The Evolution of The Joker

[@eljamaicano1]

“Oh hey you caught me living in a society, talking about society let’s talk about the joker”

[@JungoFunko]

lmao

[@JamesW6179]

George Costanza as the Joker? I can see it.

[@LARKXHIN]

Ok, I WISH this has been the intro lmao

[@Targisvear]

High Society, hence Down Town Abbey Comics Makes sense.

[@ghazzter]

Take look at this society

[@paulattardo3024]

Best comic book related show on KZbin, by far.

[@arnumorales]

Agreed

[@phatmantv]

Top 5 : Comicstorian/ Blerd w/o fear/Comic Tropes/Comics Explained/NewSage.

[@nick.19]

Facts.

[@shayZero]

Really is

[@jonathankruger2899]

I absolutely LOVE The Imaginary Axis. Probably my absolute favorite fiction KZbin channel. This is by far my favorite comic history channel though.

[@Norvo82]

The last time I was this early, Bob Kane hadn't even ripped off Bill Finger yet!

[@joshdoek]

But still enough time to rip off The Shadow.

[@gigly1990]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@VicEntity]

Daaamnnnn

[@cha5]

I remember back in the late 1990’s the first and only time that I met Jerry Robinson at the San Diego Comic-Con, I had a passion for meeting Golden Age comic book artists and getting their autographs on my GA back issues (which I still have today) and I brought down a bunch of early Detective Comics, Batman’s and World’s Finest to get him to sign, Neil Gaiman was having a signing that same day and I remember seeing a massive line of people waiting for him and pretty much nobody going to Jerry’s table and he was sitting at an empty table with nobody there and the Gaiman line was going right by his table with nobody even giving him the time of day. (this really annoyed me at the time that one of the most iconic Batman artists of all time and the co-creator of the Joker as well of Robin and Alfred and a large chunk of Batman’s rogues gallery being completely bypassed by everyone just then,) anyways he was kind enough to sign my books and I talked to him a bit and I asked him some questions about the Joker’s creation and other things and if the old Coney Island funny face logo had any role in the creation of the Joker back in 1940, He denied that and stated that Conrad Viedt’s The Man Who Laughs movie was the main inspiration behind the Joker’s creation. I always remember that Jerry Robinson was really a nice sweet man and one of the most accessible and kindest comics creators that I’ve ever met and I wish that I could have brought a camcorder with me that day to have caught that conversation I had with him then.

[@bryanjturner21]

Why didn't you educate those Plebs in the Gaiman line?

[@prajwaljayaraj5887]

How heartwarming

[@antona.8659]

Not a lot of people knew about Jerry's involment in Joker's creation. Kane made sure that his name will be the first and the last people see in the credits.

[@bradenhogan2]

Jerry Robinson created almost everything about Joker that makes him Joker. He was taking a writing class and had the idea that such a serious character as Batman should have a humorous villain to balance him out. He was inspired by playing cards around the house and worked all night on designing him and thinking about his personality. When he told Bill Finger his idea, Finger showed him an image of Veidt in Man Who Laughs. It was agreed that Finger, being a more experienced writer, should write the Joker’s stories. So Joker was co-created by Jerry Robinson and Bill Finger, and it is not evident that Bob Kane made any creative decisions on Joker, aside from co-illustrating the first stories with Robinson. It’s a shame Robinson doesn’t get as much credit as he should for the one monumental thing he did in his life, creating one of if not the best villain of all time. Neil Gaiman is an amazing writer and deserving of such a huge line, but I’d have chosen Robinson as well

[@adfnow6270]

But, there's a simple version that gets ignored because it's not that mysterious. First off, I think Jerry Robinson is great and he was there since day one and deserves complete respect. Bob Kane was an egotistical jerk, no argument. BUT.. Bob Kane was thinking of a clown villain..that's about it. No name or visual. Bill Finger had access to a pic or two of the silent movie 'the man who laughs'. He hadn't seen the movie, but he had read a pulp magazine containing a villain named The Grinning Ghoul. He wouldn't use the phrase "rip-off" ,but instead say "take-off".. Conversations between the three creators and all three viewing Bills pic reference ended will Jerry sketching a playing card combining Bill's 'man who laughs' idea with Bob's clown villain into a playing card Joker, giving him a name the Joker. Bill said great! " But don't give him the actual jester suit from the card" giving him basically normal formal wear for the 1930's just purple. I've read as many available accounts from all 3 available and believe this version 100 percent. Bob stayed pissed at Jerry to the end. Bill would say , well it was Bob's idea first , meaning a new villain. Jerry remembered his card and would refer to it as his original sketch with the playing card element giving the character the name Joker. They should all three be proud, but it kinda like 3 musicians writing a song and trying to remember who did what years later 🙂

[@LARKXHIN]

"He calls it a BONER." ok I knew that but I still burst out laughing in public.

