Collectible Time: Entertainment Weekly's Joker Magazine

To celebrate the release of Joker: Foile a Deux, Entertainment Weekly has released a collector's edition on the chilling, first chapter of Todd Phillips/Joaquin Phoenix saga, as well as those garish Jokers who've come before, including Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill and Cesar Romero. 

Phoenix's portrayal, however, is upfront and center, covering his weight loss for the role and the essentiality of his "messy makeup," fortified by side facts, such as Bradley Cooper's indirect connection to Phillips' brash reintroduction of the DC legend. 

Sensational sections on Batman 1966, Batman 1989, The Dark Knight and Suicide Squad pad the mag, with an overview of the Joker's animated exploits, a Harley Quinn rundown and a sneak peek of Joker's new chapter, costarring Lady Gaga as Ms. Quinzel. (Supplemental sections on Phoenix and Gaga's lives and careers are included.)

Entertainment Weekly's Joker is a colorful tribute to Batman's most foremost foe, and one that all DC fans should add to their collections. Copies can be found at drugstores and supermarkets nationwide. 

BATMAN OFFSHOOTS: RISE & FALL

The Leslie Grace-helmed Batgirl, costarring Michael Keaton, has bit the dust, and not just per pre-production. This one was basically all done and in the HBO Max can, with only some garnishing to pad it, so I'm thinking that maybe somewhere along the line, the darn thing will still see the light of day. But then again, I'm still pining for that Superman IV: The Quest for Peace revision. It's just how I am: hopeful to a reckless fault. 

Grace made a pretty sexy Barbara Gordon. (I mean, check out those publicity photos, and then pick your jaw off the floor). On that pin-up basis alone, the shelving of the entry is a major loss to fans, DC/WB and otherwise. However, even though Batgirl is no longer in the release pipeline, Joker 2 is. 

There was much speculation on whether a Joker sequel would be made. (Why mess with demented perfection, right?) That Joaquin Phoenix is returning as the burgeoning Clown Prince of Crime is a dream come true for those who fancy a nightmarish jester, and (what do ya know?!) Lady Gaga is to take on the role of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn. 

This second-half, alternate-reality chapter will no doubt sustain the somber tone of the original character study, and while Margot Robbie's Quinn is spot-on to a sublime extent, a mesmerized, anguished Quinn seems ideal for Ms. Gaga. (Just imagine those psych-room exchanges as Mister J seduces Harleen to the pasty-faced side.) 

Hey, ya win some, ya lose some in this ongoing, big-budget superhero/supervillain game, but the Batman mythos isn't going away anytime soon, even if it's only fueled by hardy, speculative discussion. And remember, regardless of Ezra Miller's controversial behavior, The Flash is still on the horizon with Keaton in full, Dark Knight swing. Something Bat-tastic to look forward to, indeed!