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Last year, Todd Phillips’s film, Joker, was one of the hottest movie tickets of the year. Critics hailed it as “a brilliantly executed, melancholy exploration of mental illness” (( “Damond Fudge Movie Reviews & Previews.” Rotten Tomatoes, 2020. )) and “a terrifying masterpiece and one of the best and most daring comic book films ever made” (( “Mina Takla Movie Reviews & Previews.” Rotten Tomatoes, 2020. )). However, actual comic fans had something else to say about this version of the iconic killer clown, pointing out facts such as that “there’s very little Batman mythology in [the] film” (( Wilkinson, Alissa, et al. “Was Todd Phillips’s New Joker Movie Worth All the Controversy?” Vox, Vox, 14 Oct. 2019. )). This raises an excellent question: Is Joker truly a comic book movie, or was a famous DC figure exploited to attract comic fans?
What Makes A Comic Book Movie?
Generally, a film must fulfill two criteria to qualify as a ‘comic book’ movie:
- The characters should be from the books.
- The story should be related to ones from the books
With these two simple steps, it is easy to determine whether a movie falls into this classification. Take Spider-Man, Batman, and The Avengers: these all took clear influence from the characters and storylines of their comic-book counterparts. They stuck to the originals while simultaneously diverging and creating their own forms of reality. No matter what, however, the comic book was clearly wrapped inside. Joker diverges from this.
A Unique Storyline
Generally, when a comic book film is made, it takes a previously created storyline and adjusts it into a film. While creative liberty is almost always taken, the story still runs close to its comic counterpart in order to appease fans and keep the character as realistic as possible. Joker does not do this. Todd Phillips’s take on the villain is entirely unique, from the name of the character down to the circumstances surrounding his mental disintegration. In fact,
“[t]here are no narrative ties between this Joker and the one we’ve watched Batman beat into the pavement time and again”
(( Newby, Richard. “‘Joker,’ an Uneasy Embrace of Comics and an Ambiguous Meaning.” hollywoodreporter.Com, 5 Oct. 2019. )).
Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is a new breed of supervillain. While this makes for an interesting movie, it may be disheartening for fans to learn that the film they are about to see has absolutely nothing to do with any storyline or character development that they have been exposed to before. This one is dark and gritty.
We see no real origin, no true connection to Batman. The ties that we do see (young Bruce and the death of his parents) seem thrown in randomly so that fans won’t get angry. The story is a bold statement on mental illness, but the name and likeness feel like a cash grab. It was hailed by critics and fans alike. But the story? It’s not Joker. It’s Arthur Fleck.
Todd Phillips’s Motivation
Another thing we need to look at is the motivation of the film’s director, Todd Phillips. His own interviews reveal his diversions from the character and his desire to utilize the namesake, but not the story that comes along with the character. In fact, Phillips even stated in an interview that,
“We didn’t follow anything from the comic-books, which people are gonna be mad about”
(( Sharf, Zack. “Todd Phillips Predicts ‘Joker’ Backlash, Movie Doesn’t ‘Follow Comics.’” IndieWire, IndieWire, 8 July 2019. )).
If Phillips didn’t want to tailor himself to an audience of comic book fans, why did he choose to call his spinoff film Joker? Why did he choose a name (and a trailer) that drew in a particular crowd without delivering on the comic book storyline?
Phillips’s line of thinking seemed to be this: “I just thought there’s a new way to tell a comic book movie, and maybe I’m wrong, and let’s do it as a character statement” (( Gerber, Sean. “Todd Phillips Sets the Record Straight about Comics Influencing Joker.” Batman News, 16 Sept. 2019. )). In other words, the film is a study of a man. It’s an examination of why an individual is the way that he is. His motivation, rather than being based on the fandom’s enjoyment of the character, is based on the thematic elements within the DC series.
Thus, while there are moments that acknowledge the comics, the movie’s central focus is on an entirely new and unique person: Arthur Fleck. It’s a new Gotham, a new antagonist, and a new, darker universe. While this is a cool and well-executed concept, it seems like calling the movie Joker and releasing trailers that didn’t reveal any parts of the plot were choices made with the intent of attracting fans who wanted to see the character they were familiar with. It seems to have been done to make sure revenue could be secured.
In Comparison To Other Film Jokers
Does the Joker portrayed in other films come close to the comics? Are any of them comic book films?
The Dark Knight
In 2012, the world was stunned when Heath Ledger’s Joker emerged onscreen. His attitude, demeanor, and motivation strongly resemble the original comic character, right down to the makeup plastered all over his face.
Now, this movie has a completely unique storyline. However, it remains a comic book movie because the narrative is inspired by a hodgepodge of comics, and this becomes increasingly clear the longer you watch the film. According to Nolan, The Dark Knight was inspired by about ten comic books, including favorites such as The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One, and The Long Halloween. There are moments in the film that can be seen literally drawn out in the comics. That is the difference between inspiration that works and inspiration that resembles nothing.
Suicide Squad
This Joker is perhaps one of the least realistic. However, the movie he is in still makes him relatively comic book accurate. He has a relationship with Harley Quinn that follows the line of the comic books, and his psychotic nature is accurate.
Had Jared Leto’s Joker been in a standalone film, I don’t think it would have been much of a comic book film. However, Leto’s Joker passes as a comic book-inspired character here due to the similarities of the Suicide Squad universe to the comics. His universe is an incredibly comic (and comical) one.
Batman
This is one of the original Jokers played by the ever-iconic Jack Nicholson. With his plastered white face and bloody red smile, Nicholson’s villain takes deep root in the early comics of Batman while also combining elements of the newer, grittier villain. His face is immediately recognizable, and from the moment it shows up on-screen we know we’re looking at a living comic book.
Nicholson’s Joker seems to be the basis for the movie Jokers that would come after him. While Ledger was great, Nicholson set the ground for his entry into the DC world.
Does Joker Even Come Close?
In regards to storyline, as discussed previously, Joker doesn’t come very close in similarity. There are nods: the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents, the makeup, even references to the creators of the original character. The closest book it relates to is the fan-favorite comic, The Killing Joke by Alan Moore.
In The Killing Joke, the Joker quits his job to focus on being a comedian (much like Arthur Fleck). However, this is where the similarity stops. Where Arthur Fleck begins to descend into a pit of madness, the comic’s Joker accidentally falls into a vat of chemicals after his attempted robbery is foiled by Batman. Arthur Fleck’s disease, his Gotham, and his reason for becoming the villain are entirely new. The one thread that manages to connect the old with the new is the theme. The comic Joker and the film one both live in a world full of despair and misery.
Their descent into madness is evident and painful to watch. The world is against them, and thus they are against the world. That’s something this film does almost better than the comics: we get to see the descent in full detail. The good, the bad, and the ugly. From innocence to murder, we have a sideline seat. We can even sympathize with him for short periods of time. Unfortunately, thematic material doesn’t really make a character a character.
Arthur Fleck is not Joker, he’s his own dark entity of madness. Joker is an excellent movie. It really is. However, maybe Todd Phillips should have called it by a name that made more sense because this is not a comic book film.