{"id":32926,"date":"2025-05-20T17:11:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T17:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=32926"},"modified":"2025-05-20T17:11:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T17:11:36","slug":"the-joker-the-clown-prince-of-crime-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/05\/20\/the-joker-the-clown-prince-of-crime-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Dennis O\u2019Neil<\/strong>, Elliot S! Maggin<\/strong>, Martin Pasko<\/strong>, Irv Novick<\/strong>, Dick Giordano<\/strong>, Jos\u00e9 Luis Garc\u00eda-L\u00f3pez<\/strong>, Ernie Chan<\/strong>, Vince Colletta<\/strong>, Tex Blaisdell<\/strong>, Frank McLaughlin<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-4258-9 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

There are many comics anniversaries this year. Some of the most significant will be rightly celebrated, but a few are going to be unjustly ignored. Therefore, I\u2019m again abusing my privileges to carp about another brilliant vintage book criminally out of print and not yet slated for revival either physically or in digital formats\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

HEY! THERE\u2019S A CLOWN! MUST BE A PARTY SOMEWHERE!<\/p>\n

An old adage says that you can judge a person by the calibre of their enemies, and that\u2019s never been more ably demonstrated than in the case of Batman<\/strong>. Moreover, for most of his near century of existence, but most especially ever since the 1970s, the position of paramount antagonist has been indisputably filled by the Clown Prince of Crime: The Joker<\/strong>! He celebrates a major milestone this year having originally hit newsstands in Batman<\/strong> #1 cover-dated Spring and officially on sale from April 25th<\/sup> 1940.<\/em> That\u2019s 85 exploding candles and poisoned cakes and he\u2019s still totally lethally crazy after all these years…<\/p>\n

In the late 1960s superheroes experienced a rapid decline in popularity – presumably in reaction to global mass media\u2019s crass and crushing overexposure. Batman\u2019s comic book franchise sought to escape their zany, \u201ccamp\u201d image by methodically re-branding the character and returning to the original 1930s concept of a grim, driven Dark Avenger. Such a hero demanded far deadlier villains and with one breakthrough tale Denny O\u2019Neil, Neal Adams & Dick Giordano reinstated the psychotic, diabolically unpredictable Killer Clown who scared the short pants off readers of the Golden Age Dark Knight. \u2018The Joker\u2019s Five-Way Revenge\u2019<\/em> from Batman<\/strong> #251 (September 1973) was a genuine classic which totally redefined The Joker for my generation (and every one since) as the Mirthful Madcap became an unpredictable utterly ruthless psychotic exponent of visceral Grand Guignol. Terrifying and beautiful, for many fans this was the definitive Joker story…<\/p>\n

Within a year and a half of that breakthrough revision the Harlequin of Hate was awarded his own series. Titles starring villains were exceedingly rare and provided quite a few problems for writers and editors still labouring under the edicts of the Comics Code Authority.<\/p>\n

The outr\u00e9 experiment practically ended after 9 issues (spanning May 1975 to October 1976 plus one late published digital issue in 2019) having utilised some of the most talented creators in DC\u2019s employ and remained a peculiar historical oddity for decades. Now, in these less doctrinaire times those strange tales of the Smirking Slaughterman have a fairer shot at finding an appreciative audience through this full-colour trade paperback collection.
\n\"\"
\nThe murderous merriment commences with \u2018The Joker\u2019s Double Jeopardy!\u2019<\/em>; wherein fellow Arkham inmate Two-Face<\/em> arrogantly escapes, pinking the Felonious Funnyman\u2019s pride and compelling the giggling ghoul to similarly break out thereby proving he\u2019s the greater criminal maniac. Their extended duel of wits and body-counts only lands them both back inside.<\/p>\n

The \u201crevolving door\u201d security at Arkham eventually leads to the firing of much-harassed guards Marvin Fargo<\/em> & Benny Khiss<\/em> in \u2018The Sad Saga of Willie the Weeper!\u2019<\/em> However, as the again-at-liberty Lethal Loon attempts to bolster the confidence of a lachrymose minor-league larcenist (for his own felonious purposes, naturally), the defrocked jailers determine to restore their honour and fortunes. Astoundingly, they actually succeed…<\/p>\n

