Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Evaluation #3 - The Joker

Ok, so for those of you who don't know, I am migrating this blog from myspace because I want this to be a stand-alone blog that I can devote more time to. So it may seem like I'm posting a lot in these first few days, but I'm really just putting up my old posts onto this blog. So anyway this is an evaluation of a villain, which I will do from time to time. Alright, here it is.

The Joker

The Joker is a super-villain of the super-hero Batman. He is arguably Batman's arch-enemy and his official death toll lies in the 1000's. He wears a purple business suit, has a white face, red lips, and green hair. His mouth is also deformed into a twisted smile that he cannot change. The other aspects of his costume are specific to each rendition but the basics remain the same. The Joker was based off of this character from the movie The Man Who Laughs. His first appearance was in Batman #1 in 1940.

Although the official history of The Joker is debateable because it is known by no one, each rendition consists of him being altered to look how he does because of a fall into a vat of chemicals. After falling into the chemicals and seeing his altered appearance, The Joker went insane and has been so since. The Joker is also said to live just to kill Batman because they are natural opposites. Both The Joker and Batman have been thought to be unable to live without the other. On many occasions they have had the chance to kill each other but chose not to which supports the fact that they need each other.

The Joker's "powers" are both his insanity and his array of weapons. A psychiatrist, Harlene Quinzel, theorized that his insanity was so deep it actually gave him ESP. Dr. Quinzel later fell in love with The Joker (a reverse Stockholm Syndrome possibly) and was turned insane by him. She then became Harley Quinn, his lover/acomplice in crime. He also uses many weapons such as razor cards, a squirting flower on his lapelle, and deadly gag buzzers. He is also skilled in Chemistry and developed a gas named "Smilex" which kills victims with painful laughing spasms that leave them dead and wearing The Joker's smile. He is usually never predicable and his weapons can work in anyway at any time. His flower can spray gas, acid, water, or nothing depending on his mood for example. The Joker's crimes are usually because of his own insane desires. He usually has no motive and enjoys each one.

And now the evaluation...

Costume: The Joker looks like a pimp. He wears a purple pinstriped suit. It is pretty cool...but then you add the fact that he looks like a clown, which is freaky but for a villain is cool. 8.5/10

Powers:
The Joker is crazy which is a plus for villains and he also uses cool weapons. The Smilex gas is pretty fucking badass because his victims smile when dead. The fact that you never know what's coming is also a plus. 8/10

Cool Factor:
The Joker is so fucking cool hes cold. HE IS AN INSANE CLOWN. thats just cool...not to mention he fights Batman very well. His death toll being in the 1000's and including one robin and batgirl makes him just more cool. 8/10

Versatility:
The Joker is very versatile due to his spontaneous and crazy behavior. 9/10

Weakness:
The Joker's weaknesses are only his own insanity and insecurity complex with Batman. This is kind of a bitchy weakness because he is a little gay for "needing" Batman. 6/10

So that gives us a total of..........7.55

And as always, feel free to leave comments or even your own suggestions/versions on the ratings.

Further reading of this character can be found here.
Questions about my grading and overall score outcome? Read the Hero Evaluation Scale

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