "one really bad day." The Joker ridicules him as an example of "the average man," a naïve weakling doomed to insanity. The Joker fails in his attempts to drive Gordon insane, because Batman saves the commissioner. Although traumatized, Gordon retains his sanity and moral code, urging Batman to apprehend the Joker "by the book" in order to "show him that our way works." After a brief struggle, Batman tries one final time to reach the Joker, offering to rehabilitate him. The Joker refuses, but shows his appreciation by sharing a joke with Batman and allowing himself to be taken back to Arkham.[22]

The Joker murders Jason Todd, the second Robin, in the story A Death in the Family. Jason discovers that a woman who may be his birth mother is being blackmailed by the Joker. She betrays her son to keep from having her medical supply thefts exposed, leading to Jason's brutal beating by the Joker with a crowbar. The Joker locks Jason and his mother in the warehouse where the assault took place and blows it up just as Batman arrives. Readers could vote on whether they wanted Jason Todd to survive the blast. They voted for him to die, hence Batman finds Jason's lifeless body. Jason's death has haunted Batman ever since and has intensified his obsession with his archenemy.[12]

In the one-shot comic Mad Love, Arkham psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel ponders whether the Joker may in fact be faking insanity so as to avoid the death penalty. As she tries to treat the Joker, he recounts a tale of an abusive father and runaway mother to gain her sympathy. She falls hopelessly in love with him and allows him to escape Arkham several times before she is eventually exposed. Driven over the edge with obsession, she becomes Harley Quinn, Joker's accomplice and on-and-off girlfriend.[23]

File:HarleyqLG.jpg
The Joker and Harley Quinn.
Art by Alex Ross.

During the events of the No Man's Land storyline, the Joker murders Sarah Essen Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's second wife, by shooting her in the head as she tries to protect the infants that he has kidnapped. He surrenders to Batman, but continues to taunt Gordon, provoking the Commissioner to shoot him in the kneecap. The Joker laments that he may never walk again, and then collapses with laughter as he "gets the joke" that Gordon has just avenged his daughter's paralysis.[24] While in transit back to Arkham, however, he takes control of the helicopter transporting him, and flies off to Qurac, where he becomes part of the government and helps to speed the country's decline into war with its neighbours. He is subsequently sent to New York as the country's ambassador, in a position of which he then threathens to use a neutron bomb to kill everyone in Manhattan if the United Nations doesn't withdraw its forces. Power Girl and Huntress of the Birds of Prey capture him, however, and Barbara Gordon tricks him into telling them how to stop the attack, after which the Joker is sent to 'the Slab' "with the rest of the supercreeps." [25]

In a company-wide crossover, Last Laugh, the Joker believes himself to be dying and plans one last historic crime spree, infecting the inmates of The Slab, a prison for super criminals, with Joker venom to escape. With plans to infect the entire world, he sets the super-powered inmates loose to cause mass chaos in their 'jokerized' forms. Meanwhile, he tries to ensure his "legacy" by defacing statues in his image. The entire United States declares war on the Joker under the orders of President Lex Luthor; in response, Joker sends his minions to kill the President. Black Canary discovers that Joker's doctor modified his CAT scan to make it appear that he had a fatal tumor in an attempt to subdue him with the threat of death. Harley Quinn, angry at the Joker's attempt to make her pregnant without marrying her, helps the heroes create an antidote to the Joker poison and return the super villains to their normal state. Believing Robin had been eaten by Killer Croc in the ensuing madness, Nightwing eventually catches up with the Joker and beats him to death. To keep Nightwing from having blood on his hands, Batman resuscitates the Joker.[26]

In Emperor Joker, a multipart story throughout the Superman titles, the Joker steals Mister Mxyzptlk's reality-altering power, remaking the entire world into a twisted caricature, with everyone in it stuck in a loop. The conflict focuses on the fate of Batman in this world, with the Joker torturing and killing his adversary every day, only to bring him back to life and do it over and over again. Superman's powerful will allows him to fight off the Joker's influence enough to make contact with the weakened Mxyzptlk, who along with a less-powerful Spectre, encourages Superman to work out the Joker's weakness before reality is destroyed by the Joker's misuse of Mxyzptlk's power. As time runs out, Superman realizes that the Joker still cannot erase Batman from existence, as the Joker totally defines himself by his opposition to the Dark Knight; if the Joker can't even erase one man, how can he destroy the universe? The Joker's control shattered, Mxyzptlk and the Spectre manage to reconstruct reality from the moment the Joker disrupted everything, but Batman is left broken from experiencing multiple deaths. Superman has to steal Batman's memories so that he can go on, transferring them to the Joker and leaving him catatonic.[27]

