Having already highlighted some incredible Joker covers, in this post I will further showcase the versatility of the Clown Prince of Crime as an attention-grabbing front man… For one thing, his presence can just as easily be whimsical as it can be menacing. Because the Joker is, after all, a jester figure, he fits quite well in covers that go for goofiness:
More curious, perhaps, is the fact that, for all his vaudevillian antics, the Harlequin of Hate also works as a rather stylish cover model:
Due to the Joker’s recognizable face, role-playing can be visually interesting as well:
Furthermore, by now the Clown Prince of Crime is such a mainstay of Batman comics that even a simple glimpse of him is enough for us to know a ton of crap is about to hit the proverbial fan:
Hell, a mere allusion to the Joker’s standard colors is all it takes to give the reader the chills:
Nevertheless, some cover artists prefer more elaborate compositions, playing on less literal symbolism:
Obviously, with someone called Joker, playing cards are an easy-yet-effective symbol:
Although in practice any game will do, since ultimately playing games with Batman and Robin is what the Joker does…
Given the character’s flair for pop art and iconoclasm, it’s not only natural but appropriate that Batman’s clownish foe has inspired so much creativity and experimentation in covers throughout the decades. And yet, as impressive as those can be, sometimes I’ll settle for an artist’s own distinct take on that creepy smile:
To be fair, images in which the Joker is NOT smiling can be disconcerting in their own way:
But at the end of the day, for me the most chilling Joker covers, by far, are the ones in which the clown’s grin gives way to a simple, sinister punchline:
