Stacked Deck: The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told

The Greatest Stories Ever Told

by Mike Gold

An expanded hardcover edition of "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told", this treasury contains stories from:
Batman #1
Batman #4
Batman #63
Batman #73
Batman #74
Batman #110
Batman #159
Batman #163
Batman #251
Batman #321
Batman #353
Batman Kellogg's Special (1966) #2
The Brave and the Bold (1955) #111
Detective Comics #475
Detective Comics #476
Detective Comics #569
Detective Comics #570
The Joker (1975) #3
World's Finest Comics (1941) #61
World's Finest Comics (1941) #88

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Fiction, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1988

About the author

Michael Gold was media coordinator for the defense for the Chicago Conspiracy Trial, is a former Group Editor and Director of Editorial Development at DC Comics, co-founder of First Comics, and the co-founder and director of communication National Runaway Switchboard as well as a disk jockey in Chicago in the 1970s.

Reviews

[Bryce Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Collection of Joker Stories covering his career from his origins to the present day.

It's a pretty awesome and fascinating look at how many variations and warpings an icon can take and still be among the most potent pop myths. The book to it's credit isn't afraid of the fact that the Joker was kind of well a Joke for plenty of years. Take this line of dialouge from a comic from the fifties where The Joker rants about well, his Giant Boner.

(Note This Is Not Made Up. Or even edited. I'm Not That Funny)

"So they laugh at my Boner will they? I'll show them! I'll show them how many boners The Joker can make! This emphasis on Boner's has given me an idea for a new adventure in crime Gotham city will rue the day it mentioned the word Boner! I will take the greatest boners of all time and turn them into crimes!! See this picture it shows a big boner of a modern vintage!!"

Call me an arrested adolescent but that's some pretty fucking funny unintentional sexual innuendo (Disclaimer I may or may not be smoking some of the devil's weed while writing this.)

Also one thing this collection brought up again is something I've long wondered about. The Joker's always got like a couple dozen guys following him around. Honestly why? If they're true believers then that just speaks to a sad lack of ambition. "Yeah I'm crazy enough to follow this guy in a clown suit, but I just don't have the nerve to put on a costume and start doing improbable shit on my own." Read The Secret pal. You're already half way there just you know reach for the stars.

But think about it, if this guy is just some mercenary well that's even fucking sadder. How bad do you have to be where no one will hire you except a psychopathic clown who almost always kills his henchmen and has freaking Batman after him the entire damn time. I mean how desperately is he in need of a job where that looks like a kickass option. Is he just saying to himself "Well I really didn't want to help The Joker rob a toy store damnit but the kid's need braces."

Either way it's a sad situation. I want to read a book about that guy.

[Kevin Rubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told" was okay. It's divided into roughly three sections, the first are the earlier Joker comics, mostly from "Detective Comics", then the middle half of it are ones where the Joker was appearing frequently in "Batman" comics, followed by the last quarter from later on, the 70's.

In the first quarter, the earlier stories, the Joker is a killer, like we expect, with all his victims dying from his Joker venom or gas. Those stories are okay.

The middle half, the longest section, is the most kid-friendly, where the Joker never kills or even threatens to kill. Most of the stories revolve around the Joker announcing he's going to steal something and then trying to do it. Many times they're based on some pun from his message. Batman in those is a hero, hanging out at City Hall and teaching criminology classes, in costume, at Gotham University.

Finally the last few stories are much darker. The Joker is again a killer, and Batman is much darker, much more troubled, with the ears on his cowl longer and his cape billowing out behind him like he's almost a gigantic bat.

It's the last ones that are best stories, of course, but also the most confusingly drawn, with lots of things in frames I simply couldn't identify. In one, for instance, I couldn't tell what the Joker pushed his associate in front of, I had to go back to the page before to recognize it as a moving truck.

Overall it's entertaining, though the middle half was kind of dull, wearing thin after a few stories that were mostly the same, with little variation in plot. The beginning and the end are fantastic.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where would Batman be without the Joker to be his moral opposite. nice selection of stories. Recommended

[Alex Gruenenfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

My uncle gave me this purple leather-bound book a long while ago as a gift, and it's taken me a long time to get through. That's not an insult to the work, but simply a commentary on the fact that its nature as an anthology can take longer. For any hardcore Joker fan, like myself, this will be a good read.

The tone of the comics is a bit inconsistent. Generally this is a Golden Age work, with not much gore or too much darkness, but there is still murder at random. It strikes this odd balance between the pure insanity of the modern Joker and the prankster nature of the older Joker. This is not one cohesive story, but if you're looking for a way to observe many comics from across time, I recommend this book.

