THE Best Joker moment in history [Archive] - Comic Book Resources Forums

Brad Barton

05-07-2006, 04:34 AM

Whenever I think of the best Joker moments in the history of the DCU, the first ones that come to mind (remembering that I'm only 24 years old, and am not familiar with anything older than silver age) would be:

5- Batman #615(?)- Batman almost beats Joker to death in the Loeb/Lee hush storyline, and is only saved by Jim Gordons commitment to the law.

4- Joker Brutally beats Jason Todd to death with a crowbar, showing just how cold blooded a killer he truly is.

3- Batman: The Killing Joke- Joker shoots Barabara Gordon- Batgirl -in the spine, paralyzing her.

2- The Dark Knight Returns: Book 3- Batman and Joker fight each other to a standstill, until Joker breaks his own neck in an effort to frame Batman for murder in his dying moments.

Dark knight returns used to be my favorite Joker moment ever, until i read IC #7 two days ago...

1- After being shunned by the Villains Society, Joker gets the last laugh by killing the most wanted man in the universe with an Acid Squirting flower and high voltage handbuzzer, thus effectively ending Infinite Crisis by bringing down it's Architect, Alex Luthor!!

DAMN Geoff Johns knows how to write a good story! THIS is what i was hoping for at the beginning of the series, Classic moments in DCU history.

What are you guys' favorite Joker moments? I'd love to hear some classic golden age Joker moments that i may have missed....

Joker2503

05-07-2006, 09:25 AM

My favorite is his death from DKR. The Joker's entire purpose is simply to screw with Batman's head. At the very end, when Batman MIGHT actually kill him this time, the Joker kills himself just so that Batman will live the rest of his life with the knowledge that he couldn't "pull the trigger." That was just the ultimate final joke that could have been pulled.

Sean Whitmore

05-07-2006, 12:22 PM

The best Joker moment ever came from Detective Comics #726, one of the "Aftershock" stories right before No Man's Land.

The Joker convinces one of his Arkham cellmates to kidnap and kill a little girl, and arranges the whole thing to land on the anniversary of Jason Todd's death. What follows is a masterful confrontation between Batman and the Joker in his cell for the location of the girl. He can't beat it out of him, he can't trick it out of him...he's got nowhere left to go besides admitting that the Joker can pretty much do whatever he wants without consequence, and just asking for the girl's location.

I won't reveal the ending here, because it just comes across better on the page than in a synopsis, and everyone should go read it anyway. :)

SEAN

Mutate

05-07-2006, 02:44 PM

I liked that bit in "Laughing Fish" when Joker was going on about about how Joker Fish were a good idea and better than Joker Cows or something. And I like it in "Five Way Revenge" when Joker stood next to the shark and said "we resemble each other!"

Metamorpho

05-07-2006, 03:14 PM

Great stories but they all pale in comparison to this, the GREATEST Joker story of all time!
http://www.superdickery.com/oneshot/6.html

estee

05-07-2006, 06:43 PM

Great stories but they all pale in comparison to this, the GREATEST Joker story of all time!
http://www.superdickery.com/oneshot/6.html

Why did they mention 'boner' so many times? :confused:

Anyway...

The end of IC #7 was a fantastic Joker moment. Second only to Killing Joke.

Sean Whitmore

05-07-2006, 06:45 PM

Why did they mention 'boner' so many times? :confused:

Because they were all perverts and junkies in the 40s.

SEAN

Petertime

05-07-2006, 07:11 PM

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a "Joker" moment...but I love it

During the emperor Joker story in Superman Comics, while he has the ability to create reality, Joker has the Robins at a poker table.

Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and the dead body of Jason Todd who is wearing a sign that says "why didn't anyone call to save me?" (Or something to that effect).

It was sick and twisted, and funny as hell.

I want it as a poster.

malephoenix

05-07-2006, 08:24 PM

Great stories but they all pale in comparison to this, the GREATEST Joker story of all time!
http://www.superdickery.com/oneshot/6.html

That site is HILARIOUS. My girlfriend was on the phone with her mom and kept thinking I was laughing at her. Her mom didn't like that. *shrug* Made it even funnier.

(And by the way, Petertime, you've got a great sig.)

