Batman: Three Jokers Was a Mistake

[@ComicDrake]

Yes, I know the rumor that Killing Joke was meant to be canon, but explaining the nuance would have been a tangent that wouldn't really flow well in the video because Fabok and Johns have both talked multiple times about the now debunked history of it not originally being so and how it was their goal to follow in its footsteps with Three Jokers. For this video, I went with their narrative of Killing Joke's canonicity for the sake of flow.

[@thedarkknightdetective2559]

@@ComicDrake I'm gonna need to know more You're saying it was meant to be canon?

[@rainspectre3153]

@@thedarkknightdetective2559 Yeah, Moore has been very open that was always the intent, nor can there be any gap given you see Barbara in her wheelchair in Death in the Family. The narrative came about from people not understanding that Barbara really was "disposable" at that point in DC history.

[@thedarkknightdetective2559]

@@rainspectre3153 so I'm confused it was intended to be canon?

[@superby1]

This just continues the line of terrible retcons Geoff Johns has been doing since he got on Teen Titans

[@AL-lh2ht]

This three jokers comment is non canon and was softly reconned with the 3 jokers bit being multiple personalities revealed more recently

[@typemasters2871]

It might have been the worst retcon and a mistake but I can’t deny how funny it is to imagine three Jokers having to create a schedule to determine who is where at what time to make sure the illusion isn’t broken.

[@Windwalker88]

Seeing a joker chilling on the couch with a big calender behind him for when he is supposed to harass gotham is hilarious😂

[@robertparkhurst4034]

It worked rather well as a Commentary on how often Joker stories were being told, of course there’s three of them the Joker is being used over and over

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

its like how criminals think theres gotta be more robot Batman cause hes everywhere

[@waypastkoool]

three jokers isnt canon

[@elcalabozodelandroide2]

​@@waypastkoool it is to me

[@JokerFan-hj4iv]

I much prefer grant Morrison’s idea that joker just evolved his persona over time like an artist going through different periods.

[@silverdays2909]

And taking drugs

[@cole6843]

Same!

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes😮😮😅

[@maadtee6281]

Similar to Jeremiah after falling down in the chemicals he was different

[@LikaLaruku]

100% this.

[@TheNemesis432]

0:21 People to this day completely miss this panel and take Joker's "The Killing Joke" backstory as an absolute truth. "-What did he tell you, Harley? Was it the line about the abusive father, or the one about alcoholic mom? Of course, the runaway orphan story is particularly moving, too. What was it he told that one parole officer? Oh, yes... "There was only one time I ever saw dad really happy. He took me to the ice show when I was seven..." -Circus. He said it was the circus."

[@ramonoski]

I think the multiple choice is just something Joker tells himself (and Batman) to escape from the truth, and his backstory in Killing Joke is the correct one (at least as far as in-this-one-comic canon goes). Otherwise the comic itself would support this assertion by showing contradictions or mutually exclusive elements in the story presented in flashbacks, proof that he remembers it differently each time. Alan Moore would've absolutely done that in a subtle way if that had been his intention.

[@darrenmacqueen9884]

@@ramonoski I agree and I like to think of that backstory as his true origin. However, it should still remain ambiguous. It should never be proven true like the Three Jokers story tried to do.

[@RoosterMontgomery]

@@ramonoski He can tell himself whatever he wants, he's crazy! The parallel story in The Killing Joke is just that, a flashback story the graphic novel is telling us, not a story Joker is telling us with his unreliable narrator bullshit. He's probably embarrassed that he was a loser who should have gotten his job at ACE back after failing at his midlife crisis attempt at standup comedy. His wife should have told him to start flipping burgers at the Gotham Grill or she was gonna leave him. This is why I will always prefer Jack Napier.

[@mat0018]

Subsequent stories by Alan Grant and A.J. Liberman showed that the Joker's past was true.

[@GavinRose-d5l]

" He's got a million of them Harley. "

[@keeganseck7751]

Joker manipulating Batman into forgiving his parents' killer and moving past his childhood trauma just so that he'd be the biggest problem in his life is some real Joker level pettiness. "No, I"M the worst thing to ever happen to you!"

[@FurnaxIkki]

Meanwhile Reverse Flash is right over there actively using time travel shenanigans to actively make Barry's life miserable in every way.

[@keeganseck7751]

@@FurnaxIkki "Remember that time you got an B+ on your report card in 3rd grade? It was ME Barry..."

[@grintv6238]

I honestly think it's dumb as fuck. Why would the joker make batmans life slightly better to make him worse by default. He wouldn't do this, he would simply do something worse in order to top Joe Chill.

[@luckybrass8457]

@@grintv6238 I mean, to do that he'd have to be able to find and kill Alfred. And we've established Alfred won't tolerate his presence longer than a second. Tell me with a straight face Alfred doesn't carry.

[@Delta_Quagsire]

​@@luckybrass8457 Alfred is painting walls with the joker's brain the second he steps through the front door

[@edmaldonado8207]

I prefer the idea of the "three" Jokers being three personalities that the ONE Joker uses depending on his whims. In other words, he reinvents his entire identity depending on what he wants to do. This is also Grant Morrison's idea from his famous run on Batman. Having three literal Jokers is just so dumb and overly complicated in my opinion. Also the Joker's true identity should never been set in stone ever. To me, he represents the random senseless violence that took away Bruce's parents. It's much more of an existential threat if Joker's true identity is always a mystery, filled with contradictions.

[@rainspectre3153]

They. Morrison is NB.