[@houseofmmm]

I laughed so hard lol

[@Xehanort10]

"Laugh at my boner will they? I'll show them how many boners The Joker can make."

[@user-pq6mr6op3p]

Immature kids....SMH

[@tootbender6935]

"I can see it in your eyes, the anger, the frustration, *the hints of repressed sexual tension, * oh hang on! Is that just when you see me? OooOOOOoooh!" -Joker, Batman Arkham City.

[@ВиноградФиолетовый2008]

Lore reasons?

[@gsr1861]

I'm 70 years old and this is like going back to school! VERY well done.

[@unstoppableExodia]

Woohoo my fan art inspired by Greg Land's lazy tracing technique got exhibited at 19:07. What an honor. I had a lot of fun composing that piece.

[@Xehanort10]

15:08 They also did it in The Dark Knight Returns having Joker go catatonic after Bruce retired as Batman and only snapping out of it when Bruce put the cape and cowl back on.

[@tentringer4065]

I would read a Downton Abbey Incredible Hulk crossover comic. Hulk smash the class system!

[@1bridge11]

The Hulk is a communist?

[@lhfirex]

@@1bridge11 There's always Red Hulk for that.

[@1bridge11]

@@lhfirex LOL. Yeah, that's right.

[@DrGrizzley]

Dude... that comment deserves multiple upvotes. You just made my wife and i both burst out laughing.

[@1bridge11]

@@DrGrizzley Thank you very much. I'm here all week.

[@yeshuabhatti6248]

8:05 - 8:35 I love how Chris ignores Suicide Squad joker

[@JakobKaine_BrickJAK]

because that wasn't Joker. Even Roger Stoneburner was a better Joker than Leto.

[@blackphoenix77]

He deserves to be ignored

[@kostajovanovic3711]

Good

[@exquisitecorpse__]

That's for the Best.

[@thebombsauce]

They were just trying badly to transition joker to a more modern set of fears. He was supposed to be more of a modern gangster and I think they will probably keep trying to push that angle with face tats and things.

[@jasongarrett768]

Damn, this was my first time seeing a young Dennis O’Neil. He looks like a long-suffering poet on the verge of either forming The Cure or suddenly directing a bleak award winning Swedish film in the 60’s.

[@antonydrossos5719]

9:25 Wanna bet that was THE ONE TIME Batman forgot to bring his Shark Repellent?

[@elizabethtangora4353]

A big thumbs-up for featuring my all-time favorite Joker storyline at 9:55, when he challenged Batman to a surfing contest.

[@jamesdent9057]

You’re one of the most underrated channels on KZbin. Keep it up dude!

[@TheMicBartz]

"Joker" by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. It is set in it's own continuity, and features a day in the life of the Joker through the eyes of one of his henchman. Fascinating read, amazing art!

[@MiloKuroshiro]

Nooo I don't like the more zoomed out camera My illusion is broken

[@rosendomunoz3872]

the fact that there are edges to that wall blew my mind

[@thevintagetoykid320]

I believe that backdrop is located at the bottom of his basement staircase.

[@naplockblubba5369]

cursed_backdrop

[@Jim-Mc]

Best Joker story is the animated series episode "Joker's Favor." 🃏 Random family guy road rages at a bad driver cursing him, only to find he's been raging at the Joker. The Joker quickly turns the tables and chases him, finally agreeing not to kill him under the condition he will owe the Joker a favor. It's fantastic and gets at the precocious but terrifying nature of the Joker

[@amy-ql5wo]

I too love that episode. Just perfect. It's great to see how an ordinary citizen reacts to The Joker.

[@rudyando]

I just introduced Batman the animated series to my daughter's this Christmas. They are 4 and 9 and seemed to enjoy the show - I'm eager to rewatch that one.

[@netoman708]

That was a good episode

[@ninjaworshipper]

Batman Beyond Return Of The Joker is honestly fkn awesome

[@ronaldfrechette2045]

Agreed. Glad someone said it. Frankly, the whole 90s animated series and associated films were great.

