Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight: Going Sane

Hello Anons, to celebrate the announcement of the Social Joker Warrior Elseworld here . I'm going to storytime another 'Joker goes sane and lives an ordinary life' tale so when "Batman: White Knight" comes out we can see how crying about Black Lives Matter makes the Joker a more interesting character, suitable for the 21st century.

Our story begins in the nicest part of Gotham, a place where people don't get mugged by crack addicts or traumatised into becoming superheroes. In 2017 this place would probably be deemed the racist product of gentrification but in the naive 90s this represents a place of hope, an ideal place to build a future. This, of course, makes it the perfect place to tell the Gotham classic "mad clown sets off a bomb".

In the wake of the tragedy, Gothams resident killjoy prevents some deprived urban youth from redistributing goods from a racist oppressors storefront. He then promptly returns home to brood and smash expensive computer equipment.

Joker meanwhile has not yet gained his 2017 values and sets out to turn a strong independent woman into a damsel in distress.

The Joker holds his hostage in an old cinema and beats her when she fails to laugh at the classic comedy he put son display.

Batman meanwhile is pissed off at the senseless violence of the Jokers attack and has to restrain himself when he confronts a hired goon dressed like his foe.

The Joker is one step ahead of Batsy the entire time and their confrontation quickly goes south with Batman caught in an exploding cabin.

The Joker initially believes this to be a trap. Batman can't really be dead. He's Batman! The Caped Crusader! He can't really have died from the old 'exploding house' routine!

Eventually however, the truth sinks in. As Joker disposes of the body a strange transformation occurs. Is this the end of the Joker and Batman?

No.

Well now I'm somewhat disappointed. Batman always wins even when he loses. Goddammit.

Issue 2

Our next issue starts with the apparent disapearance of Batman. Council Woman Kenner, having recovered from her beating by Joker, is asking what exactly has Gordon and the Caped Crusader done to find the Joker?

Meanwhile, someone seems to be having nightmare.

Bugger, didn't mean to spoiler.

Anyway, meet Joeseph Kerr and Rebecca Brown. Two ordinary Gothamites looking for love. Joe seems to have a some sort of troubled past, can Rebecca help free him from it?

Joeseph is troubled by his recouring episodes and so, one night, sits down and uncovers a troubling coincidence.

Some sad moments on behalf of Joeseph and Alfred before Mr Kerr barely avoids having history repeat itself.

Fearing a relapse, Joeseph seems intent on building a life for him and his love. But doom seems to be stalking their romance and an old foe returns to his cave…

...

Issue 3

Issue 3 sees the return of Batmans perspective. His near death at the hands of Joker have robbed him of his conficence and a good chunk of his physical prowess. Still, he is determined to find the Joker before he strikes again.

A flash back to shortly after issue 1 reveals Bruce's love interest of the story, Doctor Lynn Eagles. We also see Batman informing Gordon of his return and investigating someone who may have helped Joker change his identity.

Bruce gets his answers and we see some more of his rehabilitation.Seems like he'd rather be in Bedford Falls than Gotham at the moment.

Bruce does some more work in rebuilding his physical prowess and does some detective work.

Also,we've got one last flashback before the end of the issue.

It turns out Dr Eagles isn't a complete moron and she encouraged Bruce to return to his work in Gotham. Also, Bruce decides that Joe Kerr was a red herring. Not that it much matters now though, as it seems like Joker has had a relapse…

Issue 4

We return rather abruptly in the middle of a confrontation between Batman and Joker. Batman isn't especially happy, but he envies Joker, reasoning that at least the clown wants to be there. Cue flashback to Mr Kerr and the soon to be Mrs Kerr on holiday.

It seems that Batmans return to Gotham had a bad effect on Joesephs worsening mind. In the end he abandons his love in the woods and relapses into the Joker.

