DC has announced an all-new anthology that takes the Joker globetrotting to spread his malevolent brand of comedy and chaos outside the limits of Gotham City. Joker: The World sees the Clown Prince of Crime travel to 13 different countries in stories by creative teams representing each country in the 184-page hardcover. Batman’s most iconic villain is set to terrorize the globe when the book releases worldwide in September 2024.
According to an announcement by DC Comics, Joker: The World is a successor to 2021’s Batman: The World, which has a similar conceit. However, the Joker’s international trip will reach a few countries that Batman didn’t make it to. Outside the U.S., the Joker will also be in Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Spain, and Turkey.
The hardcover will be available on the same day in all participating countries and booksellers as the homicidal clown wreaks havoc in the pages of the anthology. The intercontinental release and broad audience is only fitting for one of pop culture’s most widely known villains.
Joker’s world-spanning graphic novel will bring the legendary supervillain to places he’s never been before. However, it won’t be the first time the villain has brought his ultraviolent antics outside of Gotham.Joker: The World boasts an extensive team of comic creators working on the anthology, including Jason Fabok, Geoff Johns, Satoshi Miyagawa, David Rubin, German Peralta, Alvaro Fong Varela, and more still to be revealed. Fabok’s cover for the book features the Joker and his infamous grin in a cold and snowy environment, suggesting that the U.S. portion could be taken to Alaska if not another polar climate.
While the clown is known to usually stay in Gotham, the Joker has gone beyond the city several times before. In a Canadian promotional comic released by defunct discount store chain Zellers, Batman: A Word to the Wise by Len Wein and Curt Swan, the Joker leaves Gotham and tries to assume control of Canada. In other instances, the supervillain has taken trips to the neighboring city of Metropolis and bristled with Superman. Joker: The World brings the character further than ever presented before. In its announcement, DC teased the villain’s global escapades in the upcoming anthology:
DC’s first foray into publishing character-based anthologies worldwide with creators representing their countries started with Batman. Germany’s story by Benjamin von Eckartsburg and artist Thomas von Kummant in Batman: The World saw Batman tracking down the Joker in the European country to stop another homicidal plan. The supervillain is thwarted when he tries to team up with German climate activists to kill those destroying the environment, but one of them still finds themselves inspired by The Joker’s rhetoric. The DC announcement also mentions a Joker duplicate in Germany, which could be related to the one in Batman: The World.
The Joker is not only a frightening villain because of his unpredictable and homicidal tendencies, but also how he can infect the minds of others around him. Outside of Joker Venom, the character has been known to inspire copycats like Harley Quinn, Punchline, and more. When the Clown Prince of Crime travels the globe, the results could be devastating for everyone around him and those inspired by the terrifying figure. As one of DC’s most twisted and dangerous villains, the Joker’s quest across 13 countries is bound to leave a brutal mark on the world at large.
Source: DC Comics