The Poison Stamp Extortionist (New Earth)

The Poison Stamp Extortionist (so named in this wiki) was once a criminal associate of the Joker who ended up crushed under a truck after participating in a job alongside The Clown Prince of Crime. He was two months in a coma, and in the end was left crippled from the waist down, and had to use a wheelchair. Because of this, he held a strong grudge against his former boss.

History

When the United States Postal Service launched a series of stamps to commemorate great comedians, such as Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers, the Joker took it as a personal offense that he had not been included, and decided to exact his revenge by kidnapping Gotham City's postmaster and attempting to rob a sort office. Batman and Robin thwarted his plans, however, and he was promptly arrested. All the while, one Ernest Kelleher decided to take advantage of this situation and use Joker Venom to get rid of his oppressive, belittling wife and make it look like the Joker did it. As a means to throw suspicions away from himself, he bought the newly-released stamps, dosed them with the venom, and returned them all over the city, knewing that the Postal Service would have put them back into circulation. Several innocent people died as a result of Kelleher's actions. Then, he arranged for his wife to use a poisoned stamp, and her death was overlooked as just another random murder.

Of course, the Joker was immediately suspected of the murders, tried, and uncharacteristically sentenced to death. All the while, the former criminal associate decided to seize the opportunity and pursue his own ends with help from his girlfriend. He started sending extortion notes written in the Joker's style, and fitted with the poisoned stamps, to commissioner Gordon. In the notes, the former associate claimed responsibility for the poisonings, and demanded millions to stop the killings. Eventually, the city gave in to his demands, and the ransom was dropped inside a train station, as per the extortionist's instructions. The money was collected by his girlfriend, but the bag contained a paint bomb, which enraged him. Later, Batman and Robin visited the extortionist at his hideout, as part of the Dark Knight's investigation on former criminal associates of the Joker who might have had a motive for framing him up. In the end, just as the extortionist was planning to start another extortion campaign against Zesti Cola, his girlfriend was accidentally intoxicated after using one of their poisoned stamps, and the extortionist was arrested. Soon, it was discovered he had only taken advantage of Kelleher's poisonings to enrich himself. Whether his girlfriend survived or not the intoxication is unknown.^[1]

Powers and Abilities

Other Characteristics

Restricted Mobility: The Poison Stamp Extortionist was left crippled from the waist down after participating in a job where he ended up crushed by a truck. Therefore, he uses a wheelchair.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Joker Venom: The Poison Stamp Extortionist had access to the Joker Venom, which he used to copycat Kelleher's poisoned stamps.

Transportation

He is seen driving a van.

Notes

The whole backstory of Joker: Devil's Advocate appears to have been based off of the 1982 Chicago Tylenol poisonings, and the resultant copycat crimes of Stella Nickell and Joseph Meling, who laced OTC drugs with cyanide in an effort to kill their respective spouses. As a means to throw suspicions away from themselves, they also caused other people to end up killed. Only Nickell actually managed to murder her intended target. Specifically, the concept of someone taking advantage of the poisonings to extort money from the community is reminiscent of James W. Lewis, who was convicted of writing an extortion letter in relation to the Tylenol murders, but never tried nor convicted for the murders themselves. Much like the Poison Stamp Extortionist, Lewis had a female accomplice, his wife LeAnn (Wikipedia: Chicago Tylenol Murders).