The Joker: Greatest Stories Ever Told (Batman) [Paperback]

Bob Kane (Author), Bruce Timm (Author), Paul Dini (Author), Jeph Loeb (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401218083
• ISBN-13: 978-1401218089
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice collection, October 12, 2008

By 

Hussein Abulreesh "Batman fan" (Saudi Arabia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Joker: Greatest Stories Ever Told (Batman) (Paperback)

Another collection of stories published by DC in the category of 'The greatest Stories ever Told'. We have seen two volumes of that cagetory presenting BATMAN, we also saw one presenting BATMAN/SUPERMAN team-up. Now it's the JOKER time.

The Joker: The Greatest Stories Ever Told collects stories from:

(1) Batman #1 (Batman Vs. the Joker) 1941 **Joker's first appearence**
(2) Batman #66 (The Joker's comedy of errors) 1951
(3) Batman #73 (Joker's Utility belt) 1952
(4) Batman #110 (Crime of the mouth club) 1957
(5) Detective Comics #332 (Joker's last laugh) 1964
(6) Detective Comics #475 (The Laughing fish) 1978 **featured in Batman animated series, Harley Quinn appears in the series, but not in comic**
(7) Detective Comics #476 (Sign of the Joker) 1978
(8) Batman #321 (Have a dreadful birthday Mr. Joker) 1980
(9) Batman Adventures Annual #1 (Laughter after midnight) 1994
(10) Batman the Long Halloween #4 (New Year's Eve) 1997
(11) Batman Black and White #2 (Case study) 2002
(12) Batman #614 (Hush Chapter 7: the joke) 2003
(13) Detective Comics #826 (Slayride) 2007

Although there were other great Joker stories that were not included in the book, the collection still nice, I only wish if it contains more pages (more stories)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Clown Prince: Greatest Comic Villain of All Time!, August 14, 2009

By 

Paige Turner "Paige" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joker: Greatest Stories Ever Told (Batman) (Paperback)

This is a fantastic collection of Joker stories drawn throughout the decades since his creation in 1940. Purists may call it incomplete, but to me, this collection is nirvana. Watching the character of the Joker progress both in character complexity and artistic treatment is an unbelievable experience. From the early, flat, almost innocent comics to the current dark, mindbending artwork, it is easy to see that we live in the best of times for the comic genre.

The Joker has always been the most interesting villain ever created in comics. He is the id to Batman's ego. Batman's very existence and reason for being depends on the Joker's constant reincarnation. At a very basic level, the Joker is in us all, the "devil inside" that we struggle with, that keeps coming back.

In the last 50 years, there are three portrayals of the Joker in TV and film that stand out. These three general periods are all covered in stories in this book.

First, in the early days of color TV, the Joker appears in the campy Batman & Robin TV show. I'm sure most comics fans would cringe at that portrayal of the Joker, but it was important nonetheless, and was the very definition of "cartoonish violence." Early stories in this book like "Joker's Comedy of Errors" is what influenced these TV producers. At this stage, the Joker was a silly figure, without the eventual psychopathic edge.

Jack Nicholson's Joker in the 1980s Batman movie was the next significant attempt to get the character right. He did a passable job, again, focused more on the comedic, slapstick elements of the Joker's personality - which was the way the Joker is still portrayed in comics during that period. The violence at this time was impersonal, silly crime type violence.

The ultimate Joker portrayal is obvious: Heath Ledger's twisted, psychopathic Joker. He sunk so deeply into the role that it may have contributed to his early death. Clearly, this vision of the Joker character was influenced by the current decade of comics. In the recent decade, writers began to tire of the never-ending "crime caper" element of the Joker. The continual cat and mouse story became old hat, so they started to delve into the psychological element of the Joker, and his relationship with Batman. The story in this collection, "Case Study" is an extremely compelling example of this. The writer ponders the origins of the Joker, in a chilling way. "Hush Chapter 7: The Joke" takes the Batman/Joker battle to its ultimate level, in which the roles nearly reverse and we get to see Batman's dark side. After years of battle with the Joker, who murders everyone Batman holds dear, we see Batman almost at his breaking point, loaded with guilt and rage. He nearly kills the Joker. (But of course, he doesn't.)

This collection is an education in the amazing progress artists have made over the years with the comic medium. In the early days, pictures were flat, characters were simple and emotionless, and points of view were all simple. Contrast that with today - the recent Joker stories in the collection break all the old boundaries. Artists draw characters in a hyper-realistic style, the panels cannot begin to contain the action, and the points of view are beyond cinematic. The coloring is no longer literal, but almost impressionistic with bold use of color to create emotion. Wow, we've come a long way!

Comic purists may be able to find better Joker stories out there - but for the rest of us, this collection is a treasure of stories of the "Clown Prince of Crime."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hahahahaha, May 12, 2009

By 

~TrademarkP~ "TradeMarkPlayers..96' til" (Iraq by Way of Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joker: Greatest Stories Ever Told (Batman) (Paperback)

Let me start by saying this, this book is worth it for the "Boner Crime" story alone. It is a reminder of a simpler time, filled with unintentional hilarity. This collection of the Joker's greatest schemes is great for any fan. It lacks the definition of "The Killing Joke" but the seccond half of the book is chock full of Joker goodness. The first few stoies are all from the zany Batman/Joker Cesar Romeroesque time period, hich wasn't too bad, but the good stuff kicks in in the second half. This book has a higher body count than most seasons of 24, and shows why Joker is so dangerous. My 2 favorite stories are "Slayride" and the story from "Batman: Black and White" with art by Alex Ross.