Top 10 Depictions of The Joker That We Love So Much
We all love the Joker. He’s one of the best known villains in pop culture and after decades he still has the power to shock, amuse and scare us.
Even better, every artist and writer who tackle the mad clown can put their own spin on him without losing his base appeal.
With the new Joker finally coming to “Gotham,” we’ve come up with the Top 10 depictions of The Joker.
10.Hush
Written by Jeph Loeb, Drawn by Jim Lee
One issue in this storyline features the best thing that has ever been shown in comics history: The Batman ruthlessly beating the Joker, almost to death, only to be stopped by his friend, the retired Commissioner Jim Gordon.
Many fans speculate what the Bat would have done if Gordon had not shown up when he did. And how many Gothamites would have blamed him.
9.Arkham Asylum: Madness
Written and Drawn by Sam Keith
Instead of being out in Gotham tearing things up or running the show this story sees the Joker mingling with the rest of the inmates in the asylum.
This isn’t Joker running a long con, just going about his day-to-day lunacy. Although many of the guards, doctors and nurses see him as part of the job the clown manages to keep them on their toes.
Worst of all his collection of vintage practical jokes that are actually souvenirs of the acts of violence he has committed on the staff, on display in his cell to taunt the workers of the asylum.
8.Joker
Written by Brian Azzarello, Drawn by Lee Bermejo
The design this particular version of the Joker is primarily influenced by The Dark Knight version, but doesn’t carry across the same behaviour or personality.
Instead he’s fresh out of Arkham and looking to re-establish himself in the Gotham criminal empire. Rather than working alone he reunites with Harley Quinn and takes on a new lackey by the name of Johnny Frost.
7.Batman
Directed by Tim Burton, Written by Sam Hamm, Played by Jack Nicholson
Whilst Nolan’s version of the Joker will be the one that people remember it does a great disservice to the awesome work done by Jack Nicholson in Burton’s 1989 film Batman. There’s plenty of Jack Nicholson in the performance, but as it turns out ol’ Jack has a dash of Joker in him. He’s manic, comical and violent, perfectly balancing the three parts of the character. He’s fun to watch while he’s trashing an art gallery, but then he flips the switch and becomes terrifying when confronted by Kim Basinger.
This Joker filled the screen with his presence, and coined some of the characters best known lines. ‘Ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light’ and ‘where does he get those wonderful toys’ are considered classic Joker.
6. Arkham Asylum: A Serious Place on Serious Earth
Written by Grant Morrison, Drawn by Dave McKean
What happens when the inmates take over the asylum? Grant Morrison not only showed us that, but re-invented The Joker into a totally deranged maniac that puts on a different persona like we put on clean underwear. A chilling tale to say the least.
5. Gotham Central
Written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, Drawn by Michael Lark
Whilst the previous entry was an abstract depiction of the Joker this one is the most frightening realistic version around.
Gotham Central shifted the focus from the caped crusader to the everyday men and women of Gotham City’s Major Crime Unit and how they balance tackling the likes of Mister Freeze and Two-Face with bureaucracy, personal relationships and basic human emotion. Whilst arresting Firefly is a rough day on the job, but it doesn’t even compare to the day when Joker starts taking pot-shots at citizens with a high-powered sniper rifle.
4. Arkham Asylum/City
Directed by Sefton Hill, Written by Paul Dini, Performed by Mark Hamill
At first Batman: The Animated Series was on the short list for this list but ultimately lost out to this version. The strength of both depictions is the unsettling voice work by Mark Hamill who has, without a doubt, the most iconic Joker laugh of all the actors who have portrayed the villain. Hamill spins the same magic with the character in both mediums, but it’s the design in the video games that wins in this round.
Whilst the characters in the game are exaggerated to reflect the comic book origins but also walks slightly into the realm of realism. As a result the characters are more frightening than usual without deviating greatly from the source material.
3. The Man Who Laughs
Written by Ed Brubaker, Drawn by Doug Mahnke
Ed Brubaker wrote this wondrous story as a sequel to Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One and to Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. Not only did he pull off this gigantic daunting task, but he crafted one of the best Joker stories ever.
2.The Dark Knight
Directed by Christopher Nolan, Written by Jonathan Nolan, Performed by Heath Ledger
You saw this coming. Whilst this hugely, incredibly popular version of the Joker deviates from the comic book version more than any other on the list he is, in some ways, truer to the original concept than most. The Joker was intended to be scary and unpredictable, out to course chaos more than anything else.
Nolan does a fantastic job of grounding the over-the-top characters of the Batman universe in the real world, and this particular representation is no exception. His distended smile is swapped out some horrific looking scars, his styled hair becomes a lank, tangled mess and his pale skin is changed to thick, rotting make-up. He’s still as unpredictable but instead of shooting acid from his buttonhole he’s jamming pencils into people’s eyes.
People were fascinated and shocked by this new, demented clown but that’s the response we are supposed to have towards the Joker.
1.The Killing Joke
Written by Alan Moore, Drawn by Brian Bolland
Certainly number one on many people’s list, and rightfully so, easily the best Joker story of all-time. A masterful tale that changed Batman and Barbara Gordon’s life forever.
Under the pen of the legendary Alan Moore (who is possibly as crazy as the Joker) we have the best version of the Joker ever written.