[@tayojones9460]

True.

[@JimmyCee123]

Hey nice icon!

[@architeuthis3476]

Joker's last words being "that's not funny" is perfect!

[@kwameadu0075]

@@ronaldfrechette2045 And the other shows in that universe were great as well.

[@scottfree2248]

The Joker is truly timeless. His design is Archetypal. The perfect embodiment of chaos and insanity. A visage that is familiar and funny, yet horribly twisted. It's amazing to think that this brilliant character debuted perfectly formed in his first appearance! Maybe Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, and Bill Finger unknowingly pulled the original Joker out of the collective unconscious that fuels our dreams and shadows our nightmares.

[@scottfree2248]

Logan Waltz I understand. If you look at the context of when the Joker first appears in 1940 evil killer clowns were not very common in Comics or literature. Fear of clowns and evil clowns are everywhere in popular culture now. I do think that the Joker is overused and like other Batman villains like Scarecrow alot more.

[@ronaldfrechette2045]

I really liked the heavily implied backstory in Mask of the Phantasm

[@SonofSethoitae]

It's all but outright stated in MotP

[@CaptainAmerica930]

2:34 The guy playing The Man Who Laughs looks scary as hell. The modern interpretations of the Joker do not scare me. But that guy does. Even though he's not the Joker.

[@SonofSethoitae]

The weirdest thing is that The Man Who Laughs isn't even a horror movie. Gwynplaine is a tragic character in a romantic melodrama. Also, while this isn't strictly relevant, the same guy (Conrad Veidt) played Major Strasser in Casablanca.

[@d36williams]

In the movie and the novel he's not scary, he's a sympathetic hero who finds love despite his disfigurement.

[@julianking4793]

A masterclass in how to be light, entertaining and interesting.

[@nickangelo116]

This guy knows his stuff and does his research. He doesn't cease to educate me. This is a great channel. I've probably hit like every video I've watched on this channel.

[@neighborhoodvillain8992]

Great video but Hugo Strange is actually the first recurring Batman villain, not Joker. He even existed before the first Batman Series.

[@ImYourHuckleberry_29]

Wat about Dr Death?

[@sarge1408]

Fuck Doctor Death

[@ALIEN-DUDE]

He's a villain though, not a supervillain 😎🤔

[@lavabite]

Hugo strange was killed off after his second appearance, he wasn't reoccurring untill he was brought back in the 70s

[@herogohome4445]

Joker's Five-Way Revenge came out when I was first really getting into comics, and it's still my favorite Joker story. One aspect of Joker's origin that I've never seen anyone else mention, partly because I don't think it was brought up by any of the original creators, was what served as the inspiration for the plot of the first Joker story and therefore had a huge influence on the Joker's character over the years. I discuss this in a video on my channel titled "Batman/Joker: Same Guy?"

[@Pacman8907]

Dear comic tropes, I recently started a new career and a perk of my job is. I can listen to whatever I want. I've really enjoyed watching every episode of Comic tropes, from your Stan Lee episode to the marv wolfman, and others. I continue to look forward to your episodes! My favorite quote of yours is from the Nintendo game boy episode "imagine working at your job for twenty years, and throwing it all away by taking a dump on your desk and getting fired, just to go home and brag about it to your pet rat." comedic gold; my co workers were wondering what made me laugh for like 20 minutes. Thank you

[@jordannino1836]

The best comic reviewer on the best comic villain. This is a wonderful day.

[@nilus2k]

This isn’t about Doctor Octopus!! :)

[@mrboerger1620]

I know Ash won the Pokemon league

[@tayojones9460]

Ash won the league? It's the end of the world!!!

[@TinSoulTheFirst]

"It features Batman fighting a shark", as a kid I got the "Greatest Joker Stories" out from the library regularly and that was one of my favourites.

[@jonhall3151]

Man I miss this theme. That bassline is groovin’ 🤘

[@Kikilang60]

I have to say, your channel is incredible. It goes way beyond just a comic channel.

