Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Absolute Batman #15
Stephen King’s Pennywise has long been one of horror’s most unsettling creations, with the new series IT: Welcome To Derry expanding his mythology even further. However, DC’s new Absolute Joker is definitely giving his fellow monster clown a run for his money.
Having debuted in Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’s new Absolute Batman #15, the Absolute Universe’s Joker feels eerily familiar, with more than a few elements clearly being inspired by Pennywise. However, I’m honestly feeling like this new Joker may be even scarier and far more dangerous (here’s why).
Welcome To Derry Has Been Expanding The Origins of Pennywise The Clown
HBO Max’s new show Welcome to Derry digs deeper into what Pennywise actually is. Thanks to the movies (and King’s original novel), we knew that Pennywise is an ancient cosmic entity that crash-landed on Earth, and has been using Derry as a feeding ground for decades (every 27 years).
Now, Welcome To Derry has been expanding on the idea that “Pennywise” is truly just a mask, with the clown form being chosen because it attracts children and lowers their defenses (and children have less complex fears to exploit compared to adults).
The series has further confirmed that Pennywise was an actual clown performed by Bob Gray who was also a father, though he was lured into the woods and eaten after the monster took the form of a child seeking help.
Whether he’s a clown, a ravenous multi-fanged monster, or has taken the form of his victims’ fears, Pennywise is all kinds of terrifying. However, we also know the limits of his power. He only strikes every 27 years between hibernations, and can also be weakened into submission by “being made small” through the eyes of his victims.
Absolute Batman Just Debuted Its New Joker (And He Feels WAY Scarier)
In comparison, it’s pretty easy to see the Pennywise inspirations for Absolute Joker. That said, their differences make me even more scared of this new Clown Prince of Crime who’s arguably the stuff of nightmares on a whole other level.
Jack Grimm aka The Joker of DC’s Absolute Universe, feels like Pennywise taken to the extreme. Like his horror clown, Grimm has existed for decades upon decades, shaping the world through fear by always playing both sides of humanity and profiting off the chaos, laughing only when mortals despair, having started his darkness as a child himself doing a sinister clown show in the streets.
His longevity is unnatural, sustained by what looks to be a horrific mixture of dark science using babies and supernatural means with a suspected demon pact.
Pennywise hunts primarily on children (though he has gone after adults like we see with the grown-up Losers). Comparatively, Grimm preys on everyone. Politicians, elites, criminals, and citizens are all potential tools, targets, or food.
No one is off-limits, and Grimm even hunts his victims on various islands he owns as a multi-billionaire, capable of taking a truly monstrous form that is certainly evocative of Pennywise, having multiple rows of fangs as he turns into an eldritch apex predator.
Unlike Pennywise, we don’t yet know the limits of Grimm’s power, though it seems pretty doubtful that Batman will be able to stop him by simply not being afraid. He’s not going to be shamed into weakness or defeat him with belief alone, as his power and influence is far more physical.
As the dark inverse of the main DC Universe’s Batman, I’m genuinely scared by this new Joker and what he’s capable of. Part of that is the elements clearly borrowed from Pennywise, though the ways in which Grimm goes beyond are truly terrifying.
Absolute Batman #15 is on sale now from DC Comics.
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- NAME
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Pennywise (It)
- Alias
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It, The Dancing Clown, Bob Gray, The Eater of Worlds, The Deadlights
- Created By
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Stephen King
- POWERS
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Shape-shifting, Telepathy, Immortality, Manipulation of fear, Illusions, Teleportation, Mind control, Supernatural strength, Invisibility, Regeneration
- RELATIONSHIPS
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The Losers’ Club (adversaries), Henry Bowers (ally, pawn), Georgie Denbrough (victim)
- HISTORY
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Pennywise, or It, is a malevolent entity that originates from the Macroverse, a dimension beyond our reality. It arrived on Earth millions of years ago, eventually settling beneath the town of Derry, Maine. Every 27 years, It awakens from a deep hibernation to feed on the town’s children, exploiting their fears to make their flesh “taste better.” It typically takes the form of a clown named Pennywise, using this guise to lure and terrify children. Throughout its cycles of terror, It has faced resistance from a group of children known as the Losers’ Club, who eventually confront and temporarily defeat It during their childhood. The entity returns when the Losers are adults, leading to a final showdown where they ultimately destroy It.
Pennywise, also known as It, is a shape-shifting cosmic entity and the main antagonist of Stephen King’s IT. Taking the form of a clown to prey on children, Pennywise exploits the deepest fears of its victims, feeding on their terror. Known for its terrifying appearances in both the 1990 miniseries and the more recent 2017 and 2019 films, Pennywise has become a legendary figure in horror, symbolizing the embodiment of fear itself.
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- NAME
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Arthur Fleck
- Alias
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Red Hood, Clown Prince of Crime, Ace of Knaves
- Created By
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Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson
- POWERS
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Criminal Mastermind, Expert Chemist, Weaponized Props, Psychological Manipulation, Combat Skills, Unpredictability, High Pain Tolerance, Charisma, Escape Artist
- RELATIONSHIPS
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Batman (archenemy), Harley Quinn (former psychiatrist, on-and-off girlfriend), Penguin (frequent collaborator), Two-Face (frequent collaborator)
- HISTORY
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The Joker’s history has been depicted with various origin stories, the most common being his transformation into the Joker after falling into a vat of chemical waste that bleaches his skin white, turns his hair green, and lips bright red. This disfigurement drives him insane, leading him to become Batman’s greatest nemesis.
The Joker is a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped sense of humor. Initially introduced as a remorseless serial killer, the character evolved over time, often oscillating between a prankster and a homicidal maniac. His relationship with Batman is one of the most complex in comic book history, defined by their mutual obsession. Over the decades, the Joker has become an enduring icon of chaos and madness, embodying the antithesis of Batman’s order and justice.