[@AdamSoucyDrums]

You know it’s funny, I haven’t enjoyed the Chip run very much at all, it’s been a mess, but I’m really glad that he seems to have fixed or at least reset a lot of the problems with modern Batman continuity going forward. I have a feeling it’ll be looked at much the same as Nick Spencer’s run on Spider-Man in the future. We’re still missing Alfred though 😢

[@pokejoseph]

@@rainspectre3153 Stop. Please

[@amonsteriguess1033]

​@@pokejosephhuh??

[@High-LordHarza]

​@@pokejosephNo, you stop. Their gender identity is very well know, it's in the video, and if someone doesn't know or misgenders them, correcting them calmly like was done here is the way to do it.

[@CavemanBatman]

I hated this whole story, but the thing I hate the most is Jason’s note to Barbara at the end. “I’ll go to therapy if you date me. I’ll even stop being Red Hood.” Nice way to put all the pressure of your mental health recovery on her. Glad it was swept away 😂

[@dragonblast417]

When I was listening to Comicstorian's reading of the comic (God bless his soul) I was so confused when he reads the part with Barb and Jason like .... "I'm listening to the comic about Joker right?" This ship is so out of no where

[@jayjay86443]

So I gave up when Dark Knights Metal was a thing, Barbara was a combo meal for a Robin again? Bruh, eww, I thought she and Dick were a thing.

[@TheRobinWithWit]

That's such an incel comment from Jason fr.

[@sarafontanini7051]

that was such a completely out of nowhere pairing that added nothing to the story

[@SuperSilver316]

That wasn’t really my read, seems like Jason just has more healing to do, and it’s common enough to seek out partners towards that path. Is that okay, no it’s not, but Jason isn’t an okay person, he pretty hasn’t been since he put the Mask back on and was raised from the dead. Bro just has more room to grow, and he should at least grow to understand that being in a relationship won’t save him. He has to do the work, but it’s very real for him to not be able to see that.

[@denzellmovies]

I never understood the significance of the Joker having different iterations throughout the years. Because that is basically the case for every single comic book character. So I don't get why it supposedly needs to be explained in this story

[@K1ng_Solo]

Chaos evolves I guess

[@PaulCoyJR]

Batman: "What is Hawkman's real name?" (PING!) " ... no, it's not possible."

[@dr.zoidburger7515]

​@@PaulCoyJR tuah...

[@andyroobrick-a-brack9355]

Because he's successful.

[@mrfox9090]

@@PaulCoyJR Carter Hall

[@nathanl8622]

The problem with giving Joker a backstory isn't that it undoes his character in any meaningful sense imo, but just that he's a character different artists have taken in wildly different directions and so it's kind of impossible to go back and give him an origin story that works as a lead-in to all those different takes. Making him literally multiple different people is a cute meta approach to the question, but as an actual explanation it's just asinine.

[@oreki22]

I agree, but I actually prefer the idea of us never actually knowing his backstory/origins. He is a lot more ominous and interesting when we don't know why he is so mad. Was he born like that? Did something major happen that broke him? Was it a bunch of little things? It's more enjoyable to me if he is just a mad man whose motivations we can't even being to understand/predict. Feeds into that unpredictability

[@RebelTrooperHoth]

I do like the idea that Joker is truly just a rotten person, even before the acid. Batman knowing he is makes sense to, he is the world’s greatest detective

[@nathanl8622]

Honestly I feel like Joker makes the most sense as just a massive narcissist. Still mentally unwell, but not the full blown comic book crazy he's normally painted as. The acid didn't destroy his mind along with his body, it just warped his perception of himself and gave him license to indulge in his worst impulses.

[@fluffynator6222]

My wish fulfillment version of him has always been that of a stereotypical internet troll, just way more off the cuff. Deeply unhappy and only capable of feeling any excitement unless causing another person harm in some way. While in turn shielding themselves through an ironic detachment from their own emotions.

[@salahdeanclemens2226]

Do the worlds greatest detective mean anything.

[@l_rob420]

@@nathanl8622I don’t think the Joker ever forgot who he was, he just chose to ignore the reality of him being a huge dick in favor of portraying himself as the victim

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

​@@nathanl8622 People like to pretend killers and monstrous people are different by separating them from humanity and putting them in categories they make up based on misunderstood psychological terms Even in the comics its ambiguous if he would actually be considered "crazy", interesting stuff

[@gradualdecay]

I hate it when comic book writers get hung up on characters not being 100% consistent throughout their ~70 years of history. Joker is different at different times because he is written by different writers. You don't have to come up with some convoluted lore explaining the reason.

[@AnakinFury]

even then it's like, the Joker. It can be as simple as "oh that act wasn't hurting you enough so I switched it up", it can be introspective about who he is, but three literal jokers just adds more inconsistencies.

[@yurifairy2969]

Comic book writers need to learn when to ignore the lore tbh. We just want good stories.

[@RTU130]

👍

[@INRamos13]

Modern writers are obsessed with control

[@ziephel-6780]

@@INRamos13 Much like how Batman is

[@Lozzu]

Hearing Linkara go Joker gave me whiplash, thought I clicked a different video for a sec lol

[@comixproviderftw_02]

For real lol

[@TheGreenSkelet0n]

THAT'S LINKARA?

[@pirateguy3521]

He’s great

[@Meme_Lor]

He does a pretty good Mark Hammil impression

[@yowatchie]

The Light Bringer??

[@MANESHARK]

The Joker doesn't need three personalities. He's an agent of chaos. One day he can throw a pie in the mayors face, and the next, he can blow up a hospital. He does what he finds funny. Sometimes that's catastrophic. Sometimes it's just inconvenient.

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

The Comedian is an agent of chaos. The Criminal & the Clown aren’t agents of chaos.

