#batjokes spreadsheet

[fractualized]

The Big Ongoing "Batjokes In Comics" Spreadsheet

This is a project I've been working on for a while, spurred by how often I see panels floating around with no source and trying to place batjokes moments in wider contexts. I assume it would be useful to other people, so I thought I'd share!

Link: Batjokes in Comics

What this spreadsheet IS:

A list of significant moments regarding the relationship between Batman and Joker in comics, ordered by cover date. (But you can sort your own view.) [EDIT: I've split it into different sheets by eras to reduce scrolling. But there's still much scrolling.]

Again, an ongoing project. It is not yet a comprehensive list. It may never be a comprehensive list, because there's so much content for these two characters.

Searchable not just by cover dates, titles, and creator names, but notable quotes and descriptions to help pinpoint events.

Full of spoilers.

Time-consuming. I check every issue so I know the sheet is accurate. Current planned entries are cobbled together at the bottom.

Open to feedback. If there's an entry you really want to see, feel free to send me enough information about the issue to look it up. It still may take me a while to get to it, though.

This spreadsheet is NOT:

An exhaustive list of absolutely every single time Batman and Joker are in the same comic. It may get close, but if they merely appear in the same issue and nothing of interest happens with them, it's not included. (For example, issue #2 of TDKR is left out.)

A list of recommendations. Comics I hate are in here. [EDIT: OK I've highlighted some I would suggest in green.]

A list of only "romantic" moments. Negative interactions are included.

A source for moments from TV shows, movies, or video games.

[distort-opia]

I thought I'd let you know that I really adore your fics and content in general. I just got into batman a little over a month ago specifically for batjokes; I'm just so intrigued by their dynamic [I NEED to draw more of them immediately]

REMS specifically had my brain doing flips bc the meta is just so good, and the psychoanalysis is so well thought out

I've only scratched the surface level of batman media, having read the occasional one-shot comic and watched a good chunk of animated batman/dcu stuff in passing, but regardless, I just wanted to tell you to keep up the good work

side note: any comic recs for someone new to the fandom? I've only ever been a manga-reader, and western comics are an entirely new concept for me

have a good one <33

This is such a kind message, thank you so much!! I'm glad you liked REMS and that my blog rambles are fun too. I affectionately think of REMS as meta in a plotty trenchcoat, so it's great to hear you enjoyed the character analysis parts specifically. And Batjokes is indeed an incredibly intriguing dynamic, a warm welcome to the fandom <3 Sending you good vibes for fanart inspiration as well.

When it comes to comic recs related to Batjokes, I can point you to an excellent Batjokes starter-pack post that covers quite a lot of the classics, as well as some more "advanced" reading. I also have a semi-comic-rec, semi-review ask answer where I recommend some of my own favorite Batjokes heavy comics (though a lot overlap with the previous post I linked to).

I hope you have fun reading, and wishing you the best!!

[fractualized]

I totally see where you're coming from with how you like your mix of comedy and seriousness and I think I'm really similar! I can definitely tolerate a lot of cheese but I'll almost always consider it a one off situation. I recently rewatched Batman and Robin while my wife was making a cast of my body so we could make cosplay and it was just so funny and silly that like it reminded me of what one of those really campy comics would look like in real life and I respected the fact that they could commit to it that way and make an artful movie that brought that to life but there were a few elements that didn't make sense to me like Barbara being Alfred's niece that I was just like whatever man and I knew I couldn't like... use it as a foundation for my basis of characterization, like I can with other media! I really love the animated series too, I grew up with it being my first experience with Batman and I always really respected it as a medium that I could trust to be satisfying and whole. I also really really liked Batman beyond because it felt like the closest continuation of that story even though I know it's really not canon and it kind of doesn't work, I like to view it as like a semi-official what if fan fiction from the original writers lol

I completely get what you mean about the comics, cuz I kind of view official comics like fanfictions even in their own right? I mean when you think back on like Bill finger and Bob Kane like eventually every other writer is going to be writing fanfiction of their characters but it's really fun to go through all the different Batman media and see whose stories you kind of like more and then whose stories you kind of tend to avoid

and when I mentioned I knew you liked comics, I was also speaking more from the perspective that you seem to have more knowledge about them Rather than I thought you had a preference for them, because you put together that comic PDF with batjokes moments and I was really impressed with that ☺️

i love your telltale fics and the games as a beautiful breath of fresh air into the life of batman so sometimes I like to imagine the animated series would be a great way to say where is juce 10 years later, if those universes were more cohesive setting wise lmao

Yeah, Barbara randomly being Alfred's niece is definitely one of the aspects of B&R that just… I guess it breaks up the campiness? That and Ivy being in love with Freeze for no discernable reason. And teaming up with him even though he'll kill her plants. And poor Bane! And then that weird bit at the end where Freeze is sort of forgiven but Ivy can't be? And Alfred almost dies. Should taken all that stuff out and added more camp.

I really enjoyed Batman Beyond too! I didn't even realize a lot of people didn't like it until recently. Honestly it's one of those things where I don't look into the reasons too much. lol I liked it and I'm fine with having liked it, no notes!! (OK I sorta lied. That bit in JLU where they made Bruce Terry's bio dad, that was bizarre.)

I am definitely in the "anything not created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane might as well be fanfic" camp. Like, sure, if DC puts resources behind a project, it has a better chance at being worth your time, but when I get down to it, I can't put a lot of weight behind the idea that someone's official derivative story is more valid than another someone's derivative AO3 post just because there was a cash exchange with a company that owns the original "asset." People who want to lean into that idea, that's their business.

The wild thing about the batjokes spreadsheet is I know that it's only a fraction of what's out there. I have read hundreds of comics at this point and I still feel like it's not enough to totally have a handle on things. Especially knowing how little I've retained. 😅 But that's another reason for the spreadsheet!

Thank you for enjoying my fics! And for implanting the idea in my head of a Telltale universe animated series… Just hijinks and maybe a little more murder with John and Bruce, bestest buddies.