[Eddie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny that one of the best representations of The Joker was his very first appearance back in 1940 (Batman #1). During the mid fifties and sixties The Joker deteriorated to a mere clown, before he was finally rescued in the seventies, especially by Steve Englehart's "The Laughing Fish" and "The Sign of the Joker" which heavily referenced The Joker's first story, exactly like what Ed Brubaker did with his notable Joker story "The Man Who Laughs".

[MissMajuu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ohhh boy

Overall average of all the stories: 3.0
Favorite story: Fool's Errand, 2001
Least favorite story: A clash of symbols, 1990
Favorite art style: The man who laughs, 2005
Least favorite art style: The joker & the joker returns, 1940

This was, quite frankly, baad. It was interesting to get the full character journey but I'm left wondering why some stories were selected for this: especially The Origin of the Joker (2007), which is basically the killing joke but in just two pages.
There were also stories in here, where you needed background knowledge because of events that happened before and characters that were already established at the certain issue that was selected for this collection. Because of that some stories were incredibly hard to follow and confusing.
A downside from covering all decades of the jokers appearance were that on the one hand the characters have very little to do with what you associate with them and on the other hand comics were just written drastically different that time. The art style was completely not my taste and it had a very low-effort somewhat comedic ring to it. In addition to that were the text bubbles in the corner of the page (who are normally used for setting up a scene) on every page, stating what could be seen on that page. For example it would be "he shuffled the cards" and the picture would be of hands shuffling cards.

Overall I really didn't enjoy my time reading this but the text pages, explaining the history of the character were really interesting. I gave a total of 3 out of 18 stories a rating over 3🌟 and my average rating reflects that.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is great not primarily because every story in it is sublime, but because it gives an excellent historical overview of the treatment of The Joker in comics from just plain silly to dark humor. Published in 1990, this collection spans 50 years of Joker tales. And of course, there are some great stories. My favorites include:

"The Man Behind the Red Hood," in which The Joker is given an origin. Writer: Bill Finger; Artists: Sheldon Moldoff & George Roussos.

"The Crazy Crime Clown," in which The Joker steals a bunch of worthless junk. Writer: Alvin Schwartz; Artists: Dick Sprang & Charles Paris.

"The Joker's Happy Victims," in which people are amused when The Joker steals from them. Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell; Artists: Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson.

"The Joker's Five-Way Revenge," in which The Joker takes vengeance on former henchmen. This story's conclusion is an obvious influence on Dini's "The Laughing Fish" episode of the animated series. Writer: Dennis O'Neil; Artist: Neal Adams.

"The Laughing Fish," in which The Joker tries to copyright fish that bear his likeness. Paul Dini adapted this into a brilliant episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Writer: Steve Englehart; Artist: Marshall Rogers.

"Catch as Catscan," in which The Joker captures Catwoman after she tries going straight. Writer: Mike W. Barr; Artists: Alan Davis & Paul Neary.

Also not to be missed is "Stacking the Deck," an essay on Joker stories by comics historian and writer par excellence Mark Waid.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in the mood for some non-psycho, fun Batman stories; the kind that were getting reprinted in the 100 pg giants in the 70's. This was the book I had on my shelf that filled the bill.

[Maclovio Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told provides a fun, if somewhat uneven, history of the Clown Prince of Crime. The collection takes readers on a journey through the Joker's evolution, from his first appearance in Batman #1 (1940) to the more nefarious and murderous tales of the Bronze Age. Because the book concludes with "Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker!" (Batman #321, 1980), it never touches on any post-Crisis stories.

While more than half of the volume consists of Golden Age stories—which are admittedly very campy and silly (featuring the Joker using his own "utility belt" or wearing ridiculous costumes)—the inclusion of his debut appearance alone makes the collection worthwhile. It presents the Joker as a fully-fledged villain with tropes we still recognize today, such as using mass media to create hysteria and leaving his infamous trademark "death-grin" on victims. It also features the introduction of his Red Hood persona; while the concept is great, the actual story remains rooted in Golden Age silliness, featuring Batman as an adjunct professor teaching criminology at Gotham University.

The Bronze Age stories truly redeem the book. Most are well-crafted, dark, and effectively showcase the Joker as Batman's true arch-nemesis and foil. "The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge" is notable for returning the character to his murderous roots, while the "Laughing Fish" and "Sign of the Joker" two-parter cleverly incorporates elements from the Joker's first meeting with the Dark Knight. All in all, this is a must-read for any Batman fan looking to gain a true appreciation for his greatest villain!

