The (post-Crisis) Joker Chronology
Hi!
I thought it might be fun to create a post-Crisis Joker reading order. The list isn't complete by any means and I wanted to share to see if anyone could point out what may be missing, what's out of order, etc.
The list is pretty solid from the beginning through "Joker: Last Laugh" but then gets pretty sketchy. Help!
The following sites were fantastic sources…
[url]https://www.jokeruniverse.com/?page_id=409[/url]
[url]https://therealbatmanchronologyproject.com/[/url]
[B]Batman: The Man Who Laughs[/B]
(Notes - First chronological appearance of the post-Crisis Joker; the last two pages occur after Batman: Confidential # 25)
[B]Batman: Confidential # 22-25[/B]
(Notes - This storyline is an interquel to The Man Who Laughs, taking place before the last two pages of that book; Gordon is referred to as "Lieutenant" throughout but is actually "Captain"; page 7 of issue # 22 must be omitted entirely)
[B]Batman: The Long Halloween # 3-4[/B]
[B]Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 105-106[/B]
[B]Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 65-68[/B]
(Notes - Joker escapes at the end of Legends # 106 and is still on the loose at the beginning of Legends # 65, tying these storylines together nicely; ignore the beginning of issue # 65 when Batman states he's fought Joker twice and Joker's "died" twice)
[B]Batman: Confidential # 29-30[/B]
(Notes - again, Gordon is "Captain" or even "Commissioner", not "Lieutenant" as he is referred to throughout)
[B]Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 200[/B]
[B]Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 162-163[/B]
(Notes - Joker escapes at the end of Confidential # 30, is still on the loose at the beginning of Legends # 200, escapes at the end of Legends # 200, is still on the loose at the beginning of Legends # 162 which ties this up as an acceptable trilogy)
[B]Batman: Batgirl # 1[/B]
[B]Batman # 251[/B]
[B]Batman # 408[/B] pgs 1-6
[B]Detective Comics # 475-476[/B]
[B]Legends of the DC Universe # 26-27[/B]
[B]Superman # 9[/B]
(Notes - Joker escapes at the end of DC # 27, and is still loose at the beginning of Superman # 9)
[B]Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth[/B]
[B]World's Finest # 1-3[/B]
(Notes - This book is published two years after Joker cripples Barbara Gordon and kills Jason Todd but because there is zero mention of these events within the story, it fits here nicely)
[B]Justice League International Annual # 2[/B]
(Notes - Joker escapes at the end of WF # 3, and is still on the loose at the beginning of JLI Annual # 2)
[B]Batman: The Killing Joke[/B]
(Notes - At the end of JLI Annual # 2, a newspaper article states The Joker has been apprehended and is back at Arkham but a few moments later it is revealed Joker is still on the loose, which Batman finds out when he visits "fake Joker" at the beginning of Killing Joke)
[B]Batman # 426-429[/B]
[B]Detective Comics # 617[/B]
[B]Batman # 450-451[/B]
[B]Robin 2 # 1-4[/B]
[B]Detective Comics Annual # 5[/B]
[B]Batman Annual # 16[/B]
[B]Batman # 491[/B]
[B]Batman # 494[/B]
[B]Batman # 496[/B]
[B]Showcase '94 # 1-2[/B]
[B]Detective Comics # 671-673[/B]
[B]Wonder Woman # 96-97[/B]
(Notes - Even though it looks like Diana straight up murders the Joker in issue # 97, it's stated that Joker escapes in issue # 98; this story can come before or after Shadow # 37-38 but because Joker says "Batman's gotten mean", I'm going to assume he is referring to Az-Bats whom he faced in Detective # 671-673)
[B]Batman: Shadow of the Bat # 37-38[/B]
[B]Action Comics # 714[/B]
[B]Deathstroke # 58[/B]
[B]The Joker: Devil's Advocate[/B]
[B]Action Comics # 719[/B]
[B]Aztek: The Ultimate Man # 6-7[/B]
(Notes - One of the few times the Joker is on the loose at the beginning of an issue and I don't know how he got there)
[B]Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 142-145[/B]
[B]Azrael # 27-28[/B]
[B]The Spectre # 51[/B]
[B]Batman # 544-546[/B]
[B]Batman: Joker's Apprentice # 1[/B]
[B]Impulse # 50[/B]
(Notes - The comic states this issue takes place before the quake, so I'll put it directly before the quake)
"Interview: The Joker" excerpt from [B]Batman Villains Secret Files # 1[/B]
[B]Batman: Arkham Asylum - Tales of Madness # 1[/B]
[B]Detective Comics # 726[/B]
[B]Catwoman # 63-65[/B]
[B]Batman: Shadow of the Bat # 80-82[/B]
[B]Batman: Harley Quinn[/B]
[B]Batman # 570, Detective Comics # 737[/B]
[B]Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 126, Batman # 574, Detective Comics # 741[/B]
[B]Anarky # 8[/B]
[B]Birds of Prey # 15-17[/B]
[B]Action Comics # 765[/B]
(Notes - This issue takes place somewhere between Birds of Prey # 15-17, and even references issue # 16, but makes most sense after # 15)
[B]Superman: Emperor Joker # 1, Superman # 160-161, Adventures of Superman # 582-583, Superman: The Man of Steel # 104-105, Action Comics # 769-770[/B]
[B]Harley Quinn # 1[/B]
[B]Robin # 85[/B]
[B]Joker: Last Laugh Secret Files # 1, Joker: Last Laugh # 1-6[/B]
[B]DC 1st: Batgirl/Joker # 1[/B]
[B]Harley Quinn # 25[/B]
[B]Batman # 614[/B]
[B]Outsiders # 3[/B]
[B]Gotham Central # 12-15[/B]
[B]Batman # 650[/B]
[B]Detective Comics # 826[/B]
[B]Batman # 663[/B]
[B]Detective Comics # 833-834[/B]
[B]Birds of Prey # 121-124[/B]
[B]Batman: Cacophony # 1-3[/B]
[B]The Brave and the Bold # 31[/B]
[B]Batman and Robin # 13-16[/B]
[B]Detective Comics vol. 2 # 1[/B]
[B]Batman vol. 2 # 13-17[/B]
[B]Batman vol. 2 # 35-40[/B]