[@MANESHARK]

@ShockwaveFPSStudios You are not thinking of chaos the correct way. It's inherently chaotic that he throws pies and robs banks sometimes. You are looking at chaos as the goal, and not the action. It's not. Well, not always, as an inherently chaotic person would not have consistent goals.

[@dragonblast417]

Fr. Like how in Batman's birthday (idk how he found out his bday but whatever) he always does crazy schemes like, planting bombs in a building, planting bombs on a child, etc. But one day he decides to do nothing just to F with Batman as he tries to find out what Joker is planning before it happens

[@danang5]

they should went the Batman Beyond route, when Joker die he basically respawn in someone else body he prep in advance,but because of how human work they will be slightly different so 3 Joker just mean he died twice so there's 3 slightly different Joker

[@MANESHARK]

@@dragonblast417 I think he just picked a random day of the year. I don't think it was his actual birthday.

[@theredrighthandproductions]

So my hot take is that canonizing the Joker's backstory from The Killing Joke does not in fact go against the entire point of the comic and in fact reinforces it. See. The way I've always read The Killing Joke is that the picture it paints of The Joker is that of a man desperate for an external validation for his life of cruelty. He's absolutely desperate to prove to himself and to the one person who gives him the time of day that secretly everyone is like him deep down, because he's absolutely terrified of the alternative. Absolutely terrified of ever acknowledging that maybe he's in the wrong, that maybe it's him that's broken and not the world. That's even the whole deal with his multiple choice origin nonsense. It is explicitly, textually nonsense. Throughout the comic we are explicitly shown his origin story. He just lies to himself and says he doesn't remember it because he doesn't want to. Because as Batman straight up says to him in the comic itself, "Maybe ordinary people dont always crack. Maybe there isnt a need to crawl under a rock with all the other slimy things when trouble hits. Maybe it was just you, all the time." Thats why we're explicitly shown his backstory. Its an intentional contrast to the words coming out of his mouth. That's my two cents anyways.

[@SuperSilver316]

You basically nailed it.

[@TheDudeLebowski]

It's a cool interpretation. For said reason I always liked that the great thing about the Joker is that (as the actual card) you can give him the interpretation you want, because after all, part of his character is that it doesn't matter who he was, because he is the Joker.

[@jardex2275]

That's a pretty good reason, especially when it becomes more and more implausible that Batman can't figure out his identity. Just say that Batman does know, but plays along, or that it doesn't matter.

[@RTU130]

Right

[@SirFailsalot91]

Personally, I just say the Three Jokers should have pretty much stayed being an evolution of the character to adapt to the presence of Batman in Gotham, three eras of the same character so distinct from each other that you swear that they have to be three different people: The Criminal being a mob boss that's more dangerous than Carmine Falcone, Black Mask or Sal Maroni, who has grown bored of dealing with the GCPD and sees Batman as a new, more interesting challenge that brings a smile back to his face. The Clown being the next stage in the Joker's fixation on Batman, spending his time coming up with wild life-threatening "pranks" to try and push Batman to the limits of his no-kill rule, proving all it takes is "one bad day" to become just like him. And the Comedian being the Joker at his breaking point as he fully embraces his craving to watch the world burn just for laughs, whilst Batman tries to stop him yet never accepts that maybe killing the Joker would be the best option for the sake of everyone, since he's become that dangerous. Three Jokers for three stages in his life that revolve around his growing obsession with Batman, each becoming more and more dangerous and unhinged as the years go by - it might not be perfect for a comic book that needs to keep being sold forever, but it's just how I feel it would work best.

[@ToaArcan]

Man, Linkara makes a good Jonkler. The issue with Zdarsky's versions of the origin is that it still doesn't quite fit with the Mobius Chair's request for clarification on which Joker's identity Bruce wanted to know. If the three Jokers are weird quantum multiverse anomaly duplicates of one guy and then two of them were immediately killed, then they all share the same true identity and that there was three of them for about five minutes is a weird blip and not a mystery at all. There's one Joker with one real origin, and the Chair should be able to answer. If the three Jokers are three distinct personalities within the same man, two of whom were created within Joker's mind via training from Capito, then the question still only has one answer. There's one true identity, and the other two don't _have_ true identities, they're just different bits of the same dude's brain.

[@illford]

Jonkler

[@ДимчоДимов-ж7е]

Who would make a good Officer Balls then?

[@johnbenedictxviii]

Ham Aslume

[@t.dmattocks6119]

The truth of multiple personalities is a trope in popular culture all over the place. There isn't any problem with interpreting them as three different people, some would say they are.

[@slykilla1593]

Another dumb thing with the 3 jokers book is why would batman ask the chair the jokers name if he already knew it after the first week?

[@panparenicai-5172]

He asked for the same reason he asked who killed his parents, to check if the chair really knew everything. It was only when the chair told him that there were 3 that he was surprised, maybe he expected only the name he knew.

[@reaperz5677]

It's also weird hoe the chair baaically refused orders. Bruce didn't ask "How many Jokers are there?", he asked "What's the Joker's true name?" Answering that question with "There are three Jokers" just... ignores the question? An actual answer would say "There are three Jokers, named X, Y and Z." Anything short of that doesn't answer the question Bruce asked lmfao.

[@mullaoslo]

​@@reaperz5677sure but that's a flaw on the reasoning or writing of the chair, Batman asking is becuase he already knows.. And how wouldn't he.. It's the same reason it's not a big deal when batman's identity is ever revealed to the joker.. He either already knows or doesn't care.. Wether or not they know each other's true identify doesn't change the battle between Batman and Joker

[@AL-lh2ht]

Batman being hyper perfect will always be dumb and not canon for most stories

[@WinstonPoptart]

@@reaperz5677no because there are 3 Jokers hence 3 names so it was basically asking which one?

