The Joker

50 years ago today, the classic Batman TV series premiered, kicking off a three-year run as one of the greatest adaptations of comic books ever made --- and while Adam West and Burt Ward's earnest, stentorian heroes were the stars, I think it's fair to say that the real attractions came from the villains. The bizarre heists, the deathtraps, the colorful costumes and scenery-chewing monologues made them favorites not just for the fans, but for the actors lining up to take roles on a pop culture phenomenon. But as is so often the case when we start talking about a fantastic roster of characters, it inevitably leads to the question of just who was the best. Was it Julie Newmar's purr-fect Catwoman? Frank Gorshin's surprisingly intense riddler? Victor Buono's King Tut? Heck maybe it was even a long-shot candidate like Bookworm! It's too hard to pick, which is why we're leaving it up to you. Check out the villains and vote below to crown the true King or Queen of Crime!

It's Thanksgiving here in America, which means that the streets of New York City are being overtaken by the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! It's a pretty big deal for those of us who enjoy ushering in the holiday season with Pikachu, Spider-Man and, of course, Santa Claus himself. In 1989, however, there was another guest who appeared to kick off Christmas: Batman's arch-nemesis, The Joker.

Many of comics’ most popular characters have been around for decades, and in the case of the big names from the publisher now known as DC Comics, some have been around for a sizable chunk of a century. As these characters passed through the different historical eras known in comics as the Golden Age (the late 1930s through the early 1950s), the Silver Age (the mid 1950s through the late 1960s), the Bronze Age (the early 1970s through the mid 1980s) and on into modern times, they have experienced considerable changes in tone and portrayal that reflect the zeitgeist of the time. With this feature we’ll help you navigate the very best stories of DC Comics’ most significant characters decade by decade. This week, we’re taking a look at the best Joker comics.

Q: I feel like The Joker is a very unsympathetic villain. Does he have any sympathetic qualities or moments? -- @DonNohVarr A: Huh. Well, I've got some good news for you, Don: I'm pretty sure that you're not supposed to find the Joker to be a very sympathetic villain. I mean, he's literally an evil clown that murders people with knives and poison, and that may actually be the least sympathetic sequence of words in the entire English language. But that actually does raise a pretty interesting question: If there's really nothing sympathetic about the Joker, then does that actually make him a better villain than characters that you do sympathize with? Unsurprisingly, I'd argue that it does, but let's see if we can't figure out why.

The 1966 Batman television show was one of the most successful and influential adaptations of comic books to mass media of all time. Over the course of three seasons and 120 episodes, the series became a cultural force with its unique combination of tongue-in-cheek humor, thrilling superhero adventure and celebrity guest stars, and shaped the way the public would view the Caped Crusader for the next five decades. Now, in the midst of a well-deserved renaissance of the show, ComicsAlliance is proud to present The Batman ’66 Episode Guide, an in-depth examination of every single adventure, arch-criminal and deathtrap cliffhanger of the series. This week, the Caped Crusaders discover the shocking secret of the Maharaja of Nimpah... and all is not what it seems!

The 1966 Batman television show was one of the most successful and influential adaptations of comic books to mass media of all time. Over the course of three seasons and 120 episodes, the series became a cultural force with its unique combination of tongue-in-cheek humor, thrilling superhero adventure and celebrity guest stars, and shaped the way the public would view the Caped Crusader for the next five decades. Now, in the midst of a well-deserved renaissance of the show, ComicsAlliance is proud to present The Batman ’66 Episode Guide, an in-depth examination of every single adventure, arch-criminal and deathtrap cliffhanger of the series. This week, the Joker's on a crime spree with international implications... The kidnapping of the Maharaja of Nimpah!

Jared Leto’s Joker will be an important component in Suicide Squad, but we may get to see him on screen before then, as it’s being reported that Leto will make a cameo appearance in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman before he makes his formal debut in Suicide Squad. If the rumor is true, it looks like DC is definitely taking another page out of the Marvel handbook, which isn’t exactly a bad thing. In other Joker-related news, those laughable tattoos from our first official look at Leto in character might not actually be a part of his look.

This weekend, Suicide Squad director David Ayer revealed our first look at Jared Leto in full Joker costume. It was a smart move, in a sense — this way, Ayer and Leto put the image out there ahead of any pesky on-set paparazzi pics, fully taking ownership of the new look before someone else could take the wind out of their sails. If they were to hide him during production with the intention of revealing the Joker as a surprise later on, fans would probably react more poorly than they did last night. The truth is, Leto’s Joker is both problematic…and not.

Well that didn’t take long. Following David Ayer’s recent teaser image of the character and Jared Leto’s own candid Snapchat pic, the director has officially revealed the first legitimate photo of Leto in character as the Joker in Suicide Squad. He’s very pale, very tattooed and totally insane. And he’s nothing like any Joker you’ve ever seen before.

The return of the Joker and his latest rein of crazy over Gotham comes to an end in April with the concluding chapter of Endgame in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman #40. The effects of the Joker's assault on sanity won't only be felt in the pages of that book, but in a series of one-shots spinning out of Batgirl, Arkham Manor, Detective Comics, and Gotham Academy. In the case of Gotham's finest/spookiest/strangest private school, the endgame plays out on the dark and sinister night of a city-wide blackout, with Joker-infected crazies at large on the streets. Holed up at the academy, students Olive Silverlock, Maps Mizoguchi and their... "friends"... tell each other scary Joker stories --- and those stories come from a team of exceptional guest artists. Series writers Brenden Fletcher and Becky Cloonan are joined by Six Gun Gorilla artist Jeff Stokely, Adventure Time character designer Joy Ang, illustrator Clio Chiang, and Anya's Ghost author Vera Brosgol. Check out our exclusive preview... if you dare.