Supervillain Evolutions: The Joker

The Joker is one of the most interesting characters in comics. He somehow positioned himself as the evil counterpart to Batman, despite there being no obvious connection between bats and clowns. Over the years he’s been a precision killer, a laughingstock, and a mass murderer. With so many stories featuring him from so many different perspectives, the quality of his villainy and stories often oscillates between great and terrible.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Joker’s history, how he became so iconic, and why I now try to avoid reading any stories he appears in.

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Crowning Moments of Fatherhood

Superhero comics are filled with daddy issues. Be it parents who have died as part of a character’s origin story, abusive stepfathers, or children who are somehow their own father, a lot of superhero comics place focus on the importance of father figures. Here’s my list of the most awesome and heartwarming father-child moments in superhero comics.

All of these moments, of course, get the asterisk next to them that good parenting in comic-land is vastly different than good parenting in the real world. For example, Batman serves as a father figure to Robin, but in real life he’d be considered a monster for putting a child in harm’s way every night. So, placing on our reality-altering filters that allow spandex-clad vigilantes to be considered responsible figures, let’s dive into the list.

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