Joker: Folie à Deux (2024): the film versus the comics of inspiration

A sequel to 2019's Joker, this film with a musical comedy bias is as divisive as it questions the myth of the Clown Prince. It draws on the figures of the Joker and Harley Quinn. Source-by-source decryption.

As in each article in this series, only verified information (creators, distribution, dates, comic numbers) is stated; the comparative analysis is ours, without reproducing dialogue or protected images.

Batman #1 (1940): The Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime

Joker: Folie à Deux continues the story of the Joker, whose comic book version appeared in Batman #1 (1940), created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. Batman's sworn enemy, the Joker is the most iconic and terrifying criminal in the DC Universe. A psychopathic clown with a pale face, a scarlet smile and green hair, he embodies pure chaos, crime without motive or logic. His lack of definitive origin is part of his mystery: the Joker is a force of disorder, whose unpredictability and cruelty are matched only by his macabre humor. The absolute antithesis of Batman, he is one of the great villains of popular culture, a fascinating and frightening figure.

The film, like its 2019 predecessor, features Arthur Fleck, a broken Gotham man who inspired a chaotic movement. However, it is essential to understand that this Arthur Fleck is not the classic Joker from the comics: Todd Phillips' duology offers an autonomous story, anchored in a realistic social drama, distinct from the Batman mythology. The film takes up the imagery and aura of the Joker – the makeup, the chaos, the madness – but with a view to deconstruction. Joaquin Phoenix plays a tormented Arthur, whose relationship with the icon of the Joker is at the heart of the film. This approach, which questions the myth rather than illustrating it, radically distinguishes the film from the comics.

Batman Adventures #12 (1993): Harley Quinn, the fatal fascination

The film introduces Harley Quinn, one of DC's most popular characters. Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Harley first appeared in the Batman animated series in 1992, before her first comic book appearance in Batman Adventures #12 (1993). Her real name is Harleen Quinzel, she is originally a psychiatrist from Arkham Asylum responsible for treating the Joker, with whom she falls madly in love. Manipulated and seduced by the clown, she falls into madness and crime, becoming his accomplice and lover. The relationship between Harley and the Joker is one of the most famous and toxic in comics: a destructive passion, marked by manipulation and emotional dependence. Harley has since become an immensely popular heroine in her own right.

The film takes up Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga, but profoundly reinvents the character. Here, her name is Lee Quinzel – echoing Harleen Quinzel – and is not a psychiatrist, but an inmate met by Arthur in an institution. The film, however, preserves the essence of the relationship: a fatal fascination, a fusional and toxic passion between the two characters. This reinterpretation, faithful to the spirit of the Joker-Harley couple while rewriting its origin, illustrates the film's approach, which plays with figures from the comics without literally adapting them. For the reader, it is an invitation to discover the real Harley Quinn in the comics, whose story - from accomplice of the Joker to emancipated heroine - is one of the richest and most appreciated in the modern DC universe.

A confusing musical comedy

The film's most daring choice is its genre: Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical. The characters express their emotions through singing, in musical sequences which punctuate the story, often like fantasized escapes from Arthur's prison reality. This radical choice, completely absent from the comics and unexpected for a sequel to the dark Joker from 2019, deeply divided the public and critics. It reflects Todd Phillips' desire to subvert expectations and offer an experimental work, where music becomes the language of madness and Arthur and Lee's desire to escape. This unusual form sets the film apart in the landscape of comic book adaptations.

This bias illustrates the film's deliberate distance from the source material. Far from delivering a classic supervillain story, the film uses the musical to explore Arthur's psyche, his relationship to the icon he has become and the collective illusion around the Joker. This approach, closer to auteur cinema than to comic book blockbusters, disconcerted spectators who came looking for a traditional adaptation. However, it demonstrates an assumed artistic ambition. For the reader, the film is a singular object, which dialogues with the myth of the Joker without reproducing it. He reminds us that comic book characters can inspire very diverse works, from the most faithful to the most experimental. The Joker from the comics remains a figure of chaos that the film chooses to question rather than celebrate, in a deconstructive approach that divides.

The characters, from paper to screen

• Arthur Fleck— Autonomous and realistic version, distinct from the Joker in the comics.
• Lee Quinzel— Reinvention of Harley Quinn, inmate rather than psychiatrist.
• The Joker— The icon and the myth, questioned by the film.
• Harley Quinn— The character from the comics, of which Lee is a rereading.
• Arkham— The asylum, central setting of the story.

Deconstructing the Joker myth

At the heart of the film is a reflection on the myth of the Joker and how crowds project their fantasies onto a figure. Where the Joker from the comics is an unabashed force of chaos, the film questions what it means to become an icon in spite of oneself. Arthur Fleck, a fragile and broken man, finds himself erected into a symbol by a movement that goes beyond him, and the film explores the gap between the real man and the legend attributed to him. This deconstructive approach, which refuses to deliver the expected Joker, is the central purpose of the work. It extends the reflection of the 2019 film on the birth of an icon, pushing it towards a more radical questioning.