In the Under The Hood arc (Batman #635-650), Jason Todd returns to life. Angry at Batman for failing to avenge his death, he takes over his killer's old Red Hood identity, abducts the Joker and attempts to force Batman to shoot him.[28]

At the conclusion of Infinite Crisis, the Joker kills Alexander Luthor, hero of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths and villain of Infinite Crisis for being left out of the Society.[29]

The Joker is a main character in the Salvation Run miniseries, leading one of two factions of supervillains who have been exiled from Earth to a distant prison planet.[30] In issue six of the series, Joker engages Lex Luthor in an all-out brawl. Just as he gains the upper hand, however, the planet is invaded by Parademons, he helps fight off the invasion and later escapes along with the rest of the surviving villains in a teleportation machine.

After returning to Earth, Joker is yet again a patient in Arkham Asylum. Batman visits him to ask him if he knows anything about the Black Glove, but Joker only responds by dealing a Dead man's hand [31]. During routine therapy, Joker is met by a spy for the Club of Villains who offers him a chance to join them in their crusade against Batman.[32]

Joker later appears as a member of Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains.

Powers and abilities

The Joker commits crimes with countless "comedic" weapons (such as razor-sharp playing cards, acid-spewing flowers, cyanide pies, and lethally electric joy buzzers) and Joker venom, sometimes referred to as "Joker Juice", a deadly poison that infects his victims with a ghoulish rictus grin as they die while laughing uncontrollably.[33] This venom comes in many forms, from gas to darts to liquid poison, and has been his primary calling card from his first appearance. The Joker is immune to his venom, as stated in Batman #663 when Morrison writes that "being an avid consumer of his products, Joker's immunity to poisons has been built up over years of dedicated abuse."[34] He is highly intelligent and very skilled in the fields of chemistry and engineering. In a miniseries featuring Tim Drake, the third Robin, the Joker kidnaps a computer genius, admitting that he doesn't know much about computers, but under later writers, he is shown as very computer literate.

Joker's skills in hand-to-hand combat vary considerably depending on the writer. Some writers have shown Joker to be quite the skilled fighter, capable even of holding his own against Batman in a fight. Other writers prefer portraying Joker as being physically frail to the point that he can be defeated with a single punch. He is, however, consistently described as agile.

The Joker has cheated death numerous times, even in seemingly inescapable and lethal situations. Though he has been seen caught in explosions, been shot repeatedly, dropped from lethal heights, electrocuted, and so on, the Joker always returns to once again wreak havoc.[35][36]

Over several decades there have been a variety of depictions and possibilities regarding the Joker's apparent insanity. Grant Morrison's graphic novel Arkham Asylum suggests that the Joker's mental state is in fact a previously unprecedented form of "super-sanity," a form of ultra-sensory perception. It also suggests that he has no true personality of his own, that on any given day he can be a harmless clown or a vicious killer, depending on which would benefit him the most. Later, during the Knightfall saga, after Scarecrow and the Joker team up and kidnap the mayor of Gotham City, Scarecrow turns on the Joker and uses his fear gas to see what Joker is afraid of. To Scarecrow's surprise, the gas has no effect on Joker, who in turn beats him with a chair. In Morrison's JLA title, the Martian Manhunter, trapped in a surreal maze created by the Joker, used his shape-shifting abilities to reconfigure his own brain to emulate the Joker's chaotic thought patterns. Later in the same storyline, Martian Manhunter uses his telepathic powers to reorganize the Joker's mind and create momentary sanity, though with great effort and only temporarily. In those few moments, the Joker expresses regret for his many crimes and pleads for a chance at redemption.

