This article is part of the DC Database Recommended Reading project, a series of articles written by our editors. They are meant as a guide to help both new and old readers, either getting into comics for the first time or looking to read more on their favorites. These should not be taken as a definitive guide; obviously you can start wherever and with whatever you want, but they're some general suggestions that we think you might find useful and enjoyable.
You'd be crazy not to read these.
The Joker is a super-villain and the arch-nemesis of Batman. Since the Golden Age of Comic Books, he has remained as one of the most popular and threatening figures in the DC Universe. His personality is often conflicting and contradictory, switching from a mass-murdering psychopath to a harmless prankster on a whim, making him extremely unpredictable. Though he usually does not star in his own series, Joker is usually seen alongside the Caped Crusader in many of his books.
New Readers[]
- Batman: The Killing Joke is a critically acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore, depicting Joker's scheme to corrupt the most incorruptible people in Gotham while exploring one of his many origin stories.
- Batman: The Man Who Laughs is the Post-Crisis retelling of the first Joker story from Batman #1, changing some details but keeping the general story intact. It was written by Ed Brubaker.
- Joker is a distorted, realistic interpretation of the Joker, written by Brian Azzarello, depicting the Joker as a much more disturbed (if that's possible) individual who ran his gang similar to a real-life mob. The story is told from the point of view of one of his henchmen.
Further reading[]
- Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth is a surreal graphic novel written by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. Joker is depicted as a primary antagonist, a reason for his conflicting personality being explored at one point.
- Joker's Last Laugh is a series of issues depicting what Joker believes to be his "last laugh".
- Superman: Emperor Joker is a story where Joker obtains the reality-warping powers of Mr. Mxyzptlk, using them to remake the world into his own twisted image.
- Batman: A Death in the Family is a series of Batman issues written by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo featuring Joker's brutal murder of the second Robin.
- Joker: Devil's Advocate is written by Chuck Dixon, depicting a string of murders involving commemorative stamps of famous comedians. Though he is the obvious subject and is to be tried for the death penalty, the Joker pleads that he is innocent.
- Batman: Joker's Asylum is a storyline divided into two parts. Each part contains five stories about the most infamous inmates of Arkham Asylum told from The Joker's very own and twisted point of view.
- Batman: Death of the Family
- Batman: Endgame
- The Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime is a collection of The Joker (Volume 1), his short-lived ongoing series from the 1970s.
- Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles is an eight-part Batman storyline written by Tom King and illustrated by Mikel Janín, featuring the war between the Joker and the Riddler during Batman's second year.
Single issues[]
- Batman #1 - The Joker and The Joker Returns
- Batman #251 - The Joker's Five Way Revenge!
- Batman Adventures #3 - Joker's Late Night Lunacy
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50 - Images
- Detective Comics #168 - The Man Behind the Red Hood
- Detective Comics #180 - The Joker's Millions
- Detective Comics #475 - The Laughing Fish