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought I had read this: but, now I have. This is a great anthology, ending up at the moment in time when Killing Joke and Dark Knight Returns publish and further darken, with A Death in the Family, the character for seeming ever. Here you get beginnings and weirdness. Lots of great Dick Sprang art, too. Very few writer credits before the mid-1960s, something I think has deepened with fandom and scholarship. In particular, the writing of Bill Finger is prolific here, but we don't have full credits for his or other writers work, due to the unfortunate practices of the day.
So: mildly recommended.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr schöne Anthologie des Jokers

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Batman (a.k.a. The Dark Knight) series contains some of the best villains ever to appear in comic books. In my opinion, one of the primary reasons why the television series was so successful was due to the excellent casting of the villains. The primary ones were the Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman and the Joker. All were a few cards short of a full deck, but the Joker was by far the one farthest away. This obvious instability made him a stronger villain and I also think that was why the Joker character was selected as the foil for Batman in the first Batman movie. Jack Nicholson was superb as the Joker, capturing the homicidal insanity that was depicted in the comic books.
This book is a collection of the best stories of Batman (generally but not always with Robin), going up against the Joker. They capture the clever insanity of the Joker, but like all that go up against the heroes, he is never quite clever enough. While he outwits Batman at the beginning of the story, by the end, he has made foolish mistakes that lead to his defeat. These are also the best Batman stories, because he is the strongest of the villains, and as has been pointed out, a hero can only shine when going up against a worthy adversary.
Batman is like all of the rest of us. To see him at his best, he has to be facing the worst. Since the Joker is the worst of the villains, these are the best Batman stories and I enjoyed reading most of these stories for the second time. The first time was in the original comic books, as I never missed a story that involved the Joker.

This review also appears on Amazon

[Mloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's better than a collection of the Greatest Batman Stories ever told? A collection of the Greatest Joker stories ever told! Oh how I do love the Joker, who in my humble opinion is the greatest villain ever created- better than Lex Luthor, better than Gallactus, better than Thanos and a whole lot more entertaining to boot! This was a really great book to own and read (it's a shame it took me this long to read since I've had the book forever) but like a fine wine, I guess I needed to age a little more to appreciate this book. My only complaint is that there was so much of the old Golden Age Joker who I really wasn't a fan of since he was more campy than gritty. I love the 80's era Joker best, he's a little more manic and dark but still pretty zany and can be somewhat silly but still edgy. You never know with that Joker if he's gonna zig or zag and how far off the edge he's willing to go. It is kind of disappointing that "A Death In the Family" and "The Killing Joke" isn't included in this book but understandably, those titles, aside from retaining their popularity with the fans are better appreaciated a stand-alone story-line with the spotlight solely focused on them. I can respect that. So, in short, I love this book: loved the fact that DC took the time to make a gorgeous leather-bound edition (because I do so love a pretty book), love the stories, love the subject and made me appreciate the villany of the Joker even more. I may have become a bigger fan of his and the Bats, if that's even possible! Awesome book, absolutely terrific!

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of Joker comic stories came out when the first Tim Burton film came out. I was living in a small town in Japan and luckily a friend of mine sent me a copy of this book. It was the most precious thing I owned in Moji-Ku Japan.

Excellent survey of Joker stories that appeared in Batman. The early ones of course are more sinister and the later ones got kind of silly. But as I mentioned before (the review down below) I more interested in The Joker as a character than the story or how he's placed in the story. Basically I just like to look at him and make up my own stories about this character.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are good Joker stories in here and bad ones, but if for nothing else, this is a great historical document. Watching how the Joker (and comics themselves) changed over the decades is fascinating in its own right.

[Kenny Lee Chia Sern · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew the Joker from the modern classics like The Killing Joke and Batman Hush arc. Other exposures are like cartoons and not forgetting the on-screen version portrayed by Jack Nicholson, the late Heath Ledger, and most recently Joaquin Phoenix.

The best Joker portrayal in video games and cartoons have got to be Mark Hamill. If you’re wondering why his name is so familiar, he’s Luke Skywalker, the Jedi. Yes, he does voice acting too and well known for his portrayal as the Joker.

The Joker is portrayed as a genius homicidal maniac in the comics and movies with gags that often leads to death or injury or both in those adaptations.

I never knew what he was like at the beginning of his career until now. Suffice to say, I won't be taking him or Batman seriously at the start of their careers just like all the great heroes and villains.

The book is like a comic relief with weird stories to keep you entertained. I remember one story where the Joker put on a hedgehog suit (YUP! Not making this up) that can shoot spikes when he's threatened. After that he escaped by putting on dragonfly suit (again, not making these up)

Those are some of the stories in the book that keeps you entertained. Worth a read if you're a comics and Joker fan.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of comics from the very beginning up to the 1980’s, showing the Joker’s evolution as a villain, Batman’s opposite, rival, and arch nemesis. From his beginnings as a killer clown who left his victims dead with a smile on their faces, through his stints as a comedic character specializing in bizarre, spectacular crimes, to his plots over the years to set elaborate traps for his enemies, particularly Batman, this book showcases the growth and changes of a villain who’s been opposing the Caped Crusader almost as long as Batman has been stalking the night. Over the years, in this collection of comics, the Joker is hilarious, terrifying, or both, but he’s never boring.

