Joker's Millions

"Joker's Millions" is both a comic book story and an animated television episode.

Comic book

"Joker's Millions" is a story published in "Detective Comics" #180 in February 1952. As with all early Batman comics, Bob Kane is the only person credited for the comic, but the comic itself was probably written by Bill Finger or Walter Gibson.

Plot Summary

At the funeral of "King" Barlowe, a criminal racketeer and rival of The Joker, Joker is surprised to learn that he inherited Barlowe's vast fortune. With his newfound fortune, the Joker builds himself a life of luxury and retires from crime. Joker spends his money freely, thinking he still has plenty left, only to discover that the rest of the fortune is counterfeit as a joke of Barlowe's. He then receives a visit from the IRS, who wish to collect an inheritance tax.

The Joker is torn between reporting the money as counterfeit (thus becoming a laughing-stock in the underworld) or returning to crime in order to rebuild his fortune. The Joker chooses to the latter option, yet he decides to commit normal crimes so that no one would suspect him. First he breaks into a bank safe, but "fate's invisible hand plays a strange trick" as the wind blows a banner onto the bank the Joker just robbed, making it look like a joke crime. After discovering Joker's money is counterfeit, Batman and Robin have to prove Joker is committing these crimes.

When Joker performs a stick-up at the Gotham opera house dressed in a trenchcoat, Batman is able to guess that the Joker was behind it and burns the theatre's tickets to "I Pagliacci" to make it look like a Joker crime. A similar deduction occurs after Joker tries robbing the Gotham Zoo. Batman locks himself in the zoo's bat cage to make it look like a joke performed by the Joker. The Joker, jumping at the chance to satisfy his ego, claims to an underworld friend that he had robbed the zoo for the sole purpose of humiliating Batman. However, the underworld friend was Batman in disguise, and with a recording of Joker's confession, the Joker is arrested.

Publication

As well as appearing in "Detective Comics #180" it has been reprinted in:

*"Batman: The Complete History" (Paperback, 1999, Chronicle Books ISBN 0-8118-4232-0)

Animation

Joker's Millions was then adapted for 'The New Batman Adventures' cartoon in 1996. Only changing a few aspects of the story, (such as using Harley Quinn in the cartoon, whom did not appear in the comic.)

ee also

*Joker's Millions (The New Batman Adventures)