In an alternate depiction of the Joker called Elseworlds: Distant Fires, the Joker is rendered sane by a nuclear war that deprives all super beings of their powers. In Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #145, the Joker became sane when Batman put him in one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits after being shot, a reversal of the insanity which may come after experiencing such rejuvenation. However, the sanity, like the more commonplace insanity, was only temporary, and soon the Joker was back to his "normal" self.[37]

The character is sometimes portrayed as having a fourth wall awareness which also seems to carry over to Batman: The Animated Series.[15] The Joker is the only character to talk directly into the "camera",[15] and can be heard whistling his own theme music in the episode adaptation of the comic Mad Love. Also, in the episode "Joker's Wild", he says into the camera,"Don't try this at home kids!"[38] In the Marvel vs DC crossover, he also demonstrates knowledge of the first Batman/Spider-Man crossover even though that story's events did not occur in the canonical history of either the Marvel or DC universe. On page five of "Sign of The Joker", the second half of the "Laughing Fish" storyline, the Joker turns the page for the reader, bowing and tipping his hat to mock politeness.

Character

The Joker has been referred to as the Clown Prince of Crime, the Harlequin of Hate, and the Ace of Knaves. Throughout the evolution of the DC universe, interpretations and incarnations of the Joker have taken two forms. The original and currently dominant image is of a fiendishly intelligent lunatic with a warped, sadistic sense of humor. The other interpretation of the character, popular in the late 1940s through 1960s comic books as well as the 1960s television series, is that of an eccentric but harmless prankster and thief. The 1990s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series blended these two aspects to great acclaim, although most interpretations tend to embrace one characterization or the other.[15]

The Joker's victims have included men, women, children, and even his own henchmen. A 1996 issue of Hitman stated that the Joker once gassed an entire kindergarten class. In the graphic novel The Joker: Devil's Advocate, the Joker is reported to have killed well over 2,000 people. Despite having murdered enough people to get the death penalty thousands of times over, he is always found not guilty by reason of insanity.[39] In the Batman story line "War Crimes", this continued ruling of insanity is in fact made possible by the Joker's own dream team of lawyers. He is then placed in Arkham Asylum, from which he appears able to escape at will, going so far as to claim that it's just a resting ground in between his "performances". Indeed, during the "Justice" Miniseries by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, Joker says to The Riddler he can break out at any time, he only stays in Arkham for as long as he thinks it's funny. A couple issues later, he is then seen roaming free. In the last issue, however, he is back in Arkham, apparently of his own free will (having returned, apparently, solely to mock the newly defeated Arkham inmates.)

There have been times when Batman has been tempted to put the Joker down once and for all, but has relented at the last minute. After capturing the Joker in one story, he threatens to kill his old foe, but then says, "But that would give you the final victory, making me into a killer like yourself!" Conversely, the Joker has given up many chances to kill Batman. The Joker's obsession with Batman is unique compared to other villains, showing that he does not hate him, and even considers him a friend, enjoying their battles and constantly mocking him, hinting he may want to make Batman as insane as he is.

File:Joker-1.jpg
The Joker #1 (May 1975). Cover art by Dick Giordano.

The Joker is renowned as Batman's greatest enemy.[40] While other villains rely on tried-and-true methods to commit crimes (such as Mr. Freeze's freeze gun or Poison Ivy's toxic plants), Joker has a variety of weapons at his disposal. For example, the flower he wears in his lapel sprays (at any given time) acid, poisonous laughing gas, or nothing at all. In Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and much earlier in "Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker!" (Batman #321), the Joker has a gun which at first shoots a flag saying "BANG!", but then, with another pull of the trigger, the flag fires and impales its target.[36][41] His most recurring gadget is a high-voltage hand-buzzer, which he uses to electrocute his victims with a handshake. Sometimes he commits crimes just for the fun of it, while on other occasions, it is part of a grand scheme; Batman has been noted to say that the Joker's plans make sense to him alone. His capricious nature, coupled with his violent streak, makes him the one villain that the DC Universe's other super-villains fear; in the Villains United and Infinite Crisis mini-series, the members of the villains' Secret Society refuse to induct the Joker for this reason. In the mini-series Underworld Unleashed, the Trickster remarks, "When super-villains want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories".