A bit of Mr Kerrs fears surfaces when Jokers sees the Dark Knight in chase and it's revealed that Joeseph abandoned Rebecca like he did out of fear of what his darker persona would do to her out of spite.

In a brief moment of humanity, Joker lets his hostage go before attempting to blow Batman up again. Bruce is ready this time and Joker doesn't manage to make his escape.

Batman rescues the Joker but Rebecca still waits for the return of her Joe Kerr. Meanwhile Bruce sends Lynn some flowers as thanks for her aid.

The End.

Why do people actually like the Joker so much?

What's to hate about a clown that'd kill for a good joke?

He isn't even funny.

Pussy writers

Thanks for uploading OP. I'd never read this before, and quite enjoyed. I feel sad for Rebecca.

This was pretty nice, but it just fucking cements how much I hate how stagnant Batman is. There is no fucking reason the Joker SHOULDN'T be allowed to die, but it's the writers not the character that refuses to let it happen.

Honest I thought this was a oneshot limited run and thought it'd have a happy ending for a second, but it seems not to be. Ah well, shows what I know. I will say I like how the writers handled the Joker, he wasn't needlessly edgy and there were a few jokes and references that were nice, not to mention a giant boat with his face on it. Seemed pretty true to what Alan More did in the Killing Joke

They dont like him, they just love the idea of him because he's gotten so iconic and has the highest plot armor of all of batmans enemies.

The truth is there are tons of better villains that serve as a proper enemy to Bats and are (usually) better written to boot.
RIddler is actually very well done when competently written, he's the best at playing the Moriarty to Bruces Sherlock, a criminal mastermind who cant resist taunting his opponent in a fashion that is often his downfall but is compulsed ot do so. He's also one of the few enemies Batman has that is also focused on doing actual crime as opposed to mass killings (again usually, it's hard to tell with fucking modern DC what they want to do with him) just to prove how great he is.

The Scarecrow is another good rival for Batman considering he takes what is supposed to be the most iconic thing about the Caped Crusader, that is weaponizing fear, and having it literally thrown right into his face. Scarecrow himself has a shit load of baggage, especially in the few runs where they run him as a Norman Bates-esque psycho, and his most iconic weapon the fear toxin just being a thematic version of the shit Joker keeps making somehow just makes him a literally better Joker substitute in any story he's in.

Of course there is also Bane, who is SUPPOSED to be incredibly smart as well as incredibly strong, a match in every way for Batman and also the first to deduce Batmans identity through actual reasoning and then in a good plan wore him out before ambushing his punk ass when he slinked back to the cave, a good Bane should be able to bust Batman without making it seem like it was dictated by the plot and his best appearance is probably in the running for number one most iconic event in all of Batmans publishing history.

All of these characters are better than The Joker in every conceivable way, but for some reason Normies lap up the CUHRAZY KILLER CLOWN just because how damn edgy he has become over time, he's lauded for being so 'sick and twisted' even though it's pretty much as shallow as it can be it's practically funny, even though it's not supposed to be. One of the stupidest moments I can think of is not actually when he tore off his face and ran around in an apron, but when he kidnapped an orphanage full of babies after an earthquake to lure Gordons wife out to shoot her. She was never an important character before this arc and is in fact never really referenced, just assumed to be there since Barbara had to come from somewhere. But it was something that was done just so the writers could slap it on the table and ook about serious this comic is.
Fuck I'm just rambling now but I think you get my point, Joker sucks and why he people like him is just brand recognition.

Sarah Essen wasn't Barbera's mother. She was created for Batman Year One. You might remember her as the woman Gordon fools around with behind his wife's back. O'Neil brought her back and Gordon married her.

How the fuck can you bitch about a comic event when you don't even know the characters involved in it?

A fucking joke half the time and a too-edgy-for-you psycho the other half.

There's a reason he has a reputation as discount Joker.


Literally just some creepy faggot running around with a gas so impotent that anyone who is exposed to it usually shakes it off within minutes. Even Arkham Knight, as hard as it tried, couldn't make him anything more than a rambling moron.


