Should Ledger's Joker be adapted into the comics?

[CJ]

Just wondering. Ledger's Joker had a very similar personality to the comics (Didn't want to kill or unmask Batman, multiple origins, always laughing)

I liked the fact that he was just a psychopath with no origin. I also liked how it didn't bother adapting that ridiclous chemcial bath origin. (Seriously, a guy falls into a vat of chemicals, then all of a sudden becomes a murdering lunatic? That has to be one of the worst origins for a supervillain ever.)

 

[SuperFerret]

The Joker is just a psychopath with no origin.

 

[The Joker]

They already have homaged him a bit in the comics visually. Morrison's Joker has got that cut scar perma smile:

Azzarello's Joker was such an obvious homage to Ledger's Joker, too.

 

[Ipodman]

wasnt there a Joker graphic novel where the Joker really looked like heath ledger?

Or did that come out before TDK... I cant remember...

 

[CJ]

wasnt there a Joker graphic novel where the Joker really looked like heath ledger?

Or did that come out before TDK... I cant remember...

Do you have any scans of this?

 

[MattMetalHead]

Absolutely not.

 

[Cain]

Absolutely not.

Agree with this, I prefer the different personalities of the comic book Joker to a personality that I can't really recognize as "The Joker".

 

[Cain]

The Joker is just a psychopath with no origin.

Not true.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

NO!

Ledger's take on the character was great and really refreshing but let's not lose our heads, The Joker of the comics IS The Joker.

If fanboys really need to see TDK's version in print then put him in the upcoming Earth One book. That seems to be drawing heavily on the Nolan movies, anyways...

 

[MattMetalHead]

People seem to be taking Ledger's performance way too far. Ledger's Joker is based on comic book Joker, not the other way around. Like Wesley Dodds said, "The Joker of the comics IS the Joker." And he's right. That is the best Joker.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

People seem to be taking Ledger's performance way too far. Ledger's Joker is based on comic book Joker, not the other way around. Like Wesley Dodds said, "The Joker of the comics IS the Joker." And he's right. That is the best Joker.

 

[CJ]

I'm not saying I want Ledger's Joker to replace the comic book Joker. I'm just saying he did a great interpretation of the character, and i'd love to see it again. Unfortunately with Heath gone, and the possibility of Nolan recasting the character for the next Batman very slim, the comics or a new cartoon are the only way to see that version of the character again.

Maybe there could be a mini-series, set in the Nolan world or something..

 

[Venom 1988]

The closest thing you're going to get is the Joker graphic novel. And to clarify, the book was actually being worked on before the TDK Joker design was ever revealed, so it's a coincidence they look the similar. Lee Bermejo had done various sketches and drawings of his Joker in the past years before the movie as well.

 

[GothamAlleys]

Just wondering. Ledger's Joker had a very similar personality to the comics (Didn't want to kill or unmask Batman, multiple origins, always laughing)

We'll actually that's incorrect. This version of Joker was actually the most removed from the comic book Joker out of all other versions. Multiple origins was only mentioned in one comic book out of 7 decades as oppose to the Kane origins which were restated multiple times and were the official origins for all this time. As for not wanting to kill Batman, thats also something from relatively very few stories if we look at his entire history, and TDK Joker really isn't laughing all the time and its one of the few criticism I hear about this version is that hes not laughing enough. The original Joker and the silver age Joker was a crook with big ego who wanted to be the world's greatest crook and was extremely flamboyant. The 70's rebooted O'Neil version was the one that didnt care about money. The most accurate Joker is from The Animated Series, that is of course if we're talking about the 70s Joker. Nolan said himself that he wanted to go his own way with Joker, thats why hes so different. And again as I always say, different or faithfull to the comic does not mean great or bad and has nothing to do with the quality of the performance. TDK's Joker is a phenomenal and mesmerizing villain either way. Anyway, to save myself some repetitive and long writing I put it all in the blog, the complete Joker history - http://gothamalleys.blogspot.com/2010/09/complete-history-of-joker.html

I liked the fact that he was just a psychopath with no origin. I also liked how it didn't bother adapting that ridiclous chemcial bath origin. (Seriously, a guy falls into a vat of chemicals, then all of a sudden becomes a murdering lunatic? That has to be one of the worst origins for a supervillain ever.)