Other versions

DC Universe

  • In pre-Crisis continuity, there was a considerably older version of the Joker living on Earth-Two. His silver age appearances involved his alliance with King Kull of Earth-S while battling the golden age Batman and Robin, and his later battle versus Batman's daughter the Huntress. A one shot publication providing a detailed description on each issue of the series, a list of alternate Earths, and a history of the Multiverse concept.[42]
  • A female version of the Joker, modeled on Duela Dent, appeared as part of DC's Tangent Comics line in her own one-shot (Tangent Comics: The Joker) in 1997.[43] A superhero, she also appeared as a member of Tangent's Secret Six.[44] The character was popular enough to merit a second one-shot, The Joker's Wild, in the second wave of Tangent Comics one year later. Recently, in Infinite Crisis, the Tangent Comics universe was revealed to have previously been Earth-97, making her the Joker of Earth-97. In the new multiverse, the Tangent Universe's new numerical designation is, as revealed in Countdown: Arena #2, Earth-9.[45]
  • In Countdown, The Joker's Earth-3 counterpart is a hero who began his career by making jokes about Owlman. When Owlman murdered Harleen Quinzel and mutilated the comedian's face, he became the Jokester. He fought Owlman and his sidekick, Talon, many a time until one night he was saved from death at Owlman's hands by The Riddler, Three-Face, and their daughter, Duela Dent. The four formed an alliance that was cut short by Ultraman, Superwoman, and Owlman. He escaped and hid until the right moment to strike back at the Crime Society of America. That chance came when the Society engaged the Challengers from Beyond (Kyle Rayner, Donna Troy and Jason Todd), The Jokster followed them to Earth-15 and then to Earth-8, where he was killed by its Monitor.
  • In All Star Batman and Robin he is shown to have planned the murder of Dick Grayson's parents and is a mob boss. He is also shown to be planning something with Catwoman.[46]

