These are the Weirdest Jokers You’ve Ever Seen in Comics

Ok, for those that don’t know me, I’m a Joker freak. Yeah.  I love Joker in ever shape, size, color, flavor it comes.  From a Joker Pez dispenser, to the small Heath Ledger Joker in the cereal box.  I have most and continually hunt for more and within my collection I have found some strange incarnations of the Clown Prince of Crime that has even me scratching my head.  I would like to share a few of them with fellow Joker fans, because it can’t be only me that find these appearances quite…well, ODD.  Then, isn’t that what we love of Joker, his ability to stay out of the crowd? All right, enough of me. Enjoy!

 

Title: “The Mark of Bizarro” DC Comics Presents 71, July 1984

Creative Team: E. Nelson Bridwell, writer; Curt Swan, artist

What I think: OK, if there wasn’t enough with a Bizarro Superman and a Batzarro, here we see and entire Justice League of Bizarros and our very own…Bizarro Joker.   He doesn’t wear makeup (but still has green hair), is the sanest man in this crazy Bizarro world and cries all the time instead of laughing. (I think he cries seeing how little panel time he gets on the comic, guess why…?) Thank God they never gave this guy his own series…

  Title: Digital Justice, 1990

Creative Team: Pepe Moreno

I think: Well this was a very difficult graphic novel to make then. Forget World of Warcraft and the Sims. CGI is crude and minimal. The computer technology of the early nineties was in its infancy as this was probably done when people still programmed in BASIC, but the plot is very interesting and complicated (so much that I’m using the premise one a story I’m writing). Please, don’t blink between panels or you will stray with this GN. Joker and Batman are long time dead, but somehow, the Clown has survived as a computer virus with great ambitions (Batman Forever : Return of the Joker comes to mind). It requires a detective with the skills of the Bat and a large access to the “Network” to put this clown down and the task goes to Gordon’s grandson.

 

Title: Nosferatu, 1990.

Creative Team: Ted McKeever, cinematographer (?), Randy & Jean-Marc Lofficier, artists

What I think: For those horror fans…this one’s for you. A merge of the Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari and Nosferatu in the Batman universe….Yummy! Dr. Arkham creates a Frankenstein-like like creature called the Laughing Man (aka the Joker, see pic) and sets the monster free to do chaos in an alternate Gotham. It’s up to Nosferatu, yes… the classic silent movie vampire (aka Batman), to thwart Arkham’s plans and stop the Laughing man at any cost.

The art is kind of grotesque and uses heavy blacks and sepias which add to the horror feel of the graphic novel. Unfortunately the Laughing man is reduced to a puppet with no dialogue and only one thing in mind…murder (and well equipped he is for that). It makes for a fun read though.

 

Title: Superman : Speeding Bullets (Elseworlds tale) 1993.

Creative Team: J.M DeMatteis, writer; Eduardo Barreto, artist

What I think: If you noticed the title, you immediately realize this is not a Batman prestige format. Jor-el falls on earth and is adopted by the Waynes. Young Bruce is one angry SOB, but he really doesn’t know what to do with his life or his powers, and takes the role of Batman in Gotham. Since there can’t be a Batman without a Joker, the role falls on Lex Luthor.   Lex plays with Batman, sometimes using homoerotic undertones, but have to admit that this Joker is pretty much more in character as he is out of looks. This is a story of finding oneself, in this case Bruce Wayne coming to peace with what he is. After he deals with Joker…he is reborn and the darkness is lifted. Is the new era for a new…SUPERMAN. In my opinion, though…they should have kept the original Joker look, somehow, Luthor is not that believable as the Clown Prince. A good read anyways.

 

 

Title: Batman: In Darkest Night, 1994.