Readers get to read how this premier member of the Batman’s Rogues’s Gallery has been shaped over the years, how the Joker’s adversity with Batman has defined the Joker as the madman he is today and how, he, the Joker has defined Batman, ever the grinning colorful clown to his enemy’s caped enigma. Anyone who finds this particular relationship fascination and would like to learn more about its various incarnations won’t want to miss this book.

[The Ether · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 / 10

It's great watching the evolution of comic book storytelling / art and the characters they portray [and by extension, how they continue to grow and change even today]. Yes, in the early days the Batman and Joker were dark but in a campy way. The Joker would kill a random person just for getting in the way - laughing and cracking bad puns the entire time. Since the time of this book's publishing (1990), The Joker has gotten more clever and evil; we see him killing more out of malice and hate while Batman has gotten bulkier, more brooding, and much more gritty. It's hard to reconcile a book about characters who have changed so much yet again but it's a decent history.

PROS: Because they are in real-time chronological order, it's fascinating to watch the stories get deeper and art get tighter; The editor's 'epilogue' at the end is great; Provides a little bit of insight to these characters

CONS: Unfortunately, this book is dated already - would love to see an update; I realize I'm viewing this from a 2026 perspective, but most of these stories are so campy and goofy I frankly have a hard time understanding how any comics at all made it to this century.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of Joker stories ranging from the 40s to the 80s, this is a great way to see how the character has evolved over the years. Right out of the gate the Joker emerges as an iconic, murderous lunatic, leaving his victims with a terrifying death grimace, but very quickly the comics code authority would reduce him to a silly prankster pulling low-stakes thefts, and always getting caught in the end. (Still, there's a charming goofiness to this era, especially if you're a fan of the Adam West show.) Eventually the Bronze Age brought the character back to his murderous roots, in a darker, grittier Gotham City. Unfortunately, this was published at a time when Bob Kane was still being given full credit for the creation of Batman, so the introduction and afterword are disappointing.

[Akanksha]

If you are looking to get into Batman comics, but don't know where to start, this is a great "taster menu" to pick up. The stories in here are picked to give you an idea of how the stories and the characters evolved with time, and I feel like it does the job really well.

You start with the early, killer Joker, but then things take a turn into a more mellowed-down era. But then, as you get toward the end of the book, you can feel the gravity shifting back. It starts moving toward the grim, gritty, and psychological versions of both Batman and the Joker that we’re more familiar with today. Joker becomes more and more unhinged, and the writing also "matures" up quite a bit.

PS: Rating an anthology is tough

[Marjorie C. Ferryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il est impossible d'aimer le Joker sans le détester et de le détester sans l'aimer. Le Joker est un personnage totalement fou. Et encore, le mot fou est un mot relativement faible pour définir ce personnage si particulier. D'ailleurs, je pense, que même lui-même ignore qui il est (ou était) et que le lecteur ne saura jamais la vérité sur le Joker. Au fur et à mesure des années, les planches deviennent de plus en plus travaillées et splendides. En bref, un comics à lire si vous aimez le personnage du Joker !

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second graphic novel I ever received as a kid, and to my great shock, most of the material still stands up. There isn't quite the breadth and depth of material as in the first "Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" volume, but the early "mad killer" Joker and the late period "return to being menacing" Joker stories are great representation of their eras. Even the mid-period "novelty criminal" stuff feels of a piece with the Batman TV series of the era, giving it a quirky, campy charm.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I 100% read this for a fanfiction I'm writing about the Joker, but hear me out. 

Joker's queer ass is so entirely compelling. It looks like he's the only villain with a "greatest story" compilation, and why is that? He's fun and goofy and even a little sexy. He's just a weird little guy we can't stop writing about.

This collection takes us up to 1980. I have no idea if these are the greatest but they were definitely entertaining. Worth the rest for the erotic depictions with The Creep.

[Duncan]

This sucked. The "greatest Joker stories ever told" are crap about a crap serial killer who got neutered by the Comics Code Authority - and it turned out that neutering was for the best - the Joker we have today is an idiot by comparison. DO NOT READ. It will be two days of your life you will NEVER GET BACK.

[Rachel Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection, though far from complete (which the intro/outro go to great lengths to remind us). However, I think an individual intro as to why each story was selected would have gone a long way, rather than the extended ramblings before and after the collection.

[Nick de Vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great cover, great collection of classic stories, arcs like the joker-fish are seminal

[Redwan Orittro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of Homer stories, mostly from silver and bronze age books. So if you're expecting the dark, gritty Joker of modern times, you would be disappointed.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatly done collection of the Bat's most outstanding foe.

Worth the price of admission.

[nobody · Rating 3 out of 5]

the later stories in this are great, but man the early and middle stories drag on, the early ones are nice if you like golden age comics...

[Quinell Hajari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice selection of Joker stories from the early years right up to the 70s.