Elseworlds

  • In Batman: Nosferatu, the Joker is the "Laughing Man", a white-faced, murderous creature, a prototype cyborg built by Luthor from one of Dr. Arkham's patients.[47]
  • In Batman: Bloodstorm, the sequel to Batman's fight with Dracula that resulted in him being transformed into a vampire, the Joker takes charge of the remaining vampires, convincing them that he is a better leader to them alive and thinking long-term than transformed into a vampire and more concerned with his next meal. Under the Joker's leadership, the vampires kill all of Gotham's major crime families, but this makes them easy prey for Batman's daylight allies. The Joker's few remaining vampire allies are killed in a last stand, but the Joker manages to kill Catwoman in the process. Driven mad with grief, Batman breaks the Joker's neck and drains his blood, committing his first murder as a vampire. Horrified by what he has done, Batman flees after staking the Joker, but knows that, in his last breath, the Joker has won by turning Batman into a murderer.[48]
  • In JLA: The Nail, the Joker is given access to Kryptonian weaponry by the altered Jimmy Olsen, using it to kill Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson right in front of Batman. However, Joker loses his concentration when Catwoman intervenes, allowing Batman to escape. Batman, driven to the brink of madness with grief and rage, kills the Joker on the roof of Arkham Asylum. In the sequel, JLA: Another Nail, they have a rematch in Hell.[49][50]
  • In Batman: Leatherwing, the Joker is a sadistic 18th century pirate known as "The Laughing Man", although he is called Joker several times in the dialogue.[51]
  • The Dark Knight Returns features the Joker prominently. In this version, Joker has been catatonic for 10 years after Batman retired. He resides in Arkham Asylum and is a model patient. Upon Batman's return, he starts gazing at the TV and slowly smiles, saying "Batman, Darling". He returns secretly to a life of crime and sets up Two-Face with bombs. He appears on a talk show (loosely based on David Letterman) after claiming to be sane and remorseful for his crimes. He then goes on to kill the entire studio audience, guests, and host of the talk show before escaping. Later on Batman and Robin track him to a carnival and Joker sets up a bombs on the roller coaster. Batman intervenes and throws a batarang at the Joker's eye, blinding him. The joker flees, killing bystanders along the way with the Batman in hot pursuit, vowing that the Joker has taken his last life. The fight ends in the tunnel of love, where Joker stabs Batman in the stomach twice and Batman breaks the Joker's neck, paralyzing but not killing him. The Joker taunts his old foe, saying that no one will know that Batman did not murder him, as the Joker commits suicide by twisting his spine until he dies. Framed as a murderer, Batman flees as the newly appointed Commissioner Yindel arrives. Batman spits on his fallen adversary before leaving.
  • Another female Joker appeared in Batgirl and Robin: Thrillkiller, written and drawn by Howard Chaykin and Dan Brereton and published in 1997-98. Set in 1962-64, it has Batgirl, her lover Robin, and Batman taking on corrupt establishment figures rather than all-out criminals. Their main enemy is the Joker-like Bianca Steeplechase who is assisted by a team of corrupt cops led by the Two-Face-like Detective Duell. As part of her bid to rule the Gotham criminal underworld, she also beds the local mayors. Harley Quinn appears in this Elseworld adventure as a late adolescent schoolgirl. Her relationship with Bianca is short-lived, but there is indication of a lesbian attraction between them. It is also more egalitarian than its heterosexual counterpart within mainstream DC continuity. Arkham is implied to be a drug rehabilitation center.[54]
  • In Gotham by Gaslight, Joker makes a cameo appearance. He is a thief who attempted suicide with strychnine when he was about to be apprehended by the police. His failed attempt left him with a permanent rictus grin.[56]
  • In the graphic novel Batman: Detective No. 27, two alternate versions of the Joker appear: Professor Josiah Carr, an insane member of the Confederacy responsible for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who plots the destruction of America; and Jack Napier, one of the two thugs responsible for the death of Wayne's parents, and pawn of the late Carr's scheme. Both speak the line "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?", taking inspiration from the earlier film interpretation of the character.[58]
  • In JSA: The Liberty Files The Joker is "Jack the Grin", an albino arms dealer who is on the run after intercepting a Nazi radio message regarding Hitler's secret weapon. Jack, knowing he's a marked man, tries to dye his hair brown but it turns green. He goes into hiding, only to be caught by allied forces. While being transported back to the states by plane, the aircraft is shot down over Egypt. Suffering from slight amnesia, Jack shambles his way to a safe house. The US government sends Batman, Hourman and Doctor Mid-Nite to apprehend him before he falls into Nazi hands.[59]
  • In Planetary/Batman: Night On Earth, the Joker of the Wildstorm universe is actually a sane Planetary operative called Jasper, who works with that universe's Dick Grayson.[60]
  • In Batman: I, Joker, the Gotham City of the future is ruled by a cult who worships Batman and his descendant, the Bruce. Once every year, there are challengers who try to usurp the rule of Batman, but even worse, this Bruce has people taken off the street and has them turned into Batman's old enemies complete with their memories. The newest Joker, Joe Collins, was able to maintain his original memories, and dons a Batman outfit alongside a new Robin to try and destroy the cult.[61]
  • In All-Star Batman and Robin, the Joker is a serial killer, responsible for the murder of Dick Grayson's parents. This version sports a large tattoo of a dragon on his back, similar to the Yakuza, has a neo-Nazi hechwoman named Bruno, and is shown to be scheming with Catwoman. He has committed sex crimes against several women.[63]
  • In "Batman/Captain America," the DC and Marvel universes co-exist in 1945. The Joker is working to infiltrate the "Gotham Project," this world's version of the Manhattan Project, battling the combined forces of Captain America, Batman, Robin and Bucky, leaving a trail of dead soldiers in his wake. The Joker gains control of the prototype atomic bomb and takes it to his employer, who turns out to be the Red Skull. The Joker actually shows some patriotism when he realizes he's been working for a Nazi ("I may be a criminal lunatic, but I'm an American criminal lunatic!") and ends up stopping the Skull from dropping the bomb from a plane. The two villains end up being dropped with the bomb over the ocean but both Batman and Captain America doubt they're truly dead.[64]
  • In Spider-Man/Batman, the Joker teams up with Spider-Man villain Carnage after having been implanted with a nano-chip rendering him meek and docile. Carnage, who had resisted his chip thanks to his symbiote, breaks out with the Joker and frees him of the chip's effects. Carnage admits to having admired Joker from afar and came to Gotham for the sole purpose of teaming up with him, dreaming of the chaos the pair could stir together. The two have a falling out when they cannot agree on the proper way to kill people and are both confronted by Batman and Spiderman, and are both defeated.

