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Celebrating 77 Years Of The Joker: 10 Of His Best Moments

Today is a special day for DC Comics. April 25, 2017 marks the 77th anniversary of the Joker's first appearance in Batman #1 in 1940. Closing in on 80 years, this iconic villain has terrorized and terrified the citizens of Gotham, as he's become a huge and cherished part of popular culture. Show his image to any person around the world and they're certain to know exactly who he is.

The Laughing Fish

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No one really knows the reasons for Joker’s crimes. Sometimes, you wonder if he even knows what he’s doing himself. However, one time, he committed a crime that bordered on absolute genius. Basically, he poisoned the river of Gotham and turned the fish into grotesque reflections of him.

Now, this wasn’t to kill people, which is his normal modus operandi. No, he did this in order to copyright the fish and collect a percentage of the sales. When a copyright clerk told him he can’t really do that, Joker spent the rest of his time trying to kill him as revenge. Typical.

This story was so popular and successful that it received the animated treatment on an episode of Batman: The Animated Series, and is constantly cited as one of the best of the series. “The Laughing Fish” might not be the worst or craziest thing that the green-haired psychopath has ever done, but it’s certainly one of the funniest.