Adapting a comic book character to the big screen is tough. Especially when that character has so much history. This will surely be the case for Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix, who are bringing DC Comics icon the Joker to life this fall. But which iteration of the character will we find in Joker? Hopefully, it'll be a mix of Joker's appearances in the past, pulling the best attributes of the character from the best storylines about him. It's with exactly that hope that we came up with a list of suggestions for Phillips & Phoenix. Smile pretty, comic book fans, here comes seven of the best comics to follow to prepare for the Joker movie (and three to ignore).

10. Follow: The Killing Joke

The first and most obvious entry on this list, The Killing Joke is what a lot of people consider to be the ultimate Joker story. It tells the story of how the Joker came to be, bringing him from unlucky comedian to unlucky criminal to Gotham’s deadliest madman. With part of Joker’s story revolving around a talk show host and talent agent, it’s pretty clear that the film is already planning on using the comedian aspect of The Killing Joke’s origin story. Just how close they’ll stick to the rest of it, however, is yet to be seen.

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9. Follow: Batman No. 1

Joker’s very first appearance almost 80 years ago still ranks as one of the best Joker stories ever. In this story, he is cruel and cunning, but not as grimdark and horrifying as later versions of the character. He’s fun, in a disturbing way. And this iteration of the character has been used for inspiration before. In fact, Heath Ledger himself read the early Joker stories while preparing for the role. If there's a good place to pull inspiration from, it's probably the same source that he used.

8. Follow: Batman: Under The Red Hood

A resurrected Jason Todd challenges Batman as the Red Hood.

What we don’t talk about enough are the lasting effects of The Joker. I mean, that’s the case with every comic book story. The super villain could wipe out a city block and then, the next week, the world seems to have moved on. Not in Under the Red Hood, though. That’s a story about the consequences of the Joker, how the actions he takes have terrible, eternal consequences on people’s lives. If the Joker movie is as grounded and gritty as the filmmakers have promised, Under the Red Hood is a good place to see just how destructive the Clown Prince of Crime can be.

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7. Follow: Going Sane

Going Sane is a great, if short, tale of the Joker’s psyche. When he thinks Batman is dead, the Joker reverts to a normal person calling himself Joseph Kerr. When Batman (obviously) returns, the Joker begins to take over Joseph Kerr’s mind, destroying the simple but happy life he built for himself post-crime. This fascinating take on the character treats the Joker as almost a disease. He infects a mind that is otherwise sane, much to the horror of poor Mr. Kerr. This would be an awesome thing to see on screen, especially if Joker is as “psychological” as the filmmakers have promised.

6. Follow: War Of Jokes And Riddles

Tom King’s recent Batman run has received a lot of praise from critics, especially when it comes to his creepy, giggling tale on the Joker. The War of Jokes and Riddles is a kind of prequel to his run, detailing a gang war between the Joker and Riddler during Batman’s earliest days of crimefighting. As such, this would be a great inspiration for a story about Joker’s early days as a crime boss. Plus, if the Joker movie were to spawn a sequel (let’s be honest, when it does), it’s going to need an antagonist — maybe even another character from Batman’s rogues. This story is a great example of how Joker deals with other costumed criminals.

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5. Follow: The Clown Prince Of Crime

Sadly, a lot of people only have two ideas of the Joker. The first is his very modern incarnation, which is a demonic clown slasher, Pennywise in a better suit. The second is that he was once a goofy, borderline-harmless prankster, who cared more about branding everything with some ridiculous slapstick than actual crime. Well, The Clown Prince of Crime is proof that those aren't the only two options. This Joker has fun with his crimes, he's not afraid of a gimmick or gadget every once in a while. But he's also a real, cunning gangster in this book, one worthy of the title the book gives him. This is also the only solo Joker book, which should be noted if you're making a solo Joker movie.

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4. Follow: Joker

For a modern, gritty, down-to-earth take on the character of the Joker, this story is an absolute jackpot. It's a brutal, Nolan-esque dive into the Joker's crime gang, seen through the eyes of one of his most trusted henchmen. This story has everything that Todd Phillips's movie seems to be going for. The Joker here is maniacal, cruel, and insane, but inside his viciousness is a tiny sliver of humanity. The Gotham City in Joker is close to the real world, but as harsh and crime-ridden as Batman's hometown should be. There are no Laughing Fish or Shark-Repellant Bat-Sprays here, folks. This is a real underworld with real consequences. A perfect set-up for one really bad day.

3. Ignore: Death Of The Family

Death of the Family is a fantastic, horrifying look at how obsessive the Joker can be about Batman. Unfortunately, that’s exactly why the Joker movie probably should stay away from this one. In DotF, the Joker is more of a horror movie monster than a cackling crimelord. From his appearance to his sinister plan to ruin the Dark Knight, DotF’s Joker isn’t the iteration of the character that the Joker film needs to adapt. Still, Death of the Family would make for an awesome Batman-centric movie, especially if James Wan ever gets to make his “horror Batman” feature.

2. Ignore: Lovers And Madmen

Lovers and Madman is a tragically underrated Joker origin story. In it, Joker comes to Gotham as a regular hitman named Jack. He only becomes the Laughing Crime Lord after Batman makes a terrible mistake (no spoilers here, just read the book). However, the story hinges on a Batman-aware Gotham. Kind of like The Dark Knight, the Joker’s character enters Gotham as a war rages between Batman and the mob, and uses the confusion to his own ends. If this is a story about Joker without Batman, it could be hard to make this plotline work.

Although, we all said a Venom movie without Spider-Man wouldn’t make any money and look how that turned out...

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1. Ignore: The Man Who Laughs

The Man Who Laughs is a direct sequel to Batman: Year One. It follows Batman and Commissioner Gordon as they encounter the Joker for the first time, which involves numerous celebrities dying from Joker Venom. The Man Who Laughs’ Joker is a maniacal Silver Age villain, pursuing outlandish plots for psychopathic reasons. Silver Age wildness absolutely works on screen (look no farther than Aquaman or Into the Spider-Verse for proof), but it doesn’t seem like the tone the Joker is going for. We can’t see Joaquin Phoenix’s version of the character poisoning the water supply or flying a smile-themed helicopter in this film. Then again, would it be that bad if we were wrong?

Which Joker comic books do you think the Joker movie should follow? Are there any you think it should ignore? Let us know in the comments section below!