Comics’ Greatest Supervillain? No Joke, It’s the Joker
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When it comes to supervillains, the Joker rules the evil roost. In comic books, TV shows and movies, DC Comics' original gangsta of graphic violence has proven death-proof.
In The Joker: A Visual History of the Clown Prince of Crime, author Daniel Wallace takes readers on a hell ride through the character's history (with an introduction by Mark Hamill riding shotgun). The recently released hardcover takes us from the Joker's 1940 comics debut in Batman No. 1 all the way through the late, great Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance in The Dark Knight.
In the gallery above, comics expert Wallace walks us through the most intriguing Joker iterations of all time. Click through for dirty tricks and visceral treats, just in time for Halloween.
Above:
Batman: The Killing Joke (1988)
"Alan Moore's The Killing Joke is built around the premise that one bad day can turn any man into a maniac," said Wallace. "The one-shot story features a look at the Joker's origins as a failed standup comedian who accidentally bleached his skin by falling in a vat of chemicals, and is remembered for paralyzing Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) in DC Comics continuity after the Joker shot her in the spine. With stunning artwork by Brian Bolland, The Killing Joke was parodied on South Park when Cartman's former victim Scott Tenorman forced his tormenter into a nightmarish funhouse."
Wallace called The Killing Joke "part of a one-two punch, with The Dark Knight Returns, heralding a new, more serious age of superhero storytelling."
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986)
"When pop culture historians talk about the maturation of the U.S. comic book industry, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is usually Exhibit A," Wallace said. "Set in a grim near-future Gotham City overrun by gangs, the limited series saw an aging Batman emerge from retirement to fight both foes like Two-Face and allies like Superman. The final showdown between the Joker and Batman occurred in issue No. 3, in which the Joker snapped his own neck to ensure that his nemesis would be blamed for his murder."
Spoiler alert! The Joker lives to fight another millennium.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989)
"Scottish writer Grant Morrison has been a fixture on the Bat-books for years," Wallace said. "But 1989 saw his first Batman story in the form of a dreamlike graphic novel. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth used the impressionistic art of Dave McKean to take readers on a tour of the titular madhouse, as the Joker pitted his fellow inmates against Batman in an attempt to make the Dark Knight crack."
And make money like crack, Wallace might have mentioned. The Batman: Arkham Asylum videogame series is minting cash and blowing minds. The latest release, Arkham City, is crouched on your Halloween doorstep.
Batman No. 1 (1940)
Some comic-book debuts are clunkers (Lex Luthor with hair?). But not the Joker's.
"In Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson's Batman No. 1 [right], the broad strokes of what makes the Joker tick are established, and a tone is set for the next 70 years," Wallace said. "Using his signature venom to give his victims a permanent death grin, the Joker racks up a substantial body count before seemingly perishing at the issue's end.
"Editor Whitney Ellsworth claimed credit for the last-minute decision to change the ending, and open the door for the Joker's return in subsequent issues (above)."
Batman No. 251 (1973)
"With comic books of the era threatening to become forgettable fluff, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams set out to restore the cultural relevance of comics," Wallace said. "Following their famous run on Green Lantern, the duo reinvigorated Batman and made the Joker a threat once more. Widely considered one of the best Joker stories ever told, 'The Joker's Five-Way Revenge' (above) featured Adams' naturalistic art and a death-trap containing a great white shark."
Batman television series (1966-1968)
"Say what you will about Adam West and the self-aware cheese of Batman's '60s television series, but this show had style," Wallace said. "Influenced by the pop art movement of Andy Warhol and his contemporaries, art designer Serge Krizman built a day-glo Gotham where the Joker fit right in. Cesar Romero became the first actor to play the character. Much of what we associate today with the Joker — including his hooting giggle and fluctuating pitch — came from Romero. Of course, Romero also refused to shave his mustache for the role, so it remains distractingly visible beneath his white face paint."
Batman (1989)
"In the wake of the tone of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster Batman cast Michael Keaton in the title role and gave legendary lunatic Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining) plenty of urban-gothic scenery to chew. Whether he was frying a crime boss with a 10,000-volt hand-buzzer or defacing an art gallery while bouncing to Prince, this Joker wasn't ashamed to have a sadistically good time."
Batman (1989)
"In the wake of the tone of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster Batman cast Michael Keaton in the title role and gave legendary lunatic Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining) plenty of urban-gothic scenery to chew. Whether he was frying a crime boss with a 10,000-volt hand-buzzer or defacing an art gallery while bouncing to Prince, this Joker wasn't ashamed to have a sadistically good time."
