Biographic - Sunday July 31, 2016 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

The Joker One of the most memorable villains in comic book history, The Joker debuted in 1940 in the first issue of the Batman comic. (Batman had first appeared one year earlier, in an issue of Detective Comics.) It had been originally intended to immediately kill off The Joker, but the editors decided to make him a recurring character, and he went on to appear in nine of the first 12 issues. He was originally depicted as a sadistic psychopath with a warped sense of humor, but over the years, The Joker morphed into a goofy thief with a penchant for elaborate trickery. He became a peripheral character who rarely appeared in the comic books. That changed when the "Batman" TV show hit the airwaves in 1966. Portrayed as a cackling prankster by Cesar Romero- whose trademark mustache was disguised by a thick layer of Greasepaint- The Joker was one of the hit show's most popular characters. By the time Jack Nicholson took the role in 1989's "Batman" movie, The Joker was once more a dark character. The huge success of the film- Nicholson alone is said to have earned $100 million through a profit-participation deal-led to an animated series with Mark Hamill of "Star Wars" fame providing the voice of The Joker. Hamill has gone on to voice the character in spin-off movies and video games. Other actors to voice The Joker include Troy Baker, Brent Spiner, and Kevin Michael Richardson. Heath Ledger won a posthumous academy award for best supporting actor for his portrayal of The Joker as deranged mass murderer in 2008's "The Dark Knight" a movie that grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide! The latest actor to take on the role is Oscar-winner Jared Leto, who plays The Joker in "Suicide Squad" one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of the year!

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