Other media

Main article: Joker's appearances in other media

The Joker has appeared in almost every medium in which Batman has appeared, including live-action and animated productions, and video games.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Newsstand on-sale date April 25, 1940 per: "The first ad for Batman #1". DC Comics. Retrieved 2006-10-23.
  2. ^ McCallum, Pat (2006). "100 Greatest Villains Ever". Wizard (177). {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Entertainment Weekly writer Frank Lovece official site: Web Exclusives — Bob Kane interview
  4. ^ Newsarama (Oct. 18. 2006): "The Joker, the Jewish Museum and Jerry: Talking to Jerry Robinson" (interview)
  5. ^ Steranko, 1970
  6. ^ Batman From the 30s to the 70s, Bonanza books, 1970
  7. ^ Reinhart, Mark S. (2006-10-04). ""The Joker's 5 Way Revenge"". Batman on Film. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  8. ^ Pearson, Roberta E.; Uricchio, William (1991). "Notes from the Batcave: An Interview with Dennis O'Neil." The Many Lives of the Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media. Routledge: London. p. 18. ISBN 0-85170-276-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "SciFi Wire (March 28, 2007): "Batman Artist Rogers is Dead"". Sci Fi. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2008-05-02. Even though their Batman run was only six issues, the three laid the foundation for later Batman comics. Their stories include the classic 'Laughing Fish' (in which the Joker's face appeared on fish); they were adapted for Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s. Earlier drafts of the 1989 Batman film with Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight were based heavily on their work
  10. ^ Waters, Cullen (2007-06-19). ""Detective Comics #475 (The Laughing Fish) and #476 (The Sign of the Joker)". The Writer Journal of Cullen M. M. Waters. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  11. ^ "The Laughing Fish". Toon Zone. Retrieved 2008-05-03. The Joker tries to copyright his mutant fish.
  12. ^ a b "Batman: A Death in the Family". DC Comics. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  13. ^ a b c d Moore, Alan (w), Bolland, Brian (a). "Batman: The Killing Joke" The Killing Joke (1988). DC Comics, 1401209270.
  14. ^ a b c "The Killing Joke". Comic Vine. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  15. ^ a b c d Batman: The Animated Series (DVD). Warner Bros. Home Video. 2004.
  16. ^ Morrison, Grant (w), McKean, Dave (a). Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1990). DC Comics, 0930289560 9780930289560.
  17. ^ Hunt, Matt. "How the Joker works". Howstuffworks. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  18. ^ Phillips, Daniel (2007-12-14). "Why So Serious? - The Many Faces of Joker". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-02. Sure, the basics have always been there: The Joker's maniacal grin, his green hair, red lips and purple suit.
  19. ^ Devin Grayson, Scott Beatty, A.J. Lieberman (w), Dale Eaglesham, Paul Ryan, Roger Robinson, Al Barrionuevo (p), John Floyd (i). Batman: Gotham Knights, vol. 50-55, no. 74 (March 2000 - April 2006). DC Comics.
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  21. ^ Ramey, Bill (2007-03-11). "Comic Review: Batman #1, Part 2". Batman on Film. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  22. ^ Moore, Alan. "Batman: The Killing Joke". DC Comics. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  23. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2005-05-24). "The Batman Adventures: Mad Love Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  24. ^ "No Man's Land (comics)". Comic Vine. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  25. ^ Birds of Prey vol. 1 #16
  26. ^ "Joker: Last Laugh (comics)". Comic Vine. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  27. ^ Loeb, Jeph, DeMatteis, J.M., Schultz, Mark, Kelly, Joe (w), McGuiness, Ed, Miller, Mike, Mahnke, Doug, Kano, Various others (p), Smith, Cam, Marzan, Jose, Nguyen, Tom, McCrea, John, Alquiza, Marlo, Durrurthy, Armando, various others (i). Superman: Emperor Joker, vol. Superman #160-161, Adventures of Superman #582-583, Action Comics 769-770, Superman: The Man of Steel 104-105, and Emperor Joker., p. 224 (January 2007). DC Comics, 9781401211936.
  28. ^ Batman: Under The Hood, no. 635-641, p. 176 (November 2005). DC Comics, 9781401207564.
