Editing Joker (character) (section)

===Silver Age===
The Joker was one of the few popular villains continuing to appear regularly in Batman comics from the Golden Age into the Silver Age, as the series continued during the rise in popularity of mystery and romance comics. In 1951, Finger wrote an [[origin story]] for the Joker in ''Detective Comics'' #168, which introduced the characteristic of him formerly being the criminal [[Red Hood]], and his disfigurement the result of a fall into a chemical vat.<ref name="SilverAge1"/>

By 1954, the [[Comics Code Authority]] had been established in response to increasing public disapproval of comic book content. The backlash was inspired by [[Frederic Wertham]], who hypothesized that mass media (especially comic books) was responsible for the rise in [[juvenile delinquency]], violence and [[homosexuality]], particularly in young males. Parents forbade their children from reading comic books, and there were several mass burnings.<ref name="ImpactCBR"/> The Comics Code banned gore, innuendo and excessive violence, stripping Batman of his menace and transforming the Joker into a goofy, thieving trickster without his original homicidal tendencies.<ref name="GoldenAge1"/>{{sfn|Manning|2011|p=171}}

The character appeared less frequently after 1964, when [[Julius Schwartz]] (who disliked the Joker) became editor of the Batman comics.<ref name="ImpactCBR"/><ref name="GoldenAge1"/><ref name="GoldenAge5"/> The character risked becoming an obscure figure of the preceding era until this goofy prankster version of the character was adapted into the 1966 television series ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'', in which he was played by [[Cesar Romero]].<ref name="ImpactCBR"/><ref name="GoldenAge1"/> The show's popularity compelled Schwartz to keep the comics in a similar vein. As the show's popularity waned, however, so did that of the ''Batman'' comics.<ref name="ImpactCBR"/><ref name="GoldenAge5"/> After the TV series ended in 1969, the increase in public visibility had not stopped the comic's sales decline; editorial director [[Carmine Infantino]] resolved to turn things around, moving stories away from child-friendly adventures.{{sfn|Manning|2011|p=173|ps=. <q>Because the surge in public visibility hadn't helped stop Batman's comic book slide, editorial director Carmine Infantino vowed to turn things around&nbsp;... and moved even further away from schoolboy-friendly adventures.</q>}} The Silver Age introduced several of the Joker's defining character traits: lethal [[joy buzzer]]s, acid-squirting flowers, trick guns, and goofy, elaborate crimes.<ref name="Personality2"/><ref name="JokerGadgets"/>