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
"In the '90s, Batman: The Animated Series set the bar for storytelling in kids' television," said Wallace. "Light-years removed from the stiff cartoon superheroics of the '70s — in which the Joker sometimes shared the screen with Scooby and the gang — this sophisticated 'dark deco' series from producer Bruce Timm spawned an animated DC Comics universe.
"Star Wars' Mark Hamill lent the Joker a rich voice that could careen from hysterical to icy in a single sentence. Hamill, who has spent more time as the Joker than any other actor, recently announced his retirement from the role after voicing the character for the game Batman: Arkham City [below]."
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
"In the '90s, Batman: The Animated Series set the bar for storytelling in kids' television," said Wallace. "Light-years removed from the stiff cartoon superheroics of the '70s — in which the Joker sometimes shared the screen with Scooby and the gang — this sophisticated 'dark deco' series from producer Bruce Timm spawned an animated DC Comics universe.
"Star Wars' Mark Hamill lent the Joker a rich voice that could careen from hysterical to icy in a single sentence. Hamill, who has spent more time as the Joker than any other actor, recently announced his retirement from the role after voicing the character for the game Batman: Arkham City [below]."
The Batman (2004-2008)
"And now for something completely different," said Wallace. "The Batman premiered on Kids WB in 2004 and from the start it aimed for a fresh, new take on the Dark Knight. Some fans felt it was a little too fresh in the case of the Joker, who was rebooted as a dreadlocked acrobat with bare feet and loose straightjacket sleeves. The Joker later acquired his familiar purple suit, but the show's producers defiantly left his feet uncovered."
The Batman (2004-2008)
"And now for something completely different," said Wallace. "The Batman premiered on Kids WB in 2004 and from the start it aimed for a fresh, new take on the Dark Knight. Some fans felt it was a little too fresh in the case of the Joker, who was rebooted as a dreadlocked acrobat with bare feet and loose straightjacket sleeves. The Joker later acquired his familiar purple suit, but the show's producers defiantly left his feet uncovered."
The Dark Knight (2008)
"Is there room to fit the superlatives?" Wallace asked. (Rhetorically, of course.) "Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight grossed over a billion worldwide, making it the top-selling film of 2008. Heath Ledger's mesmerizing performance as the Joker earned him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Watching Ledger in his final role was eerie for many, but Ledger delivered a timeless, twitchy anarchist capable of shocking violence."
- Image courtesy DC Comics
- Image courtesy Eidos
When it comes to supervillains, the Joker rules the evil roost. In comic books, TV shows and movies, DC Comics' original gangsta of graphic violence has proven death-proof.
In The Joker: A Visual History of the Clown Prince of Crime, author Daniel Wallace takes readers on a hell ride through the character's history (with an introduction by Mark Hamill riding shotgun). The recently released hardcover takes us from the Joker's 1940 comics debut in Batman No. 1 all the way through the late, great Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance in The Dark Knight.
In the gallery above, comics expert Wallace walks us through the most intriguing Joker iterations of all time. Click through for dirty tricks and visceral treats, just in time for Halloween.
Above:
Batman: The Killing Joke (1988)
"Alan Moore's The Killing Joke is built around the premise that one bad day can turn any man into a maniac," said Wallace. "The one-shot story features a look at the Joker's origins as a failed standup comedian who accidentally bleached his skin by falling in a vat of chemicals, and is remembered for paralyzing Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) in DC Comics continuity after the Joker shot her in the spine. With stunning artwork by Brian Bolland, The Killing Joke was parodied on South Park when Cartman's former victim Scott Tenorman forced his tormenter into a nightmarish funhouse."
Wallace called The Killing Joke "part of a one-two punch, with The Dark Knight Returns, heralding a new, more serious age of superhero storytelling."
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986)
"When pop culture historians talk about the maturation of the U.S. comic book industry, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is usually Exhibit A," Wallace said. "Set in a grim near-future Gotham City overrun by gangs, the limited series saw an aging Batman emerge from retirement to fight both foes like Two-Face and allies like Superman. The final showdown between the Joker and Batman occurred in issue No. 3, in which the Joker snapped his own neck to ensure that his nemesis would be blamed for his murder."
Spoiler alert! The Joker lives to fight another millennium.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989)
"Scottish writer Grant Morrison has been a fixture on the Bat-books for years," Wallace said. "But 1989 saw his first Batman story in the form of a dreamlike graphic novel. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth used the impressionistic art of Dave McKean to take readers on a tour of the titular madhouse, as the Joker pitted his fellow inmates against Batman in an attempt to make the Dark Knight crack."
And make money like crack, Wallace might have mentioned. The Batman: Arkham Asylum videogame series is minting cash and blowing minds. The latest release, Arkham City, is crouched on your Halloween doorstep.
