Geek Tee Friday - Wanted! - The Joker

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My geek tee for today is of that arch villain, the clown prince of crime, The Joker! And rather a snazzy little shirt it is too, showing him in all his insane glory. It's one of the four I picked up recently in my blog HERE, check it out.

The Joker was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson and debuted in Batman #1 by DC Comics on 25th April 1940 which makes him 78 years and 1 month old today!! 

Although he has no super powers he has a mad cunning intellect and is a master at planning crazy schemes. He revels in chaos, mayhem and murder. For a time during the comics code regulations of the 50's he was more of a goofy prankster but more often than not now his japes are deadly. He is responsible for a lot of pain to the Bat-family, killing the 2nd Robin, Jason Todd, in  brutal fashion in Batman: A Death in the Family and also crippling Barbara Gordon, Bat Girl in the iconic story The Killing Joke.

He's been played by a number of actors over the years both on TV and films. Cesar Romero was The Joker of my youth, playing him for 3 seasons of the Batman TV show that ran from 1966 - 68 and the spin-off movie. Jack Nicholson starred as him in the Batman movie of 1989, a film I must admit I despised when I 1st saw it! Heath Ledger received many accolades for his crazed portrayal of him in The Dark Knight (2008). His was a tough act to follow indeed and many hated Jared Leto's Joker in Suicide Squad (2016). I thought the dislike for his Joker was unfair and actually rather enjoyed his manic take on the character.

Top: Cesar Romero & Jack Nicholson

Bottom: Heath Ledger & Jared Leto

In animation Joker has been voiced by a number of actors most notably Mark Hammil who is a Sci-fi hero after his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series. It was interesting to see that a hero from another Sci-fi franchise, Brent Spiner, who played Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation also voiced him too! 

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Random Superhero T-shirt purchase!

So I saw this ad on Facebook for 4 random superhero t-shirts for £15 and thought, "Heck, why not?!"

Here's the video of me opening my goods 😀

That's my next 4 Geek Tee Friday posts sorted out now anyway :)

Here is the company I bought these from if you're looking for a deal

www.loudshop.com

Check out my other Geek Tee BLOGS

Not exactly cosplay!!

In my day we never called it cosplay, It was just called fancy dress! I suppose cosplay is much more focused on becoming a specific character from geek culture whereas fancy dress you can be anything you like really. I remember as a kid I used to love getting dirty and scruffy and being a tramp for fancy dress!! Strange chap I was ha ha As an adult for Halloween I'd always be a zombie, torn clothes, shambling gait... kind of like a tramp really but with a LOT more blood!!

The Grey Man: now in glorious technicolour!

I also did a few Halloween gigs with my death metal band Suffering. One time I was all dressed up in a suit with a skull mask which I altered to fit better and added better elastic to it. I emptied a mannequin's head full of fake blood over myself midway through the set. I so wish I had videoed that show :(

 

 That mask has had a lot of use over the years, every now and again I break it out for a bit of a dress up. Also the cloak that my mum made for my brother's vampire costume one time.

That vampire cloak also got used for a silly superhero get-up I once did for a party, I won a prize for my Gut-Man costume!!

The closet I came to cosplay I suppose was my take on The Joker, my mum made me a purple suit, I got a green shirt, white facepaint and there you go, Cesar Romero would've been proud!!

My less than stellar attempt at The Joker!


Can't help thinking that the effect could've been better if only I'd tucked my bloody shirt in.!

I actually reprised this Joker costume for a friend's birthday party and me and a lady playing Poison Ivy won prizes for our costumes!! Which of course proves that DC comics are the best!! I look terrible though, my mate painted my face on a bench outside the pub and we ran out of white make up!!

I have never considered myself a cosplayer and have never even attended a convention even though I am a dyed in the wall geek I have always been a solitary one really. I really should start thinking about going to at least one in my life just to see what the fuss is all about really! I like dressing up too, pretending to be something else. Recently the only dressing up I have done is at Halloween but not even planned costumes just throwing stuff together when I have visited my nephews and gone trick or treating with them.

I recently came into possession of an army looking helmet and loving the game Fallout I am tempted to get a vault suit, but they cost a bloody bomb though which may be appropriate considering the game story! I have the nuclear survivor type beard already though. 

War, war never changes

I do wonder though what/who could I play now if I were to attend a convention?? Any ideas anybody? All I can think of is if there is any group out there of Doom Patrol cosplayers looking for a fat beardy bloke to sit in a wheelchair playing The Chief, Niles Caulder then I am your man!! Not too sure though if it's proper protocol for an able-bodied person to play a disabled one... might be considered insensitive.. not too sure, and besides my hair is too long for him!!

Anyone got any betters ideas?

Oh I nearly forgot I have played Santa too a few times!! I have dressed up for Christmas heavy metal gigs in London and once even had a sackload of presents to give out to the crowd!

Give it another 10 years and I will probably be able to play Santa without the fake beard and I would definitely be down for that :D