The joker here is maniacal, cruel, and insane, but inside his viciousness is a tiny sliver of humanity. Hasbro marvel legends series 6 inch black widow comic gray suit action figure. It is the fifth episode produced featuring the joker and is notable for being an adaptation of classic joker stories from the comic books, one of which was written by dennis oneil. The idea of bruce visiting the alley where his parents died every year. Aug 20, 2019 this one collection has his most classic stories from the laughing fish to the 10 issue joker miniseries in the 70s. The man is clearly terrified by the jokers presence, but tells him that nobody can register a on a natural resource even one as mutated as the macabre joker fish. The history of the joker the laughing fish the joker is one of the most famous villains in comic book history for nearly 80 years, the joker has been batmans greatest nemesis, twisted and sinister in equal measure in his trademark purple, green and orange threepiece suit. When they finally meet at the end of laughing fish sign of the joker. The killing joke provides an origin story for the supervillain the joker, loosely adapted from the. It sounds like youd be a lot more into the recent books, rather than really old ones. Some of his first comicbook work appeared in the blackandwhite magazine the deadly hands of kung fu.
The joker is one of the oldest villains in comic book history and has undergone several iterations since 1940. As batmans archnemesis, hes been terrorizing gotham city since his debut in 1940. The joker is a comic book supervillain owned by dc comics, who primarily appears as a member of batmans rogues gallery. Get the best deals on bronze age batman comics when you shop the largest online selection at. The joker visits boss thorne next and tells him that he also was a. Joker tries to take over guatemala and turn it into a giant lethal amusement park. Francis if he doesnt comply by midnight hell be the poorest fish of all. Writer steve engleharts arc the laughing fish was an iconic story that. The laughing fish was adapted for the series, by the way. The joker in the seventies became a compilation of attributes mastermind, killer, eloquent rival of his character from the different preceding eras, and is probably my favorite joker of all. Sep 27, 2014 this feature is not available right now. Jun 23, 2017 every version of the joker ranked from worst to best. The joker also references the classic tale by steve englehart, marshall rogers and terry austin the laughing fish from detective comics. Diamond dc comics batman animated joker laughing fish bust.
Joker venom is a toxin, a favorite murder weapon used by the joker in the batman franchise of movies, comics, and cartoons. Some of his first comicbook work appeared in the blackand white magazine the deadly hands of kung fu. Sep 11, 2009 this feature is not available right now. A celebration of 75 years, as comic book history is long and has many differing eras. The gotham city in joker is close to the real world, but as harsh and crimeridden as batmans hometown should be. In their story the laughing fish, the joker is brazen enough to disfigure fish with a rictus grin, then expects to be. Jun 19, 2007 i wont say that, as a rule of thumb, the btas joker doesnt match with the comic nine times out of ten. The killing joke is a 1988 dc comics oneshot graphic novel featuring the characters batman and the joker written by alan moore and illustrated by brian bolland. Bankrupt, the joker poisons gothams river and changes the fish to give them all his signature smile.
See more ideas about joker, joker and harley and joker and harley quinn. What are some of the best comic books featuring the joker. Steve englehart introduced the classic laughing fish that was used in batman. Mar 31, 2019 batman is dc comics biggest superhero, we sifted through 80 years of the dark knight to give you the best graphic novels to read to understand the caped crusaders appeal. Hello everyone, im not really into comics but i really like batman and even more, the joker. Dennis oneil, who wrote the first issue of the series, recounted that i stopped by julie schwartz, batman editor s office, and he said, were going to do a joker book. It gives a possible origin for the joker as well as giving us the best look into his mindset. The joker is a supervillain and archnemesis of batman. The night following deadshots capture at s exhibition hall, the batman visits silver st. Ignoring that the comic joker is far darker, far more violent, than the cartoon series would have been allowed to be.
