The Mind of Scott: The Joke’s On Us
Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok are going to let us all in on a secret, and it’s a doozy.
No, it’s not the Colonel’s secret recipe, nor is it how Emily Bett Rickards gets that twisty earring into the top of her ear on Arrow. It’s not even the secret behind Kanye’s popularity, though I’m pretty sure that one is Faustian in nature. No, this is a much bigger secret, and in my opinion it’s one that should never come to light.
They’re going to tell us who The Joker is.
No, really.
During last weekend’s WonderCon in Los Angeles, the creative team on DC’s flagship team book, Justice League, divulged that in issue #50 of the series, we’d learn the name of the man behind the Clown Prince of Crime.
They alluded to this back in issue #42, when Batman found himself in Metron’s Mobius Chair. Batman asked the chair two questions: who killed his parents and what the Joker’s real name is. The chair confirmed that Joe Chill was the answer to the first question, and now, eight issues later, we’ll find out the name behind the ping that served as answer to this life-altering question.
I, for one, think this is yet another horrible decision from a company renowned for horrible decisions. Sue Dibny’s rape? Electric Superman, anyone? How about Final Crisis? I could go on, but I’ll just make people mad.
I’m a DC kid. Have been my whole life. I’m also a huge Geoff Johns fan and, almost to a fault, apologist as well. This…this is going to be hard to get past.
One of the things I’ve liked about DC is that they DIDN’T tell us who The Joker was. We know the secret identity to every other villain in the DCU, but not knowing The Joker’s real name only added to his mystique.
The Powers That Be at DC have to know that there’s nobody they can pick to be The Joker that is going to make people happy, and not just because 2016 is the year people complain about everything part two. Everyone will be a disappointment, just like this decision.
The joke’s on us.