DC's upcoming Rebirth event will see a number of superheroes sporting new looks, including Batman and Superman. Heck, even the DC Comics logo is getting a redesign.
It looks like Joker will also be undergoing a transformation this summer, as variant cover art for the upcoming Batman #1 seems to have revealed the character's DC Rebirth look.
The reveal comes via artist Rafael Albuquerque, who posted his Fried Pie Comics variant cover art to Instagram earlier today. As this is a variant cover, there's a possibility it might not officially be what the Joker's redesign looks like, but we're going to assume it probably is. The image shows a sleek, effeminate-looking Joker wearing a white suit, his green hair slicked back.
At first glance, it's easy to see how the redesign might have found inspiration in Jared Leto's upcoming cinematic portrayal of the character in Suicide Squad. There are a number of similarities between the two, excluding the numerous tattoos seen on Leto's Joker, of course. Leto will even be wearing a white suit not so different from the one featured in the cover at some point during the film.
DC has already revealed Harley Quinn's new comic look, and she looks almost identical to Margot Robbie's version of the character in the upcoming Suicide Squad. It would make perfect sense for DC to redesign the Joker in Leto's image.
A photo posted by Rafael Albuquerque (@rafaelalbuquerque81) on May 18, 2016 at 9:15am PDT
That being said, the image also looks to draw from a number of other sources as well, including Frank Miller and Greg Capullo. The white suit is an obvious reference to the Joker's look in The Dark Knight Returns, while his hairstyle and overall body shape share a similar appearance to that of the Joker in Capullo's most recent run on Batman. The main difference seems to be the character's face, which, in many ways, seems far more angular than anything seen in Capullo's depictions of Joker.
We'll have to wait and see if this does turn out to be the Joker's official new look, but it certainly wouldn't surprise us. DC Rebirth kicks off later this month.
