Extra, Extra!: Our First Good Look at Jared Leto's Joker

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

Between its increasingly high profile cast, pitch-perfect director and the fact that it marks the first cinematic appearance of The Joker since Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight,  DC's The Suicide Squad seems to be snagging up headlines every week.  If it wasn't for the fact that every last shred of news to come out of the nascent production was so interesting, it'd be easy enough to tune the deluge out.

But DC's gone and done it this time.  They've finally given us our first look at Jared Leto as The Joker, and it's without a doubt the coolest thing that I've seen since they revealed Deadpool's new costume.

Although Heath Ledger set a new standard in menace with his horrific take on the Clown Prince of Crime, Jared Leto may very well give him a run for his money.  Although neither as disfigured nor as made up as Ledger's Joker (although just give that last part some time), Leto cuts an unsettling figure with his tight-cropped green hair, hollow eyes and lightly reddened lips.

Leto's dramatic costuming reveal draws upon the iconic Joker cover for 1988's The Killing Joke.  The comic - often cited as the definitive Joker story - involves him shooting and paralysing Barbara Gordon and positing that it only takes "one bad day" to make anybody go insane.  Christopher Nolan cites it as an inspiration for The Dark Knight's Joker and gave a copy of it to Ledger to reference during shooting.

Although it will likely turn out to have only been referenced because of its iconic stature in Joker canon, I can't help but wonder if there's going to be some connection between The Killing Joke and The Suicide Squad.  We already know that The Joker and Harley Quinn will have broken up by the time of the movie because of him murdering Jason Todd (Robin).  Has he already crippled Gordon too, or is that being saved for some stakes raising later in the DCCU?

Either way, expect to hear and see more about The Suicide Squad and especially Leto's Joker now that production on the movie's officially started.  There's bound to be a few more juicy details waiting in the pipeline.

So what do you think about the Joker's new look?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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