RetroInspection - Fantomas pt. 3 - The Joker Connection

Created in 1940, most likely by the combined efforts of Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson—though the actual details are sketchy—the Joker eventually became the Batman’s arch nemesis. Depending on which reputed creator you asked, the inspiration for the Joker was either Conrad Veidt from the film The Man Who Laughs, the SteepleChase Face from Coney Island or the classic Joker from playing cards. However, as often is the case, inspiration comes subtly from sources not always acknowledged, and so it is with Joker, who may actually have his genesis inspired by the French master villain, Fantomas.
Fantomas, like the Joker who came later, was no mere thief, however. He loved the money he stole, but his flamboyant sadism made him one of the earliest literary arch-criminals.
Did the Joker’s creators find inspiration in Fantomas?
That is for you, the reader, to decide.

Fantomas Silent Film: find the video on YouTube link not provided out of respect to Rumble

Fantomas paperbacks: https://amzn.to/3xE6lLB
Fantomas Bluray: https://amzn.to/45TW0rg
The Dark Knight trilogy: https://amzn.to/3VTmogC
Joker Bluray: https://amzn.to/4cQzJgj
The Batman, Joker © DC Comics
http://www.xynobooks.com
#Joker2