Joker Venom
Joker Venom is a toxin that features in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
The crime lord Maxie Zeus found an old cache of Joker Venom and began mixing it with ecstasy to make a new drug called Chuckles. It became a popular drug in Gotham around clubs before to towards the suburbs. Time magazine called it the worst drug epidemic since crack in the late 1980's. A number of people began to die from overdose on the drug but it brought a large fortune to Maxie Zeus. Upon discovering this development, the Joker was left angry and escaped Arkham Asylum to get revenge on the crime lord. (Batman: Cacophony v1 #1)
At some point, a variant of the substance was produced known as Joker Juice that the Jokerz were passing through viral messaging of the web address on the internet. (Detective Comics v1 #867) It was later modified with steroids that induced rage and increased combat potential of their users. Despite the dangers, people were still making use of it as a recreational drug. (Detective Comics v1 #868)
The Joker later created a new version of the toxin that was much more vicious than the original pathogen and tailored it to affect each member of the Justice League who attacked Batman. (Batman v2 #36) Another was airborne and dispersed into the air with the infected spreading it even further in Gotham with all previous cures made by Batman being ineffective against this train. The infected were turned into laughing lunatics that attacked anyone around them. (Batman v2 #36)
Overview
There were a number of derivatives of Joker Venom that included:
- Chuckles : by mixing ecstasy with it, the Venom was diluted to give a great giggly high that gave the drug its name. It had dangerous side effects that included lockjaw, paranoia, and psychosis. (Batman: Cacophony v1 #1)
- Joker Juice : superficially resembled Joker Venom but was a derivative which was much less toxic. In fact, the key ingredient of the Venom which was hydrogen cyanide was missing in its chemical makeup. However, strychnodide was present that caused the muscle convulsions which produced the hallmark ricus sardonicus grin. This was combined with methamphetamine, MDMA, and nitrous oxide which produced the effects of euphoria, mild hallucinations, increased energy levels, uncontrolled hilarity and muscular spasms. It was believed that Joker Juice was likely to be psychologically addictive after a single dose. (Detective Comics v1 #867) The Juice was later modified with several steroids to increase aggression along with acting as a powerful pain suppressant. (Detective Comics v1 #868)
Notes
- Writer David Hine during his 'Imposters' arc in Detective Comics commented, "Their mood is enhanced with Joker Juice, a watered-down version of Joker Venom. For a half-hour, the Juice induces facial distortions, like the original Joker Venom, along with a sense of euphoria and hilarity, but without the unfortunate side-effect of the original Venom. You don’t actually die."
In other media
Television
Films
- In Tim Burton's Batman, a toxin was created by the newly born Joker to terrorize Gotham that causes its victims to be in a permanently laughing state leading to death. A television commercial was played by the Joker showcasing these new and improved Joker Products where he claimed that the secret ingredient of the venom was Smylex that were dropped into the city from giant balloons.
Video games
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Jokers special abilities in the video-game made use of Laughing Gas canisters with Joker Venom not being mentioned.
Appearances
- Batman:
External Links
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