William marshall rogers iii january 22, 1950 march 24, 2007, known professionally as. The joker is one of the most iconic villains in comic book and film history, but his current dark iteration is far removed from his early image. Here, he has batman and harvey bullock both in a big fish tank with a huge shark thats ready to both of them. Tas series, including batman, catwoman, and poison ivy, capture the iconic characters in basic poses that dont really indic. That should also feature other great ones like joker s 5 way revenge and the laughing fish which you can find much cheaper in the greatest joker stories ever told. You can think of very dark lots of you know vampires for villains things like that, but the but the crowning glory for all that was the joker and the joker in those days was a homicidal. Contact with joker venom causes uncontrollable spasms of laughter, followed by a painful death.
In this case, however, it is a villain who is portrayed. And i think the joker in btas does come pretty close to the comic book portrayal, though ive seen more episodes of the show than read issues of. Oct 07, 2019 the laughing fish is a 70s story and shows the joker at his best. Joker is proof that comic book movies are no longer a laughing matter. The best comics for new fans to read before the movie. The laughing fish, based on the detective comics issue of the same name. This highlights the return of the joker to his darker roots in the early batmans comics and took it a step further, while keeping his comedic energy alive for entertaining and balanced stories. And its all the same for everybody else the next morning the jokers fish seems to be the only newsworthy story. The scene is actually scary in a few parts, especially when the joker puts a lid on the tank and these guys are trapped. These are published by dc comics and are cover dated.
The joker s first appearance came in the batmans first solo comic book the dark knight had been appearing for a year in the pages of detective comics. The comics feature the batman against his foe, the joker, in a twoissue continued story written by steve englehart, with pencil art by marshall rogers and ink work by terry austin. Batman fought the joker in the laughing fish the joker turn all the fish in gotham in to joker fish. Harvey, however, gets there first but is captured by the joker. This episode is based on three classic joker stories from the comic books. Langley once again gives us a gift with the joker psychology.
Thats comic book veteran steve englehart, whos written the adventures of nearly every comic book hero. And i fondly remember watching this in our kitchen that sunday night. Cloud in her apartment thinking she has something to say to him. I think this was the big move from weekday afternoons to prime time.
This issue was nominated at the 1979 eagle awards for favorite comic book artist us, and for. The comic book joker has grown exceedingly cruel and ruthless over the years, and leaving survivors behind isnt one of his hobbies. The animated series joker laughing fish gallery figure based on the batman. The joker has changed radically from age to age, much like the batman. Carl francis, indicating that he wishes to trademark his designer joker fish. However, before the joker can kill him batman arrives and, in a very typical comic book battle, manages to save harvey, beat the henchmen and give chase to the joker. It ran nine issues from mayjune 1975 to septemberoctober 1976. His personality is often conflicting and contradictory, switching from a massmurdering psychopath to a harmless prankster on a whim, making him extremely unpredictable. And of course the story of the laughing fish is just a classic criminal plot. The episode is mostly adapted from the comics storyline the laughing fish sign of the joker. And its also one of the best tas episodes, with the perfect blend of light and dark, theatrical staging and agame animation. The joker is a comic book series published by dc comics starring the supervillain the joker.
The animated series episode, the laughing fish, this approximately 9inchtall statue features the joker holding one of his mutated jokerfish, with one foot propped up on a temporarily captured and defeated batman who is just moments away from becoming sharkchow. The history of comic book movies has been an interesting one, to put it lightly. Speaking of which, if you need a legendary actor to play a crazy man, who better than jack. Evolution of joker, one of the oldest villains in comic book. Lovely weather for fish, or did i say that already. Comic book villains, comic book characters, comic character, comic books. The joker is one of the oldest villains in comic book. Theres a disjointed nature to books like the joker. Since the golden age of comic books, he has remained as one of the most popular and threatening figures in the dc universe. The first few stories and dark and violent, but then the next third or more of the book will be very cartoony and light. There are no laughing fish or sharkrepellant batsprays here, folks.
