Christmas With the Joker

December 24th: One day and counting…

Almost. Just one more day. Instead of watching the minutes crawl by, break out a Christmas cartoon. At most sites that would mean Frosty or the Grinch and there’s nothing wrong with those cozy chestnuts.

But, here at Four Color we mean Batman: The Animated Series season one, episode two Christmas With the Joker.

You can hear Mark Hamill purring his lines as the Clown Prince of Crime makes his debut on Fox Network’s soon to be sensation. This originally aired Nov. 13, 1992.

The Joker performs a rendition of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an egg…” as he christens the Yule tree with a Star. All this to trigger the rocket hidden inside allowing him to escape Arkham Asylum once more.

Producing and airing an unauthorized holiday special via a pirated feed, Joker promises to kill his special guests and hostages Commissioner Gordon, Detective Harvey Bullock and local television personality Summer Gleeson. Batman and Robin save Christmas Eve, but Joker gets the final say with a dispirited “Merry Christmas” back at Arkham.

This 2024 release is, yes, my favorite and first purchase this year. Why Hallmark didn’t offer a Christmas With Joker version, I can’t say, but this is still a welcome addition to my – or any – Christmas conifer.

Hallmark offered earlier Joker incarnations with the 2008 version similar to Jim Lee’s Hush depiction. Heath Ledger was immortalized in 2013 as the Joker from The Dark Knight Returns. In 2015 Ceaser Romero once again personified the Harlequin of Hate from the 1966 television series.

Finally, the Joker appeared in his Lego form in 2018.

But, Mr. J never looked better than for 2024.