As a major Joker fan since mid 80s I must really disagree and defend the character. I thought it was great origins and explained Joker's perma white face and green hair perfectly. In Kane's origins he was never said to be a good guy, just the opposite. He was already a masked villain and theres no telling how nuts he already was before the accident. I thought the idea that the trauma of the accident and that the shock of the disfigurement multiplying the insanity was very convincing. Burton's origins pretty much followed the same path but actually showed that the guy was already and unstable murdering mobster even before the fall.

Anyway, to answer the thread's question - The TDK Joker actually did have an appearance in Brave and the Bold #31 comic where his origins were explained as someone being a psycho since he was a kid, and as others mentioned, the comic book Joker was a bit adjusted to fit in more with the TDK one, thats why they did the whole accident thing with Joker to have him mentally reborn and visually more like the TDK version. Would I want to see TDK Joker in some one off stories? Of course! But would I want him to replace the iconic Joker? Not a chance. As I said, I'm a major Joker fan since the mid 80's and it would make no sense to me if I would want to see him being replaced

Do you have any scans of this?

Here's one

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JrMAg7gZ5FQ/TKaBGjKYFXI/AAAAAAAAAP8/GmX_FfK6AdA/s1600/jokerglag.jpg

 

[Brother Jack]

It won't be adapted directly into the comics, but it will definitely have an influence on how the character is done in the comics. All the incarnations of the mythos reverberate off each other, even if it isn't so obvious sometimes.

 

[IndyJokerJones]

There's one comic that came out in March of this year where The Atom shrinks down and goes inside Joker's brain to cure him of a fatal plot ex machina. The comic is a great read, especially for Joker fans and ESPECIALLY if you read The Atom's dialog in John C. McGinley's voice but it's responsible for this page here:

I like that it merges some of Ledger's on screen history and characteristics with the comics, further blurring the lines that there is no one TRUE Joker incarnation and lets some of Ledger in while still keeping it very much the comic version.

 

[Mistah K88]

NO!

NO!

Ledger's take on the character was great and really refreshing but let's not lose our heads, The Joker of the comics IS The Joker.

If fanboys really need to see TDK's version in print then put him in the upcoming Earth One book. That seems to be drawing heavily on the Nolan movies, anyways...

Basically this is it in a nutshell. While I loved TDK's Joker, I did find him to be one of the more joyless takes on the character which I wouldn't want to be recurring. I love the clown side of Joker as well as the killer.

We'll actually that's incorrect. This version of Joker was actually the most removed from the comic book Joker out of all other versions. Multiple origins was only mentioned in one comic book out of 7 decades as oppose to the Kane origins which were restated multiple times and were the official origins for all this time. As for not wanting to kill Batman, thats also something from relatively very few stories if we look at his entire history, and TDK Joker really isn't laughing all the time and its one of the few criticism I hear about this version is that hes not laughing enough. The original Joker and the silver age Joker was a crook with big ego who wanted to be the world's greatest crook and was extremely flamboyant. The 70's rebooted O'Neil version was the one that didnt care about money. The most accurate Joker is from The Animated Series, that is of course if we're talking about the 70s Joker. Nolan said himself that he wanted to go his own way with Joker, thats why hes so different. And again as I always say, different or faithfull to the comic does not mean great or bad and has nothing to do with the quality of the performance. TDK's Joker is a phenomenal and mesmerizing villain either way. Anyway, to save myself some repetitive and long writing I put it all in the blog, the complete Joker history - http://gothamalleys.blogspot.com/2010/09/complete-history-of-joker.html



As a major Joker fan since mid 80s I must really disagree and defend the character. I thought it was great origins and explained Joker's perma white face and green hair perfectly. In Kane's origins he was never said to be a good guy, just the opposite. He was already a masked villain and theres no telling how nuts he already was before the accident. I thought the idea that the trauma of the accident and that the shock of the disfigurement multiplying the insanity was very convincing. Burton's origins pretty much followed the same path but actually showed that the guy was already and unstable murdering mobster even before the fall.

Anyway, to answer the thread's question - The TDK Joker actually did have an appearance in Brave and the Bold #31 comic where his origins were explained as someone being a psycho since he was a kid, and as others mentioned, the comic book Joker was a bit adjusted to fit in more with the TDK one, thats why they did the whole accident thing with Joker to have him mentally reborn and visually more like the TDK version. Would I want to see TDK Joker in some one off stories? Of course! But would I want him to replace the iconic Joker? Not a chance. As I said, I'm a major Joker fan since the mid 80's and it would make no sense to me if I would want to see him being replaced



Here's one

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JrMAg7gZ5FQ/TKaBGjKYFXI/AAAAAAAAAP8/GmX_FfK6AdA/s1600/jokerglag.jpg

I think I love you...