The following are some comics to check out to explore the joker in his original form as a comicbook character. The joker isnt a character keen to turn hero like so many other comic book super villains, but sean gordon murphys batman. Celebrate the almost centurylong journey of the king of crime with these 10 stories. The animated series joker laughing fish gallery figure. And i think the joker in btas does come pretty close to the comic book portrayal, though ive seen more episodes of the show than read issues of the comic. Joker is proof that comicbook movies are no longer a. This year, the joker turns 80, like many other batman figures. Mar 18, 2020 due to the nature of the tv series and its attempts to cater to both children and older audiences, mark hamills joker captured both the silly side of the character that was prevalent in the 60s and 70s, as well as joker s darker aspects, with some episodes, such as the laughing fish pictured above skirting between the dark and comedic. But is the joker s laughing condition a disorder that affects people in real life. While the comic book version of the joker gained his iconic appearance after an unfortunate encounter with batman ended in the clown prince of crime falling into a vat of chemicals, the dark knight version of the character has a mysterious past and a grisly appearance. And as citizens of gotham city will soon discover, the joker s reappearance is no laughing matter. Introduced as a psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor.
Introduced as a psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor, the character became a goofy prankster in the late 1950s in response to regulation by the comics code authority, before returning to his darker roots during the early 1970s. The time the joker tried to copyright a fish plagiarism. Batman defeated the joker in a battle which a great white shark was part of the battle. Overall, as mentioned, these joker programs seem to be the consistently best of these episodes in this series. He tries to them but the bank refuses, as you cant a natural resource. For nearly 80 years, the joker has been batmans greatest nemesis, twisted and sinister in equal measure in his trademark purple, green and orange threepiece suit. Batman, realizing the fish was a unique species deduces that the joker must be at the aquarium. This collection also contains the classic laughing fish story by writer steve englehart and artist marshall. Steve englehart, author of the seminal bronze age joker story, the laughing fish detective comics. Across gotham city, fish begin appearing with the jokers.
In the comic books, joker is a villain called red hood who jumps into a tank with chemicals to get away from batman. Looks like it will finally be reprinted in the joker bronze age omnibus. As the personification of destruction and chaos, the joker has become one of the bestknown villains in comics, novels, and film. Marshall rogers introduced the trench coat and fedora which impacted jack nicholsons joker. This edit will also create new pages on comic vine for. In his comic book appearances, the joker is portrayed as a criminal mastermind. The movies of the official dc extended universe aquaman, justice league, and suicide squad, to name a fewchose to reintroduce their bestknown comic book characters via.
Kane and robinson claimed responsibility for the joker s design, but. Ill write down my favourite comics featuring the joker. Some have speculated that the venom hyper stimulates the laughter functions of. I loved the joker in the dark knight, and the arkham games by rocksteady also had an great joker and im really looking forward to the new joker movie. Dc superhero storybook illustrated childrens book batman. That in and of itself is a pretty ridiculous thing to do, but the real kicker is that the fish arent actually poisonous.
Like the greatest batman stories ever told, the greatest joker stories ever told chronicle the history of one of comic book historys most enduring characters. I dont know if the joker in the comics is comparable in any way to the one in the movies or games but i guess he kinda is. The joker is one of the most famous villains in comic book history. Eight of the jokers most hilarious, terrifying, and. The laughing fish is an episode of the first season of batman. This story really captures the unfathomable cruelty and random nature of joker. See notes the laughing fish was the 33rd episode produced and the 46th episode aired. He was created by bob kane, bill finger and jerry robinson. First published in 1973, it was written by dennis oneil and illustrated by neal adams. Dawn of justice, the film which will redefine all of our favorite icons, that todays batman. White knight sees the funnybook felon in something of a role. In all honesty they messed this up, book is a beaut and im completely convinced they meant to. Diamond select toys batman laughing fish joker bust ee. When the joker releases a neurotoxin into the gotham harbor, fish are deformed to wear his iconic grin.