Creative Team: Mike W. Barr, writer; Jerry Bingham, artist

What I think: This is really a reinvention of a mythos. What would be like if Bin Asur would have selected Bruce Wayne for the Green Lanterns instead of Hal Jordan? Even in the first few pages Wayne stops the Red Hood without a chemical bath and Joker never happens…or does it? Well, as it goes, Wayne has to fight a rebel Sinestro, who is sentenced to the phantom zone where he goes insane, and our favorite Korugarian villain starts to behave (and dress) very Jokeresquely. One problem though…I’m a great fan of the REAL GL…and I find it very hard to believe that Sinestro will ever lose his cool and behave like our Joker. Don’t get me wrong…I know Sinestro might not be all OK on the head but for a different reason. Also, the artist kind of forgot that Sinestro wears a moustache (or maybe he didn’t want to draw it at all) and some other things making me feel that he is not a man of details. Overall, this is an OK read if you can overlook the writer trying to fit all the pieces into a Batman elseworld adventure by any means necessary.

 

Title: Batman: Dark Joker: The Wild. Elseworlds tale, 1994.

Creative Team: Doug Moench, writer; Kelly Jones, pencils; Tom Betty, inker.

What I think: If you like fairy tales, this is for you. The dark Joker, a powerful sorcerer takes over the Wild, killing the ruling sorcerers/sorceress. As he throws their son off a window to finish their lineage, the baby sprouts wings and flies away. Twenty year later, we see the emergence of the Bat-man and his destiny to fight the evil Joker and reclaim his place in the order of things. This creature is the sorcerer’s son. The writing has a very strong influence of the classical fantastic literature and though I have to admit that Jones could probably do better penciling job, his dark and shadow clad style suites the storyline. Jones’ Joker reminded me many times of “The Man Who Laughs” and in many panels I can see a silent film influence where the actors overact to convey the emotional state. Interesting read.

 

Title: “The Great Pretender” and “King Joker”, Showcase94 issues 1 and 2, 1994.

Creative Team: James Robinson, writer; Christian Alamy, artist

What I think:  Another story where we are taken into the Joker’s mind, but one that I consider very successful. Joker is double crossed by his thugs and exposed to truth serum, and with Joker the results are unexpected.   In his mind he is no longer Joker but Jack, a regular Joe with a life and a family…and he has to re-discover himself slowly, trying to uncover what makes him who he is. I’m not sure if this is a hallucination or it is simply how Joker sees the world, but I personally prefer to think the latter. Joker knows in his fantasy world that he is more than just a man, and his journey is filled with the violence, the madness and the imagery you would expect of a man that is obsessed with chaos and embedded in madness. There are some very mild homoerotic undertones in the story which adds an interesting flavor to the story. The art is not bad at all, and some pages work beautifully as splash pages, delivering more than just the action, but also a mood and emotion that helps enjoy this story. I strongly recommend this story. Very enjoyable and the art is worth it.

Title:” A Black and White World”, Batman Black and White, volume 1/ number 2, 1996.

Creative Team:   Neal Gaiman, writer; Simon Biesley, artist

What I think: Every time I read this I remember those episodes of Willey Coyote and the English Shepherd that were enemies on the clock and after their shifts, are the best of friends. That is why it’s here. You don’t see characters as big as these portrayed in this manner successfully. This is a behind the scenes look at Batman and the Joker during the ‘production’ of a comic book. How they rehearse a scene, play it, and comment on what’s life for comic book ‘actors. Very nice read, funny, and the art…well, Mr. Bisley has a very special type of art. Either you love it or you hate it and here I think that though strange looking it kind of helps creating the atmosphere (Doesn’t Joker looks like a cross between Wolverine and Bozo the Clown?, and what’s with the Swastica?)