A muscle-bound Gary Stu most of the time, with the story arc that defines him being possibly one of the stupidest "villain defeats hero" arcs I've ever read, aside from Doomsday punching Superman to death.

You could've picked fucking Ra's al Ghul or something, not these losers.

She was created for Dark Knight Returns actually

Whats up with burgers and cheating?

This was a good read OP. Thanks for storytiming it I enjoyed this so much. It helped expand my memory a bit since I remember reading the first issue and thought it was a one shot turns out it's 4 issues. I wish they did more stories like these. I know BTAS did and it was nice to see.

...

No wonder James Jr is messed up.

Batman should really stick to Gotham.
Any of the world spanning villains like Ra's and Lady Shiva really take the original idea of a vigilante out of the equation.

Aw, I like it when Bats visits Hong Kong or Scotland or Bosnia or whatever.

I remember one pre-crisis story when Superman wouldn't pursue a criminal across a national boundary, and Batman was all CLARK YOU GIANT PUSSY. Actually, there's always been a lot of that, like when the Wayne corporate jet fell off an sea oil rig and Superman wouldn't go get it because that would be serving private interests. No wonder Bruce asked Aquaman and not Superman to get the giant penny up from the crack it fell into in an earthquake.

The scope of his adventures has always been pretty big though. Globe-trotting is practically baked into his origin and background.

He always been a globe-trotter like the Shadow.

Batman went to fucking Europe to battle the Monk in his fourth appearance.

Batman's justice extends beyond the limits of Gotham City.

The only reason James Jr. exists is because Frank Miller completely forgot about Barbara.

Of course, everyone has forgotten Gordon's Golden Age son, Tony Gordon.

The entire discussion over "Who would be a better arch-enemy?" is moot. The Joker is Batman's archenemy because he was the most flexible of Batman's rogues gallery. He literally ran on puns and ego.

Do you know about many appearances the Joker had during Bill Finger's time on Batman? 78. That's double his chief rivals for the arch-enemy position, Penguin and Catwoman, and blows all other rogues out of the water (Two-Face only appeared six times, while Riddler and Scarecrow only appeared twice). That's a testament to how easy that fucker was to write. Bill could've wrote a story about The Joker becoming official dog catcher of Gotham city and it would've worked for his character.

Of course, modern times have done everything in their power to strip the Crime Clown of ridiculous versatility, to the point they have to dumb down the entire comic just for him to work. This goes against the very reason he became so popular.

Or Bruce's insane brother, Thomas Wayne Jr.

"Tony Gordon" my ass, that's Jimmy Olsen!

At least his ears look more like bat ears

Or Bruce Wayne's Aunt Agatha. Or his cousin Jane.

I know there's an Uncle too that everyone has forgotten.

His uncle Phil

Just love how he reacts to the Baby

No, it's not Phillip. There's another, even older uncle.

If I recall, he was a detective or an investigator, and I don't think I'm confusing him with Harvey Harris from Detective #226. I need to dig around to find him.

On another note, for one of the most popular characters in the ENTIRE WORLD, Batman's history is woefully undocumented. It's fucking ridiculous.

Granted..Grant Morrison did reference Bruce's brother….only for him to be Dr. Simon Hurt…who turns out to be Bruce's devil-worshipping ancestor named Thomas Wayne after he was exposed to Darkseid's Hyper-Adapter

Return of Bruce Wayne was trash.

You are a poet OP. Thanks for the story time

Thanks user

Fifth panel, so they gon fuk ey?

I will never not read the Joker with Mark Hamil's voice.

Any other Elseworlds focusing on our dear Clown Prince of Crime?

Now or in the past?

That's something we could all agree on.


Hey Holla Forums

bump

There's Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. Not sure if you'd like it since its more edgier rather than classic Joker. Though I do like Lee Bermejo's art.