Lesson Plan: The Joker: Endgame

Review

The Clown Prince of Crime is at it again. But this time it’s more scary than you can imagine. It’s his endgame! According to the Joker, it’s not just the endgame for Batman either. It’s the endgame for everyone in Gotham: men, women, children. Even their pets! In all the Joker’s hilarity even the villains are joke-filled targets in this endgame. Although it’s another sick joke it’s a heck of a play for the Joker, however. Twisted with genius the Joker is known for he is about to turn Gotham into his biggest, sickest joke ever!

A graphic novel built upon a compilation of some of the Joker’s most notorious psychoanalytic gag-based chaotic crimes toward Batman, Batgirl, and students at Gotham Academy this graphic novel brings the reader some of the very best snippets of the Joker’s darkest and deadliest plans.

In short, the Joker has had it. Once and for all in these stories of his mad and hilarious undertakings. He’s done playing games with Batman and Gotham. He’s going to end it for good. Think about it: He’s lost face, figuratively, one too many times; and in this graphic novel compilation he literally loses his face. Even though Batman always seems to save the day in this graphic novel the Joker is ready to pull his final playing card to end the game!

English Language Arts Elements of Story

Plot(s): While Batman thinks that the Joker is simply pulling another sick joke on Gotham, the Joker has other plans. This is not a sick joke. It’s an endgame, an endgame to finalize the Joker’s sickly-twisted schemes once and for all.

Major Characters: The Joker, Batman, Alfred, Harley Quinn, Thomas Blackcrow, Warren, The Joker’s Henchmen, Robin, Molly, Eric and Maureen, Superman, Wonder Woman, Julia, Mr. Border, Batgirl, students of Gotham Academy, citizens of Gotham City, Morton, Aaron, Cordelia

Major Settings: Arkham Manor, Gotham City, Granny’s Gags and Gifts, Tommy’s home, jail, Gotham Royal Theater, Old Wayne Tower, Kane County, underwater, Arkham Asylum, sewer

Major Themes: Heroes and Villains, Good and Evil, Trickery and Justice, Endgames versus Games, Persistence, Friendship

Reading/Literacy Standard Recommendations For Young Adult Readers in Language Arts Grades 8 – 12

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.B*
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

*The same standard for 8th thru 11th grade writing is encompassed within this 12th grade standard.

Writing Lesson Plan for Grades 8 – 12

Directions: Write an essay that states and develops a claim regarding this writing prompt: “In your opinion, which three ‘endgame’ stories from the Joker: Endgame best highlight the Joker’s greatest endgame strategy?”

Be sure your essay not only provides evidence to support your claim about the three best Joker “endgame” stories, but also addresses counterclaims that might contradict your claim. Write for an audience that has not yet read the graphic novel.

Dr. Katie Monnin is an Associate Professor of Literacy at the University of North Florida. Besides the joy that comes with reading comic books and graphic novels, Dr. Monnin enjoys a Peter Pan-ish life of researching and writing her own books about teaching comics, graphic novels, and cartoons: Teaching Graphic Novels (2010), Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels (2011), Using Content-Area Graphic Texts for Learning (2012), Teaching Reading Comprehension with Graphic Texts (2013), and Get Animated! Teaching 21st Century Early Reader and Young Adult Cartoons in Language Arts (2014); Teaching New Literacies in Elementary Language Arts (2015). When she is not writing (or sitting around wondering how she ended up making an awesome career out of studying comics and graphic novels), Dr. Monnin spends her time with her three wiener dogs, Samantha, Max, and Alex Morgan Monnin.