Over the years, Batman has had a lot of alternate taglines and nicknames: the World's Greatest Detective, the Caped Crusader or just "the Bat." (There's also the likes of "Batboob" and "Batdork" if we include some of the Joker's pet names for him, but... let's not.) Out of all of Bruce Wayne's alternative alter ego titles, the Dark Knight is by far the most popular, and there's a reason for that. Where superheroes like Superman represent an aspirational model of sunny heroism, Batman's brand of vigilantism is street level: grimy, dark and dangerous. It's inspirational, but definitely not aspirational. Naturally, some of the most famous Batman tales can only be described as deeply unsettling.
In Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, writer Grant Morrison sends Gotham's protector on a twisted, Alice In Wonderland-style trip through the history of the city's infamous Asylum, with artist Dave McKean providing some of the most hauntingly terrifying images of the Joker ever drawn. Doug Moench and Kelley Jones' Elseworlds Batman & Dracula trilogy pushes the character into the supernatural, and if you thought he was imposing enough with a cowl and a gravelly voice, vampire Batman is an entirely different beast. No throat in Gotham is safe while the Fanged Crusader is about. But, it's not just stories from the official DC canon that have given us some truly upsetting takes on Batman's world. These fan-made stories about the Dark Knight and his Rogue's gallery are some of the creepiest you'll ever read.
15 THE DEAL
Written by Gerardo Preciado and drawn by Daniel Bayliss, The Deal is a fan comic that begins with Batman knelt over a box, the contents of which makes the one from David Fincher's Se7en look fairly PG in comparison. In the background, Gordon's body sits slumped against a wall, revolver in hand. The note that comes with the "gift" reads: "To Bruce with love xoxo." Inside, Alfred's head and arms are posed like the skull and crossbones of a pirate flag. And that's just the first page. Since publication in 2013, it's been heaped with praise from critics and fans alike. The narrative is one that many writers and Batman-ophiles have speculated on for years...
What would a final confrontation between Batman and the Joker look like?
What would be the final straw to make Batman break his "one rule?" In The Deal, the creators pull from the duo's dysfunctionally co-dependant relationship, as Joker -- dangled by Bats miles above Gotham -- tells his foe, "I've been the good guy, you've been the bad guy, this is how we learn. You love me and I love you, and no matter what you do in in this life, that is never going to change."
14 MINDSCAPE OF BRUCE W
Mindscape of Bruce W is a Polish-made fan comic written by Michal Chudolinski and illustrated by Magdalena Minko, created as part of a series called Gotham in the Rain. "Our story takes place after the traumatic events from Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: Death in the Family, although it could happen earlier or even in a later period of Batman's career as the Caped Crusader," the creators explain in their introduction. "We wonder how Bruce Wayne copes with himself [in] the daylight, without a costume, after a hard night."
The comic has no dialogue or any other kind of text, leaving the black and white illustrations alone to tell the story. As the introduction suggests, the story is less of a plot and more of an exploration of Bruce Wayne's psyche. The artwork is almost oppressively heavy, high-contrast and the palette looks as though its been inverted (white on black, rather than the other way around) like an etching. The pen marks are scratchy and jagged, echoing its subject's state of mind. As Bruce goes through his civilian life, he's haunted by traumatic memories from his other life like invisible demons, and the biggest demon of them all turns out to be his own superhero identity.
13 THE BAT-MAN: RISE AND FALL
Dan Floresco's The Bat-Man: Rise and Fall is based on a movie script of the same name, also written by Floresco. (Now, that's some serious fan dedication.) The adapted screenplay is split across 12 issues, with artwork drawn in clean, black and white line art with splashes of color, similar to Frank Miller's approach for Sin City. "Batman is one of the few superheroes who is not 'super,'" the creator introduces the first issue with. "I was always fascinated by the fact he could actually be the real thing here in our universe [...]
"So that's what I tried to do: write an origin story about a man who decides to take the law into his own hands."
"But, what kind of man would do this? Dress up in armor at night. Put his life on the line, confronting thugs who shoot at him with bullets [...] Is such a man a daredevil? Is he mentally sane?" The first issue teases the story's the themes with a quote from Ernest Hemingway. "There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter." The plot then kicks off with a literal bang as we watch Harvey Dent go from a pillar of justice in the courtroom to... shooting a child at point blank range on a boat, and the violence doesn't let up from there onwards.
12 HARLEEN
Croatian artist Stjepan Sejic is a professional comic book artist and writer whose artwork can been seen on covers for Dynamite, Top Cow and DC. Somehow, in between painting gorgeous covers for Aquaman and Justice League titles, they also found the time to create a little Harley Quinn fan comic strip. In the creator's own words, Harleen takes an Elseworlds approach to Harley's origin, "in this case, a dark, pretty much humorless retelling of Harley's story. [...] I had this idea of humanizing villains. Harley always struck me as a fascinating character because she was a psychiatrist.
