The Joker Virus

The JOKER has created a nasty videogame virus, an electronic version of his JOKER VENOM. If BATMAN can't get gamers to put down their handheld gaming devices, JOKER will soon have an army of obedient JOKER-zombies at his command.

The Joker has created a virus that infects the latest videogame craze, and turns players into zombies--but in order to defeat him Batman must first discover where he is hiding with the kidnapped creator of the videogame.

The Joker has created a virus that infects the latest videogame craze, and turns players into zombies--but in order to defeat him Batman must first discover where he is hiding with the kidnapped creator of the videogame.

Along with Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, the Joker stands out as one of the most recognizable comics characters in popular culture. While there has been a great deal of scholarly attention on superheroes, very little has been done to understand supervillains. This is the first academic work to provide a comprehensive study of this villain, illustrating why the Joker appears so relevant to audiences today. Batman’s foe has cropped up in thousands of comics, numerous animated series, and three major blockbuster feature films since 1966. Actually, the Joker debuted in DC comics Batman 1 (1940) as the typical gangster, but the character evolved steadily into one of the most ominous in the history of sequential art. Batman and the Joker almost seemed to define each other as opposites, hero and nemesis, in a kind of psychological duality. Scholars from a wide array of disciplines look at the Joker through the lens of feature films, video games, comics, politics, magic and mysticism, psychology, animation, television, performance studies, and philosophy. As the first volume that examines the Joker as complex cultural and cross-media phenomenon, this collection adds to our understanding of the role comic book and cinematic villains play in the world and the ways various media affect their interpretation. Connecting the Clown Prince of Crime to bodies of thought as divergent as Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche, contributors demonstrate the frightening ways in which we get the monsters we need.

The definitive guide to the characters of the DC Multiverse and a vital addition to every comic book fan's bookshelf. Iconic Super Heroes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and The Flash have been transformed in recent years, along with many other DC characters. This new edition of the most comprehensive A-Z guide to DC's pantheon of Super Heroes and Super-Villains includes the latest earth-shaking developments in the DC Multiverse, with profiles of more than 1,200 characters. Created in full collaboration with DC, the encyclopedia features characters and art from every key crossover event, including Dark Nights: Metal and its sequel Dark Nights: Death Metal. With a foreword by DC legend Jim Lee, a brand-new cover design, and thrilling comic artwork, the fun and excitement of more than 80 years of comics history explode off every page. Experience the DC Multiverse like never before with The DC Comics Encyclopedia New Edition. Copyright ©2021 DC Comics. All DC characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s21)

Gotham City’s spookiest villains are working together, and only Batman and his superhero friends can stop them in this action-packed chapter book retelling of the Monster Mayhem Batman animated film with full-color illustrations throughout. It’s Halloween night in Gotham City, but Batman isn’t getting any treats. A crime spree has Batman on the trail of the city’s spookiest villains: Scarecrow, Clayface, Silver Banshee, and Solomon Grundy. They are all working for the Joker, who wants to unleash a computer virus and “digital laughter” that will give him control over all of Gotham City’s technology! Joining forces with the Green Arrow, Cyborg, Nightwing, and Red Robin, can Batman save Gotham City? Find out in this thrilling chapter book with full-color interior illustrations! BATMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics.

The greatest talents of American and European comics unite for a Batman story like none other! Written by Matteo Casali (CATWOMAN) and Brian Azzarello (DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE), BATMAN: EUROPA features art by superstar Jim Lee (JUSTICE LEAGUE) as well as European comics artist superstars Giuseppe Camuncoli (SPIDER-MAN), Diego Latorre and Gerard Parel. The Dark Knight is finally facing an enemy that even he canÕt defeatÑa deadly, custom-engineered virus that will drive him mad and then kill him within a week. But Batman isnÕt the only one infectedÉthe homicidal madman known as the Joker is also stricken. Now, the two mortal enemies must rely on each other if either one is to survive. As they follow the clues, their search fo8r the man who targeted them has them crisscrossing EuropeÑfollowing clues in Berlin, fighting automatons in Prague, haunting the Paris catacombs and more. Can Batman and Joker survive working together? Or will the Dark Knight and his deadliest enemy die together, far from Gotham City? Collects BATMAN: EUROPA #1-4 of the 4-issue miniseries.

"A visual history of the clown prince of crime"--Jacket.