[@Dreadjaws]

There are many things that annoy me about this whole "Three Jokers" deal, but the main one that absolutely grinds my gears is how the story tries to tie up stuff like the New Gods and multiverses to the Joker. No, stop that. The entire deal of the Joker's story with Batman is that they're just two physically exceptional but still relatively normal people going at each other, and Joker's backstory remaining an unsolved mystery is not just key to the character's appeal but also makes it poignant to Batman's career as a detective. That's the one mystery he'll never solve and it's important it remains that way. This sort of thing that modern writers don't seem to understand. Yes, street level characters like Batman and Spider-Man are part of a larger universe and they will eventually face larger, completely out-of-whack adversaries and events, but that doesn't mean you have to make it a constant part of their personal life. They've basically completely ruined Spider-Man's appeal by turning him into a multiversal hero and they're trying to do this shit with Batman too. And don't even mention that time they made the freaking Punisher a freaking angel. Stop it. You have other heroes to do this kind of thing with. Leave the street-level heroes to do what they do best.

[@SolracDude]

I’ll be honest, I never really bought into the whole ambiguous backstory thing because everything in Killing Joke except for that one line points towards the tragic backstory being the clear definitive origin. To me, the multiple choice line is more so about how Joker as a person rejects his history because he doesn’t want to be tethered to any single identity.

[@whosyourgodnow4844]

I'm personally a fan of Gotham's take on this general concept, with the first 'Joker' using a contingency plan to turn his brother into the more classic version

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

I like the idea of the Three Jokers as well, and I think the three of them should’ve been the identities of the Joker in other Batman media outside of the comics. Like have Jack Napier White be the Criminal because Jack White’s the traditional Joker, Arthur Flick could be the Clown since he lives in a society where he’s treated as a clown, and then John Doe could be the Comedian due to him getting mad at Riddler for being rude towards his punchlines.

[@crypt5129]

Strongly disagree. I liked Jerome as the Joker a lot, but the whole contingency plan thing was both boring and kind of stupid imo, they killed off the best character only to replace him with a much more bland lookalike with little buildup

[@nono9543]

Fixating on why the Joker is inconsistent is a ludicrous thing because nearly every DC character has been written to be inconsistent due to how long they've been around. With the Joker there's the least reason to analyze it.

[@niccoloproia3678]

Just a little correction: Killing Joke was always meant to be canon. Just go and read Barbara Kesel's interview (she's the writer of the 1988's Batgirl Special) where she says that she literally was given the job to retire Batgirl because of a future big project they had ahead. For those of you that still don't believe it just read "A Death in The Family" which is still considered canon: in Joker's first appearance in "A Death in The Family" he comments on the fact that the policemen seems particularly angry at him this time and one of his henchmen says that this has probably to do with what Joker has done to Gordon's daughter and he explicitly mentions that he made her a cripple. So no, Killing Joke was always meant to be canon. P.S. One of the most stupid things i haven't seen mentioned is that the Moebius' chair gives Batman the possibility to asks only 2 questions and the chair will respond to both of them. Batman asks about his parents' killer name despite the fact he knew that it was Joe Chill and he asked about the real name of the Joker when apparently he knew it sence the beginning (due to the Three Jokers' finale). So Batman had the possibility to ask an all-powerful IKEA piece the solution about ANY human problem or question like how to solve world's hunger or why do we live JUST to ask for 2 confirmations. Ludicrous

[@ComicDrake]

Please read the new pinned comment since I can't spend my day replying to this same thing over and over again.

[@Artemas_16]

What can you say, he is the greatest detective on Earth.

[@MrThirtyH]

Counterpoint: Saying 'The Killing Joke is canon,' is only half true. Sure, the present day portion of Killing Joke where Joker cripples Barbara is canon, because that's (as far as I know) how she becomes Oracle. But that's not the same thing as confirming that the FLASHBACKS are canon. The Killing Joke is two stories, and the canonicity of the Joker's backstory is what is in contention, especially with Joker himself not appearing to buy into it within that very story.

[@niccoloproia3678]

@@MrThirtyH The problem is that even if Jason Fabok's comment was only on the flashback's portion of the Killing Joke (which if it was he should have been more clear about it) that doesn't change the fact that Killing Joke remains completely canon. As pointed out even in this video with the support of the panel at 7:02 the whole point of Joker's backstory is that it could be the real one or just one of the many possible origin stories of the Joker. Therefore, considering the whole graphic novel, Killing Joke remains canon in his entirety since it presents Joker's backstory as a possible one and not as an absolute certainty. Three Jokers on the other hand with its finale establishes that the origin story that we've seen in the Killing Joke is without a doubt the real one (with the whole bit about Joker's family).

[@theincrediblebray5686]

It wouldn’t be out of line for Joker to have 3 personalities considering how sometimes he’s written to either be a criminal, a serial killer, or a bombastic villain. Heck, Joker’s quote “If I’m to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice” can still work because his split personalities would twist his perspective on what really happened to him and how doctors can’t seem to figure him out.

[@driveasandwich6734]

Just one detail, Batman: Three Jokers makes it clear *The Comedian* is supposed to be the one from The Killing Joke, and as such, the one who shot Barbara, but it *is* heavily suggested The Clown killed Jason Todd.

[@raymondbermudez555]

Or.... Joker is crazy and his personality can change like the seasons of a year.

[@t.dmattocks6119]

I mean. That last story seems to imply that so yeah.

[@AkumaKristian]

I never noticed before how much Linkara's Joker voice has stuck in my mind. It tricked my brain into thinking you got one of the actual voice actors for a second.

