Batman ’89: 6 reasons it’s more comic-accurate than you think
By Mike McNulty
Credit
: Warner Brothers; from
Batman
(1989)
5. The Joker
One reason why Batman is so dark has to do with its choice of villain — the Joker. Also, just like the comics, the film returned the Joker back to his darkly comic, homicidal roots. Also, you couldn’t have picked a better actor at the time to play him than Jack Nicholson. What’s more, in terms of comic book faithfulness, this Joker still outclasses every other version from film and television. Heath Ledger may have perfectly encapsulated the Joker’s anarchism, and Mark Hamill definitely has the best Joker voice, but it’s Nicholson who’s still the quintessential Clown Prince of Crime.
Admittedly, it may not seem so at first. In the comics, the Joker’s real name isn’t Jack Napier. Nor is he the murderer of Bruce Wayne’s parents (which is arguably Tim Burton’s worst creative decision). But everything else is right on point. Consider how Napier becomes the Joker. He’s a big time crook who, during the robbery of a chemical plant, falls into a vat of chemicals, which gives him is clown-like appearance. Other than him not being the Red Hood, that’s straight out of the Joker’s official comic book origin.
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Donning a trench coat and wide-brimmed fedora during some scenes, the look of the Joker takes its inspiration from Norm Breyfoyle’s “The Laughing Fish.” Not only does Nicholson’s Joker have an affinity for purple suits, he’s also a neat-freak, which is another trait the comic book Joker has. Also, in keeping with his namesake, he uses lethal novelty gags like high-voltage electric joy buzzers and acid-squirting flowers. His hijacking the news with his own phony commercial is right out of the comic book Joker’s playbook. This is also the only live-action Joker who kills people by literally making them laugh themselves to death.
But what really makes Nicholson’s Joker like the comics is his randomness. There’s really no rhyme or reason why the Joker does what he does in the movie, other than because he finds it fun. He can vandalize an art gallery one day, then poison a city with parade balloons the next. He’s prone to mood swings, dances and sings, laughs at his own awful jokes, and kills his own henchmen. This Joker, like the comics, is scary because he’s so unpredictable. He’s also hilarious, which makes you feel bad for laughing, which is what the Joker should do.