In his initial dozen or so appearances, starting with Batman #1 (1940), the Joker was a straightforward mass murderer, with a bizarre appearance modeled after the symbol of the Joker known from playing cards. He was slated to be killed in his second appearance, but editor Whitney Ellsworth suggested that the character be spared. A hastily drawn panel, demonstrating that the Joker was still alive, was subsequently added to the comic. For the next several appearances, the Joker often escaped capture but suffered an apparent death (falling off a cliff, being caught in a burning building, etc.), from which his body was not recovered.

In the 1950s and 1960s, following the imposition of the Comics Code Authority censorship board, the Joker shifted toward becoming a harmless, cackling nuisance. He disappeared from Batman stories almost entirely when Julius Schwartz took over editorship of the Batman comics in 1964.

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ORIGIN:
Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe

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OTHER APPEARANCES:
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REVIEW:
Although I respect the design for what he brings to the Batman franchise, I was never a huge fan of the Joker or his "original" appearances... Maybe he wasn't intended to be a "likable" character in his early days. However, he has had some alternate back-stories and appearances however, some of which were really memorable. I of course loved his appearance in The Dark Knight... Heath Ledger really brought the character to life... RIP Heath.

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