This approach fundamentally distinguishes the film from the comics. Rather than celebrating the Joker as a spectacular supervillain, the film dismantles the myth, questioning the collective fascination with violence and chaos. This bias, ambitious and frustrating for some, makes the film a reflective work more than comic book entertainment. It illustrates the interpretive richness of the character, capable of inspiring epic tales as well as meditations on fame and alienation. For the reader, the film is a unique reading of the Joker, going against the grain of expectations. It invites you to discover in the comics the true Clown Prince of Crime, a figure of chaos whose narrative power, from “The Killing Joke” to “Batman: The Man Who Laughs”, has fueled for decades some of the most striking stories in the entire Batman universe.

Harley Quinn, from accomplice to emancipated heroine

One of the most fascinating characters that the film reinterprets is Harley Quinn, whose evolution in the comics illustrates a remarkable journey. At her creation, Harley is entirely defined by her relationship with the Joker: a psychiatrist who fell under the clown's influence, she becomes his devoted accomplice, the victim of a deeply toxic and abusive relationship. Over the years, however, comic book authors have evolved the character, gradually freeing her from the influence of the Joker to make her a heroine (or anti-heroine) in her own right. This emancipation, where Harley realizes the toxicity of her relationship and asserts herself as an individual, transformed a secondary character into one of the most popular and appreciated figures of DC.

The film, by reinventing Harley in the guise of Lee Quinzel, plays with this dynamic of fascination and dependence. The relationship between Arthur and Lee takes up the toxic essence of the couple from the comics, while placing it in the particular context of the story. The film explores the way Lee projects his fantasies onto Arthur, echoing Harley's fascination with the Joker. This reinterpretation, if it moves away from the origin of the comics, retains the emotional heart. For the reader, it is an invitation to discover the real Harley Quinn in the comics, whose journey – from manipulated accomplice to emancipated heroine – is one of the richest in the modern DC universe. Harley embodies both the tragedy of emotional dependence and the power of self-reconquest, which explains her immense popularity and her unique place in the hearts of readers.

Where to start reading

To discover the Joker, Batman #1 (1940) features his first appearance. Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke" (1988) explores his possible origin and connection to Batman. For Harley Quinn, Batman Adventures #12 (1993) marks her comic book debut, and Paul Dini's “Mad Love” tells the story of her origin. This journey reveals the characters that the film reinterprets.

Chronology of comics to know

• 1940— Batman #1: The Joker's first appearance.
• 1993— Batman Adventures #12: the first appearance in comics of Harley Quinn.
• 1994— “Mad Love”: Harley Quinn’s origin story by Paul Dini.

Collection side: what numbers to aim for after the film

Joker: Folie à Deux points to major keys.Batman #1(1940, first appearance of the Joker and Catwoman) is a key key to the Golden Age, one of the most sought-after and expensive.Batman Adventures #12(1993, Harley Quinn's first appearance in comics) is a popular modern key, whose value has increased with the popularity of the character. These numbers cover various budgets, from the affordable to the very high. As always, condition and gradation determine value; relying on real recent sales is strongly recommended.

Its place in the saga and for the collector

Joker: Folie à Deux will remain as an experimental and divisive sequel, a musical comedy deconstructing the myth of the Joker and introducing a reinvented version of Harley Quinn. For the collector, it has maintained interest in Batman #1 and Batman Adventures #12, keys to these iconic characters. It illustrates the freedom of interpretation offered by comic figures. Beyond his welcome, the Joker and Harley Quinn remain major DC characters, to be discovered in the comics. The film reminds us that the myth of the Clown Prince can inspire works that are as daring as they are confusing.

The verdict: a musical deconstruction of the myth

• Loyalty:the figure of the Joker, Harley Quinn and her fascination, the couple's toxic relationship, the name Quinzel and Arkham Asylum echo the comics.
• Freedoms:an autonomous Arthur Fleck distinct from the Joker of the comics, the genre of the musical, Harley as an inmate and not a psychiatrist, the absence of Batman, the deconstruction of the myth.
• Collectible numbers:Batman #1 (Joker), Batman Adventures #12 (Harley Quinn).

Joker: Folie à Deux continues the story of Arthur Fleck and introduces a reimagined version of Harley Quinn, in the bold form of a musical comedy. Radically moving away from the comics and deconstructing the myth of the Joker rather than illustrating it, the film is a singular and divisive object. For both the reader and the collector, it is an invitation to discover Batman #1 and Batman Adventures #12.

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