Apathy Boy

05-07-2006, 10:26 PM

1- After being shunned by the Villains Society, Joker gets the last laugh by killing the most wanted man in the universe with an Acid Squirting flower and high voltage handbuzzer, thus effectively ending Infinite Crisis by bringing down it's Architect, Alex Luthor!!Fantastic scene, but it's a better Lex Luthor moment than a Joker one. ("Oh, Alex. You've made so many mistakes." Lex is such an arrogant prick! I love it! Joker was clearly second fiddle in that scene.) I think the execution of the Royal Flush Gang was a better INFINITE CRISIS Joker moment.

I also loved the Joker in UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED. First, the Trickster reminds us of what a frightening figure the Joker is by telling us, "when super-villains want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories." Later, we find out the Joker sold his soul for a box of cigars. ("They're Cubans!") Heh.

stealthwise

05-07-2006, 11:47 PM

I really dislike all of the "coldblooded killer Joker" moments. I prefer stuff like the Laughing Fish story, or when he pulls out a gun and the "BANG!" flag pops out (which was used in the first Burton Bat film).

Joker2503

05-07-2006, 11:47 PM

I've never read Underworld Unleashed, but "when super-villains want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories" as an absolutely AWESOME quote.

David O Burcham

05-08-2006, 12:07 AM

Detective Comics #475 and #476. Joker fish, of course.

The best moment from that story was in #475. Joker makes his grand entrance. his unlucky victim utters, "my God..", which causes the Joker to spin around, "Where?!"

fierceandfunky

05-08-2006, 12:44 AM

i say the best one was when he killed jason todd.

Rylon

05-08-2006, 02:26 AM

The best? At the end of the Killing Joke, when the Joker tells Batman a joke and the both laugh. That joke say more about the two of them than every book or internet post combined.

Space Suit

05-08-2006, 05:03 AM

Detective #737. Joker tricks a guy who has been putting the moves on Harley to strap explosives to himself in order to show him a vanishing trick. When the guy asks how the trick works, Joker responds, "Trick? The trick is there is no trick!" He then blows the guy up in a thousand pieces and laughs.

Peter Parker

05-08-2006, 05:18 AM

The only Bats I saw, was on the movies. Saw every one of them though, so here it is:
I love the way Bruce tried to tell his girlfriend (can't really remember what's her name) on the first movie. the way he said softly, "I'm Batman". xD

The best Joket moment is, of cause, the first movie, when Bats confronted Joker at that building and, ultimately, Joker died.

Nefarius

05-08-2006, 02:22 PM

The death of Joker at the end of DKR and "the five way of revenge" and "the laughing fish" stories.

divinebrown

05-08-2006, 02:40 PM

When Joker murders Sarah Essen-Gordon at the end of the No Man's Land epic. Check it out: Shows the truly evil side of everybody's favorite villain.

Sean Whitmore

05-08-2006, 03:52 PM

When Joker murders Sarah Essen-Gordon at the end of the No Man's Land epic. Check it out: Shows the truly evil side of everybody's favorite villain.

What I loved about that whole scene was the huge frown Joker wore the entire time. It was like he knew he'd been through the whole "kill an enemy's loved one" routine before, and he knew he wasn't going to get the result he wanted, so he was just going through the motions.

SEAN

Guts/Batman

05-08-2006, 08:40 PM

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7226/theflyingfuck2rg1bo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Sean Whitmore

05-08-2006, 08:56 PM

...

Oh that is just TOO much! Why hasn't Batman KILLED him already???

I wonder if there was a 900 number to determine whether or not the kid got his report card back?

SEAN

Guts/Batman

05-08-2006, 09:02 PM

Oh that is just TOO much! Why hasn't Batman KILLED him already???

I wonder if there was a 900 number to determine whether or not the kid got his report card back?

SEAN

Heh. Poking fun at DC is always fun, isn't it? :D

That is by far my favorite Joker moment. The scene after he kills Sarah Essen is better than her actually shooting her. Jim shoots him in the knee..."I may never walk ag...wait, this is what happened to your daughter. Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"

Jkid099

05-08-2006, 10:55 PM

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7226/theflyingfuck2rg1bo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hahahahahahahah.

Rylon

05-08-2006, 11:24 PM

I got a serious case of the giggles from that one. I just love that he say "Ha Ha! I've made someone cry!" It just gives it that extra touch.

What comic is that from? Is it on Superdickery?

Mutate

05-09-2006, 01:56 AM

it is a storyboard from Batman Begins 2 that he stole from the studio

Sean Whitmore

05-09-2006, 02:09 AM

it is a storyboard from Batman Begins 2 that he stole from the studio

Seems like more range than Adrien Brody is capable of.