[@jeffreyflowers5203]

I’ve always loved the idea of joker just being bored sometimes and as a consequence is either a way bigger threat or completely juvenile in his actions.The war of jokes and riddles was a great story that fleshed out a different arc in jokers life

[@Roty24-f6s]

Honestly the idea of different eras of the joker teaming up is kinda neat. It shows that the character is more than one type of insane.

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

The sad part is I was always ready to put "Bruce Wayne holds Joe Chill's hand" as one of the iconic moments of Batman's history.

[@Lassenissen]

WHO WAS THAT doing that Joker voice at 5:13? That was amazing!

[@plasticflower]

This video touches on so many things that keep me from being able to enjoy these comics. There are SO many different timelines and alternate versions of every character, you can never know which timeline you're in, or what happened in the past of that particular story. And everything you read in that story might just be ignored by the next story. It's absolute chaos.

[@nikomiller]

That's the appeal! It's crazy and convoluted and rewarding if you get it, if not it's fun to get lost in it.

[@plasticflower]

@ that’s a nice take. I grew up with Japanese manga, so I’m used to much more clear cut lines: 1 Title, 1 Author, 1 Story (for the most part). When it’s over it’s over. Half serious question, but why can’t Superman’s or Batman’s story simply be over, and make room for new stories and characters?

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

​@@plasticflower Because that's not how superhero comics work. Either you get with the program or you don't.

[@CaptainCat101]

The multiverse is all you need to have multiple Jokers, this retcon wasn't necessary outside of marketing

[@Dan_K_Meme]

I bought the 3 Jokers graphic novel but I don’t read many DC comics, I just thought it sounded cool. I didn’t realize this was meant to be canon, but I’ll just treat it as an elseworlds story

[@3n3my33]

I was really annoyed with Geoff Johns' The Three Jokers comic because it trivialized all the things I liked about the Joker. But you have to admit, the art is really impressive

[@gabrielecottone10]

This story also ruins the graphic novel "Arkham Asylum A Serious House On Serious Earth" destroying what is said about Joker's super sanity.

[@nicolebee3283]

3 Jokers? I sure hope they do

[@somerandolad]

Nah, Todd Philips won't get the chance to ruin him a third time.

[@matt15]

3 Jokers? I hardly know her!

[@nicolebee3283]

@@somerandolad not about those movies it was an intentionally nonsensical joke

[@jeremiahjoseremollo6111]

Roadwork ahead?

[@Randomaccount9470]

I sure hope it does 🙏​@@jeremiahjoseremollo6111

[@will_da_man_]

Say what you will about the story, but the art in this book is absolutely AMAZING. Some of my favourite art in a comic book ever, it's arguably Jason Fabok's best work.

[@KingNerdius]

Joker having three personalities is definitely one the better interpretations, it adds to his madness while also making him scarier since you don’t know which one you’re dealing with and explains how his different schemes can change in severity.

[@JamesLawner]

Speaking of abandoned storylines, apparently at one point (pre-New 52 era), Batman was supposed to have known more info about Dick Grayson’s parents, but that plot thread was never followed up on!

[@RayOfTruth]

Years before The Pro Crastinator's Podcast had a running joke about how a Double Batman couldn't be beat, aside from by a Triple Joker. It was hilarious when that comic came out making Triple Joker canon.

[@folkestrid5923]

I'm so frigging bored with all these retcons and writers trying too hard to make some kind of mark on the character. It's like everyone's busting their balls to achieve the legend status of guys like Moore and Miller while not realizing how obvious it is what they're doing, thinking they'll be sitting in interviews and play it all cool like "yeah, I changed the character forever, whaddaya know, just another day at work for me". And this is the most obvious with the character of The Joker, writer's constantly trying to outdo one another in coming up with weird shit. "I know, he cuts his face off!" "Nah, nah, check this out! There were THREE of him along?" "That's nothing! I make the great reveal that he's an incarnation of a serial killing demon!" "Ha! Rookie level stuff! BEHOLD! I'M MAKING HIM THE HOLDER OF THE FORBIDDEN SPIGOT OF THE ANCIENT, TEN-GEAR WANKING MACHINE, THE ONE THAT WILL THROW THE UNIVERSE INTO ETERNAL, NIHILISTIC DARKNESS!" Just stop and focus on a good story instead of these pretentious efforts to be groundbreaking.

[@MB-eh2kp]

Exactly, this has always been one of my biggest issue with comics

[@herlastborn]

It's kind of genius to have the multiple personalities be from training since it plays into the Joker actually being completely sane and aware of his actions. It sort of explains how he can go from poisoning the water supply to legally running an insurance agency to blowing up a building when there's no punchline. It adds to the chaos of not knowing the urgency of any Joker plot. Also, the Cold Death Joker not laughing is like if Spider-Man stops cracking jokes: absolutely terrifying. Imagine passing him in Arkham and he's just sitting there, staring. 😱

[@skyslasher2297]

5:15 Heh cool that’s a cool voice kinda sounds like Mark Hamils take 5:22 Wait a minute I know that laugh that Linkara. Thats sick I love both your channels to death.

[@KaiIzuki]

Babs needs to get some sort of protection man. DC's throwing her at all the Batboys. They need to stop it's weird as fuck.

[@3ndg4m3]

Yo, is that Linkara doing the Joker voice?! Finally we get to see you two collaborating!

[@RadikAlice]

Yes, it is!

[@immortalmangafan7155]

7:50 I think this sums up my biggest problem with the three jokers, it doesn’t do anything gutsy and because it tries to perfectly fit into continuity, everything returns to a status quo. If the book is mon canon then it does nothing unique or interesting, If the book is canon then it has barely any impact on the batman mythos

[@Rizzo258]

I actually love the idea of Joker learning from the person who trained Batman. It just makes sense how he’s always a step ahead. Side note: if you did that Joker impression in your video. Hats off it was amazing!