Batman No. 1 (1940)
Some comic-book debuts are clunkers (Lex Luthor with hair?). But not the Joker's.
"In Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson's Batman No. 1 [right], the broad strokes of what makes the Joker tick are established, and a tone is set for the next 70 years," Wallace said. "Using his signature venom to give his victims a permanent death grin, the Joker racks up a substantial body count before seemingly perishing at the issue's end.
"Editor Whitney Ellsworth claimed credit for the last-minute decision to change the ending, and open the door for the Joker's return in subsequent issues (above)."
Batman No. 251 (1973)
"With comic books of the era threatening to become forgettable fluff, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams set out to restore the cultural relevance of comics," Wallace said. "Following their famous run on Green Lantern, the duo reinvigorated Batman and made the Joker a threat once more. Widely considered one of the best Joker stories ever told, 'The Joker's Five-Way Revenge' (above) featured Adams' naturalistic art and a death-trap containing a great white shark."
Batman television series (1966-1968)
"Say what you will about Adam West and the self-aware cheese of Batman's '60s television series, but this show had style," Wallace said. "Influenced by the pop art movement of Andy Warhol and his contemporaries, art designer Serge Krizman built a day-glo Gotham where the Joker fit right in. Cesar Romero became the first actor to play the character. Much of what we associate today with the Joker — including his hooting giggle and fluctuating pitch — came from Romero. Of course, Romero also refused to shave his mustache for the role, so it remains distractingly visible beneath his white face paint."
Batman (1989)
"In the wake of the tone of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster Batman cast Michael Keaton in the title role and gave legendary lunatic Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining) plenty of urban-gothic scenery to chew. Whether he was frying a crime boss with a 10,000-volt hand-buzzer or defacing an art gallery while bouncing to Prince, this Joker wasn't ashamed to have a sadistically good time."
Batman (1989)
"In the wake of the tone of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster Batman cast Michael Keaton in the title role and gave legendary lunatic Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining) plenty of urban-gothic scenery to chew. Whether he was frying a crime boss with a 10,000-volt hand-buzzer or defacing an art gallery while bouncing to Prince, this Joker wasn't ashamed to have a sadistically good time."
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
"In the '90s, Batman: The Animated Series set the bar for storytelling in kids' television," said Wallace. "Light-years removed from the stiff cartoon superheroics of the '70s — in which the Joker sometimes shared the screen with Scooby and the gang — this sophisticated 'dark deco' series from producer Bruce Timm spawned an animated DC Comics universe.
"Star Wars' Mark Hamill lent the Joker a rich voice that could careen from hysterical to icy in a single sentence. Hamill, who has spent more time as the Joker than any other actor, recently announced his retirement from the role after voicing the character for the game Batman: Arkham City [below]."
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
"In the '90s, Batman: The Animated Series set the bar for storytelling in kids' television," said Wallace. "Light-years removed from the stiff cartoon superheroics of the '70s — in which the Joker sometimes shared the screen with Scooby and the gang — this sophisticated 'dark deco' series from producer Bruce Timm spawned an animated DC Comics universe.
"Star Wars' Mark Hamill lent the Joker a rich voice that could careen from hysterical to icy in a single sentence. Hamill, who has spent more time as the Joker than any other actor, recently announced his retirement from the role after voicing the character for the game Batman: Arkham City [below]."
The Batman (2004-2008)
"And now for something completely different," said Wallace. "The Batman premiered on Kids WB in 2004 and from the start it aimed for a fresh, new take on the Dark Knight. Some fans felt it was a little too fresh in the case of the Joker, who was rebooted as a dreadlocked acrobat with bare feet and loose straightjacket sleeves. The Joker later acquired his familiar purple suit, but the show's producers defiantly left his feet uncovered."
The Batman (2004-2008)
"And now for something completely different," said Wallace. "The Batman premiered on Kids WB in 2004 and from the start it aimed for a fresh, new take on the Dark Knight. Some fans felt it was a little too fresh in the case of the Joker, who was rebooted as a dreadlocked acrobat with bare feet and loose straightjacket sleeves. The Joker later acquired his familiar purple suit, but the show's producers defiantly left his feet uncovered."
The Dark Knight (2008)
"Is there room to fit the superlatives?" Wallace asked. (Rhetorically, of course.) "Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight grossed over a billion worldwide, making it the top-selling film of 2008. Heath Ledger's mesmerizing performance as the Joker earned him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Watching Ledger in his final role was eerie for many, but Ledger delivered a timeless, twitchy anarchist capable of shocking violence."
Images courtesy Rizzoli, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros., DC Comics. The Joker and all related names, characters, and elements are trademarks of DC Comics (c) 2011. All rights reserved.