After a brief hiatus since his last appearance in the pages of the “Death of the Family” storyline that ran from 2012 to 2013, Batman’s eternal arch-enemy in The Joker will be making his triumphant comeback to the pages of his adversary’s flagship title, which will happen in this coming December’s “Batman #37”.
The dreadful prankster’s return also comes with significant changes - with the most prominent being he sports a brand new look and redesign that’s fresh and cleaner than his recent look which saw him wearing his own rotting face as a “mask”.
Revealed by DC Comics via Hitflix (http://www.hitfix.com/news/exclusive-joker-returns-from-the-shadows-in-batman-endgame-37) and sporting a slick short haircut and a newly reconstructed face, the newest redesign of The Joker by the creative team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo is a testament to The Clown Prince of Crime’s wacky charm and unpredictable nature. Usually portrayed wearing a purple suit and seen wearing a mechanic’s uniform during the “Death of the Family” storyline, the new “Mistah J” sports a black suit to compliment his new makeover, which will most likely be explained during the events of the latest Batman storyline “Endgame”, which takes place after the events of the currently ongoing weekly series “Batman: Eternal”. In that story, Batman finds himself going toe-to-toe with his teammates from the Justice League, who have all been “Jokerized” and brainwashed to take down The Dark Knight for good.
Created by the trio of Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger, and Bob Kane, The Joker is widely considered to be the “anti-thesis” and perfect foil to Batman – in that he compliments the Dark Knight’s heroism and dedication to fight crime with his murderous antics and psychotic nature that leaves his victims dead with a smile on their face. Batman’s steadfast refusal to never take a life and take down criminals by the book has always given the Clown Prince of Crime his life purpose of pushing the Caped Crusader to his limits, and is largely responsible for several tragedies that have befallen Batman and his closest allies.
The Joker is responsible for killing Jason Todd, the second Robin, Paralyzing Barbara Gordon/ Batgirl and leaving her as the wheelchair-bound information expert known as Oracle, and killing Commissioner Gordon’s second wife Sarah Essen Gordon in cold blood during the events of No Man’s Land. Throughout the character’s near 75 year history in comics, The Joker has proven to be equally memorable as Batman himself, and is literally the part of the “Yin Yang” equation that makes Batman’s life come full circle.
Catch the new look of The Joker in the pages of Batman #37 when it is released on December 10 in comic book shops and participating retail stores worldwide. — TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
