Warning: Spoilers ahead for Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #7!
Whether it be in print or on-screen, fans of the psychotic clown, his gruesome crime scenes even eerier.
It's no secret that the majority of Joker portrayals obsess over the idea of making a public display of their crimes. This usually manifests in giant manufactured catastrophes and overly dramatic monologues. The Killing Joke) focus on exposing the faults of society, Criminal Sanity Joker turns his killings into art.
This villain perfectly exemplifies the 'Mad Artist' trope often seen in crime stories. In this trope, an evil character kills in order to create art that will grab the attention of others. This reveals itself to be the case in Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #7. One finds Joker bent over a bathtub, scrutinizing the crime scene he plans to leave behind. He reflects on what he could do to improve the scene, stating that art evolves in relation to the skill of the artist. In this scenario, Joker views himself to be the artist in question.
In a way, this desire to create a display from such a gruesome act may be the creepiest motive for murder of all time. Criminal Sanity's Joker believes his crime scenes to be something of an aesthetic display. Art, of course, is in the eye of the beholder... but maybe not when it comes to homicide. It's one thing for Joker villains to call out what they believe to be societal flaws, but an entirely separate, more deviant act, when the killer romanticizes the murder itself.
While not the most common Joker motive, this trope isn't exactly brand new to the character. Past renditions portray a similar desire to bring an artist's vision to life. In Joker may not be as focused on gaining the attention of an entire population, but rather, just that of one forensic psychiatrist, Harley Quinn.