Title: DC vs Marvel #4, 1996.    Legends of the Dark Claw #1, 1996

Creative Team: Peter David, writer;Claudio Castellini and Dan Jurgens, pencillers (DCvsMarvel);  Larry Hama, writer & Jim Balent, artist (Legends of Dark Claw)

What I think: It’s the Joker…no, wait…it’s Sabertooth. NO! His name is the Hyena and is the villain in the Gotham of the short lived Amalgam Universe. He combines the dark humor of the clown we have learned to love and the savagery and blood thirst of Marvel’s Sabertooth. His nemesis is the fierce Dark Claw, a combination of Batman and Wolverine. I really liked this very different version (in part because I’m a great fan of Sabertooth himself as well), because though we know the Joker’s style has always being ‘civilized’,this more savage and animalistic style of the hyena shows us what really lies underneath the madness. Let’s face it. Joker’s insanity drives his actions, but he is in essence a predator, preying on the innocent people of Gotham for his own amusement. Styles might be different, but the goal is the same, and it’s a sight for sore eyes to see a Joker that can take of the Detective mano a mano.

 

Title: “I, Joker “ Elseworlds graphic novel, 1998

Creative Team: Bob Hall, writer & artist with Lee Lougmridge

What I think: Ok, this is the future, at least one of many. Here, Gotham has made Batman a cult and developed this game where convicts are engineered into copies of the original Batman rogues that are forced to face the Batman in a duel to the death. Then one day, the Joker of turn realizes the truth and he tries to change the end of the game. The idea is original and to certain point scary. Have you realized how far can people go to idealize something…even cold torture and murder? The story is kind of confusing to read, but leaves you thinking. At the end, Joker embraces the Bruce (the hero persona)…after discovering the real bat-cave and revives an old god…Gotham will have a new…(and smiling) hero to look after her. No more games in this city…they are no longer funny.

 

Title: Batman/Judge Dredd: Die Laughing, circa 1998. (Two volume prestige format).

Creative Team: Alan Grant & John Wagner, writers; Glenn Fabry, artist.

What I think: Ok, this has to be one of the best Joker outfits in the whole wide world and can only imagine how tedious it must have been for Mr. Fabry to paint all those lips…but it works. Transporting himself to the world of Judge Dredd (a world of extreme justice and the looks of Blade Runner on LSD), Joker cuts a deal with the Dark Judges in exchange of immortality. The Dark Judges give the Clown Prince the chance to become a Dark Judge himself and the twisted look of Judge Joker is sick….and cool including a shrilling laughter that makes your head explode…literally (and yes, he loses his green hair because he is possessing the body of another man). The rest you will have to read, but this might be one of the best Joker art out there, hand painted in Fabry’s unique style. The characterization is very good too and extremely funny to read. This Joker is very much in character with my idea of what the Clown should look and speak. I recommend it.

 

Title:  Batman/Batgirl: Thrilkiller ’62 (1998)

Creative Team: Howard Chaykin, writer; Dan Brereton, artist

What I think: Welcome to Earth 62  (which stands to 1962) and to a whole new reinterpretation of the Clown Prince. Ehem…in this case…Princess. Her name is Bianca Steeplechase and she is as dangerous as she is beautiful.   This is the only known representation of a female Joker villain that I know of in the DCU (Remember, he Joker from Tangent universe is a hero and for me, it doesn’t count here). and basically she is an ambitious woman willing to do anything to satisfy her mundane desires for power. Another thing that makes this character unique is the homosexual, or maybe bisexual nature of the character. Her love interest will become not other than a crazy Harley Quinn (Hayley Fitzpatrick), with a murderous taste that rivals her lover’s, just look at the last page of the series. Interesting read and definitely something different, and the art does not disappoint.

 

Title: Elseworld’s Finest:: Supergirl and Batgirl, 1998

Creative Team: Barbara Kesel, writer; Matt Haley, pencils; Tom Simmons, inks.

What I think: First thing is this story is written by a woman so hurray! That is great. Second is…I don’t know you guys out there but I would date a Joker like that. He can say “I’d be back” and kill you with a smile on its face, and I can’t stop drooling over the muscles (*smack myself on face*). Anyway, in this story, Joker is a hulky guy obsessed with gaining the love of Supergirl so he becomes…big for her, by infusing himself with kryptonite. The story is good, filled with intrigue as the plot thickens and becomes more involved and keeps you wondering till the end if Batgirl and Supergirl will be able to work together to overcome Joker and Luthor. Great art and a nice read, but word of warning…this is not your regular Gotham, so forget all you know and read with fresh mind.