"She could literally recognize her own pathology while being unable to stop it. Harley here is a tunnel-visioned psychiatrist who sees the Joker as both a challenge and a potential solution to her theory of mental disorder as a survival mechanism." The story paints a warts-and-all picture -- from Harley's perspective -- of her abusive relationship with the Joker, as she attempts to find the man beneath the madness and pull him out of the abyss. Of course, when she does reach the bottom, she's horrified to discover that the only thing down there is the grin of a murderous monster. Poison Ivy might be Harley's only chance at salvation, but is she too far-gone to take the hand reaching down to rescue her?
11 THE DOCTORS AND THE NURSES THEY ADORE ME SO
This 40-chapter fan fiction story by Lauralot is set after the events of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. The story imagines that the Joker survived his tumble off the top of a Gotham skyscraper and is taken to Arkham Asylum after pleading insanity in court. The first chapter begins with a quote from a My Chemical Romance song, so you know exactly what kind of tone you're in for. "I thought it'd be interesting to see the Joker as ambivalent toward the institution the first time around, forming his opinion as he goes," the author explains in the notes, as an alternate to the "dragged in kicking and screaming approach" that set-up normally invokes.
The first chapter details the Joker's induction into the infamous asylum for the criminally insane with impressive realism and accurate in-character inner monologue.
"Blondie -- who would henceforth be referred to as Linda, now that he could read her nametag -- walked to the table, a damp washcloth in hand. 'Those [wounds] need to be cleaned.' Hell no. True, it was contaminated flesh, but it was his contaminated flesh. From his Bat. 'It's a fashion statement.' 'If you don't clean it out now, it will --' 'I like scars.'" As the story progresses, it becomes clear the patients aren't the only corrupted souls inside the institution's walls.
10 CLOCKWORK
Clockwork is another fan fiction that's set in the world of the The Dark Knight and follows on from what happened in the film. Written by HoistTheColours, the premise is a deeply unsettling one from the outset: "Upon stumbling into an abandoned apartment building the Joker encounters a little girl." If that doesn't send a shudder down your spine then what will? "I created this story so I could delve deeper into a side of the Joker that people don't see as often, if ever, in the movies or comics," the author writes. "I wanted to present the Joker with a situation that his conscience (what little goodness of it is left) would really struggle with."
Though we have glimpsed the Clown Prince of Crime's sensitive side occasionally -- he's usually more fond of animals than people -- it's definitely an interesting thread worth pulling at a little harder than we've seen done before. The juxtaposition of an innocent life with one so thoroughly depraved is as effective as expected, too. "'Why are you dressed like a clown?' She whispered timidly, afraid that she might offend him with her question, but unable to contain her curiosity. The Joker let a large smile spread over his features, his dark eyes dancing with genuine amusement of the likes he hadn't felt in quite a while. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip and his eyes darted to the ceiling before returning to meet hers. 'Why not... dress like a clown?'"
9 THE PYJAMA GAME
Though it sounds cute and cuddly from the title, The Pyjama Game is actually a great and twisted lesson in how to turn something innocuous into a tragedy. "Even cold, indifferent psychiatrists like Dr. Jonathan Crane need pyjamas. Where did he get his and why? I'm deadly serious," writes author, ACleverName in the synopsis. When asked by his college roommate why he has trouble sleeping, the one-shot fan fiction flashes back to an uncomfortable memory for Crane. "[His mother] rummaged through a drawer until she held up a pair of cotton pyjamas. [...] 'Don't make me wear that,' Crane blurted out.
This seed of resentment towards his mother festers inside Crane into adulthood.
"'Why not?' Mother's eyes grew wide and livid." [...] Crane winced, sniffing and smearing tears across his forearm. 'Mom, please--' 'Put them on!' Mother hollered. [...] Grudgingly, Jonathan slipped the shirt over his head and pulled on the pants [...] It was the first time he was certain he hated his mother." This seed of resentment towards his mother festers inside Crane into adulthood, and all it takes is another similar moment of embarrassment involving that same article of sleepwear for that seed to sprout into psychosis. "He knew that he could not silence the dark voice in his head. But he could resolve to never feel anything for anyone ever again."
