The Joker

The Joker

The maniacal harlequin who has been an implacable foe of Batman and Robin since 1940 (first appearance Batman No. 1/1, Spring 1940).

Batman No. 4/1 calls him "the cleverest and the most dangerous criminal in the annals of crime..." (Winter 1941: "The Case of the Joker's Crime Circus!"), and Batman No. 8/4 describes him as "a grim jester, arch-criminal, [and] master fiend" (Dec/Jan 1941-1942: "The Cross-Country Crimes!").

By his own account, he is "the greatest criminal on Earth" (Detective Comics No. 388, Jun 1969: " Public Luna-tic Number One!") and "the world's greatest clown" (Batman No. 53/1, Jun/Jul 1949: "A Hairpin, a Hoe, a Hacksaw, a Hole in the Ground!"), as well as "The greatest comedian of all--the caliph of crime clowns, the grand mogul of mountebanks, the king of jesters...the one and only Joker! Ha, ha, ha!" (Batman No. 57/3, Feb/Mar 1950: "The Funny Man Crimes!").

In May-June 1957 (WF No. 88: "Superman's and Batman's Greatest Foes!') and again in November 1962 (WF No. 129: "Joker-Luthor, Incorporated!), the Joker forms a temporary partnership in crime with the nefarious Lex Luthor. (TGSB)

Joker appearances in the Superman Chronicles

• WF No. 88, May/Jun 1957: "Superman's and Batman's Greatest Foes!"
• WF No. 129, Nov 1962: "Joker-Luthor, Incorporated!"
• WF No. 156, Mar 1966: "The Federation of Bizarro Idiots"
• WF No. 159, Aug 1966: "The Cape and Cowl Crooks"
• WF No. 177, Aug 1968: "Duel of the Crime Kings"
• SPJO No. 125, Dec 1969: "Superman's Saddest Day"
• DCCP No. 41, Jan 1982: "The Terrible Tinseltown Treasure-Trap Treachery"
• WF No. 276, Feb 1982: "Double X Means Double Death"
• DCCP No. 72, Aug 1984: "Madness in a Dark Dimension"

External Links

• Wikipedia entry on the Joker
• Earth-1 Joker Index by Mike
• The Joker's Origin(s) at dccomics.com