[@jeffreya1678]

Back in the early/mid 90s, there were a couple Batman / Punisher crossovers, one from DC staff and one from Marvel. I don't remember which one it was, but in one of them, Jigsaw (a Punisher villain) travels to Gotham as he's in some sort of weapons selling business with the Joker. Punisher tracks Jigsaw to Gotham, and Batman's watching both Jigsaw and Punisher as he doesn't consider Punisher to be much more than another villain. Long story short, all four (Batman, Punisher, Joker, Jigsaw) get into a shoot out in a warehouse, and it includes some great one on one dialogue between the Joker and the Punisher, with the Joker taunting Punisher non-stop. Right about when the Punisher finally corners Joker and is about to kill him, Batman intervenes and tells the Joker to run for it. What makes this so great is that there's an entire page, with nine panels, showing the Joker's reaction as he finally realizes that the Punisher's threats to kill him weren't hyperbole or empty. It's a bit of an interesting twist, as it seems to imply the Joker's very aware that Batman will never cross the line and kill him, and that he thinks all other heroes are simply unwilling or unable to kill him as well. But it also lands perfectly as you (the reader) now realize the Joker this whole time has been hilariously taunting what he thinks is an empty threat and, when he realizes the truth, he reacts as if the Punisher is truly insane compared to himself and Batman.

[@lerquian1970]

The new Joker looks promising... Tommy Wiseau really added to the character.

[@nicholastosoni707]

"I not goin' to kill you...I just hurrrrrt you vairr' bahdly!"

[@DerPafferfish]

Anyway, Bruce, how's your sexlife?

[@Antractica]

Ah, ha ha ha....

[@zadalmelik011]

"Oh, Hi Bruce!"

[@Sam-nk6hk]

I loved the insight into Joker's character from Return of The Joker, the Batman Beyond movie. Remembering Bruce's advise that "Joker likes to talk", Terry thinks, "Hey, I like to talk too". Joker cant handle a trash-talking joke-telling Batman and completely loses his cool! I feel like there's a lot at work there thematically, psychologically, and just in terms of the character dynamic between Joker and Batman.

[@RobertJW]

Joker’s Asylum had two stories that always stood out to me very strongly. The Joker’s own story is amazing in that series, of course. But the other one that gets me is the Two-Face story, and Joker’s framing device for that book. God, I honestly love it.

[@Belgand]

Agreed. The best treatment of The Joker has no backstory nor can he be "cured" or exist independently of Batman. Giving him any sort of humanization like that or alternative simply weakens the character. He isn't a person in any conventional sense, not even an insane one. He's a force of nature. Something that just *is*. Aside from serving his own characterization so well it provides an important contrast to Batman for whom identity is such a powerful element. More than most heroes, Batman is defined primarily by his backstory. By his continued decision to be Batman and the question of whether Bruce Wayne is the real mask he wears.

[@Bonzulac]

"Conrad Veeedt." When it comes to mispronouncing names with utter composure and confidence, you never disappoint.

[@BlueTomorrows]

80s: Joker was created be being thrown into a vat of acid 2019: Joker was created by being thrown into society

[@ridhosamudro2199]

Acid is toxic, thus the society is figuratively toxic in this case. BOTTOM TEXT

[@ChaseDaOrk3767]

@@ridhosamudro2199 What if Veronica friend zoned him?

[@tanuki01]

Chase Tosh makes sense. Just like the Joker, the friend zone is fictional

The Joker movie SUCKS. Just like the Killing Joke.

[@Bitzy]

Monotech2.0 ok

[@blackphoenix77]

To be honest, my favorite Joker is the sillier one who doesn't kill people all that often, like the version from Batman the Animated Series.

[@tanuki01]

Black Phoenix I too like when he’s unpredictable. You don’t know if it’s gonna be a stupid prank, a sly con, or a blood bath

[@coreylineberry8557]

Edwin Latorre Personally my favorite incarnation is from the Arkham games... Up until he roids out by the end of Asylum.

[@ianbyrne465]

He's more chaotic, which is good for his character I feel

[@-Teague-]

Same

[@theleonpasta7336]

I think the Joker works perfectly in the middle. Make him too serious or too silly and he's not really the Joker anymore. Serious Joker and Silly Joker can and do work (Dark Knight, 60's Batman) but being in the middle is where he really shines.

[@DunnoJustLuckyIGuess]

Big ups for mentioning Bill Finger at the start instead of at the end as an afterthought! I love this channel, keep up the great work buddy.

[@jpav35]

I can smell those musty old comic pages through my computer screen. So good.

[@GeekGamerGui]

I like the Joker from the Telltale game "Batman: The Ennemy Within" in which he attempts to become a hero for Gotham and Batman's sidekick for a short period of time.

