Changes

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 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.

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.

The Joker made his first film appearence in the 1966-69 television series ''Batman''.  Played by veteran actor Caesar Romero, this version of the Joker was merely a clownish prankster in keeping with the Comics Code imposed at the time.  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.

====''Batman'' (1989)====

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.

Director Tim Burton's blockbuster had cast Jack Nicholson in the lead role as an intelligent yet mentally-unstable mob enforcer named Jack Napier, who becomes the Joker at the hands of Batman.  Nicholson's wild performance stole the show, and helped ''Batman'' take in over $400 million worldwide in box office receipts.