Joker's First Appearance! Batman 1. Fully Fleshed Out From the Beginning!

[@Endraven_Prime]

So many now famous Joker moments are here. He reaches out to Gotham's public via a broadcast to spell out his evil plan, falling from a great height only to be caught by Batman, being in a cop uniform without his makeup, whacking Robin with a blunt object, as well as taunting Batman from captivity. It's all there in his first appearance. That's pretty fantastic.

[@ThisOil_PuddleWorld]

I went to grad school with a historian who wrote their thesis on the joker and not only focusing on the man who laughs their hypothesis was that the artist was also influenced by the way fairies dressed on 42nd st. he had an apartment above the street and regularly took walks along the waterfront which was the center other community.

[@ryancreery]

remember Bob Newhart's sitcom on NBC where he was a cartoonist? theres even a marvel comic tie-in call Mad Dog, which is insane conceptually-

[@stephenmcdermott4929]

Thanks!

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

I know he was inspired by The Man Who Laughs, but I always thought early Joker always looked like someone who was on a life-long Meth bender, those blue circles under the eyes always made him that much creepier.

[@thechuckjosechannel.2702]

Joker, the Clown prince of crime inspired by Gwynplaine from The Man who Laughs.

[@walsingham-xxiii]

I’ve sometimes wondered if the Penguin was influenced in part by the character of Doctor Caligari, another film which featured Conrad Veidt.

[@Akhnatom]

This is fantastic stuff. Reading it back then must have been great, but nowadays, with how imposing of a figure the Joker has become, it's really something else to see him facing Batman (and Robin) for the first time. And it's such a thrilling confrontation to start with. Reading this as a kid, it was particularly intense to see Robin stand up to the Joker on his own. I didn't have much reference for Robin other than as a kid helper, and seeing him confront a dangerous killer head-on was really amazing.

[@t.c.bramblett617]

Thanks guys, this channel is a treasure. Lots of these iconic comics would never get seen by thousands of people if bot for you and your commentary is perfect for fans and artists alike

[@masonmonroe1316]

Bob Newhart is a national treasure!

[@containercore6832]

Really cool reprint. I have this one in the collection "Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" but sadly it's recolored. Still a great collection though. This does look like a much better reading experience.

[@Leotheanimal87]

Thanks Jim for reprinting the 1986 zine! Finally snagged a copy. Was only going to buy that one until I saw the bundle that included the B&W Comics and True Crime Funnies zine! The kayfabe effect took over at that point and I bought it! hahaha. Keep up the great work on this channel boys! You are definitely one of the best comic book KZbin channels!

[@dealt]

Love this channel. Keep it up boys

[@stephenmcdermott4929]

Love the Babe Ruth comparison! 😆

[@DapprDave]

Love that Joker!

[@tempusavatar]

Thanks for the video. Did you ever do an episode on Batman #66? Every month when DC announces new solicitations ans they have 2 or 3 classic reprint issues, I pray that they'll reproduce this issue, although I doubt they ever will.

[@johnwilson8775]

Wait wait wait wait wait! Marvel DID do Treasury editions, as did DC! Several were made of Conan, Spider-Man. . . Howard the Duck had one! And both companies released Christmas treasuries of Christmas-themed stories (the Spider-Man one, where Sandman escapes because he needs to visit his sick mother was a tear-jerker). After a few years, there was a competition to fit in current events in original stories--Spider-Man and Hulk at the Winter Olympics, etc. As I recall, some of the initial big "VS" themed stories were originally in Treasuries--Superman vs. Flash, for example. Also, a major crossover back in the day: Spider-Man and Supes! Who's up for Geritol shots???

[@XAVIERCUERVO]

The first comic book i read of Batman in the early 90s it had a story by Neal and one by Moldoff i chose to fall in love with Moldoff's Batman and Robin! Sheldon Moldoff is my favorite batman artist of this era like you said , back then Batman was 100 percent codified like Dick Tracy and i love it

[@Weezing336]

I'm a huge fan of Sheldon Moldoff.

[@ditkirbo]

Gotta do a request again bc of the subject matter do Batman & The Joker: Deadly Duo Unplugged. Marc Silvestri's art is dope, $5 artist edition floppy.

[@cavesofchaos123]

Come on, guys! Of course this was for kids. Remember your Dick Tracy where hoods are seen getting bullets through their heads, and that was a daily comic strip. That we live in a time where children are fragile beings who must be protected from anything upsetting is a different topic altogether.

[@nicolastrogdon9199]

Where do we get those gnarly 1986 tshirts!?

[@bronzevillecomics2581]

I loved those Famous First Editions as a kid and devoured the Batman 1. I do think it had the cover as well as the interior pages. The Joker was an amazing character from day 1, and I do think the book has some great early storytelling even when the art is a bit crude.

[@angel13lazcano]

Hell ya 💪🃏

[@Weezing336]

I have to read comics this old online so I can zoom in. Otherwise, I can't really appreciate the art. It's so small. But the Golden Age is my favorite time period for Batman stories.

[@theswan1852]

Long-face skinny Joker is definitely a Neal Adams invention. Funny how the realist artist gave Joker his most cartoony features. Joker was any face but grinning before that. When I hear about the trouble Joaquin Phoenix went through to lose weight, I wonder why. That's not integral to the character. Frank Miller's Joker was bulky. He had a plain, ordinary face until he started smiling.

[@CartoonistKayfabe]

All licensed joker back in the day was skinny joker

[@ThirdGearSpeedShop]

The Man Who Laughs

[@aninternetguy]

is the full moon zine just a joke or is it actually gonna come out?