SEAN

Nefarius

05-09-2006, 03:15 AM

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7226/theflyingfuck2rg1bo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

By far the most despictable act in comics.Batman should have killed him for ruining a kid's life.:D

BeastieRunner

05-09-2006, 03:40 AM

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7226/theflyingfuck2rg1bo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
HAHAHAHA that's awesome!

Seems like more range than Adrien Brody is capable of.

Zing!

Paul Dee

05-09-2006, 07:01 AM

I wonder if there was a 900 number to determine whether or not the kid got his report card back?

There was. He didn't. But 18 years later, thanks to Superboy-Prime...

DLFerguson

05-09-2006, 07:05 AM

titanfan

05-09-2006, 10:42 AM

Haha! That Joker taking the report card now wins my best Joker moment award!

My favorite Joker story is the Deathstroke-Joker confrontation in Deathstroke #58. Get it from your 25 cent bin if you find it!

hoffmandu

05-11-2006, 08:01 AM

He truely is one of the awesomest Villians they have. He had virtually nothing to do with IC at all, yet his few panels were IMHO the coolest of the series.

I mean, that whole "Royal Flush Gang" scene was as cool as it gets. "The Jokers too wild." awesomeawesomeawesome

PrimalScream

05-11-2006, 01:46 PM

when joker kills jason todd and later just grins at bruce for what seems an eternity. that was so great! also loved it when he pinched batman's butt in arkham asylum graphic novel.lol.

Evan Lanctot

05-11-2006, 02:15 PM

The end of the Killing Joke(and pretty much the whole story).

Recent though it was, I also liked his shining moment in Infinite Crisis #7.

Violently Apathetic

05-11-2006, 08:26 PM

Since all the good ones have been mentioned (Damn you, Guts, you took mine!) I'll just go with the Joker/Carnage interactions from the Batman/Spider-Man cross over. I actually kinda like Carnage (more so than I do the Joker, oddly enough...I think I subconsciously just like to be contrary) but the Joker utterly pwnd him in terms of viciousness and artistry, proving that while Carnage may have an alien symbiote and is a shameless product of the 90's, he's still more human than the Joker because Carnage fears, the Joker does not. So despite the fact the two are similar the difference between the two was made painfully clear...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/Kagome654/Spider-ManBatman-DisorderedMinds-31.jpg

He looks happy now, but you know it will not end well...

Guts/Batman

05-11-2006, 09:14 PM

Since all the good ones have been mentioned (Damn you, Guts, you took mine!) I'll just go with the Joker/Carnage interactions from the Batman/Spider-Man cross over. I actually kinda like Carnage (more so than I do the Joker, oddly enough...I think I subconsciously just like to be contrary) but the Joker utterly pwnd him in terms of viciousness and artistry, proving that while Carnage may have an alien symbiote and is a shameless product of the 90's, he's still more human than the Joker because Carnage fears, the Joker does not. So despite the fact the two are similar the difference between the two was made painfully clear...

Kinda feels like we're friendly archrivals, eh...?

I take you're sad to see Carnage go then...? He produced one of my favorite games of all times: Maximum Carnage. Easier than Hell but still fun because you getta kick a lot of ass...:D

Violently Apathetic

05-11-2006, 09:33 PM

Guts/Batman

05-11-2006, 09:39 PM

I need a new archrival anyway, since Shadow and I seem to be agreeing on more and more these days...it's kind of creepy, actually.

As for Carnage...I'm going to live in a dream world where that was an empty symbiote (there was no human body, dammit!) and Kasady is still running around somewhere (especially as I'm pretty sure that the last time we had seen Carnage was in the Venom/Carnage mini, and he escaped at the end so he shouldn't have even have been in jail in the first place in NA) This fictional canon also has Blue Beetle with his skull fully intact and all four Robins hang out in the batcave and play jokes on Alfred.

I never played Maximum Carnage (my childhood was so tragic in some ways) but I'm pretty sure he showed up in the 'Seperation Anxiety' game my sister and I spent an unhealthy amount of time playing...

It's easy to agree when you have Matt Robinson on Batman and Detective...:D

Might be able to be archrivals if I posted over here more. I feel better about comics now. I feel a hell of a lot more refreshed. I needed a break from the DC forums. Now that the dust has settled...

