In Tim Burton’s Batman, Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker horrified viewers, but he also deeply disturbed the people of Gotham. DC is continuing the story of director Tim Burton’s Batman in the six-issue Batman ’89 miniseries, and in a teaser for issue five, fans get a look of the scars the Joker left on Gotham. Print and digital copies of the issue go on sale on April 12.
In the summer of 1989, Bat-Mania swept the nation thanks to Tim Burton’s Batman, which starred Michael Keaton as the title character and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Both actors gave outstanding, memorable performances that are still cherished today. Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker was especially dreadful because it precisely captured the ruthlessness and randomness of his comic book counterpart. The audience witnessed the Joker brutally inject innocent bystanders with Smylex gas, murdering them and leaving them with the soulless, perpetual grin of the Joker. The Joker attempted to poison the city towards the movie’s climax, but Batman stopped him, and the Joker soon fell to his death. The Clown Prince of Crime may be no more, but as shown in the promo for Batman ’89 #5, which was written by Sam Hamm and pencilled by Joe Quiones, he is most definitely not forgotten.
With the intention of ousting Batman and appointing himself as the city’s protector, Harvey Dent has assumed the identity of Two-Face and is assembling an army to seize control of Gotham. Two-Face queries Karp about his “clown crew” after having blackmailed Karp into assisting him. He is informed by Karp that there is no real “Joker Gang” and that the most of his pals are either dead or imprisoned. Karp, though, informs him that performance artists, anarchists, and nihilist groups have appropriated the Joker’s appearance, including the purple coats. They are useful for “distractions and not much else,” according to Karp. Karp continues by revealing the presence of a second gang that also dresses as clowns. Karp refers to it as “camouflage,” claiming that when Gothamites see the clown makeup, they “flinch,” causing them to overlook everything else and enabling the crooks to do their work.
Audiences were appalled by Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker in 1989. With the exception of his backstory, Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker was also mostly faithful to the comics. Even after being defeated, the villain continued to frighten Gotham’s residents and moviegoers alike. The Joker left such a severe scar on the citizens of Gotham, as seen by Karp’s statement that people there “flinch” when they saw clown makeup. Tragically, criminals and other undesirable characters are taking advantage of this and are aware of it. Two-Face is aware of this as well, and he tries to enlist Karp and the “clown gang” for his own purposes. The scars left by The Joker’s reign of terror on the people of Gotham will take years to fully heal, if they ever do. It will be a difficult task for Batman.
Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and Joaquin Phoenix have all portrayed the Joker since Jack Nicholson originated the role, but Nicholson’s is still considered to be one of the best, partly because he not only terrified audiences but also the residents of Gotham.
