The Joker and Harley Quinn have had various looks throughout the years, but now they can add “samurai” to the list thanks to a recent cosplay. A pair of cosplayers known as TheRealSamuraiJoker delivers on what they promise, as the classic Batman villains are brought back to feudal Japan.
Ever since the publication of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight in 1989 and the establishment of the “Elseworlds” line, DC Comics has often depicted its characters in different settings and time periods: Batman operates in 19th century Gotham City on the trail of Jack the Ripper. The Justice League saddle up in the Old West to become the Justice Riders. Superman is reinterpreted as the Frankenstein Monster in a take-off on Mary Shelley’s immortal classic. Until the line was phased out and replaced with DC's modern “Black Label” series of books, Elseworlds provided a way for comic book creators to tell storylines that provided new takes on classic characters, without interfering with established continuity.
Now, cosplay artists TheRealSamuraiJoker honor the Elseworlds line by giving the Joker and Harley Quinn their own armor and weaponry right out of feudal Japan. It’s a clever conceit that is brilliantly executed by the pair, weaving in the clown couple’s iconic colors into each outfit. The Joker armor makes excellent use of purple and green, along with the creative touch of adding a Joker playing card as a crest for his helmet. The Harley armor also implements her alternating red-and-black color scheme well, and also wields an ōtsuchi, a wooden war-hammer used by warriors in feudal Japan, which acts as a clever replacement for Harley’s famed weapon. Check out TheRealSamuraiJoker’s work below:
Joker and Harley Quinn Get A Samurai Makeover
DC characters have been reinterpreted through the lens of feudal Japan a few times in the past. The 2002 Elseworlds one-shot JLA: Shogun of Steel saw Superman’s rocket ship landing in 14th century Japan as opposed to Smallville. Baby Kal-El grows up to be the warrior Hoshi, who teams with a group of other warriors based on the Justice League to lead a rebellion against the Shogun. The story "The Narrow Path" by Chuck Dixon and Enrique Villagran from 1994's Robin annual reimagines Batman and Robin as a ninja and his student. Most recently, the animated film Batman: Ninja transplanted the heroes and villains of Gotham City to feudal Japan. Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki provided the character designs for the film, which involved a time-displaced Batman and his allies fighting to prevent the Joker from changing history by taking over feudal Japan.
TheRealSamuraiJoker’s excellent cosplay reminds fans that iconic characters like the Joker and Harley Quinn can be reinterpreted in dozens of creative ways.
Sources: TheRealSamuraiJoker (1, 2) and Tisdale Photography via Instagram