MORRISON MONDAYS Meets JOKER WEEK!
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Welcome to JOKER WEEK! One of the greatest characters in comics history debuted 85 years ago, in Batman #1, on April 24, 1940 — and we’re celebrating with a series of features saluting the Clown Prince of Crime, just like we did with CATWOMAN WEEK. For the complete index of JOKER WEEK features, click here.
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By BILL MORRISON
As we celebrate JOKER WEEK here at 13th Dimension, I can’t help but reminisce about my first encounter with the Clown Prince of Crime. It came on January 26, 1966 in the episode of the Batman TV show titled “The Joker is Wild,” the fifth episode of the series, and the first of a two-part story that was Cesar Romero’s debut as the Caped Crusader’s archenemy.
The Joker, his belt, and Queenie (Nancy Kovack)
The story was adapted from the comic book tale, “The Joker’s Utility Belt” from 1952’s Batman #73, and features a plot in which the Joker is frustrated by Batman’s seemingly limitless array of utility-belt gadgets, and decides to invent a belt of his own. After already having been introduced to the Riddler and the Penguin the previous two weeks, meeting the Joker increased my Batmania to levels only exceeded by the introduction of Julie Newmar as Catwoman in Episode #19, “The Purr-fect Crime.”
Dick Sprang pencils, Charles Paris inks
Sometime later in 1966, I received as a gift the Golden Records box set, which included, among many goodies, a comic book that reprinted “The Joker’s Utility Belt” story. It wasn’t the first Batman story I’d read, but it was probably my first reading experience that featured the maniacal crime clown. I recall listening to that story on the record and reading along with the comic book. Even though I was just a kid, I still recognized how bad the acting was on the voice recording, but I didn’t care.
Having seen Cesar Romero as the Joker with a utility belt to match Batman’s was cool, and reading and listening to the original comic story that the episode was based upon was even cooler! Dick Sprang was the artist on the story, and though I didn’t know who he was, even back then I knew that there was something special about the art, particularly the way the artist drew the Joker! (UPDATED: Reader mentormike55 posted this video of the audio and the comic story in the comments! Thanks, mentormike55 — if that’s your real name!)
And now, all these years later, I’m still inspired by all of it, Batman, the Joker, Dick Sprang, the idea of Joker having a utility belt… and my inspiration has led me to create this humble homage to one of the great Batman stories of all time, both on screen and on the page. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I enjoyed drawing it!
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Want more MORRISON MONDAYS? Come back next week! Want a commission? See below!
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MORE
— The Complete JOKER WEEK Index of Features. Click here.
— What if DC Decided to Make BATMAN a Horror Comic in the 1950s? Click here.
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Eisner winner BILL MORRISON has been working in comics and publishing since 1993 when he co-founded Bongo Entertainment with Matt Groening, Cindy Vance and Steve Vance. At Bongo, and later as Executive Editor of Mad Magazine, he parodied the comics images he loved as a kid every chance he got. Not much has changed.
Bill is on Instagram (@atomicbattery) and Facebook (Bill Morrison/Atomic Battery Studios), and regularly takes commissions and sells published art through 4C Comics.
April 21, 2025
April 21, 2025
Thanks for adding this, Michael and Mentormike55! It brought back great memories. haven’t listened to it for well over 50 years! I was tempted to put my copy on the turntable but now I won’t have to risk scratching it. And I wasn’t kidding about the acting!
April 21, 2025
April 21, 2025
Hey thanks!
April 21, 2025
I’m kind of surprised they didn’t pump out toys of the Joker’s Utility belt! You could just fill it up with dollar-store gimmicks, and it’d still sell based on the branding!
April 21, 2025
Great tribute! I love Sprang’s art, and this is one of my favorite stories. I saw the TV version long before I read the comic story in the Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told in 1989.
April 21, 2025
Batman # 73 is the oldest Batman I still have and that’s only because it is missing the top third of the cover for returns.
April 22, 2025
Since it reprinted The Joker’s Utility Belt, I wonder if Batman 176 was one of the issues that William Dozier and the writing staff read. It also had stories with Catwoman, Penguin and Mr. Zero (later Mr. Freeze), all of whom would pop up on the series. Weirdly, Calendar Man is present in Batman 176. I think he was tailor made for the show, even though he never appeared.
April 23, 2025
I’ve figured that was the case. The Sanders Mr. Freeze ep is an adaptation of that story.
April 22, 2025
Joseph Holmes, I agree you about Calendar Man. A missed opportunity by the show producers and writers.