8 THE TAILOR
From clowns, to pigs, to penguins and even calenders, Batman villains take inspiration from the strangest of places, and often, it's the zaniest ones that are the most threatening. This pencilled comic strip sketched by TerminAitor found one of the few angles that (probably) hasn't been covered when it comes to the Rogue's gallery: "Where do all the supervillains get their costumes from? It's one thing to be one of the good guys and have help, but when you are an outlaw life is not easy, and it becomes harder if you have to maintain your image! Not everybody can sew, I can tell you!"
The titular tailor is Arthur Bernstein, who confesses to us at the start, "I hate my job." He reminisces about the "good 'ol days" when he catered to important people like... District Attorney Harvey Dent. Oh, we can see where this is going now... "Then THAT happened to him," Arthur laments. "But he remembered. He came back for another suit. But this was not like anything else I had done before... He must have liked it, and told his friends... 'cause after that day, all the psychos from Arkham came to my door!" Luckily for Arthur, Gotham's best dressed hero is also in the market for a new cowl...
7 DEAR JOKER
Amid all the carnage and cruelty, the Joker is still -- by looks and character -- a clown, and when he's not making us gag with disgust or cower in horror, he's usually making us chuckle -- even when we know that we really shouldn't be. Heath Ledger's Joker really perfected that balance of dread and humor, and that particular iteration is what fan fiction writer 4ofCups used for their Dear Joker story. The premise is completely outlandish, but that's what fan fiction is all about, really.
"What happens when Heath Ledger's Joker decides to take a hiatus from crime, dabble in journalism and dispense his opinions to the faithful readers of Gotham's premier advice column?"
"He's got his own ideas about tact, social graces and virtue: they're overrated." Writing under the pseudonym, "Ms. Grace," Joker doles out ter-ri-ble words of discouragement to unsuspecting people, written delightfully in the mixed-case text of an early '00s teen on an instant messaging site. Each chapter is structured as a series of letters with the Joker's garbled responses, but eventually, a plot line starts to emerge. Joker's identity is revealed, and he receives a letter from the Gotham Police Department telling him to turn himself in, hinting that he's been up to his usual nasty tricks in between his day job.
6 DEATH WITH A SMILE
In a similar vein to Batman '66 and Wonder Woman '77, we very nearly got a Batman '89 comic spinoff based on Tim Burton's summer blockbuster starring the Dark Knight. Sadly, DC passed on the frankly amazing project pitched by Joe Quinones and Kate Leth, but, to tide us over until the company comes to its senses, we've got Death With A Smile. This fan comic written by Aghori Shaivite and drawn by Will Robson focuses on Jack Nicholson's Joker, let loose in a far more adult way than the classic movie would allow. "Jack's criminal life had been saturated with the good stuff," the opening narration reads.
"Death...money...sex... Jack had always been really wild. Eccentric. Crazy. Then, he fell into that vat of chemicals. After the accident, Jack wasn't just crazy, he was psycho. After that, Jack wasn't Jack anymore." The first sighting we get of Jack's new look are his teeth flashing that familiar, horrifying grin. And then we see why: he's standing over the body of "the June cover of Gotham beauties," laying motionless in bed with that same horrifying grin plastered over her face. The rest of the story sees Joker infecting the rest of the city's socialites with his extreme "make-overs," rendered in a monochrome, high-contrast style evocative of comic artist, Brian Bolland.
5 NOT PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK
Another work of prose by 4ofCups, Not Playing With A Full Deck sees the Joker crossing paths with the intrepid Daily Planet reporter, Lois Lane. "Gotham's most feared criminal has been insulted on a grand scale," the author writes in the story notes. "What type of revenge will he exact on the women who's responsible? Lois Lane will find out the hard way. This Joker is feral, bloodthirsty and hungry for revenge." Taking place one year after The Dark Knight, the story starts with the villain leaving the dingy Gotham City for the sunnier Metropolis.
Needless to say this one is not for the faint of heart.
When Metropolis Live broadcasts a segment on the famed villain, executive produced by Lois, Joker isn't exactly thrilled for the coverage. And so begins a long and twisted game of cat and mouse between the pair, including cameos from Jimmy Olsen, Batman and Superman -- as you'd expect in a crossover story. "I am fascinated with villains, and the power they wield to terrorize," the writer explains. "One of my favorite questions to ask when I see or read about a dreadfully wicked character is this: What would happen if this person were made angry? [...] What consequences would there be should a man this unhinged ever experience true fury?" Very NSFW consequences, apparently.
4 LAST STRAW
Penned by WTFWonder, Last Straw tells the story of Dr. Jonathan Crane reaching peak frustration in his villainous career. "The Scarecrow is tired of trivialization. He lets Gotham City's public know using the proper supervillain etiquette." Taking a leaf out of Joker's supervillain 101 guide, he sends a recorded message to a Gotham TV station that's a little more complex than your average terrorist threat. Instead, it's a psychiatry session directed at everyone in the city. "This is Dr. Jonathan Crane speaking, beginning session two of a possible three with patients through 21,199,865. Since our last session, the patients' perception of reality has declined dramatically.