  29. ^ Johns, Geoff (w), Jimenez, Phil, Perez, George, Reis, Ivan, Bennet, Joe (p), Lanning, Andy, Perez, George, Reis, Ivan Ordway, Jerry, Parsons, Sean, Thibert, Art (i). "Infinite Crisis #7" Infinite Crisis #7, no. 7, p. 31/6-7 (June 2006). DC Comics.
  30. ^ "SDCC '07: Bill Willingham on Salvation Run". Newsarama.com. 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  31. ^ DC Universe #0
  32. ^ Batman #676
  33. ^ "IGN: Rogue's Gallery: The Joker - Page 2". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  34. ^ Morrison, Grant (w), Van Fleet, John (a). "The Clown at Midnight" Batman#663, no. 663, p. 22 (April 2007). DC Comics.
  35. ^ Ramey, Bill (2007-02-17). "Comic Review: Batman #663". Batman on Film. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  36. ^ a b Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (DVD). Warner Bros. 2000.
  37. ^ Dixon, Chuck (w), Aparo, Jim, Cebollero, John (a). "Batman Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) 145" Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #145, no. 145, p. 32 (September 2001). DC Comics.
  38. ^ Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, Butch Lukic, Koko Yang, Dong Yang, Shirley Walker (1999-01-16). "Mad Love". The New Batman Adventures. Season 2. Episode 21. The WB. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
  39. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2005-05-24). "The Joker: Devil's Advocate". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  40. ^ "IGN: Joker Biography". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  41. ^ Tipton, Scott (2004-01-07). "Batman, Part V -- You gotta be Joking". Comics 101. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  42. ^ Mougin, Lou, Waid, Mark (w), Duursema, Jan, Frutti, Tony, Mandrake, Tom (a). "Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover Index" Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover Index, no. 1 (March 1986). ICG, 13: 9781401207120.
  43. ^ B, Dominik (2008-03-28). "Tangent - Superman's Reign #1 – Tales from Earth-9". The Independent Comics Site. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  44. ^ "Tangent Comics: Superman's reign #2 (of 12)". DC Comics. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  45. ^ Champagne, Keith (w), McDaniel, Scott, Owens, Andy (a). "Countdown: Arena #2" Countdown: Arena #2, no. 2 (February 2008). DC Comics.
  46. ^ "All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #8". Comic Vine. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  47. ^ Lofficier, Jean-Marc Lofficier, Randy (w), McKeever, Ted (a). Batman: Nosferatu, p. 64 (1999). DC Comics, 1563893797.
  48. ^ Moench, Doug Jones, Kelly (w), McKeever, Ted (a), III, Malcolm Jones (i). "Batman and Dracula" Batman: Bloodstorm (1991). DC Comics.
  49. ^ Alan Davis and Mark Farmer (1998). JLA: The Nail. DC Comics. ISBN 1563894807.
  50. ^ Alan Davis and Mark Farmer (2004). JLA: Another Nail. DC Comics.
  51. ^ Dixon, Chuck (w), Alcatena, Enrique (a). "Batman: Leatherwing" (1994). DC Comics, 1563892634.
  52. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2005-05-25). "IGN: Batman: In Darkest Knight Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  53. ^ a b "Kingdom Come #2 Annotations". DC Comics. Yahoo. 2000-12-18. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  54. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2005-06-02). "IGN: Batman: Thrillkiller Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  55. ^ Abnett, Dan Lanning, Andy (w), Williams, Anthony (p), Palmer, Tom (i). "Batman: Two Faces" (1998). DC Comics.
  56. ^ Augustyn, Brian, Mignola, Mike (w), Mignola, Mike (p), Russell, P. Craig (i). "Gotham by Gaslight" (1989). DC Comics, 0930289676.
  57. ^ Miller, Frank (w), Miller, Frank (a). "Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again", no. 3 (November 2001 - July 2002). DC Comics.
  58. ^ Michael Uslan and Peter Snejbjerg (November 2004). Batman Detective No. 27. DC Comics. ISBN 9781401201074.
  59. ^ Jolley, Dan Harris, Tony (w), Harris, Tony, Snyder, Ray (a). "JSA: The Liberty Files", p. 264 (2000). DC Comics, 1401202039.
  60. ^ Ellis, Warren (w), Cassaday, John (a). Planetary/Batman: Night On Earth, p. 48 (August 2003). DC Comics.
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  63. ^ Miller, Frank (w), Lee, Jim (p), Williams, Scott (i). All Star Batman and Robin (July 2005). DC Comics.
  64. ^ Byrne, John (w), Byrne, John (p). "Batman and Captain America", vol. 1 (December 1996). DC Comics, Marvel Comics.
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