I have Seperation Anxiety as well, though the cartridge doesn't work anymore. It gets stuck in a spot...the same spot. Though that game was harder (mildly), I found it less fun.

Partially because you could save your progress. Maximum Carnage is a sit down in one setting game. See how fast you can beat it game...

I don't read NA. I can't afford the mental energy reading it. Granted I'm reading a lot of books that don't require it...

protege

05-11-2006, 09:43 PM

I need a new archrival anyway, since Shadow and I seem to be agreeing on more and more these days...it's kind of creepy, actually.

As for Carnage...I'm going to live in a dream world where that was an empty symbiote (there was no human body, dammit!) and Kasady is still running around somewhere (especially as I'm pretty sure that the last time we had seen Carnage was in the Venom/Carnage mini, and he escaped at the end so he shouldn't have even have been in jail in the first place in NA) This fictional canon also has Blue Beetle with his skull fully intact and all four Robins hang out in the batcave and play jokes on Alfred.

I never played Maximum Carnage (my childhood was so tragic in some ways) but I'm pretty sure he showed up in the 'Seperation Anxiety' game my sister and I spent an unhealthy amount of time playing...

Speaking of Joker crossovers, there's this little bit I've always enjoyed;

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/Kagome654/jokerskull.jpg

And then they gas one another. Best team up ever. As if the swastika wasn't a dead give away, Joker...
funny- I don't remember a batman/Captain America team up...

Guts/Batman

05-11-2006, 09:50 PM

funny- I don't remember a batman/Captain America team up...

They had one I think, but I'm not sure which Crossover Classics it is in. I'm thinking III...

CBright

05-11-2006, 10:43 PM

"I'll begin with how I peeled back the layers of the boy's mind. Oh sure, he tried to fight it off at first. You would have been proud to see him so strong...

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/9948/745tz.jpg

But all too soon the serums and the shocks took their toll, and the dear lad began to share such secrets with me, secrets that are mine alone to know... Bruce. It's true batsy, I know everything. And kind of like the kid who peeks at his Christmas presents I must admit it's sadly anti-climactic. Behind all the sturm and bat-o-rangs, you're just a little boy in a playsuit crying for mommy and daddy. It'd be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. Oh, what the heck, I'll laugh anyway. HA HA HA HA HA!"

David O Burcham

05-11-2006, 11:12 PM

Batman #321. Joker's Birthday party. He cracks a joke and one of his henchmen doesn't laugh. Joker pulls a gun on him. As the henchman grovels, it turns out that the gun shoots a flag attached to a rod with the word "BANG!" on it. The henchman (no doubt drenched in his own filth) is crazed with relief and laughing, "What agreat gag, boss!" (or somthing akin to it).

Turns out it was a SPEAR gun.

Nefarius

05-12-2006, 01:56 AM

http://moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2004/jan7/sidney.jpg

Karl

05-12-2006, 11:05 AM

HAHA I can't stop laughing over Joker taking the report card.

Killing Joke and when he killed Jason were great moments.

spideyrules99

05-12-2006, 11:33 AM

Mine comes from the Batman cartoon. In it joker cuts a guy off on the high way and the dude yells at him and stuff. So Joker blackmails the guy to do some thing for him. So the guy is all scared about what he will have to do. And in the end its hold a door open so Joker Chick can push a cake into a room.
"That;s it? All I have to do is hold open a door?"
"Look at the size of that cake man."

WoodenDummy

05-12-2006, 12:45 PM

Reptisaurus!

05-12-2006, 02:01 PM

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7226/theflyingfuck2rg1bo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

For the record. This is from the 448 Page Superheroes BIG BIG Book.

http://daveslongbox.blogspot.com/2005/11/huge-big-big-superhero-fun-happy.html

RubberLotus

01-19-2011, 08:05 PM

FOOLS! This scene absolutely TRUMPS the report card!

http://pics.livejournal.com/lovedatjoker/pic/00150736

Now I must ask myself anew why Batman refuses to just kill him.

Retro315

01-19-2011, 08:22 PM

My favorite Joker moment of all is actually one of the very first - he has a false tooth made of plastic explosive, and blows his way out of jail ... then escapes to his hideout ... which is under a graveyard. Whereupon he sits on that really moody high-backed chair with the black drapery over it, and plans his next crime, and returns and talks about his crimes.

"The Joker Returns", if I'm not mistaken.