[@raffierutomo8948]

I missed the time when the worst thing joker did was call out boners

[@lostuser1094]

Raffier Utomo I’LL SHOW THEM. I’LL SHOW THEM ALL. THE JOKER’S BONER SHALL THE GREATEST IN THE LAND.

[@TheMaxxAwesome]

Chris made a huge boner by not focusing on that single issue.

[@l_rob420]

Raffier Utomo I’LL SHOW THEM HOW MANY BONERS THE JOKER CAN MAKE!

[@davidgraham8299]

That sounds so wrong 😅

[@vincentfranklin17]

The Joker War is one of the best storylines with the character, in my humble opinion.

[@joshdoek]

*tilts thick horn rim glasses* A slight correction concerning the Killing Joke: his wife in the story is not sick, she's pregnant. It's then said that she is killed in an electrical accident involving a baby bottle warmer.

[@KhayJayArt]

Nerd

[@mittelz5976]

I was actually a bit confused at that. To my mind, the downright silly way of dying by a faulty baby bottle warmer must have really kicked the joker, when he was at his lowest. The death of his wife is basically a one sentence gag, a bad punchline. Which is how he prefers to kill people in most itterations.

[@rm9308]

@@mittelz5976 Is Joker telling you how his wife died?

[@GandalfofROCK]

No matter how crappy my life is this guy always makes me smile.

[@BWS2K]

Batman's character is heavily influenced by his childhood and past, his inner fears and his dual nature. Joker, a his nemesis, has an enigmatic and dubious past and nature, which is why they play off each other so well. Lovely video, as always!

[@Publius7619]

3:12 the first recurring villain for Batman was actually a guy called Dr. Death.

[@210SAi]

Steve Williams?

[@sonicmario64]

Some people like the Joker when he's portrayed as being a homicidal criminal while other people like the Joker whenever he's protrayed as being a comical prankster. To me, I actually like the Joker whenever he's a unique combination of the two such as in the 1989 "Batman" movie as well as in "Batman: The Animated Series".

[@iconoclast137]

you're a rare example of someone who made me hit the subscribe button less than halfway into the first video i've seen from you

[@oldmanlogan9616]

I really like the episode of " Batman the Brave and the Bold" in which Batman goes to Earth 3, in which heroes are villains and villains are heros, and Batman becomes friends with the heroic version of Joker, the Red Hood.

[@ianfinrir8724]

I love the Joker Fish story soley because it shows how insane the Joker is. He's told time and time again that you can't copyright/trademark a natural resource and he just doesn't get it (He could, however open his own fish farm and sell the mutated fish himself)

[@shoddyworkmanship4934]

I'm glad you pointed out that Joker represents chaos and Batman represents order. For me that is the key part of their dynamic.

[@shoddyworkmanship4934]

@sokratis konomi I don't know about that. Robbing banks to get rich seems rational. There are villains that go by their own rigid moral code, like Dr. Doom for instance. I don't think chaos is necessarily evil, and furthermore evil as a concept is flimsy. It seems important to the Joker that he is doing the unexpected, and his game seems to be to test Batman to see if he can find the logic within (what seems) to be chaos. I don't know - personally that is why I think the dynamic between Batman and Joker works so well. What other villain can you think of that wants the hero to kill him, just so he would break his own code?

[@shoddyworkmanship4934]

@sokratis konomi Point taken. I suppose the chaos/order paradigm is something I probably see more of than is really there because I enjoy the idea. Having said that, this broad symbolism has been touched on enough (both directly and sub-textually) that our host of Comic Tropes made mention of it himself. I can't find the exact quote, but I remember Joker once saying something like, "Every time I break free from the box Batman's put me in, he just draws a bigger box around me." He was speaking about how he tries to "think outside the box", but Batman can see through all the twists and turns of Joker's logic, making the Joker ordinary and predictable - the recipe for an unfunny joke (since jokes depend on creative logic and the surprise that creative logic creates).

[@pierluigizappala1157]

Loved the video, surprised you didn’t mention “joker” by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, is one of the best joker stories to balance the different personas of the character, he is all at once a joke spitting gangster and a insane serial killer.

