The Joker and his face-paint

Like most people, I knew, (or though I knew) that the Joker of DC comics had an origin. I knew that this origin was about a man who took big fall into a chemical tank, caused by the Batman. Later on this guy emptied out from a sewer pipe and looked in the water at his reflection. What he saw was that his skin had turned deadly white! His hair, green! His lips, red!(?) His mouth, changed into a grin! The Joker was born.

I had accepted this story and kind-of liked it. Though, in all honesty, I was never really intrigued by it. Jack Nicholson's Joker was stupid to me, and too comical, goofy you could say. I never cared to watch a minute of it. And don't get me started on Ceaser Romero's take.

After seeing Batman begins in theaters, and the cool joker-card at the end I was slightly exited. Yet like I said, the Joker never truly interested me. Later I heard of Heath Ledger being cast as the Joker. I didn't agree with that choice, yet I didn't disagree either.

Now lets skip forward a year or so. The Batman Begins sequel far from my thoughts. In the theater I am now, with my family. Sitting through the previews before I am Legend. Up comes the logos of DC comics and Warner Brothers. Then an intriguing, quite awesome voice says: "You've changed things... forever." My father then whispers to my brother and I that this is the new batman movie. I see Christian Bale, so now I am very exited. "There's no goin' back." that cool voice says. I start to remember the Joker being in this, but who is that guy speaking? "You see to them, you're just a freak... like me!" It shows a quick shot of him. It hits me. Holy hell I think I just saw the Joker. And then the laugh. The long raspy exhale at the beginning was just frightening. I didn't know Heath was capable of such a voice, I was thinking.

After a bit it showed his face; like up close.

Now just to let you know, I've always been a bit coulrophobic. So I looked away from the screen for a second. The rest of the trailer kind of confirmed to me that Heath had actually showed me who the Joker really was. He doesn't want a hair cut, or to brush his teeth. He doesn't want the take a bath, or clip his nails, (Really, look at his fingernails). I really couldn't see the actor in there. I was just watching a psycho.

So after a few more images of him were released, I noticed his face was the only thing that was "bleached" I thought. And that it seemed to change slightly. I found out later that it was make-up, and, truthfully, I was disappointed. Why not go with who the Joker originally was? I thought. But this new sweating clown face was growing on me. My fear of clowns always kicked in a little as I looked at it.

I did some research later and found that this "origin" I had known wasn't quite what it was made up to be. I found that in Batman #1 (when the Joker first appeared) he had NO back-story; no origin. He was only a demented terrorist. No funny palm-zappers, or water-squirts. A clown who is not. A clown that only wants chaos and to kill. This first appearance was used as a reference for the the Dark Knight movie. One of the creators of Joker was even a consultant on set.

I'll explain (and show you) why the first Joker is most likely wearing make up.

As in the scene in the dark knight, Joker is a dressed as a cop here.

This is the end of the comic, and he(like the movie) has removed his make up and disguised himself. He is wearing a grey mustache, and I think is wearing a grey wig. Maybe he's just older. Maybe it's dyed. That's whats so darn creepy about it. Who is this psycho?... But there's your answer: He's just a psycho. An absolute.

Notice that in the third and fourth picture he isn't smiling. No chemical face tightening here.

Now he may be wearing flesh-colored face paint, I know. But that is as much, if not, more speculative than what I have already said.

I read somewhere where the creators of the Joker said: "The make up is what made the Joker." Or something like that. I may find it sometime and link you to it.

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Now I'm going to talk about what exactly changed me and Stefan into loving this make up Joker over the Clorox Joker.

He should not when asked "Why are you crazy"? say: "Because I took a bath."

In other words the Joker should not have a definite excuse for his insanity. Now he may enjoy telling different stories of how he came to be, but that's just cause he is a liar.

All comic-stories aside this comes down to what would the Joker be like in real life?

Well The Dark Knight answered that. A criminal master-mind that likes to scare people with his painted face. He chose to become the Joker.

He looks the way he does because he is insane.

Not: He is insane because of the way he looks.

Now, I give you the real Joker:

- Joey