My first Publication Overtime November 2019 Merged PDF | Page 9

TAKING
THE JOKE
TOO FAR
With the release of the first
standalone Joker movie, fears of
violence inspired by the character
continue to grow. Has Batman’s
greatest nemesis become too
violent for society to handle?
Words Jack Willard
O
n 20 July 2012, American citizen James
Holmes shocked the world when he killed
12 people and injured 70 others in a horrific
shooting at a movie theatre in Colorado. It happened
on the opening night of the latest Batman movie, The
Dark Knight Rises. Holmes used multiple weapons
during this vicious attack, it was very similar to an
infamous scene from a popular Batman graphic novel
– The Dark Knight Returns.
When he was in police custody, Holmes did not tell
them his name. Instead he just told them that he was
The Joker. He also said that he was an agent of chaos,
which was a quote from Heath Ledger when he played
The Joker in the 2008 blockbuster, The Dark Knight.
One month before the attack, Holmes dropped out of
his neuroscience programme which he was studying
at the University of Colorado. This was due to a
sudden decline in his grades. Holmes was very angry
with this and by identifying with The Joker character
– a homicidal megalomaniac that feels that the entire
world is against him - this may have inspired him to go
out and seek vengance.
John Smith, owner of Scorch Comics in Eastbourne,
gave an insight into the effect that The Joker character
has on people. He said: “People who feel that they are
social outcasts and that the whole world is against
them find attachment and relatability towards a
certain character, and The Joker happens to be that
character for a lot of people.
“People who feel that they are
social outcasts and that the
whole world is against them
find attachment and relatability
towards a certain character’’
“You look at someone like The Joker and you can
understand him and even sympathize with him and
understand the things that he’s doing and use that as
a way to exercise your own thoughts in a way.”
The Joker was already a very controversial figure
within the comic book industry too. In 1988, comic
book writer Alan Moore released The Killing Joke, a
standalone graphic novel that showcased just how dark
the character can be. “The Killing Joke was definitely
a turning point for comics”, John said. There was a
particular scene in the story that sent shockwaves
Joker Cosplay (Pic: Tnamd, 2016 creative commons)
dark story that showed struggling comedian Arthur
Fleck constantly being mistreated by society. The film
really opened people’s eyes on how mental health as
a subject is often ignored. It explores Arthur’s psyche
and depression, as well as his descent into insanity.
Throughout the movie Arthur’s life slowly begins to
get worse, he loses his job, his mum is keeping dark
secrets from him and the one woman he loves barely
even knows him. The story is crafted in a way that
audiences are meant to feel sorry for Arthur, so when
he begins to start murdering people, like thugs, you
almost don’t feel sorry for the victims. Instead, you
begin to sympathise with his actions.
“Comics up until that point
were really classed as being
just for kids”
Joaquin Phoenix, Wikimedia, (Pic: Diana Ringo 2018)
across the comic book world; it was when The Joker
sexually assaulted Barbara Gordon (also known as
Batgirl). “You haven’t got to find many comics from
that time which were as dark as this, I mean, comics
up until that point were really classed as being just for
kids.”
“A lot of people like to imitate
characters because they feel
that it gives them some form of
escapism”
In October Joaquin Phoenix took on the role
of the dark prince of crime in the very first Joker
standalone movie. Director Todd Phillips told a very
9
Before Joker was even released in cinemas it was
surrounded by controversy and hate. Many felt that
because of the impact that Heath Ledger’s Joker had
on society, people feared that the same thing would
happen. The movie does play on the idea that you can
use acts of extreme violence to help solve your own
personal problems. Family members of the victims
from the Colorado shooting heavily criticised the film,
calling it a sympathetic origin story. The main issue
that they had with the movie was how it glorifies gun
violence, which is understandable because it was gun
violence that killed their loved ones. Gun ownership
in the US is a very controversial subject: many believe
that the government should raise the standards for
gun ownership in the country. In the movie Arthur
is able to get hold of a gun through a friend, but the
problem is that it can happen in the US today, and it
most likely does.
“A lot of people like to imitate characters because
they feel that it gives them some form of escapism”,
John said. “They choose to feed their lives through
these fictional characters because they understand
them, I mean they probably even feel that they know
The Joker better than they understand most people in
their lives.”