Customer Reviews

The Joker: Greatest Stories Ever Told (Batman)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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)

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."

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.

Love the comics included in this book. The ones in the end, I must say, tend to be my favorites.

Many of the earlier comics in this anthology are very dull compared to the more modern stories. Another reviewer said these older stories were almost identical, and this is very true. The selection of the more modern comics was very compelling, and does help compensate for the slow start.

Some really great pieces in here but also a few early Batman duds. One of the funniest is "Joker's Comedy of Errors" which is all about History's Greatest Boners (in this context mistakes). Ends up being ultra campy in today's modern terms. However funny it was on some level I wish they had just left it out. Batman in Black and White was phenomenal as was the one taken from the Animated Series.

These stories offer some of the Jokers legendary moments from his debut in 1940. This is what you would call a collection of all the clowny evildoers stories spanning 60 odd years in it,s timeline of existence. It characterises his unpredictability and seriousness as an opponent for Batman. The Joker has always stayed the same throughout the 1960's with expected capers,of crimes here and their and then change about in the late 1970's and early 1980's when the true psychotic grim madman of clowning emeraged with parts of his character developing and became more permanent,fixture to peoples minds when reading it as a book credit of course for this can only go to Steve Englehart and Len Wein for doing this to the chalk white character. More recent writings however are credited to Paul Dini who has an interpretation that he has left a mark on what is an unconscious unsurity regarding what the Joker is really like as a villian of disturbing evil in an upside down world of madness. These stories are an excellent survey of the Jokers fratured evil mind. The Joker would have to be one the most recurring and dangerous foes in Batmans history in which his resurrections are always new and totally full of suprises in what the Joker is best at which is totally unpredictable for anyone around him in encountering because he lacks any compassion that is truly human making him easily the most enduringly deranged villain in all of comic book myth history. His relationship with Batman is intriguing in unpredictable way because they both need each other for one reason or another. Batman reminds us why he does what he does through the Joker and why he should continue this path in which he has chosen to defeating the Joker on one hand he needs someone to smash to pieces by hand or fist in which he after all in the end personifies all that the Joker detests in peoples proper lawful world and what better way for him to celebrate that than to have revenge on the winged caped man that is the epitome of that law and order batman!.In the end The Joker the greatest stories ever told is an excellent addition to any Joker fanatic libary and is a must read for anyone interested in the lunatic character himself!

This is supposed to be the 'greatest' joker stories but I think the mark was missed. The stories were not very memorable but I give three stars for including two of my favorite, Hush chapter 7 and the laughing fish.