Why Gotham's Joker Is The Best

The "Death of the Family" storyline is one of the creepiest and most compelling Batman stories in recent years, making the Joker even more terrifying by having his face taken off and reattached with a hasty staple job (then knocked off and reattached a few more times). Gotham put its own spin on that story, with Jerome sporting the look that must be terrifyingly familiar to Batman comic readers. Jerome has his face cut off and his face is literally stapled back on like a mask—just like the "real" Joker in the comics.

Gotham goes pretty far with the freaky body horror inherent with a faceless baddie, even showing off a bandaged, faceless Jerome for a while, but it isn't quite as visceral as the panels on the page. Which makes sense, because that look would likely push things beyond what network censors allow, anyway. Still, it's the first time this iconic Batman story has been adapted into live action, and it's pretty great.