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Pariah said:
That's a pretty fucked up and stupid reason, especially considering the way it characterized Joker.



Well, seeing as he's fucked off to a nunnary to brood over his loss of power in Gotham since he was kicked about by Hush and seems to be on the downswing of his semi-permenant Manic, I'd say they were trying to establish a new mental state for Joker. Like it or not, it's happening. They revealed his fucking origin, fer chrissakes. And after the awkward-ass way he was made to act in the storyarc Hush, this seems to be playing out somewhat logically, IMO.

Last Laugh he gets all riled up to take out the world 'cause he's gonna die. Then he gets killed (like that's never happened ) by severe beating and rec... brought back alive. Then he gets in cahoots with Hush to try and make Batman kill him without doing anything wrong (at that point in time) = beat the fuck up. Then someone gives him his past in solid terms, there's a guy and he killed Joker's wife and kid = outlet for dealing with Joker's origional 'one bad day' and revenge for his former self's emotional distress. = no longer the prick we know and love, Joker just got to do something about life's ultimate joke. He got to turn it around and get a sort of justice out of it.

As much as I hate that story, it did a shitload to open up for character changes. It's like the controversy about Joe Cool and Batman. Joe Cool's death could have (if it weren't for the need to sell the comics) destroyed The Bat-Man. He could have found reason to give up vigilante justice and join the police force. He could have decided 'oh fuck, we are both killers' and quit alltogether for a life of brooding without the escapades on the rooftops. Lots could have happened and there's buckets of innane internet chatter to back that up (DCMB had a couple threads about it pre-MB-crisis).

Back on subject, now Joker is open to basically any kind of new mental or emotional state a writer could desire. He's an open book. Just like when Harley was first introduced, this is new territory for the Joker's character. Only, unlike with Harley, this new change is regarding the core of his dementia. So when Hush comes and challanges Joker and kicks him down, they decided to swing Joker from manic to depressive. He's not the same guy anymore - they made that blatent when he strips off his suit and wanders back to his past to live. Not a pretty sight and not at all what I would have wanted in a billion years, but it happened. And it's something I've decided to come to terms with in order to continue enjoying comics. So when Jason Todd returns and tracks Joker to his pity-party in the old amusement park and beats him up with a crowbar, kicking the man while he's down as justice for Jason's life-ending adventure with Uncle J, I find it almost poetic in hjow gleeful it is that finally someone gets one in on the impervious Joker.

Old men, fear me! You will shatter under my ruthless apathetic assault!

Uschi - 2
Old Men - 0

"I am convinced that this world is of no importance, and that the only people who care about dates are imbeciles and Spanish teachers." -- Jean Arp, 1921

"If Jesus came back and saw what people are doing in his name, he would never never stop throwing up." - Max von Sydow, "Hannah and Her Sisters"