[@CouncilCape897]

Actually, that was Linkara

[@bowtie2232]

1:41 off topic, but I love your Animal Crossing pants

[@ComicDrake]

Thank you! They're my favorite pair of pajama pants and I'm worried they won't last much longer since I've already repaired a few holes. 😭

[@rainspectre3153]

A correction, but much of what we associate with "Silver Age Joker" actually predates the Comic's Code Authority, and were just general pushes from editorial to lighten Batman up. The story giving the "chemical bath" origin for example was 1951.

[@TheMajesticJunkyard]

5:15 was- was that linkara as Joker? Man he's really good

[@rainspectre3153]

Yeah, he's done the Hamill impression in his reviews for years. You can clearly tell he gets a kick out of it whenever the character shows up.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

A retcon on par with Xorn from X-Men.

[@TheMaestroMizerous]

Magneto: My twin brother?!

[@robotx9285]

​@TheMaestroMizerous Xorn? That can't be right, did they seriously choose that name?

[@BreakerX42]

I actually have a fan-made earth that I redesigned a crap ton of DC characters, and one of my personal changes was to make Joker a symbiote like venom in order to explain the completely different versions of Joker over time

[@arihanthpharshy5606]

I remember thinking this would be so hyped up, it was really just fine

[@Mulletman_Comics]

Always liked the idea that Joker is super sane, so he just changes his personality and motivations at the flip of a dime. Nice video man 💯

[@bigphil2695]

Joker being a demon is stupid and overly complicated, but at the same time it completely works. Joker wants to be killed by Batman, or a hero like him. His only goal is just to corrupt people and make them the worst possible version of themselves. There are multiple stories in which someone killing the Joker leads them to becoming evil, or the Joker himself (Batman Beyond Return of Joker, Injustice, Joker Folie A Deux, Batman Vampire, and The Batman who laughs). This could make Joker some kind of parasitic demon that makes a person so evil that they have to kill him in order to stop him, but in doing so you essentially take on the demon that caused him to become so evil in the first place. This would also explain why Joker is always surviving seemingly impossible things. Batman Arkham Joker was able to enter Batman's mind, but wasn't able to assume control because Batman didn't actually kill him, Joker caused his own death. Not to say this would be a great idea, but all the pieces are there for Joker to be some kind of cosmic demonic force that wants to corrupt and control someone powerful.

[@PepsiMan-xx4sv]

7:25 it showed buddy

[@MarcRodriguez1]

I know I’m late to the party, but when I heard there were 3 jokers, I thought they would go the multiple personality route.

[@theotherjared9824]

I prefer the supersanity explanation. Joker's motivations are beyond our comprehension because he is aware of things we are not. It's a simple way to explain his inconsistent character that has little impact on other characters and the greater lore.

[@RadikAlice]

I'll be damned, guess great minds _do_ think alike. Even before watching I already was thinking "Someone so psychologically broken couldn't possibly have one consistent personality" Kinda hilarious all this effort has been made over the years, when in canon all that would've sufficed is something like "Extreme and unique case of Dissociative Identity Disorder"

[@manskronqvist2537]

Erm ACTUALLY, going to out-needed you here! ☝️🤓 The Comedian is actually supposed to be the Joker in The Killing Joke, he’s the Bronze Age Joker whilst The Clown is the Silver Age Joker (it being implied that Jason was killed by The Clown and Barbara was shot by The Comedian) (Although I don’t like Three Jokers could actually kind of discern this by hair styles comparing how The Joker looks in the different comics. So it does match up)

[@masonauger4965]

Man it’s crazy stories like this that keep me from actually diving into these series. With all the bs “is it cannon or not” back and forth I just lose all motivation to actually read these things. Idk kinda wish DC/ Marvel and their writers would tighten things up and make these stories more accessible and understandable to an audience wanting to start reading and getting involved with the story instead of just throwing things at the wall and hoping they stick. Until then, I’ll just get the quick and dirty recaps from KZbin

[@natanielcostard]

What Geoff Johns will never understand is that serialized comic book writing is a collective work. Each author adds a piece of the puzzle and what's left at the end is a creative frankenstein, confusing, yes, but absolutely unique. The first time I noticed it was when Superboy suddenly had another origin, one that transformed him into the lowest common multiple of origins: he was a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor. That kind of writer's God complex then spread to Power Girl (it's not fashion, it's that she doesn't know what symbol to use), Hal Jordan (he didn't have gray hair, it was a virus from space), then to Flash, in the New 52 it spread over the entire DC Universe and in recent years its tentacles reached even the bible of superheroes: Watchmen. Johns believes he is such a good writer that his job is to correct the work of the hundreds of writers who came before him. This bizarre reconstruction of the Jokers is part of the same. As his failed film experience shows, his thing is not creation, but recreation. I'd be surprised if his next step isn't to do the same with the Marvel Universe, he certainly has nothing left to destroy in DC.

[@ronniesanders8546]

For those who didn't know that was Lewis Loveburg or Linkara who voiced Joker here. 5:16. He does a good impression of him.😅😊😂

[@TheAzulmagia]

I feel like The Joker is a very easy character to get right, so it's weird that writers keep dropping the ball on him so consistently.

[@robrotron2084]

I think it's more interesting to view the different ways The Joker has been depocted over the years as more like an artist goikg through different phases if their careers. I think they toyes with something kind if lie that in "Going Sane", where The Joker is depocted as taking clowning and comedy seriously and viewing his confrontations with Batman as performances.

