At CBR, DC Comics has unveiled “The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular,” a new 100-page prestige format special slated to be released on April 29th and priced at $9.99. Similar to the recently announced “Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular,” “The Joker 80th Anniversary” special will comprise of original short stories by a number of comic book creators, including the writer and artist of the OGN “Joker,” Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermjeo; current “Batman” writer James Tynion IV; and classic DC artist José Luis García-López. Other contributors include Paul Dini, Denny O’Neil, Scott Snyder, Tom Taylor, Jock, Mikel Janín, and Riley Rossmo, with a promise of “others still to be announced.”
Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, The Joker first appeared in “Batman” #1 in 1940. The character has had an array of interpretations ranging from the purely absurd to the terrifyingly homicidal. The Joker has also received mainstream success with Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the character in the Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight, and Joaquin Phoenix’s recent performance in Joker. “The Joker 80th Anniversary” special is meant to reflect this variety in the character’s 80-year history by celebrating “eight decades of chaos, mischief, and mayhem.”
As with the “Catwoman” special, “The Joker 80th Anniversary” will be solicited with eight different variant covers for each decade of the character’s existence. The 1940s themed variant cover will be provided by Arthur Adams, 1950s by David Finch, 1960s by Francesco Mattina, 1970s by Jim Lee and Scott Williams, 1980s by Bill Sienkiewicz, 1990s by Gabriele Dell’Otto, 2000s by Lee Bermejo, and 2010s by Jock. The main cover is drawn by Greg Capullo with colors by FCO Plascencia.