I think the reason I loved Morrison's "Gravedigger" stage name for Joker is that it reminded me of that second story. The disguises. The graveyard imagery. The mysterious poisons.

I also love when Cesar Romero dressed as Pagliacci - it took me 20 years to realize it was the very image that made me terrified of clowns as a child (which conveniently helped me put that phobia to rest).

Retro315

01-19-2011, 08:24 PM

FOOLS! This scene absolutely TRUMPS the report card!

http://pics.livejournal.com/lovedatjoker/pic/00150736

Now I must ask myself anew why Batman refuses to just kill him.

Ha, like Grayson ever needed to be brainwashed with Hatter devices to try to make out with Babs.

Captain Jim

01-19-2011, 08:31 PM

http://pics.livejournal.com/lovedatjoker/pic/00150736

They evidently decided that they liked it. :biggrin:

The Zapper

01-19-2011, 09:32 PM

A favorite moment that hasn't been mentioned yet is from BTAS episode "Christmas With The Joker". The whole episode is a build up for Joker giving Batman a Christmas present. When the present turns out to be a cream pie that hits Bats in the face when he opens the package I about lost it. Makes me laugh every time.

zur en arrh

01-19-2011, 09:35 PM

Burying Hurt alive is probably at the top of my list now. Although, I'd probably just lump every single moment of his under Morrison's pen into one big favorite thing.

Jake V

01-19-2011, 09:38 PM

I'm by no means saying it's the best, but it's one of my favorites.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/IantistarI/BAR14.jpg

Kirayoshi

01-19-2011, 09:47 PM

Ha, like Grayson ever needed to be brainwashed with Hatter devices to try to make out with Babs.

They evidently decided that they liked it. :biggrin:
Hey, I just had an idea. Could we use those Mad Hatter cards that Joker was using on Dick and Babs to retcon that scene where Dick told Barbara about his impending wedding to Starfire while they were in bed together?

I think I read that story about Joker stealing the report card. IIRC, the kid's father was a judge, and Joker stole the card to get a sample of the judge's signature so he could sell it to forgers who would then forge the judge's name on faked parole papers and the like.

My favorite scenes with the Joker in recent years were:

"Trust". A great story by Paul Dini involving Joker impersonating a goth stage magician, where he really got the drop on Batman and Zatanna.

"Joker's Slay Ride". Another Dini story, involving Joker kidnapping Robin while in the middle of a carjacking. Something weird about the Joker getting chatty with Robin. "We don't do this enough, just hang out like this." Also great bit with Tim Drake getting the upper hand by getting the Joker to argue about a line from a Marx Brothers movie!

Blight

01-19-2011, 10:05 PM

http://img602.imageshack.us/img602/876/s640x480s.jpg
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9130/00450a9r.jpg

cosmicjoke

01-19-2011, 10:22 PM

A really good Joker moment is in Showcase '94, when the Joker's hired muscle turn on him and knock him out. When the Joker finally comes too, they've got him tied to a bed and it turns out they were trying to get him to reveal where he stored all of his financial reserves by injecting him with some truth serum. Well, while they're explaining all of this to him, he's just grinning back at them, and then suddenly they all find themselves paralyzed. While they were talking, the Joker had a paralyzing gas pellet in his pocket, which he broke with his hip, and he held his breath while they went on and on. So they fall to the floor, unable to move, and the Joker easily escapes his binds and then, instead of killing them, he proceeds to cut off their lips. Really nasty and shows why you shouldn't ever mess with the guy.

I also love that Batman/Spider-Man cross over and the interaction between the Joker and Carnage. Like someone pointed out, the Joker owns Carnage because the Joker doesn't feel any fear, while Carnage very much does, and he isn't willing or able to go to the extremes the Joker is.

There's a lot of awesome Joker moments. But that's one of the reasons he's the greatest villain in comics.

dupersuper

01-19-2011, 11:39 PM

FOOLS! This scene absolutely TRUMPS the report card!

http://pics.livejournal.com/lovedatjoker/pic/00150736

Now I must ask myself anew why Batman refuses to just kill him.

No...please don't make me kiss the hotgirl in skintight leather...oh, the horror.

Ben D

01-20-2011, 12:50 AM

I think during Oberon Sexton era when he fooled Dick and Damian for a while, was beaten and chained by Damian and then won a fight against Damian.

The best? At the end of the Killing Joke, when the Joker tells Batman a joke and the both laugh. That joke say more about the two of them than every book or internet post combined.

