Going Sane- The Greatest Joker Story Ever Told

[thecolorsblend]

Going Sane is a story written by JM DeMatteis and pencilled by Joe Staton from Legends of the Dark Knight #65-#69.

The pitch is this:

The Joker lures Batman into a building and 'splodes the place. Batman is emotionally compromised that he has no idea he walked into a trap until it's too late. In short, the Joker wins.

From there, Bruce and the Joker both settle down into normal, ordinary lives. So what choices do they make when they can be anything they want to be?

This is the most poignant and sad Joker story I've ever read. It's only four issues long but I easily could've handled six issues. It's just so emotional. This isn't really the story for fights, car chases and big explosions. It's all about how much these two guys hate each other.

I dare you not to get choked up by the time you hit the last page of the last issue. If you can finish the thing without a tear in your eye, you have no soul.

Between this, the Laughing Fish, Batman Beyond- Return of the Joker and a few others, I don't need another Joker story.

[The Dark Knight]

It's the same premise that Joker's whole meaning comes from opposing Batman, and he alone has to be the one killing him. It's interesting, because the Joker doesn't really oppose all that is good per se. He just really wants to oppose Batman, and Batman alone. Something about the pointy eared night rat just totally revs him up. However when Batman retires in TDKR, Joker turns into a mute vegetable. In this story, he moves on and functions like a normal human being. Which suggests the Joker persona is more or less an act. Something he becomes when Batman is around. And when the job of killing Batman is done, he goes back to his pre-permawhite days. Whereas the DKR Joker chooses to give up on life, not to embrace it like the Going Sane Joker. And to be honest, I prefer the DKR take. I find it more authentic. He's always the Joker, and Batman impacts on his life just as much when he's retired or presumed dead. Interesting premise though.

[Silver Nemesis]

I'm not generally keen on attempts to humanise the Joker, but Going Sane is a very good story. It has a lot of obvious parallels with Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt, which is apt considering DeMatteis had originally intended for that to be a Batman story too.

I've always thought DeMatteis is a terrific writer who doesn't get nearly enough credit. His greatest strength lies in character-driven narratives, and Going Sane is a perfect example of that. So is Kraven's Last Hunt. He was also one of the writers who helped steer Daredevil Vol 1 back on track in the mid nineties after Dan Chichester derailed things, paving the way for the excellent Marvel Knights series that launched in '98. And he wrote numerous episodes of Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. A very underrated talent IMO.

[thecolorsblend]

It's the same premise that Joker's whole meaning comes from opposing Batman, and he alone has to be the one killing him. It's interesting, because the Joker doesn't really oppose all that is good per se. He just really wants to oppose Batman, and Batman alone. Something about the pointy eared night rat just totally revs him up. However when Batman retires in TDKR, Joker turns into a mute vegetable. In this story, he moves on and functions like a normal human being. Which suggests the Joker persona is more or less an act. Something he becomes when Batman is around. And when the job of killing Batman is done, he goes back to his pre-permawhite days. Whereas the DKR Joker chooses to give up on life, not to embrace it like the Going Sane Joker. And to be honest, I prefer the DKR take. I find it more authentic. He's always the Joker, and Batman impacts on his life just as much when he's retired or presumed dead. Interesting premise though.

I get that. But there are two other issues that give me pause.

First, the Joker is not a static character. He's affected by circumstances and events like anyone. Perhaps the reaction he had at the age of 40 to the disappearance of Batman vastly differs from the reaction he had at the age of 20-something to the perceived death of Batman. Different circumstances, different histories, different outcomes. It's easy at least for me to buy into.

Second, irrespective of the fact that the reactions were different in GS vs. TDKR, there was a reaction in both stories. Losing Batman meant, on some level or another, losing Batman. Regaining Batman, same thing.

So yeah.

[The Dark Knight]

Both stories have merit. I will say, however, that the idea of the Joker 'going sane' and looking like any old regular Joe on the street is actually a more frightening thought than the Joker dressed up in his purple suit, grinning ear to ear. It's the idea that great evil hides in people who seem normal and balanced. You don't truly know who people are, or what you are dealing with.

[thecolorsblend]

I'd just like to reassert my undying affection for this story.

The LOTDK title from the Nineties didn't spend much time on Joker stories at first. But the first two Joker stories ('Images' from LOTDK #50 and 'Going Sane' from LOTDK from #65-#69) are both in my top ten greatest Joker stories ever. And Going Sane is probably #1.

I adore the GS version of the Joker too. He's a showman, obsessed with the comedy greats of Hollywood's silent film era and general 1920's-1940's pop culture. He's a murderous song and dance man and that take on the character was such a breath of fresh air in the Nineties when I don't think the Batman office rly knew what to do with the Joker after 'A Death In The Family'.

Until around 2011 or so, Batman's canon was always a subjective thing. GS could be in or out of continuity as you see fit. I prefer not to worry about canon when it comes to GS and just enjoy the story for what it is: a fun, thought-provoking romp through the Joker's psychology (and Batman's too, somewhat). Back before the Joker had to be depicted as a mass murderer, the GS Joker showed us the killer comedian who didn't necessarily kill for murder's own sake but would not hesitate to take a life if he thought there was some warped comedic value in doing so.

I can't get enough of this story. I doubt DeMatteis reads this forum. But if he does, I hope he knows that my sole complaint about GS is it's not longer.

[The Dark Knight]

It's the same premise that Joker's whole meaning comes from opposing Batman, and he alone has to be the one killing him. It's interesting, because the Joker doesn't really oppose all that is good per se. He just really wants to oppose Batman, and Batman alone. Something about the pointy eared night rat just totally revs him up. However when Batman retires in TDKR, Joker turns into a mute vegetable. In this story, he moves on and functions like a normal human being. Which suggests the Joker persona is more or less an act. Something he becomes when Batman is around. And when the job of killing Batman is done, he goes back to his pre-permawhite days. Whereas the DKR Joker chooses to give up on life, not to embrace it like the Going Sane Joker. And to be honest, I prefer the DKR take. I find it more authentic. He's always the Joker, and Batman impacts on his life just as much when he's retired or presumed dead. Interesting premise though.

I maintain this is my preference. But Going Sane (GS) has my respect for the psychological focus it has.

Addiction is one of my favorite themes. The power of something being too great, always ebbing under the surface, controlling who we are and what we do. White Knight is a story similar in spirit to GS, and I haven't read either for a while.

GS is the more direct story, but I like what White Knight goes for. Batman isn't just presumed dead, ala GS. There's an open debate if Batman is doing more harm than good. Is he just a brutal bully causing too much collateral damage? This ultimately gets him locked up in Arkham. his Joker isn't just about love - he achieves influence in the community.

It's fascinating because this Joker is still satisfying his urge of attacking Batman but in a polite, intelligent way. A lawfare way. Which is probably more comprehensive and damaging than what he could achieve as a costumed clown.