 

[Brother Jack]

There isn't really one Joker from the comics, or from any medium for that matter. The character has been around for going on 80 years now, and in that time there have been many different versions of it, and Ledger's Joker is simply another one. These things are not static, they ebb and flow (albeit with a few constants running throughout to make it inherently the same character).

 

[GothamAlleys]

There isn't really one Joker from the comics, or from any medium for that matter. The character has been around for going on 80 years now, and in that time there have been many different versions of it, and Ledger's Joker is simply another one. These things are not static, they ebb and flow (albeit with a few constants running throughout to make it inherently the same character).

Thats true but then it all comes to down to which version of the Joker you think of as the definite - the Kane's version, the Silver age, or O'Neil's. I take O'Neil because it took the previous incarnations and married them all, creating, what I think, an ultimate Joker while adding an extra dimension (eliminating his lust for money)

 

[ronny]

They just need to add a bit more doubt into Joker's origin. So he may never have been The Red Hood at all. Then I'll be a bit happier.
I still maintain that Batman should have absolutely NO part in Joker's origins. And the thought of him in a red penis hat just makes the character a joke - and not in a good way.
Besides, in terms of characterisation, Ledger's Joker is dead on. He is The Joker. So why improve what's already so great? It was such a faithful performance, so subtly clownish and filled with menace and sadistic humour. At certain times he was a pure psycho and at others he was just childish and playful. Exactly like the comics.

So just add even more doubt about his origin. So that the Red Hood/Chemical Bath crap isn't a dead cert. I love the idea of him voluntarily bleaching himself, rather than ALWAYS having Batman kind of force him into it.

 

[ronny]

They just need to add a bit more doubt into Joker's origin. So he may never have been The Red Hood at all. Then I'll be a bit happier.
I still maintain that Batman should have absolutely NO part in Joker's origins. And the thought of him in a red penis hat just makes the character a joke - and not in a good way.
Besides, in terms of characterisation, Ledger's Joker is dead on. He is The Joker. So why improve what's already so great? It was such a faithful performance, so subtly clownish and filled with menace and sadistic humour. At certain times he was a pure psycho and at others he was just childish and playful. Exactly like the comics.

So just add even more doubt about his origin. So that the Red Hood/Chemical Bath crap isn't a dead cert. I love the idea of him voluntarily bleaching himself, rather than ALWAYS having Batman kind of force him into it.

 

[Micah12345]

Sure. I'd even say go ahead and make the nolanverse on of the alternate earths. Pshh, do it for burton and schumacher too. That'd be pretty cool.

 

[K.B.]

I say a gigantic NO to this yet as I wasn't a fan of it and 99% of the time I hate when they pull movie stuff into the comics BUT I will say this:

The current arc on Detective Comics written by David Hine uses some of the Nolan Joker type stuff (those reading the book will know what I mean) and it is a FANTASTIC read!!

 

[ALP]

OMG, are people actually bashing the chemical bath comic origin in favor of Joker putting on his war paint!?!?

Ledger's Joker was great but the answer to this question is a massive NO. The comics are fine by incorporating certain elements here and there but no way would we want them to just cut and paste Ledger's Joker into the comics.

 

[ironman29758]

Ledgemo said his drawing of joker came before the first look of TDK Joker came out and I like the make up better than the chemical bath origin

Ledger Joker is like the comic even though he wears make up, and not have gag weapons and they have sighted influence from books like Batman#1, Batman:Long Halloween, Arkham Asylum: a serious house on serious earth, killing joke:

he doesn't want to kill Batman because he views him as the perfect enemy I read alot of Batman costume

want to drive people insane to prove a point like killing joke

had multiple origins and couldn't remember the true one like Killing Joke and the Joker origin didn't come untill the 1950's even though it was by the creators of Joker

Joker's crime being a theatrical like killing the henchmen, killing someone with a pencil, leaving a joker grin/glassglow smile/ make up on victim, etc

and I see a lot of Batman # 1 which was Joker's two first appearances( it was in the final draft) as well as other joker stories:

a mobster wants Joker dead and he annocing it to the public but Joker kills him first
Joker the crimes to the public and then commits in a creative way
Joker leaving a Joker card at the scene of a crime
Joker dressing a police man in order to kill someone
Joker using explosions in order to escape problem
Joker laughing when he kills someone, or commits a crime but he is more serious most of the time

so technically we are seeing Ledger's Joker in the comics