[@HiddenInTheTruth]

Snyder's "Endgame" was also a good look at the relationship between Batman and Joker, a nice followup to "Death of the Family" in my opinion. Though one note on this video: the Batman Newspaper comic was actually _not_ successful as far as i've read. While Superman had a very well received run in papers, Batman was only carried by a few papers and only a couple for it's full first run. I recently was gifted 2 omnibus collections reprinting the original Newspaper dailies for both Batman and Superman which included some fascinating background information on the process behind making the two series. At any rate, excellent video.

[@iamdeath4193]

Actually Hugo Strange was Batman's first recurring villain.

[@ComicTropes]

I Am Death He appeared in the same issue but Joker was in 2 stories in that issue plus the next issue so I’m giving it to Joker.

[@iamdeath4193]

Comic Tropes Hugo Strange debuted in Detective Comics #36 in February of 1940 whereas Joker debuted in Batman #1 in April 1940. Hugo Strange also was in Batman #1 with Joker. Hugo Strange was already in the previous Detective Comics before Joker and appeared again in the same issue as Joker. I think it's only fair that Hugo Strange was Batman's first recurring villain.

[@randallflagg3700]

Actually, Doctor Death was Batman's first recurring villain. He a great design in "Zero Year: Dark City" and "House of Hush".

[@210SAi]

@@randallflagg3700 Dr Death was a great wrestler

[@arootube]

I've never really been a fan of takes where Joker "goes sane". He has an insatiable zeal for wanton chaos and I don't see losing his opposition as an end to that desire.

[@matthinton19]

I consider Scott snyder the definitive joker smart, dangerous and absolutely terrifying. But two great stories are the main who laughs which is another introduction for him and the one where he kidnaps Robin in and drives him around town

[@geekynerd7346]

Steve Englehart was a much bigger influence than you suggested. He was the first writer to portray the Joker an insane criminal with no apparent motivation for his crimes. Previous writers had portrayed the Joker as a dangerous member of the underworld, but Englehart’s Joker made him a truly sinister figure. By the way, Steve Englehart’s 8 issue run on Detective Comics 467-476 might make a good subject for an episode. This short run completely changed how Batman and his foes were perceived

[@LikaLaruku]

5:34 That's the funniest Batman comic I've ever read. Loved how Grant Morrison wrote him, but I also love his campy goofball side. Do I prefer him as a super sane sadomasochistic mastermind too dangerous to be in a normal prison, or do I prefer him to be like Deadpool, Q, & Mr. Sinister?

[@dbensdrawinvids8390]

6:10 Go ahead. People are too sensitive; you tell one little boner joke and everyone loses their minds. Introduce a little chaos into the equation.

[@Thebabybadass101]

Chris I love that you mentioned a serious house on serious earth very underrated book

[@Mikeanglo]

The artwork in Arkham Asylum absolutely freaks me out.

[@McMuguets]

I'd love to watch something like this but regarding Dr.Doom. Awesome work, as always!

[@phillipthethird3424]

everything you said about the joker's personality reminds me of Heath's ledgers joker, but I still think Hamill is the definition of the joker :)

[@Changetheling]

Mark Hamill's Joker is the one I use to measure everyone elses'. His work on Arkham Trilogy goes beyond incredible. While the other Jokers captured great facets (other than Romero's who is is God-tier), Hamill simply pulls off the ESSENCE of Joker.

[@sbyrstall]

@@Changetheling in ERB of Joker vs. Pennywise, Pennywise zinged him with not being able to escape Ceaser Romero's mustache. LOL

[@Dr.Vinny05]

These are great to watch while drawing

[@mercuryman1250]

Neal adams art style on Pre-crisis Earth-One Batman joker etc were all epic.

[@JohnAShort]

Great video. But here are a few things that I would have mentioned... He is stealing money right from the first story... Hes just killing people during the course of those robberies. His grin isnt fixed at the beginning (in fact for the first two story-panels that he appears in - he doesnt smile, which increases the creep-factor when he does break into a grin.) Pretty quickly the whole joker-venom-killer aspect is dropped and he becomes a humor-themed thief (it doesnt take until the 1950s for it to happen.) The murderous version only really appears in Batman #1. I would have mentioned how he was handled in Frank Millers Batman: The Dark Knight and the more recent spin-off media... Particularly Batman Animated, The Dark Knight movie and the Sucide Squad movie. All of these things feed back into the comic.

[@GodLovesComics]

Excellent as always. I feel like The Joker would spice up Downton Abbey considerably. Rictus grins for all!

[@kokukatsuragi3754]

Five way revenge was scary as hell.

