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Joker: Villains
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The Joker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, with contributions by artist Jerry Robinson, the Joker first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940). In 2006, Wizard magazine rated him the greatest villain of all time.[2] Game Informer asserts that "everyone knows the Joker."[3]
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The Joker -- often called “Clown Prince of Crime,” “The Harlequin of Hate,” and “The Ace of Knaves” -- is a fictional character featured in DC COMICS‘ BATMAN comic books. He is a “supervillain” and considered to be The Batman's chief nemesis and the character is arguably the most famous and well-known comic book villain of all time.
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While the Joker was back, he was decidedly less deadly than previous engagements. At this point, the editors decided that only one-shot villains should commit murder, so as to not make Batman look impotent in his inability to punish recurring foes. As the Batman comics softened their tone in the 1950s and 1960s, the Joker shifted towards a harmless, cackling nuisance. He quickly became the most popular villain and was used frequently during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The use of the character lessened somewhat by the late 1950s, and disappeared almost entirely when Julius Schwartz took over editorship of the Batman comics in 1964.
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The softening of The Joker reached its climax during the "camp" era, when, in Batman's popular 1966 TV show, actor Cesar Romero played the villain strictly for laughs. In comic books, even Batman himself, that grim avenger, was treated as a clown, so one can imagine how they treated a supporting character who was already a clown. When the show ended and things settled back down, it was decided to retire The Joker for a few years, to let the memory of his recent lack of dignity fade. He was... still occasionally used in animation, where his voice was done by Larry Storch (Cool Cat, Tom Dracula).
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The Joker is ... renowned as Batman's most unpredictable foe. While other villains rely on tried-and-true methods to commit crimes (such as Mr. Freeze's freeze gun or Poison Ivy's toxic plants), Joker has a variety of weapons at his disposal. For example, the flower he wears in his lapel sprays, at any given time, acid, poisonous laughing gas — or nothing at all. Sometimes he commits crimes just for the fun of it, while on other occasions it is part of a grand scheme. Batman has been noted to say that the Joker's plans make sense to him alone.
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The Joker is regarded by fans and comic-book afficionados as one of the greatest villains in comic-book history and by many the one with the most psychological depth. Created by Batman co-creator/writer Bill Finger and artist Jerry Robinson (while on staff under Batman co-creator/artist Bob Kane), the Joker first appeared in Batman #1 (1940).
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