JOKER SERIOUS STUDY OF CLOWN PRINCE OF CRIME SC #1

Along with Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, the Joker stands out as one of the most recognizable comics characters in popular culture. This is the first academic work to provide a comprehensive study of this villain, illustrating why the Joker appears so relevant to audiences today. The Joker debuted in Batman #1 (1940) as the typical gangster, but the character evolved steadily into one of the most ominous in the history of sequential art. Scholars from a wide array of disciplines look at the Joker through the lens of feature films, video games, comics, politics, magic and mysticism, psychology, animation, television, performance studies, and philosophy.