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Book Description
Release date: June 24, 2008 | Series: Batman
As Batman's archenemy, the Joker is the antithesis of the
Dark Knight. Fueled by lunacy, the Clown Prince of Crime thrives in a
world of chaos and disorder. In THE GREATEST JOKER STORIES EVER TOLD,
the Joker's insanity is displayed in full color. Collecting tales from
the last five decades, this book shows that from his earliest
appearances to his most recent exploits, he has been a dynamic and
deadly adversary. Whether involved in classic campy stories or legendary
dark tales, the Joker's insane brilliance has been more than a match
for Batman's keen intellect.
The following comic book issues are included:
Batman #1
Batman #4
Batman #63
Batman #73
Batman #74
Batman #110
Batman #159
Batman #163
Batman #251
Batman #321
Brave and the Bold #111
Detective Comics #168
Detective Comics #475
Detective Comics #476
Joker #3
World's Finest #61
World's Finest #88
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Another collection of stories published by DC in the category of 'The
greatest Stories ever Told'. We have seen two volumes of that cagetory
presenting BATMAN, we also saw one presenting BATMAN/SUPERMAN team-up.
Now it's the JOKER time.
The Joker: The Greatest Stories Ever Told collects stories from:
(1) Batman #1 (Batman Vs. the Joker) 1941 **Joker's first appearence**
(2) Batman #66 (The Joker's comedy of errors) 1951
(3) Batman #73 (Joker's Utility belt) 1952
(4) Batman #110 (Crime of the mouth club) 1957
(5) Detective Comics #332 (Joker's last laugh) 1964
(6)
Detective Comics #475 (The Laughing fish) 1978 **featured in Batman
animated series, Harley Quinn appears in the series, but not in comic**
(7) Detective Comics #476 (Sign of the Joker) 1978
(8) Batman #321 (Have a dreadful birthday Mr. Joker) 1980
(9) Batman Adventures Annual #1 (Laughter after midnight) 1994
(10) Batman the Long Halloween #4 (New Year's Eve) 1997
(11) Batman Black and White #2 (Case study) 2002
(12) Batman #614 (Hush Chapter 7: the joke) 2003
(13) Detective Comics #826 (Slayride) 2007
Although
there were other great Joker stories that were not included in the
book, the collection still nice, I only wish if it contains more pages
(more stories)
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Let me start by saying this, this book is worth it for the "Boner
Crime" story alone. It is a reminder of a simpler time, filled with
unintentional hilarity. This collection of the Joker's greatest schemes
is great for any fan. It lacks the definition of "The Killing Joke" but
the seccond half of the book is chock full of Joker goodness. The first
few stoies are all from the zany Batman/Joker Cesar Romeroesque time
period, hich wasn't too bad, but the good stuff kicks in in the second
half. This book has a higher body count than most seasons of 24, and
shows why Joker is so dangerous. My 2 favorite stories are "Slayride"
and the story from "Batman: Black and White" with art by Alex Ross.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic collection of Joker stories
drawn throughout the decades since his creation in 1940. Purists may
call it incomplete, but to me, this collection is nirvana. Watching the
character of the Joker progress both in character complexity and
artistic treatment is an unbelievable experience. From the early, flat,
almost innocent comics to the current dark, mindbending artwork, it is
easy to see that we live in the best of times for the comic genre.
The
Joker has always been the most interesting villain ever created in
comics. He is the id to Batman's ego. Batman's very existence and
reason for being depends on the Joker's constant reincarnation. At a
very basic level, the Joker is in us all, the "devil inside" that we
struggle with, that keeps coming back.
In the last 50 years,
there are three portrayals of the Joker in TV and film that stand out.
These three general periods are all covered in stories in this book.
First,
in the early days of color TV, the Joker appears in the campy Batman
& Robin TV show. I'm sure most comics fans would cringe at that
portrayal of the Joker, but it was important nonetheless, and was the
very definition of "cartoonish violence." Early stories in this book
like "Joker's Comedy of Errors" is what influenced these TV producers.
At this stage, the Joker was a silly figure, without the eventual
psychopathic edge.
Jack Nicholson's Joker in the 1980s Batman
movie was the next significant attempt to get the character right. He
did a passable job, again, focused more on the comedic, slapstick
elements of the Joker's personality - which was the way the Joker is
still portrayed in comics during that period. The violence at this time
was impersonal, silly crime type violence. Read more ›
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Love the comics included in this book. The ones in the end, I must say, tend to be my favorites.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
<3 Joker
November 26, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love the Joker.
This book is a lot of fun to read, of course, and I couldn't be happier.
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Format:Paperback
I just finished reading the original 1988 edition of The Greatest
Joker Stories Ever Told. The book I own has 288 pages covering 1940 to
1980, including an introduction by Mike Gold, a very nice recap of the
stories left out up until the time of the first Burton film by Mark Waid
(Kingdom Come, etc) as well as bios of the main writers and artists.
This version appears to be 90 pages shorter. Aside from the Alex Ross
cover, a couple of the more contemporary stories added to this volume
seem to be ripped from longer works (Hush and The Long Halloween) that
you likely already have or may one day have in context as full graphic
novels.
Here's what comics appear to have been cut out:
Batman No 4 (Case of The Joker's Crime Circus, 1941)
Batman Newspaper Sunday Comic Strip (The Joker and The Sparrow, 1948)
Detective Comics No 168 (The Man Behind the Red Hood, 1951)
Batman No 63 (The Joker's Crime Costumes, 1951)
World's Finest No 61 (The Crimes of Batman, 1952)
Batman No 74 (The Crazy Crime Clown, 1953)
World's
Finest No 88 (Superman's and Batman's Greatest Foes, 1957) [Now
reprinted in the Greatest Superman/Batman Stories Ever Told]
Batman No 159 (The Great Clayface-Joker Feud, 1963)
Batman No 163 (The Joker Jury, 1964)
Batman Kellogg's Special (The Joker's Happy Victims, 1966)
Batman No 251 (The Joker's Five-Way Revenge, 1973)
The Brave and the Bold No 111 (Death Has the Last Laugh, 1974)
The Joker No 3 (The Last Ha Ha, 1975)
Added
to this volume is Detective Comics No. 332 (Joker's Last Laugh, 1964)
and the five stories following 1980 (two of which are pieces of longer
works). I would have much preferred a Greatest Joker Stories Told Vol 2
than the disappointing slapdash edit this 2nd edition of Volume 1
appears to be.
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