As “Joker War” continues to spread devastation around Gotham City, one of Batman’s worst foes unveils the latest incarnation of their infamous ride.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #99, by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles, available now.
Among many other gadgets, Batman’s wide array of vehicles are constant assets in his never-ending war against crime. However, “Joker War” has seen the Clown Prince of Crime seize control of those assets. And now, the Joker has used some of Bruce Wayne’s fortune to build himself a new Jokermobile.
In Batman #99, the Joker makes his way through a parking garage in midtown Gotham. There, one of his henchmen tells the Joker that his new vehicle has been prepared to his “specifications.” The Joker stands in front of his new vehicle: a stretch SUV painted in all purple, with a red grinning face and plenty of “ha ha ha”s spray-painted on the car.
The Clown Prince of Crime notes that it’s “the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen,” which is exactly why he loves it. Hopping in the back of his new car, the Joker tells his driver to take him to Ace Chemical. On the way over, the clown muses about Gotham’s true nature to his driver. In its current chaos, Gotham, in the Joker’s mind, is no longer pretending to be something that it’s not.
Indeed, the Joker believes that Batman made false promises and tried to create a fantasy land out of the city. On the other hand, the Joker says that he understands the real Gotham: a cruel, dirty place filled with the corrupt and the dead. During this discussion, the Joker’s men are destroying and vandalizing Gotham, illustrating how the Joker is attempting to take Gotham back from Batman. In a way, creating his own Jokermobile is another attempt by the Joker to counter Batman’s vision of Gotham City.
The Jokermobile first appeared in October 1946’s Batman #37 in a story by Jerry Robinson. In this issue, the Clown Prince of Crime created his own versions of Batman’s gadgets to compete with the Dark Knight. This included the Jokermobile, which was much like the Batmobile, with some uniquely Joker-esque features. For example, the Jokermobile could create a path of wooden planks to pass over potholes and there were also machine guns in the front and back of the vehicle.
After that initial tale, the Jokermobile appeared on-and-off over the years, undergoing various cosmetic changes. Later on, the Jokermobile was much leaner, looking more like a racecar than a tank. The Joker’s face also became more prominent on the front of the vehicle over time.