[@davidhanson4909]

"The Further Adventures of The Joker" (Martin H. Greenberg, ed.) is a pretty good anthology of Joker tales by genre authors. A standout is "Definitive Therapy" by F. Paul Wilson, which may or may not have been an influence on Heath Ledger's interpretation (opinions vary). That story used to be available here on youtube (audio reading), but it's well worth looking up in any case.

[@Atlas-hl1zo]

Wasn't Dr. Death the first recurring Batman villain with Hugo Strange being second and Joker being tied with Catwoman for third recurring villains?

[@Captain_MonsterFart]

That is a great version of the Joker. Whenever I read comics, that's the voice in my head for him.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

3:20 Actually the Joker was stabbed by his own knife in Batman #2 and an edited “he’s alive” panel was tacked on, although many sources have claimed it was Batman #1 for decades. IIRC Senator Patrick Leahy commented on this error, which astonished editors that such an esteemed and accomplished public figure would know this. Instead of getting a Marvel no prize began a long relationship with DC Comics which resulted in him writing a Batman comic, and making cameos in many movies.

[@underthepale]

I second "Going Sane" as one of the best Batman stories ever. It's one of the few Joker stories that I actually like. For me, that's saying something.

[@yadro]

I just loved when in Knightfall, Batman, affected by Scarecrow's gas, gave Joker a really nice beating for what happed to Robin 2.

[@allenson3553]

My favorite Joker story isn't actually about Joker (well, sort of!). It's a story in Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. For me, it's probably my favorite Joker story because of the plot twist.

[@RikoJAmado]

"Oy, oy, oy mate! You did not just tease a "Downton Abbey" comics and then never bring it up again."

[@tanglycrescent]

I love this channel! Got me back into comics after years.

[@shermanium7834]

this is the best comic channel on YT!

[@davidbreen6335]

The most important incarnation of the Joker, in my opinion. The Joker from The Dark Knight Returns.

[@KenMasters.]

You mean the most important live-action Joker?

[@DrGrizzley]

Pity you didn't have more time to get into the Arkham Asylum comic. I think it's one of the greatest graphic novels ever. It's disturbing, thoughtful, and oddly beautiful in it's representations of the insanity/sanity in Batman's world.

[@ramseydoon8277]

6:26 I wonder if Dean Chalmers is related to Superintendent Chalmers 🤔

[@JohnGolden]

Not explicitly a Joker story but I love him in Justice, seeing him in connection to the other villains and drawn by Alex Ross.

[@trelard]

One of the things I love about the character is the fact we don't know his true origin as he's told a few stories about it.

[@lo1bo2]

Maybe it's my inner child speaking, but my favorite Joker stories are from when I was heavily reading Batman titles around 1991-2006. The reinvented version from the 70's is great too.

[@brandonmedina4471]

lo1bo2 I agree. Chuck Dixon is one of the best Joker writers. Not popular because of his mouth and politics. But he wrote the best Joker, Punisher, Robin, Nightwing, Green Arrow, Shiva, Outsiders, G.I. Joe.

[@stefanfilipovits21]

Joker: lovers and Madmen is a REALLY great origin story for joker that in my opinion doesn’t get its due.

[@stefanfilipovits21]

Mad Mario definitely do if u get a chance. It’s written by Michael Green with pencils by Denys Cowan, inks by John Floyd, color by Travis Lanham, and letters by Ken Lopez. As far as joker origins go it’s like a mix between Killing Joke and the origin from Mask Of The Phantasm. Criminally underrated imo.

[@difficultbastard]

Now this is what makes comments great _people mentioning things I've never even heard of, so now I have something to look forward to finding.

[@stefanfilipovits21]

difficultbastard definitely check it out if you can. It’s killing joke meets mask of the phantasm meets Batman ‘89 meets sin city. I really enjoy it and can’t recommend it enough.

[@architeuthis3476]

Huh, I hadn't heard of that one before. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

[@stefanfilipovits21]

Archi Teuthis anytime! Definitely give it a shot. It’s not as iconic as Killing Joke but as far as Joker origins and psychology it might be my favorite. I think the pre-Joker in Lovers & Madmen is EXACTLY what the Joker would be like before his acid bath. It’s Batman ‘89 meets Mask of The Phantasm meets Killing Joke. It also reminds me a little of The Man Who Killed Batman from BTAS in that the jokers life before or without Batman is boring, pointless, and unfulfilled. You’ll see what I mean when you read it. But yeah, it’s an interesting take and definitely one of my favorite joker stories.

