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[[File:Bolland Joker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Joker, detail of a panel from the graphic novel ''Batman: The Killing Joke'' (Brian Bolland / DC Comics)]]
[[File:Bolland Joker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Joker, detail of a panel from the graphic novel ''Batman: The Killing Joke'' (Brian Bolland / DC Comics)]]
The '''Joker''' is a comic book character first published in the spring 1940 issue of ''Batman'' number 1 by DC Comics, and was the creation of Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Frank Robinson. The personification of destruction and chaos, the Joker has become one of the best-known villains in comics, novels, and film; his portrayal by actor [[Heath Ledger]] in the film ''The Dark Knight'' earned for him critical praise and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The '''Joker''' is a comic book character first published in the spring 1940 issue of ''Batman'' number 1 by DC Comics, and was the creation of Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Frank Robinson. The chief nemesis of Batman, and the personification of destruction and chaos, the Joker has become one of the best-known villains in comics, novels, and film; his portrayal by actor [[Heath Ledger]] in the film ''The Dark Knight'' earned for him critical praise and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
==History==
==History==
Kane, Finger, and Robinson are credited with the creation of the Joker, but what exactly transpired is a bit of a mystery. Robinson, according to some sources, produced a playing card bearing the image of a joker and suggested that it was DC's next villain. Kane, the creator of Batman, insisted that it was himself who had done so, basing interpretation on a character named Gwynplaine from a 1928 silent film titled ''The Man Who Laughs''. The image of an unearthly, knife-carved grin - as portrayed by German actor Conrad Veidt - stuck with Kane, and were reflected in the panels of the Joker drawn for ''Batman'' number 1.
Kane, Finger, and Robinson are credited with the creation of the Joker, but what exactly transpired is a bit of a mystery. Robinson, according to some sources, produced a playing card bearing the image of a joker and suggested that it was DC's next villain. Kane, the creator of Batman, insisted that it was himself who had done so, basing interpretation on a character named Gwynplaine from a 1928 silent film titled ''The Man Who Laughs''. The image of an unearthly, knife-carved grin - as portrayed by German actor Conrad Veidt - stuck with Kane, and were reflected in the panels of the Joker drawn for ''Batman'' number 1.
The Joker was portrayed as a thief who left an unusual calling card: the bodies of his victims with their faces contorted in a grotesque smile, but his actual origins were not established until much later. In 1951 ''Detective Comics'' number 168 presented "The Man Behind the Red Hood", which placed Batman against a criminal who struck once more after a ten-year hiatus. The revealing of the Red Hood to be the Joker also revealed his origins: once a lab worker, he was going to retire off of a million dollars stolen from a nearby playing card company, but his escape with the loot through chemical wastes had altered his appearence, bleaching his skin white and turning his hair green.
The Joker was portrayed as a psycopathic murderer who left an unusual calling card: the bodies of his victims with their faces contorted in a grotesque smile, but his actual origins were not established until much later. In 1951 ''Detective Comics'' number 168 presented "The Man Behind the Red Hood", which placed Batman against a criminal who struck once more after a ten-year hiatus. The revealing of the Red Hood to be the Joker also revealed his origins: once a lab worker, he was going to retire off of a million dollars stolen from a nearby playing card company, but his escape with the loot through chemical wastes had altered his appearence, bleaching his skin white and turning his hair green.
In the mid-1950's public backlash against comics in the wake of Dr. Frederic Wertham's book ''Seduction of the Innocent: The Influence of Comic Books on Today's Youth'' forced many comic publishers to either change their format or go out of business; indeed, much of what was published - either in mainstream comics or so-called "underground" versions - was dark, violent, and sometimes gory. The Joker went through a change as a result, from an insane, homicidal character to a campy prankster who used a lot of jokes and puzzles in his crazy, seemingly harmless, crimes. The additions of a "Joker-mobile" or a Batman-like utility belt didn't help his stories, either, and when Julius Schwartz - who hated the Joker - took over the Batman editorial position, the Clown Prince of Crime was relegated to the trash can.
In the mid-1950's public backlash against comics in the wake of Dr. Frederic Wertham's book ''Seduction of the Innocent: The Influence of Comic Books on Today's Youth'' forced many comic publishers to either change their format or go out of business; indeed, much of what was published - either in mainstream comics or so-called "underground" versions - was dark, violent, and sometimes gory. The Joker went through a change as a result, from an insane, homicidal character to a campy prankster who used a lot of jokes and puzzles in his crazy, seemingly harmless, crimes. The additions of a "Joker-mobile" or a Batman-like utility belt didn't help his stories, either, and when Julius Schwartz - who hated the Joker - took over the Batman editorial position, the Clown Prince of Crime was relegated to the trash can.
But the Joker wouldn't die so quickly, as producer William Dozier placed the Joker in the fifth episode of his 1966-69 television series ''Batman''. Played by veteran actor Caesar Romero, this new film version kept in line with the campyness of the comic character. One of the big-name stars who was attracted to film guest appearences in the series (Burgess Meredith, Julie Newmar, Frank Gorshin, Vincent Price among others), Romero had an unusual trait which he insisted not be touched: a well-groomed mustache, which was hidden under his white make up.
But the Joker wouldn't die so quickly, as producer William Dozier placed the Joker in the fifth episode of his 1966-69 television series ''Batman''. Played by veteran actor Caesar Romero, this new film version kept in line with the campyness of the comic character. One of the big-name stars who was attracted to film guest appearences in the series (Burgess Meredith, Julie Newmar, Frank Gorshin, Vincent Price among others), Romero had an unusual trait which he insisted not be touched: a well-groomed mustache, which was hidden under his white make up.
====1970's remake====
In 1973 DC did an extensive revamping of the Batman series and characters, returning to their earlier roots of dark and compelling stories. Brought out of the trash can, the Joker committed his homicides once again according to the writer-artist team of Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams in the pages of ''Batman'' number 251 (Sept. 1973), in a story titled "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge." In addition to the killings, the Joker had the added pleasure of taunting both the police and Batman to stop him. It was in this story that Arkam Asylam - the Joker's second "home" - was introduced.
In the story "The Laughing Fish," (''Detective Comic number 475, March 1978), writer Steve Englehart and and artist Marshall Rogers defined the Joker's psychosis further, in which the Joker had applied for a patent for a chemical which causes a wicked grin in fish, of which he woud be able to collect royalties for his "invention," with the added joke that he would kill anyone who pointed out just how crazy his invention was. Although a two-part story with no more than three murders, "The Laughing Fish" left an impression on readers: the Joker's madness had risen to new levels, and the stories were getting more compelling.
====1980's====
In the 1980's Frank Miller was an artist/writer for Marvel Comics; he had revamped the character of Wolverine and placed a ''film noir'' look in Daredevil - creating a love interest with Electra along the way - to critical acclaim. When he moved to DC he had the beginnings of a story that would set the comics industry on fire, and the Joker was part of it. In ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' the Joker had spent ten years of a dystopian future locked away a Arkham as a mere dormant shell of a man, while the Batman had made a similar disappearence. The news of Batman's return to fight crime once more has the Joker convincing his doctors that he has been rehabilitated; his release into the public allows him a killing spree like Gotham had never seen before.