Joker in other media City villains the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman. Jack Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman". The "Newsweek" review of the film stated that the best scenes are due to the surreal black comedy portrayed in the Joker. In 2003, American Film Institute ranked Nicholson's performance #45 on their list of 50 greatest film villains. Hugo Blick and David U. Hodges play younger versions of the character in flashbacks in "Batman" and "Batman Forever", respectively. In the film, Jack Napier is the right-hand man of mob boss Carl Grissom prior to his transformation into the Joker. During
Batman: A Death in the Family hostage in. Upon its publication, "A Death in the Family" attracted massive media attention, some of it critical. In retrospect, the storyline is remembered as one of the most important in the Batman family of comics. Elements of the story have since been incorporated in various Batman-related media. Batman relieves Jason Todd of his duties as Robin due to his impulsive nature. Enraged, Jason storms off. On his own, he learns that Catherine Todd is not his biological mother and sets off to find his real mother, eventually tracking her to the Middle East. Meanwhile, the Joker escapes from Arkham