The Joker is one of the greatest villains in comic history, if not the greatest. Sure, Batman’s most dangerous foe is definitely overexposed (we’re all kind of tired of every creative run having to include at least one story with the character), but there’s a reason for that – fans do love him and he sells books. Even those of us who are little tired of the villain still do love him. One of the reasons for this is because some creators want to do something different with the character. The Clown Prince of Crime is a character that can morph into anything you need him to and there are numerous stories that show how adaptable he can be.
Videos by ComicBook.com
An interesting story that has been told with the character is giving him powers. The Joker with superpowers is a very scary proposition, so it stands to reason that giving Joker godlike power is the scariest thing you can think of. Well, DC has done this, not once but twice in two very different stories – “Emperor Joker” and “Rock of Ages”. In fact, Batman’s greatest foe has basically become god in the latter story, something that would definitely appeal to the villain. However, he ended up letting that power go for reasons that show that maybe the character is more human than something like “Emperor Joker” showed.
“Rock of Ages” Showed That Joker Is a Monster but Can Be Reached
“Rock of Ages” is the greatest Justice League story ever and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong (if anyone has a copy of JLA #10, let me know; my trade is decades old and I can’t find that issue for my floppy collection because even “comic” conventions barely sell comics anymore and my local stores don’t have it). The story saw Lex Luthor get his hands on a mysterious item called the Philosopher’s Stone and decided to use it to destroy the Justice League, bringing together a new Injustice Gang, with the Joker as a member.
Luthor is an evil super genius bar excellence, so he knows not to trust Gotham’s most prolific killer. He does know he has uses, though, and in the second part of the story uses the maniacal killer’s unique mind to trap Superman and Martian Manhunter. J’onn was able to tap into the Joker’s brain to help them escape, which would play a big role later. In the last part of the story, Joker gets his hands on the Stone (which is actually the Worlogog from the Fourth World; it’s a Morrison story so it’s complicated) and uses its power to start killing on a massive scale. However, J’onn steps up again, using his powers to make the villain sane, and he actually gives the Stone to alien hero.
We don’t often see the Joker’s actions affect him in any way, so this was very interesting change. It’s also completely different from what we saw in “Emperor Joker”. This story saw the villain get the power of Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Fifth Dimensional imp with reality altering powers. He did unspeakable things to Batman (because of course he did) and even ate everyone in China. The power was taken from him, but readers were given the impression that he never would have given it up willingly.
“Rock of Ages” came out several years before “Emperor Joker”, and it shows something very interesting about the baddest guy. Somewhere deep inside of him, there’s an actual human being who hates the pain he causes. The page where he gives up the power is quite interesting; artist Greg Land (before he became known for his… shall we say artistic references) drew the character in a way that was reminiscent of civilian version of the Joker from Batman: The Killing Joke (Land probably traced it, but still). It was a great little twist, showing us that man the Joker once was is still there.
The Joker’s Dalliances With Godhood Show How Complex the Character Is
The Joker with godlike power is an all hands on deck moment, and seeing how two different creators dealt with it was quite interesting. “Rock of Ages” came out in 1997 and “Emperor Joker” in 2000. Jeph Loeb was the main mind behind “Emperor Joker”, so the story was more of a standard Joker story. Morrison and Loeb are very different writers, with the Scottish scribe taking characters in directions others don’t, although they still make sense to anyone who has read enough comics.
Morrison has a different view of the Joker and has always been a fan of The Killing Joke. The idea that there is a normal man inside the Clown Prince of Crime is something that a lot of creators don’t want to talk about, but Morrison always pushed boundaries. Using it in “Rock of Ages” was an inspired idea and it showed that there was more to the villain than most fans – or creators for that matter – realize.
What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Ufotable -
Courtesy of TOHO Animation