"[...] It has come to my attention that the figure of Scarecrow has been grossly warped in the patients' view from a symbol of fear to an object of sexualization, adoration and, unbelievably, pity." Scarecrow takes particular offence to the first one. The "cure?" He kidnaps two actors who've starred in X-rated films dressed up as Gotham City villains and ensures that they never work in that particular industry again with a pair of flesh-eating snakes. This all happens during the taping, too. He finishes up the session doling out more gory punishments, and eventually threatening Gotham with an even more potent City-wide dose of his fear toxin if his media mistreatment continues.
3 BATMAN: NERO
Illustrated by Daniele Afferni, written by Christian Dellavedova and translated by Mattia Bassani, Batman Nero walks in the footsteps of Batman: Beyond, with an elderly Bruce Wayne taking on a young apprentice to take over the cowl. "Meet Owen Freeman, a black boy from the suburbs of Gotham City and the only surviving witness of his own family's massacre. Batman wasn't there to stop the killers -- but Bruce Wayne did indeed save Owen's life, making sure that the boy was taken care of by the Martha Wayne Foundation. Now a young man, Owen is determined to find his parents' murderers and finally have his revenge.
"Feeling responsible for the boy whose parents he couldn't save, Bruce Wayne aims to channel Owen's rage into something more than sheer vengeance. Years pass. Wayne is an old man -- with Owen as his faithful assistant. With a secret. Owen is the new Batman." Though it's a premise we're familiar with, the hook is nonetheless intriguing, and the hand-painted artwork -- impressionistic and dramatic -- is the Dark Knight at his most gothic and expressive. (You can even see the artist's fingerprints on the page, adding to the tactile quality.) Though it's only a short one-shot, Batman's confrontation with Scarecrow and the villain's terrifying hallucinatory capabilities will stick with you long after you read it.
2 AND THE REST IS ANCIENT HISTORY
The Joker's origin is one of the most tantalizing mysteries in superhero comics. He's one of the very few (or possibly only) characters to legitimately have multiple backstories, and which ever one is true is really up to reader discretion. In And The Rest Is Ancient History, fan fiction writer The Gray Ghoul ambitiously offers their take on how the Clown Prince of Crime got his scars. Rather than a quick dip into a chemical vat, the change that Jack Napier -- one of the character's most common pre-Joker aliases -- is a slow-burning descent into murder and madness over 94 chapters. The story begins with Jack's traumatic childhood.
"If there was one word Jack could use to describe his life, it was miserable."
A tense domestic squabble between his money-starved parents ends violently, with his father accidentally inflicting an injury on his wife's face with a dinner table knife that is eerily foreboding when you know what's in store for Jack. In his teen years, Jack's love for toxic substances blossoms. "His next class was Chemistry [...] his one true love. It would never betray him, never cheat him, never leave him without an explanation or answer. Even love and emotions were chemicals. Everything was methodical and connected through chemistry. No one appreciated it more than he did." Coupled with his fondness for a certain Stephen King clown monster and some light patricide, all the pieces in the Joker puzzle eventually come together for a disturbing finale.
1 THE ULTIMATE BATMAN COMIC
What else would the "ultimate" Batman story be but the Bat's ultimate end? A lot of proposed Batman swan songs focus on the character's demise, which, as expected, aren't usually nice, peaceful retirement tales. Often, the Dark Knight is predicted to go down violently, taking his arch nemesis with him in the process. In David Lasky's version, The Ultimate Batman Comic, Batman's end is self-sacrificial, but not in the way you'd expect. In the short black and white strip, we're taken back to Crime Alley, 1924. The Wayne family are faced with a robber at gunpoint, and Thomas Wayne protests as the criminal demands Martha's jewellery.
Suddenly, and improbably, Batman appears and uses his body as a human shield to save his own parents and taking the would-be killer down. "Bruce... Bruce, I'm from the future..." the masked vigilante gasps with his final breath to his stunned, younger self. "I came here... so you could have a... normal... life." As the cops come to arrest the robber and take away Batman's body -- who they refer to as, "Just some nut in a costume..." -- Martha asks her son, "Bruce, he... he spoke to you. Did you know that man?" Bruce shakes his head. The Wayne family, alive and well, leave the scene and presumably Bruce does indeed grow up to have a "normal life." It's nice to see a heartwarmingly noble end for a character whose life is so marred by tragedy.