Title: Batman: Two Faces, 1998.

Creative Team: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, writers; Anthony Williams, penciller; Top Palmer, inkerWhat I think: My, oh, my. Look that this Victorian Clown Prince of Crime. Isn’t he something? The story is a retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and as you could guess by the pic, Joker is our Mr. Hyde whose taste for violence and murder fall more into the Jack the Ripper category. Don’t expect the typical Joker humor as this one does not talk, just laughs perversely as he murders you (enjoying the hunt, lad?). This Joker is less of a clown and more of a force of nature, feeding on what our good Dr. Jekyll is trying to bury deep within him. I’m not telling who Dr. Jekyll is or I will spoil the surprise, but I never thought they would go that literal. And who saves the day? Another two face…the new law in a lawless land… Man, I love the sideburns…

Title: Joker vs Aliens 2 (2003)

Creative Team: Ian Edginton, writer; Staz Johnson, penciller; James Hodhins, inker

What I think:   Ok, if you thought it could get any weirder….look again. It’s a JOKER-ALIEN hybrid. Dr. Fortune uses DNA from Arkham’s Asylum’s most famous inmates to make these sentient hybrids and yes, this Alien is smiling and instead of another set of mandibles inside his mouth, he spouts acid. It’s not easy to find the Joker saying that he didn’t have anything funny to say, but I guess he was at that time more worried of not soiling his pants when he saw the big mouth through the little window on his cell door. Batman has his work cut with this cutie… Nice read, but I would’ve loved to have seen much more of the Joker-Alien hybrid. Oh well…maybe someone can write a sequel or something.

Only one question comes to my mind. Joker’s characteristic smile is the result of an accident, not genetics…so how come that now it is written on its DNA? Oh, the beauty of the alternate worlds: Suspension of belief.

 

Title: Batman: Switch, 2003.

Creative Team: Devin Grayson, writer; John Bolton, artist.

What I think: Another story written by a woman and I think someone at DC was high on something when they came up with this story. The whole concept looks like a large hallucination, and the fact that we see the Joker’s demented perspective of things doesn’t help, making this one of the strangest adventures ever. Someone has kidnapped Joker and taken his glamorous smile and switched it to the back of his head (hence the title: Switch) and he needs to go through the streets of London for answers and try to recover his smile.

The story starts beautifully by dipping slowly into the mad mind of the Clown Prince of Crime (which is why I bought it originally), but when we find out that what we thought was a Joker hallucination as his smile has indeed been literally removed from his face and implanted on the back of his head, the story becomes confusing and the magic is lost. The portrayal of Batman is poor, and the Joker’s attempt to be like the Bat to help him recover his smile are neither creepy nor funny, making the whole issue fall short of success. Not even Bolton’s beautiful art can save this one. I think that the story ended up being more confusing than entertaining, but at the same time, the intentions were good and the idea really had potential if the author would have kept the original trend she started in the graphic novel. Not the greatest story, but definitely one of the strangest.

 

Title: Batman Superman  Issues 60 and 61, 2009

Creative Team: Michael Green and Mike Johnson, writer; Francis Manipul, artist

What I think: First was the Superman/Batman Hybrid and now we see a whole universe of this hybrid characters where Lex Joker is the big chief of a large criminal organization. Good idea, that goes down the drain when we discover it’s all an illusion from Doctor Destiny to get to the real Batman and Superman. It would have been interesting to see more of this world that is all a combination of DC heroes and villains and definitely more Lex Joker. And why is this here if it’s not even a real world? Well, you don’t see bald Jokers often and there is a very appealing  je me se qua in this guy.