Where there’s madness in Gotham, there’s only one name behind it.
Across decades of chaos, this collection assembles a gallery of Joker tales that show why he remains DC’s most compelling villain. Whether he’s hosting a deadly birthday party, trademarking a fish, standing trial for Batman’s murder, or disappearing into global shadows post-Infinite Frontier, the Clown Prince of Crime commands attention in every panel.
Featuring the full runs of The Joker (1975) and his modern ongoing, this volume brings together Batman #251, #260, #286, #291–294, #321, Detective Comics #475–476, #504, Justice League of America #77, Wonder Woman #280–283, The Brave and the Bold #111, #118, #129–130, #141, and The Joker #1–10.
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■Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. In the DC Universe, Batman is the alias of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist who resides in the fictional Gotham City.
The latest DC Finest book, The Joker: The Last Ha Ha, came out last week (April 28, 2026). Normally, I would wait for a sale to pick up these books, but there’s already a discount from some sellers.
At first, I questioned why DC decided to put together a whole book dedicated to Batman’s nemesis, The Joker. There’s only really about 200 pages dedicated to the Joker series… so about half of the book is padded with other Batman and Detective Comics stories featuring the Joker – bringing the full book to clock at 552 pages. Quite a good value for the retail price of $40 (but like I said, you can get it for a discount – so you would just pay $30 or less).
The Joker #10 (unpublished)
The more I looked into this unlikely Joker title, I found out that it’s actually a really cool book – mainly for The Joker #10 is included in this collection. This is what makes the entire book worth it for some collectors. You see, #10 was never published, but the entire book was already produced and ready to go in 1976… but the series was cancelled with #9, probably due to poor sales.
Joker #10 was included in The Joker: The Bronze Age Omnibus in 2019, but that collection retailed for $125, so having it in DC Finest is just a more affordable way of owning this comic book… a comic book that was lost for about the last 50 years. That’s a cool talking point. Of course, DC Comics didn’t even bother using Joker #10 as a selling point. Nowhere on the book (except for the table of contents) advertised this rare oddity.
So, this book report is just on the Joker #10. I’ll summarize the plot. The story starts with The Joker telling his psychologist that he killed the JLA… everyone, except for Batman. Then you see a flashback of how the Joker achieved this, starting with his deal with the Devil – which was drawn as Sir Elton John! Huh? The Rocketman? Then, the Joker detailed how he was able to murder each JLA member, ending with his take-down of Wonder Woman. The problem is that this is only the first part of a three-parter, so it just ends the Joker teasing that the next part involves his father! T-t-t-that’s all, jokes.
It’s probably not worth it for DC to produce Joker #11 and #12, especially since the original writer Martin Pasko and artist Irv Novick have passed away in 2020 and 2004, respectively… but wouldn’t it be something if DC finished the story? At least Pasko saw the book finally in print in 2019.
I’ll leave it to Jim J, who wrote about how Joker #10 was eventually found:
Seven-year-old me was on a vision quest to find Joker #10. It was advertised in the letters column of Joker #9: The Joker takes on the Justice League Of America in 99 & 99/100ths Dead!
I rode my bike to every dime store in town for months looking for it. When I discovered a comic shop with back issues, it was the first thing I asked for. I looked for it in the Overstreet Price Guide every year.
After Al Gore invented the internet, it was one of the earliest searches I made. There was nothing.
Somebody finally asked Julius Schwartz about it, and he said he didn’t think the issue was ever started.
Then, the cover showed up. Someone bought the original art and posted it.
This triggered Marty Pasko’s memory. He felt he had worked on that story, and what’s more – he thought he had photocopies of the production art in his basement!
After weeks of waiting, Marty dug out the pages and put them on eBay. I bought a set. $300 bucks. He sent them to me. 40 years of believing finally paid off! Joker #10 was in my arms!
In true Joker fashion, the last laugh was on me: #10 was to-be-continued in the for-real didn’t-happen Joker #11 and 12. But still! I could rest. Mystery solved, grail acquired.
A few years after that, DC polished up those pages and put them out in The Joker Bronze Age Omnibus. Glorious color.
So now I have it in four formats: the Omnibus, a UK Hachette collection, the new trade, and a sweet tasty bootleg standalone Joker #10 issue that I made myself.
■ Batman
