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It ’s really hard to name a scoundrel more popular than theJoker . The Joker has had his own comics and much dominate Batman ’s comics , which has led to DC have a serious Joker issue - in that he ’s used far too much . But thankfully , there ’s a simple solution .
The Joker has always been a standoutamong Batman ’s villainsdue to just how dead unique he is . When the Joker first appeared in amusing books , at the prison term , theaverage comic villain was either a gangster or a mad scientist . There were n’t really any other villain archetypes .
The Joker altogether blew this trope out of the water by not only being a brightly and garishly crop eccentric sporting ghost white skin , a purple jacket , and neon green hair , but he was also a serial killer . Instead of being motivated by money or mad invention , he but need to kill and cause topsy-turvyness .
The Joker Was Originally a Villain Unlike Anything Anyone Had Seen Before
People Wanted to See More and More of Him…
The Joker has evolved a lot over the age . He went from being a in series killer with a singular look , to someone who specifically tend into the clown theme for his slaying , to a zany tricker , and finally to a genocidal maniac . This versatility make the Joker an incredible lineament in the hands of a practiced writer . The Joker can fill nearly any use that a creator want . While that ’s fantastic for the character , it ’s not been great for his oversaturation trouble . When the Joker starts exhibit up ina taradiddle about Bizarro and Superman , as he did inAction Comicsin early 2024,it ’s time to admit that DC has a Joker problem .
I ’m so over the gore - fueled , nihilistic Joker that relies on shock value , and I ’m officially begging DC to bring back the best version of the villain .
The other issue is that the Joker is such an iconic character . It seems that every creator who gets put onBatmanjust ca n’t wait to tell their Jokerstory . If a young author takes over Batman , it ’s honestly just a waiting biz until the Joker shows up . While this desire to compose one of the most iconic comic book scoundrel of all time is for certain understandable , it ’s still only lend to this oversaturation problem . As inauspicious as it may seem , the only solution to DC’soveruse of the Joker is to simply stop using him .
The Joker Needs to Go Away for a While
Either By Dying or Something Else Entirely
DC decline to actually permit go of the Joker . After the events ofJoker War , an event led by author James Tynion IV and creative person Jorge Jiménez , Batman and the Joker break ways . The Joker disappear from Gotham City , and he stayed gone for several year . Batman and the Joker did not have any fundamental interaction for a few years . This seems like the right step , but the Joker never really croak away from DC ’s publishing line . While he was n’t interact with Batman , the Joker was just give his own risible serial , again by Tynion , which ran for fifteen issues over two years . Not only that , butBatman and the Joker continued interactingin Elseworlds stories .
DC feel they require to keep the Joker in the spot because he ’s a big character .
While the Joker was technically out of theBatmanbook , it never really felt like he was gone because he was still everywhere - probable because DC knows just how pop he is and dead defy to let that popularity dilute in any way . DC feels the demand to keep the Joker in the spotlight because he ’s a big character . If he ’s not around , the party could lay on the line diminishing his popularity , and that would n’t be sassy . But the oversaturation is leading to people who used to be buff being outright tired of learn the character now .
Back in the twenty-four hours , the Joker used to be just another fellow member of Batman ’s rascal picture gallery . It was n’t unusual to see the Joker interact with Mr. Freeze , the Penguin , or even Clayface . He was just one of the many costume supervillains that Batman fight back . Butafter killing Jason Toddand after star inBatman : The Killing Jokeby Alan Moore and Brian Bolland , the Joker ’s popularity has plainly grown and grown . This made him stand out from Batman ’s villains and made him far more popular .
The Last Time the Joker Was Used Properly Was During the New 52
The Joker Was Expertly Used by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
When DC plunge a new persistence with the New 52 , a circle of part were change . Not everyone was well-chosen with the changes , but one of the thing that was emphatically done right was how the Joker was used in the New 52 . When the Joker depict up around this time , it was treated as an apocalyptical event . The story handle the Joker appearing as literally the worst possible thing that could ever happen . This method work so well that the Joker only show up double during this earned run average : inBatman : expiry of the FamilyandBatman : Endgame , both major arcs from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo ’s run onBatman .
Looking for an even more unique take on the Batman mythos by Scott Snyder ? Check outAbsolute Batman#1 by Snyder and Nick Dragotta , available now from DC Comics .
If DC turn down to give the Joker a shift and to discontinue using him exclusively , then the next best thing is to at least use him meagerly . The Joker is just about everywhere in comics , and it ’s no longer important when he show up . Even theAbsolute Universe ’s version of Joker , a brand - new version of the character , is only mildly interesting to some fans because , at the end of the day , it ’s still just the Joker . The Joker does n’t need to be in more history ; he needs to be in fewer stories where his appearance really reckon for something .
Custom Image by Brian Colucci
The Solution to the Oversaturation of the Joker Is So Simple…
Just Stop Using Him for a Little While
The Joker is a corking character , but running a cracking type into the ground with oversaturation is never a good theme . DC has even ascertain this with Batman himself . While Batman is one of the most democratic amusing book character in history , DC has been rightly criticized for mostly publish Batman comics . It ’s not uncommon for there to be four or five Batman comics free in a single hebdomad . That dwarfs literally any other DC character , even Superman . abbreviate down on the Joker is n’t going to diminish his popularity ; he just ask to be used as a special event .
It ’s too later to undo the changes to the Joker ’s popularity . DC decide a farsighted fourth dimension ago that the Joker was Batman ’s boastful and greatest villain . There ’s no putting that clown around back in the diddlysquat - in - the - box - which is fine , but DC needs to start using him in a grander way . The Joker ca n’t keep showing up every other month with a new plot line that near wipes Gotham City off the map . That narrative is really lose its charm , and the only way to fix this is to once again make theJokershowing up in Gotham a exceptional occasion that really gets sports fan emotional .
Readers can see the Joker done right inBatman(2011 ) , useable now both digitally and in collected edition from DC Comics !
The Joker is a psychopathic deplorable mastermind with a warped sense of humor . ab initio introduced as a remorseless serial killer , the character evolved over time , often oscillating between a prankster and a homicidal lunatic . His relationship with Batman is one of the most complex in funny book history , defined by their mutual fixation . Over the decades , the Joker has become an enduring icon of bedlam and madness , embodying the antithesis of Batman ’s order and Department of Justice .
Summary
The Joker is one of the most iconic villains in risible book history , know for his helter-skelter nature and as Batman ’s ultimate nemesis . He has been portrayed by multiple actors in various media , each bringing their unequaled interpretation to the character , from Cesar Romero ’s campy take in the sixties to Joaquin Phoenix ’s gritty portrayal in 2019 . The Joker ’s influence extends beyond comics into films , TV shows , and telecasting games , get to him a cornerstone of DC ’s villainous pantheon .
Custom Image by Brian Colucci
