BATMAN #1 (1940)
by Bill Finger & Bob Kane
It’s quite rare for a single issue to introduce two major supervillains, especially in the Golden Age.
We’ll cover the second one separately, but you might have heard of the first one.
We begin with the Joker making his threat by radio.
Don’t worry, the police is on this!
Aaaand he’s dead.
Weird that the deadly gas remained the Joker calling card and not, you know, the literal calling card.
His lair is not exactly what you would expect. Except the creepy smiling mask behind his chair.
You can’t deny the Joker made a great first impression.
It’s a little odd to see the Joker pull the same plan twice in a row, usually he likes variety.
Also note that the Joker is already not killing indiscriminately, and that he’s already crazy enough to banter with his victim AFTER he’s dead.
The Joker was always a class act. Except, you know, all the murder and stuff.
Not that he’s above getting his hands dirty, of course.
One thing that is definitely different from the modern Joker is that he actually wants to kill Batman and not just torment him!
It’s no surprise that the Joker quickly rose to the top: it’s his first appearance and not only he’s already defeated Batman, but he’s already on his third victim!!!
I don’t know, Batman, treating your boots so that your footprints glow in the dark might not be the best idea considering your line of work.
The Joker ALMOST kills Robin too!!! He’ll have to wait another 48 YEARS before he actually kills a Robin.
Batman… please leave the jokes to the professional.
Yet another Joker aspect that is there from the start: him being immune from his own gas.
One thing I definitely didn’t expect: ROBIN almost kills the Joker!!!
Supposedly the Joker was initially conceived as a one-off villain, in which case I suppose the initial script might have called for him to actually die from the fall.
The Joker will indeed return… immediately, in a story ALSO published in Batman #1.
How nice for the prison to have given the Joker a suitably purple uniform.
Yet another TWO Joker traits are introduced: his genius chemical inventions and the ridiculously easy (and lethal!) prison escapes.
Him hiding beneath a cemetery feels a bit off-brand, though.
Also he really, really, REALLY needs to find some new material!!!
Surprisingly enough, Golden Age Joker is quite a physical threat to Batman!
He doesn’t kill Batman because the police just arrived. Batman flees as well; considering that he’ll eventually become a cop in everything but name, it’s always weird to see Golden Age Batman struggle with the law.
Bruce Wayne suggests to Commissioner Gordon to have a trap for the Joker, based on the fact that he’s apparently obsessed with jewels. And he is, in the first major difference from later Joker versions.
Stellar job, Batman.
Okay THIS time the Joker is really dead, right?
Yeah, sure.
Historical significance: 10/10
Could it be anything else, really?
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
From the murder spree to Batman losing every fight except the last, not a hint of Silver Age here.
Does it stand the test of time? 9/10
Things start to get a little repetitive towards the end, but both stories are magnificent.
How close is this to the modern character? 9/10
The Joker is an interesting case when it comes to the evolution of the character. Very nearly all his tropes will disappear by the 50s and through the 60s… including the gas and the murder… only to be brought back starting from the 70s, and even more than that in the following decades.
Still, it’s amazing how NEARLY everything is there from the start! The only really major deviations are his lust for jewels and the fact that he wants to murder Batman like anyone else.
But other than that, a very impressive debut!!!