Absolute Joker Was This Iconic Serial Killer, DC Reveals

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The Joker is known for being purely and randomly evil, but sadly, many real-life murderers have committed equally cruel and senseless crimes. It’s unclear how many Batman stories have drawn inspiration from these cases. However, a new Absolute Batman collection reveals that, within the Absolute Universe, the Absolute Joker secretly lived a double life as a notorious serial killer.

I just finished reading Absolute Batman: Ark M Special #1, and it’s a really cool dive into the origins of Arkham Asylum. It’s a one-shot written by Scott Snyder and Frank Tieri, with art by Joshua Hixson, and the whole story is told through the personal journal of Amadeus Arkham himself – the guy who actually founded the place. It’s basically an alternate history of how Arkham came to be, and it’s fascinating to see it all unfold through his eyes.

I’ve always been fascinated by Dr. Amadeus. His own childhood was unbelievably tragic – his mother killed his siblings and then herself. It’s amazing he dedicated his life to helping others struggling with mental illness. He never married, but he had a huge heart and adopted a young boy left on the steps of the asylum in 1885. This kid was incredibly bright and curious, always asking about the patients and how they were being treated. Amadeus did his best to explain things, and I imagine that boy learned a lot from him.

The facility closed in 1886 after a group of patients escaped. Among them was Jack Doe, the asylum’s most infamous prisoner – a murderer whom Amadeus suspected had kidnapped and killed his young charge.

What real-world serial-killer is Absolute Joker?

Even after escaping confinement, Amadeus Arkham went on to become a well-respected authority in his area of expertise. He later gained recognition for a book he wrote about Jack Doe, in which he theorized that Doe was actually Jack the Ripper. Arkham believed the similarities in how Doe killed his patients matched the Ripper’s crimes, and the timing of the murders aligned with Doe’s period of freedom. However, it wasn’t until 1945 that Arkham finally understood the full truth.

A developer renovating the asylum basement brought a strange discoloration in the wall to Amadeus’s attention. When they broke through the wall, they found the body of Jack Doe. It was then Amadeus understood the horrifying truth: Jack Doe was his son, and he had been secretly learning from the techniques of all the inmates at Arkham Asylum – including those of Jack the Ripper.

The shocking discovery completely unhinged Amadeus. In a desperate act, he set fire to the asylum and mailed his journal to the police, intending it as a confession. But the journal never reached them; it was intercepted by the seemingly immortal Absolute Joker, who was revealed to be Amadeus Arkham’s estranged son.

This isn’t the first time Jack the Ripper has appeared as a foe for Batman. Back in 1989, the story ‘Gotham by Gaslight’ featured Batman battling Jack the Ripper. However, this is the first time anyone has directly linked the Joker to Jack the Ripper.

Absolute Batman: Ark M Special #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

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2026-01-09 00:07