[@garrettteal5091]

Hey man, you're a real nerd. And I love it! Thanks for the upload

[@hellishhybrid1839]

The direction they've taken the Joker recently is 2edgy4me.

[@vollsticks]

Based Dick Sprang. Incredible. I remember buying The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told (title?), maybe '88, '89, 1990, possibly (I bought the entire run of Elektra Assassin at the same time for TEN POUNDS so that maybe dates it more accurately?)? It had that great Brian Bolland cover with the laughing fish from the eponymous Marshall Rogers-drawn story included in the tome, the "Five-Way Revenge" comic too ...lots of Dick Sprang in there (likewise in the contemporaneous volume "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told"), I remember the "Joker's Utility Belt" story very well and still have that collection of stories somewhere...typing this five minutes into your video (I really should watch 'em FIRST before commenting!) so apologies if I mention anything you went over, which I'm preddy sure you will Chris! I remember catching hell from my parents for phoning the "Save Jason Todd" number...from the UK! Ooops...Ah, the folly of youth. I never liked Jason Todd much tbh but I didn't want the kid to die! :( Interesting to hear about all the later Joker stories I missed, long after I quit cape comics...nice little precis, Chris! good work. Oh I did read the one-off just called The JOker, I think, it was Ed Brubaker (I think?) and the artist who went on to draw The Rorschach comics from the Watchmen sequel/prequels... I really wanna read "Pow-Wow Smith, Indian Lawman", tbh

[@BobGeis]

Really good stuff. Thanks for creating this.

[@desmondnel5706]

Man, I remember the laughing fish. It was also in one of the Batman annuals. 1988 or 89 I think.

[@nw8488]

i just have to thank you for all the work you do. anytime i think of something that i'm curious about related to comic history and i google it, you are always the result i trust most. thanks!

[@meyes5671]

It's amazing how consistent he's stayed since the beginning

[@leighfoulkes7297]

I don't like comic books anymore but I must admit that I'm becoming obsessed with history and especially the backstabbing that went on in the back ground. The horrifying thing about Alan Moore's "Killing Joker" is the fact that he puts you into a sociopaths mind and like a real sociopath, the joker makes you feel sorry for him even after he does the most inhuman things (though I think he is given himself reasons for his behavior). Saying that, they should have had the Batman really kill the Joker because it would have given full meaning to the comic (you can take out Batgirl but not the Joker?!).

[@pvthitch]

My favorite Joker moment is from the Marsal Rogers run. Joker and his goons are walking down the sidewalk. Goon compliments Joker's plan. Joker says something like "Thanks. But never tell me my business." And pushes the goon in front of a truck. Splat!

[@sdm47]

Okay so I went looking for your video on the bat cave only to realize that there isn’t one You’re so good with all these other videos and the bat cave is so iconic I was 100% certain that you would’ve done something like that by now

[@jonathanrobinson8926]

I strongly prefer the theory that Joker really is Hyper-Sane, so sane in fact that he is aware of his role as a comic book villain. Thus he revels in his role as Batman's opposite, and has no qualms about daily murders, the unimportance of his existence being the cosmic joke, and the readers being his audience. It also explains the Going Sane arc, as when he believes Batman dead, suddenly his belief in his being a character in a comic book is shattered, because they would never kill off Batman. He goes "sane", and attempts to reconcile the evil he has done. Thankfully he sees the truth by the end.

[@MrCeratix]

This is nothing Against Chris, fantastic video as always. But BOY do I not condone that re-color of Killing joke, specifically that panel at 12:15

[@morriscolautti9822]

What a fantastic episode! Keep up the great work. I may have to go and upgrade my Patreon level. Take a trip to Australia when you can. You will not be disappointed. Cheers man!

[@GorositoTV]

Great video!

[@packman2321]

I think two of my favourite stories with the Joker are White Knight and his appearance in Mother Panic: Gotham AD. Both focus on his co-dependence on Batman. The former you touched on but I feel there's something strangely poignant on returning to a world without Batman and finding he Clown Prince of Crime has simply become a sad old man sitting on a bench. It's understated and so very unlike our understanding of the man as a wild, frenetic force. I think it shows more clearly than most other attempts how reliant he is on Bruce... For a more comedic version of this there's the Lego Batman movie.