.............thanks for making most of us feel dumb now :frown: :wink:

dancj

01-20-2011, 05:34 AM

Nice Coat

01-20-2011, 08:35 AM

My personal favourite Joker moment is (as dancj mentions above) the mini-arc that runs during 'Knightquest: The Crusade', Detective Comics 671 - 673. Its absolutely perfect. Joker wants to make 'The Death of The Batman' movie, but he realises that the Batman he wants to kill isn't the Batman he's come to love and loathe all these years. He still goes ahead with his dastardly plan anyway. :smile:

Hi to all Bat-fans btw!

FHIZ

01-20-2011, 08:47 AM

I love his two parts in Infinite Crisis, though, I might actually like his first more.

The King: See, everyone knows, The Joker's too wild.
::DEAD::
Joker: That's not funny.

I don't know, there's something about the Joker when he doesn't find something funny that is so creepy.

Sean Walsh

01-20-2011, 08:48 AM

The joke at the end of KILLING JOKE.

Someone earlier said "it's chilling when the Joker DOESN'T laugh at a joke"......well, the fact that one of his jokes (compounded with the rest of the events in that story) made Batman LAUGH is almost as chilling.

Because they were all perverts and junkies in the 40s.

I was gonna post about the gradual change of certain words' meanings over the years, and other various intercultural meanings ("do British people get lung cancer from gay men, mommy?"), but I feel like if I support this one it'd be like spitting in Tom Brokaw's mouth.

"Greatest generation" my ass, you old NBC wanker. :wink::tongue:

RubberLotus

01-20-2011, 02:07 PM

I have a couple:

1 - The Joker Devil's Advocate which I thought was pretty poor had one great scene where the Joker went into a confessional. He had quite a lot to talk about and by the end the priest was a gibbering wreck.

2 - At the end of The Death of Batman story during Kightquest, Azbats beats The Joker to within an inch of his life. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital The Joker manages to take out the two paramedics treating him, burst of of the back of the speeding ambulance and roll off down the road on the trolly he's still strapped to. IIRC he was singing "La la la" has he rolled away.

Just went back and checked. Nah. He was just plain laughing. Still more awesome a Joker moment than everything Grant Morrison ever put together, though.

Dixon just seems to have a knack for writing awesome Joker moments, whether it's the confessional in Devil's Advocate, an act of kind mercy in "Fools Errand", a heart-to-heart with Oracle in Birds of Prey, or his little psychotic breakdown at the end of the other "Fool's Errand".

FalseFace

01-22-2011, 09:36 AM

There's been lots of good moments but I'd have to say my favorite (to date obviously) is Detective Comics #833 in the last page when the Joker stands triumphant. "I got ya...I got ya good." That was quite the pickle.

jgiannantoni05

01-22-2011, 10:20 AM

Dixon just seems to have a knack for writing awesome Joker moments, whether it's the confessional in Devil's Advocate, an act of kind mercy in "Fools Errand", a heart-to-heart with Oracle in Birds of Prey, or his little psychotic breakdown at the end of the other "Fool's Errand".
Yea, Dixon is inarguably one of the best Joker writers, arguably the best.

Dini too of course though with some of his best Joker stories. And I think Morrison has written some great Joker too, and had some great ideas about Joker.

Dream of Mine: To see F. Paul Wilson's "Definitive Therapy" translated into comic book form

Wilson's "Definitive Therapy" is perhaps THE most underrated and THE most unknown Joker story ever told. Easily one of THE best Joker stories ever told.

cosmicjoke

01-22-2011, 10:50 AM

Yea, Dixon is inarguably one of the best Joker writers, arguably the best.

Dini too of course though with some of his best Joker stories. And I think Morrison has written some great Joker too, and had some great ideas about Joker.

Dream of Mine: To see F. Paul Wilson's "Definitive Therapy" translated into comic book form

Wilson's "Definitive Therapy" is perhaps THE most underrated and THE most unknown Joker story ever told. Easily one of THE best Joker stories ever told.

Holy sh*t, that story is absolutely incredible. I would kill to see that translated in to a comic. I wish more people knew about it. I don't think I've ever read a better Joker story.

That, along with "On A Beautiful Summer's Day, He Was", "The Man Who Laughs", and "Jangle Town" are my favorites from that book. More people really should read those stories if they want to see how the Joker should be written. Very refined and sophisticated and articulate and almost gentle, incredibly intelligent but incredibly mean-spirited and cruel. How he presents himself and carries himself being almost paradoxical to his nature.

