The Joker first appeared in two stories in Batman #1 in April, 1940. We review those first Joker stories for you, and we take a look (in our attached video review) at some of the artwork by Bob Kane and the writing of Bill Finger, the co-creators of Batman, Robin, Joker, and many more.
As we all know, the Joker is perhaps the most iconic and well-known supervillain in the DC Comics Universe, and perhaps in all of comics. This Harlequin of Hate first appeared in Batman #1, published on April 25, 1940.
These first two stories with Joker are connected, as the second Joker story picks up two days after the first story. In their first encounter, Joker gets Batman's attention by killing several well-known citizens of Gotham by various secret means, using several poisons of the Joker's design, as well as a handgun. Batman and Joker's first battle takes place in Joker's red car as he attempts to escape, and on a bridge, where Joker manages to physically best Batman and kick him into the water.
Robin, who is in his third comic book appearance here, follows Joker to his lair, where he is captured (of course), and tied up by Joker. Batman, who followed Robin's trail by means of the "luminous chemical that glows only in the light of the Infra-Red Lamp," (another Bat-Gadget created by Batman), that Batman and Robin coat their footwear with, rescues Robin and battles the Joker again, knocking him out and capturing him. This first Joker/Batman story ends with Joker in jail.
In the second Joker story in Batman #1takes place, according to the narration, two days later, where we see Joker is still in jail, wearing purple prison clothes, and plotting his escape by means of two false teeth in his mouth, where, Joker says, "inside each tooth is a chemical which when mixed together, forms a powerful explosive," which he uses to blow up the jail.
We see Joker enter his secret underground laboratory (hidden in a cemetery), where he again plots his crimes. As in the first story, we see citizens listening to their radios when Joker interrupts the show with a threat to kill the Chief of Police. Joker succeeds in killing Chief Chalmers, and two more citizens (while stealing art and jewelry). As Joker attempts to rob the Drake Museum, Batman intervenes, and again is bested by the Joker in a fistfight.
Just as Joker is about to kill Batman, the arrival of police reinforcements causes him to flee. The police find the unconscious Batman and begin to unmask him, when Batman regains consciousness and knocks out the police. Remember, at this early stage of Batman's career, he is a vigilante operating outside of the law, and is wanted by the police, to the point that one policeman tries shooting Batman as he flees out a window.
Joker continues his murderous crime spree, and to set a trap, Batman meets with Commissioner James Gordon in his guise as millionaire socialite Bruce Wayne. Wayne and Gordon are friends, and, since Batman is still a fugitive, Batman's plan to trap the Joker has to come from Wayne, who gives Gordon an idea of how to lure Joker into a police trap.
Joker falls for the trap, which is not a very good one from the police perspective, as Joker kills several officers before fleeing. Robin follows Joker and they fight, with Robin knocked off a roof, seemingly to fall to his death. Here we see Robin's acrobatic training (he was, after all, raised as a circus acrobat in his pre-Robin career), as he saves himself by grabbing onto a flagpole. On the ground below Robin, Batman and Joker is about to shoot Batman (and, in reference to the first Joker story, Joker remarks, " I know you wear a bullet-proof vest...this time I'm going to shoot at your head...the Joker is still trump card." Robin then drops down onto Joker, knocking the gun from his hand. Batman then starts hitting Joker, who then draws out a knife. Batman's punch knocks Joker into a wall, causing the knife he is holding to pierce his own chest.
Batman and Robin leave the scene, believing that Joker is dead. Later, in the ambulance, a doctor tells a policeman that the Joker is still alive..
Check out our video review of Batman #1: