The Further Adventures of The Joker

The Further Adventures of The Joker (1990; Bantam Books, 457 pages) is an English paperback anthology of short fiction stories about Batman's archenemy the Joker. The material was written by various authors (see below), and the book was edited by Martin H. Greenberg. It was the follow-up to an earlier Batman anthology, The Further Adventures of Batman, and was followed by two later installments: The Further Adventures of Batman vol. 2 Featuring the Penguin and The Further Adventures of Batman vol. 3 Featuring Catwoman.

The stories in The Further Adventures of The Joker cover a wide range of topics and styles, with the title character, and his complicated relationship with the Batman, as the unifying theme; from tales of the Joker's childhood, to his current crimes, some of which Batman attempts to foil.

All of the works included in this anthology are considered to be "non-canonical", in relation to mainstream DC Comics continuity. Joe R. Lansdale's story "Belly Laugh, or The Joker's Trick or Treat" is notably a sequel to Lansdale's story from The Further Adventures of Batman.

Stories
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Written by Elizibeth Hand and Paul Witcover, the story is notable for its dark themes such as drug abuse and child prostitution, and for its characterization of the Joker as a predatory sadist and borderline pedophile.

The story begins with Batman having obtained the diary of a young hustler named Galen Starling accompanied by a short note written in green ink. In the diary Batman reads of the young man's addiction to the new designer drug 'Jangle', of his association with a dealer named Panic and his friendship with a younger addict named Toddy. Galen seems to be in a semi-hallucinatory state throughout the narrative due to his use of Jangle.

While they are hustling on the street, Toddy is approached by the Joker (although the boys are never aware of his name) sitting in the back of a green and purple limousine driven by an unseen associate, shuffling a deck of cards. Toddy solicits the Joker, who gives the boy a 'fix' and ushers him into his car. Galen is frightened by the Joker's appearance but asks the Joker if he can come too. The Joker refuses him, but promises that they will meet again soon.

Galen does not hear from Toddy again for some time, and comes to believe he might be dead. Then he meets Toddy while wandering near a canal. The young man has undergone a hideous transformation, as will be familiar to those with knowledge of the Joker's usual modus operandi: Toddy is in a catatonic state, and has a hideous grin fixed upon his face.

When Galen brings Toddy to Panic's 'gallery', the dealer grows furious and demands to know who is responsible. When Galen describes the Joker, Panic quickly silences him insisting he must keep quiet on the subject. Panic then murders Toddy in cold blood, which understandably enrages Galen. Galen attacks Panic and runs away, vowing to hunt down the grinning fiend he knows to be responsible for his friend's fate.

At this point in the narrative Batman realises that the diary has changed, the next entry is written by an elegant hand in bright green ink. In this entry the Joker describes how Galen finally manages to track him down and find his underground hideout. When he demands to know what happened to his friend, his is told Toddy was given 'What he wanted'. The Joker then continues to flirt with the young man and terrorize him with photographs of his past atrocities hung on the walls of his lair. He then produces a deck of cards which he proceeds to shuffle, drawing out various cards and making comparisons to Galen's fate. Eventually the distraught youth asks the Joker to explain who exactly he is, to which he receives the reply "I am your heart's desire, Galen." These are apparently the last words Galen hears before the Joker attacks him.

At the end of the narrative, Batman recalls how he discovered Galen Starling's mutilated body in an abandoned subway tunnel, smeared with paint, with a smile fixed on his face and a large 'R' carved on his chest, in a hideous parody of the death of Batman's former sidekick Jason Todd, the second Robin. Between the boy's dead fingers he finds a note, containing the final words of mockery from the Joker- Birds of a feather die together. -->