Written by O\u2019Neil with art by Ernie Chan (nee Chua) & Jos\u00e9 Luis Garc\u00eda-L\u00f3pez, \u2018The Last Ha Ha\u2019<\/em> then details a burglary and the kidnapping of superstar cartoonist Sandy Saturn<\/em> by a green-haired, cackling crazy. Witness accounts lead the cops to the ludicrous conclusion that The Creeper<\/strong> is the culprit. Cue lots and lots of eerie chortling, mistaken identity shenanigans and murderously manic explosive action…
\n\"\"
\nThe ethical dilemma of a star who\u2019s arguably the world\u2019s worst villain is further explored in \u2018A Gold Star for the Joker!\u2019<\/em> (Elliot S! Maggin, Garc\u00eda-L\u00f3pez & Vince Colletta) wherein our Perfidious Pagliacci inexplicably develops a crush on Black Canary<\/strong>\u2019s alter-ego Dinah Lance<\/em> and resolves to possess her or kill her. Typically, even though she\u2019s perfectly capable of saving herself, Dinah\u2019s current beau Green Arrow<\/strong> (see what I did there?) is also a possessive aggressive kind of consort…<\/p>\n

\u2018The Joker Goes Wilde!\u2019<\/em> (Martin Pasko, Irv Novick & Tex Blaisdell) finds the Clown Prince in a bombastic competition with similarly playing-card themed super-thugs The Royal Flush Gang <\/em>to secure a lost masterpiece, but even as he\u2019s winning that weird war, the Harlequin of Hate is already after a hidden prize. More force of nature than mortal miscreant, the Pallid Punchinello meets his match after assaulting actor Clive Sigerson<\/em> in #6. Famed for stage portrayals of a certain literary detective, Sigerson sustains a nasty blow to the head which befuddles his wits and soon \u2018Sherlock Stalks the Joker!\u2019<\/em> (O\u2019Neil, Novick & Blaisdell); foiling a flood of crazy schemes and apprehending the maniac before his concussion is cured…
\n\"\"
\nWe learn some surprising facts about the Clown Prince of Carnage after he steals the calm, logical intellect of Earth\u2019s most brilliant evil scientist. Naturally the psychic transference in \u2018Luthor… You\u2019re Driving Me Sane!\u2019<\/em> (Maggin, Novick & Frank McLaughlin) is two-way and, whilst the newly cognizant Clown becomes ineffably intelligent, Lex Luthor<\/em> is now a risk-taking maniac unphased by potential consequences and determined to have fun no matter who dies…<\/p>\n

The eighth outing for The Joker<\/strong> featured a clash with Gotham\u2019s self-acclaimed Master of Terror as \u2018The Scarecrow\u2019s Fearsome Face-Off!\u2019<\/em> (Maggin, Novick & Blaisdell) saw the top contenders for scariest guy in town (not counting Batman!) stealing each other\u2019s thunder whilst vying for that macabre top spot, before the villainous vignettes of this captivating chronicle conclude with a claws-out clash as \u2018The Cat and the Clown!\u2019<\/em> (Maggin, Novick & Blaisdell) sees an aged comedian and his million-dollar kitty targeted by rival rogues Catwoman<\/strong> and the Joker.<\/p>\n

Unhappily for the crooks they had both underestimated the grizzled guile of their octogenarian victim…
\n\"\"
\nLatterly in Fall of 2019 the unpublished tenth issue was released digitally and hopefully one day a truly complete collection will be released including it, although it does appear in the monolithic, print-only and rather inaccessibly expensive The Joker: The Bronze Age Omnibus<\/strong> (Collected)<\/strong>. For the sake of full disclosure, Pasko & Novick\u2019s tale \u201899 and 99\/100% Dead!\u2019<\/em> involves a deal with the Devil (AKA \u201cLou Cipher<\/em>\u201d) and scheme to murder Earth\u2019s greatest heroes that doesn\u2019t quite come about and end on a cliffhanger…
\n\"\"
\nWith covers by Dick Giordano, Chan & Garc\u00eda-L\u00f3pez, this quirky oddment offers slick plotting, madcap malice and lunatic larks and a lesser degree of murderous mayhem than most modern fans might be comfortable with, but also strong storytelling and stunning art to delight fans of traditional Fights \u2018n\u2019 Tights sagas.
\n\u00a9 1975, 1976, 2013 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dennis O\u2019Neil, Elliot S! Maggin, Martin Pasko, Irv Novick, Dick Giordano, Jos\u00e9 Luis Garc\u00eda-L\u00f3pez, Ernie Chan, Vince Colletta, Tex Blaisdell, Frank McLaughlin & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-4012-4258-9 (TPB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. There are many comics anniversaries this year. Some of the most significant will be … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,258,33,75,76,91,15,16,107,327,380,325,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-batman","category-black-canary","category-catwomman","category-crime-comics","category-dc-superhero","category-flash","category-green-arrow","category-jla","category-science-fiction","category-sherlock-holmes","category-the-creeper","category-the-joker","category-wonder-woman"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8z4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32926"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32934,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32926\/revisions\/32934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}