[@gusparkwood4890]

I’m not gonna lie- I kind of really like Batman knowing who Joker is. It takes away the Joker’s power. He’s not some “all powerful, mysterious, evil deity”-he’s a jerk who fell into some chemicals and became Gotham’s Bully. Just my take, though. Great Video as usual, Dude.

[@movingstone4910]

The greatest part about the three jokers is that the story titled "Three Jokers" ends with two of the three Jokers being murdered and the remaining one is the one that was already active in the current run, so functionally it resets back to the status quo

[@futabagaming]

When I first heard about the three jokers thing I always thought that it was going to be more like three different people taking up the mantle of The Joker over the years instead of three of them existing simultaneously. Never thought it would be as stupid as three jokers existing simultaneously.

[@tomatoisjp]

I don't think I've noticed how good Linkara's Joker is before. Cool.

[@hellrose18]

This is what I hate about comic books, they just do fuck all without following any rules

[@VogtTD]

"There's not just one Joker, but instead three. And funnily enough, when DC finally gave us an explanation, there's not one, there's three. So I guess that's nine Jokers in total. How exactly does that work?" Yeah, how exactly does that work? Your math doesn't math. 1x3=3, not 9.

[@darrenmacqueen9884]

Yeah, that really confused me to. The only thing I can think he meant was maybe the fact that they gave two separate explanations, the 3 physical Jokers and then replacing that explanation with the 3 personalities. But even that is 6 Jokers, not 9.

[@manjackson2772]

There's three explanations. The three physical guys, the shit with Halliday, and then the most recent one. So that's nine Jokers.

[@92brunod]

3 explanations for the 3 Jokers. 3x3=9... Saying "Your math doesn't math" is cringe as fuck when you can't even understand a simple concept like this one. Good fucking lord... If you're going to be obnoxious, at least don't also be an idiot.

[@VogtTD]

@@manjackson2772 Sure, but that doesn’t make his statement any less nonsense.

[@AYVYN]

⁠​⁠@@VogtTD The chair said there were three jokers, which is canon. Then there was three explanations.

[@MidzkniceMarquiz]

I would’ve kept the mobius chair idea but had the spin on it that Batman knew exactly which of the 3 is the real one but none of the jokers know who’s the original and Batman uses that as leverage too torment the jokers in a role reversal with knowledge joker doesn’t want to remember because if one them remembers he may return to sanity and be killed by the others.

[@marvelprince]

I thought Chip’s retcon with Captio and the backup personalities was such a clever way to salvage the ridiculousness of the Three Jokers

[@92brunod]

It still makes no sense. The Mobius Chair answer is nonsensical if it's just one guy with different personalities.

[@MaxMercuryAnonymous]

Did not expect Linkara, but love that he’s here.

[@Kiiieeechiii]

I hate the idea of there being more than one. He’s not supposed to be ghost face from scream. Gotham and folie a deux both pulled this bs.

[@jocastadidntknew5980]

Honestly I kind of hate how DC basically shops Barbara around with every Robin (and even Batman). Leaves a bad taste behind, especially with one of their most popular female superheroes.

[@munjatkumo1929]

I miss the times when Joker was just a guy.

[@HeavyMetalHindu]

Same. I hate all these stories that try to treat the Joker like he's so fucking deep and give him cosmic importance. It feels like rewarding a mass shooter with the media attention he craves, like the Joker *wants* us to treat him like he's so deep and important and the writers started believing his hype.

[@munjatkumo1929]

I agree and disagree. I don't have a problem with presenting him profoundly/as a deep character. He's deep in Killing Joke, and I love that comic to bits BECAUSE of that. But he was also just a guy in that story. I do have a problem with how he's written as NOT ONLY being obsessed about Batman, but being obsessed about BEING OBSESSED about Batman. To use Johnn's writing in "The Three Jokers" as an example, The Comedian kills the other three Jokers and does the whole Joe Chill-plot because he wants Batman to only focus on him. Joker having an obsession with Batman can work fine if done well, but going this overboard with this character trait flattens the Jokers character, making him annoying and boring, and worst of all, strays away from what makes him compelling. He's a murder clown. I don't inherently have a problem with him being presented as a superhuman death god. But I prefer when those interpretations are few and far between, to spice things up every now and then, and told with intention. I also don't really have a problem with alluding to him being a millenias old demon, if it's left ambigous. Maybe he is? Maybe he isn't????? That sorta stuff can be fun if executed well.

[@SuperSilver316]

I feel like he hasn’t been just a guy for a very long time though? Since Morrison’s Super Sanity or even Snyder’s Pale Man stuff, he hasn’t really been just a normal guy for a good while.

[@munjatkumo1929]

@@SuperSilver316 No, not in most of the licensed stuff. Movies and cartoons are the only ones really. Say what you will about Joker (2019), but he's definately more grounded in that one than in most licensed comics. I ASSUME. I haven't read DC's nor Marvels new stuff in years. Even the ones I've been interested in. Not because I think that the current era would be worse than previous ones, it's really as good and bad as it ever has been. Mostly in the same ways, even. (I guess maybe it's because I'm older now or something.) I focus so much on the entire breadth of superhero comics that I'm not really SO bothered by whatever I find objectionable in (current year). It does bother me, don't get me wrong, but it really doesn't feel as bad when I can always just read an older comic that scratches an itch that current comics don't. And it also gives me perspective. Reading old superhero comics, and looking up superhero comics history on the wikis reminds you that things are always ebbing and flowing. A character is re-interpreted one way right now, and the fans like it for a time. But eventually fans get sick of it, and then the character is re-interpreted again, in a fresh, exciting way, that maybe even harkens back to the characters roots. And the fans and the writers have fun for a couple a years with this new re-interpretation, until that one is eventually run in to the ground too. I hope things would be different, that the editorial would let writers re-interpret popular characters like the Joker in multiple different ways at the same time. But that's the entertainment industry for ya. All that said, I do not encourage a cynical passive outlook when it comes to this stuff. But a measured, realistic outlook. A hopeful one at that.

