At this point, the Joker must be the most repeatedly punched member of Batman's rogue gallery, by some stretch. In the comics alone, The Clown Prince of Crime has being on the receiving end of Batman's frustrations throughout 'Hush', 'The Killing Joke', 'The Dark Knight Returns' and far too many other classics to mention. Indeed, 'The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told' trade paperback has Batman punching the Joker so many times its a wonder that Mr. J even has a face left (these days, he actually doesn't, thanks to a bit of surgery from Detective Comics' 'Dollmaker'). At least it gave Bats the opportunity to literally punch The Joker's face off at the end of Scott Snyder's seminal 'Death Of The Family' arc. To date, The Joker has only appeared in three (including the Adam West version) live-action feature films, all of which have ended with him getting a good beating from the Bat. 'The Dark Knight's' you're gonna love me encounter is fantastically exciting, as is its final fistfight (no, but I know how you got these), but most satisfying and fun of all is Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson's bloody battle atop a Gotham City cathedral. You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you? The Joker asks, donning a pair of comedy specs. Actually, yes.
A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.