I also really loved "Best of All", "Masks" and "Happy Birthday".

They really do need to reprint that book.

finfangfool

01-22-2011, 11:07 AM

It's probably not the best, but I second the Robin/Joker story from Detective 826. It's a standalone tale, so I'd recommend picking it up. I enjoyed "Killing Joke" quite a bit (huge Alan Moore fan), but the end scene with the two sharing a laugh at his joke didn't come off right to me. Given that one of Batman's best friends had been tortured nearly to death, and his young female protege had been shot and crippled by the Joker. It fits Joker to a tee, just not so much the Dark Knight.

jgiannantoni05

01-22-2011, 11:18 AM

Holy sh*t, that story is absolutely incredible. I would kill to see that translated in to a comic. I wish more people knew about it. I don't think I've ever read a better Joker story.
It's great. One of the top best. Its genius lies in its comparison of Joker to Mabuse (a famous german silent film criminal mastermind), playing up his Mabuse-like abilities. One can wonder whether this little story influenced Nolan, who also, probably coincidentally, showed obvious homage to Mabuse with his take on Joker. [Chris forced the writers to watch Lang's Dr Mabuse before doing the TDK script/movie]

cosmicjoke

01-22-2011, 11:30 AM

It's great. One of the top best. Its genius lies in its comparison of Joker to Mabuse (a famous german silent film criminal mastermind), playing up his Mabuse-like abilities. One can wonder whether this little story influenced Nolan, who also, probably coincidentally, showed obvious homage to Mabuse with his take on Joker. [Chris forced the writers to watch Lang's Dr Mabuse before doing the TDK script/movie]

Interesting. I didn't know that about Chris Nolan and making the writers watch Dr. Mabuse. But definitely, the Joker's abilities as a master of manipulation come through strongly both in "Definitive Therapy" and "The Dark Knight". It's one of his defining characteristics in both stories, which I think it should always be. You know a writer gets the Joker when they highlight this aspect of him. And, of course, the Joker's self-destructive nature in "TDK" is also very apparent, and that's also a quality of the character that writers who understand him employ when writing him.

Theozilla

01-22-2011, 12:16 PM

While there are so many great Joker moments in history, I would have to say the end of The Killing Joke would the best for me. Buts there are many many runner-ups:
The many Paul Dini Joker stories (and TAS episodes)
The many Chuck Dixon Joker stories
The many Grant Morrison Joker stories/moments
Ed Brubaker's The Man Who Laughs
Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns
(I suppose The Dark Knight movie could count as well...)

I can see that there are many great Joker stories mentioned here that I have not read yet, sure hoper I can find them.

GothamAlleys

01-22-2011, 02:11 PM

Best Joker moment? Hmm, thats a tough one. If I would really have to pick one....hard to pick one scene/moment. I could pick one story but not a moment. The story would be O'Neil's Images which is basically a retelling of the first issue

RubberLotus

01-22-2011, 02:26 PM

Yea, Dixon is inarguably one of the best Joker writers, arguably the best.

Dini too of course though with some of his best Joker stories. And I think Morrison has written some great Joker too, and had some great ideas about Joker.

I commend Morrison for coming up with the "Supersanity" concept, but I cannot for the life of me find a way to like his Joker.

(Hey, Batman Forever invented Riddler's gold question mark cane and it's still a shitty movie.)

jgiannantoni05

01-22-2011, 02:44 PM

but I cannot for the life of me find a way to like his Joker.
I see. I don't quite understand, because I think Grant has written Joker similar to how many other writers have written him (smart eccentric flamboyant cruel showman, etc), but...hey, I'm sure you have your reasons. I don't personally see Grant's Joker as terribly different from Dixon or O'Neil or Dini...Grant just does more with the no-concrete-personality stuff and supersanity.

I love how Grant writes Joker. AA was pretty traditional Joker. RIP et al saw Joker done in a darker euro german expressionism style (made sense because Bill Finger was a big german expr fan and did that with Joker himself). B&R saw more or less traditional Joker return after Oberon was revealed.

I'm pretty liberal with takes on Batman rogues. That they can be done in so many ways and perspectives and styles is why I love them quite frankly. Two-Face can be done in many ways (and has been). Joker can (and has been). Ra's. Etc.