[@SuperSilver316]

So I’m speaking to the comics mostly of the last 20 or so years, but fair enough on the movies and cartoons, those weren’t really my consideration since a comic was the topic of the video. The Adapted Media is also on a precipice with all that to, we just have yet to see those things outside of the source material.

[@Barquevious_Jackson]

They should have ended Batman like 30, 40 years ago.

[@wastelander138]

It is kinda dumb. "The Worlds Greatest Detective" couldn't figure it out for years? Really?

[@justinpullen1097]

Plus the multiple personality angle has precedence from way back in Morrison's Arkham Asylum graphic novel.

[@orinanime]

9:55 it's not ambiguous. It's not one in motion. It's literally 3. THREE. You know it's literally three, because they ask for a FOURTH. If he asked for another, that might be slightly ambiguous. But they literally ask for a 4th. There needs to be 3 already to get a 4th

[@spookyskyes7661]

Awesome video as always, hope ur well drake!!

[@kingmagikarp97]

1:18 is the app free because I have no money

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

I went on it and signed in with google, and right now im looking and you can only read a bit without US7.99/month

[@nabboleonebonaparte369]

Yesn’t: there are some comics that are free, but most of them are fan works. For most of the comics you have to pay 7.50 $ monthly

[@kingmagikarp97]

@nabboleonebonaparte369 Booo also thank you for the info :)

[@Notmorganlmao]

I promise you, 7.50 a month for unlimited comics is worth it

[@iamewp]

​@@Notmorganlmao what part of "no money" flew over your head?

[@Revali69420]

I will always love this book just for the art alone

[@thedarkknightdetective2559]

Ok as a stand alone story i quite enjoy it aside from the jason/babs ship As a part of the larger continuity it sucks

[@allsuper9268]

I love how you Got Linkara to voice the Joker!

[@MelMelodyWerner]

tbh the idea of Batman forgiving Joe Chill on his deathbed is an *_excellent_* idea.

[@CursedShinobiClown]

Based Super Lesbian rpg fan

[@libbyallen2566]

@@CursedShinobiClown what?

[@92brunod]

@@libbyallen2566 Probably the profile picture.

[@thefoxesmind]

I kinda feel like DC is TOO focused on the Joker and trying to make him extra-ultra-super-duper special. I don't think that he's meant to be THAT fucking complicated. Edit: Wasn’t that technically 4 Jokers?

[@AnvilPictures]

13:15 look their was only one solid Joker duo. Jerome and Jeremiah from Gotham.

[@3MenAndALetsPlay]

YES! I have been waiting for a crossover between Linkara and Comic Drake forever!

[@jackofallclaws6672]

It’s almost like the “mystery box” angle with The Joker is stupid. Seriously, even Bill Finger gave him an origin. Why can’t Joker just be…a guy? Just some guy who used to work at a chemical plant who fell in and “went crazy” (despite the fact that The Joker is NOT ACTUALLY INSANE!).

[@Nickolas-d3k]

The complaint of 3 jokers running around never maid sense to me because when the reveal of that premise in full also ends up with there being one joker alive by the end of the book!! So the complaint about the retcon and everything is just really ridiculous to me😂😂

[@dionysisnance4204]

I thought the 3 joker was interesting idea but batman finding out about joker real identity and joker family still being alive just don't work out for me

[@unlockman777]

In my opinion, the only bad thing about the Three Jokers story, is the reveal about Batman knowing his identity and about Jokers family at the end. But otherwise I really like the book. I find the story interesting, the ''final'' scene in the police car between Batman and Joker (i think) is quite cool and also that Jason Fabok art is so good. Also (and i'm probably gonna get hate for this but) as someone who likes Nightwing with Starfire more, I kinda dig the Batgirl x Red Hood paring so the moments between them in the book I found quite interesting. That's my opinion on the Three Jokers story. Also, very well done video Mr. Drake 👍 Maybe next time could be a video about another DC Crisis, or any interesting event in DC or Marvel, pretty please? 😅😁

[@LeonardoHamato]

I love having Tim Drake explain Batman lore to me.

[@Adriel100894]

I love the art on this book.

[@Lucca00000]

i like Geoff but he is missing the mark for a long time now.

[@AndyLeeVlogs]

Hey Comic Drake! I remember ur old video on the Megaman timeline when that first came out. That was a while ago 😅

[@insanemakaioshin]

1. The only bad thing about the 3 Jokers is that it implies that the 1st Joker was the comedian and he was the one Batman dropped into Ace Chemical, despite Detective Comics #1 revealing that a Joker was around since Batman’s initial appearance. 2. It is revealed that the Killing Joke was the debut of the comedian and the Death in the family was the final act of the clown. The only time, albeit brief, that 2 Jokers were active at the same time. You can see this via the clown’s hatred of guns. 3. The 3 Jokers story line is amazing in concept. Having the Criminal be an immortal that creates more Jokers is wonderful story telling. Having the Comedian come from the Killing Joke origin is also great & fitting, especially if he was trained by a Mentor of Batman. The Clown could be the one created by the multiverse guy.

[@daniexisde564]

5:15 that's a DAMN good joker impression

[@cyclopsboxhead5318]

I think this was your funniest script, made thinking about the Three Jokers comic bearable