Why so serious… about the Joker? US woman collects DC memorabilia of famous villain
If Batman has his Bat Cave, and Superman hangs out on Krypton… Megan Pierce from Bloomington, Indiana, USA has her Joker-themed lair – and we doubt any superheroes are venturing in anytime soon.
Owner of the largest collection of the Joker memorabilia in the world, Megan has 2,318 items dedicated to the DC Comics villain neatly stored in rooms in her house. Spanning from floor to ceiling, dozens of figurines, comic books, cardboard cut-outs and limited-edition food products are organized on shelves and racks, in a colourful and devoted ode to the crazy clown.
The white-skinned, green-haired villain with the crazy grin was first created back in 1940 by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson at DC Comics. Developed as an archenemy to the beloved Batman, the clown’s wicked origins are most commonly attributed to when he fell in a vat of chemicals which warped his appearance and personality.
Despite the fact that he is a constant thorn in the side of classic superheroes, the character quickly became popular because of his twisted sense of humour and circus-themed tricks. His story was adapted into numerous successful comic books, movies, and video games, and the first R-rated film to earn $1 billion at the worldwide box office was Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Joker (2019).
So naturally, there’s a mass amount of Joker-themed memorabilia out on the market – and Megan Piece has tried her best to get her hands on as much of it as she can.
“Here I’ve got a friend with me… the Joker!” Megan said, laughing, as she toured Guinness World Records around her collection earlier this month.
Pointing to a card-board cutout of Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight (2008), she remarked that she “got it for a steal” on Facebook Marketplace – and don’t worry, because even though she has a long-standing love for the character, she’d never stoop to thieving items like the classic villain.
As you continue to walk around her lair, you’ll notice stacks of VHS tapes, racks of comic books, and dozens of boxed and unboxed figurines.
One of the largest pieces in her collection is a 1989 Tim Burton Batman bicycle, which she lovingly explained as: “a lot of strange merchandise was coming out around this time”.
And in the back corner of the room, shelves display (uneaten) Joker-themed food products from the 20th century, with items like Pez Dispensers, soup cans, a 1966 Joker bowl, and a chocolate bar from 1989.
“It’s still solid!” she clarified.
And we’re sure you’re wondering – who is Megan’s favourite Joker?
Well, she has good taste – and you’ll notice a lot of Jack Nicholson items scattered throughout the collection.
Showing off her display of magazines from 1966 to 2022, she said: “I have some of the Joaquin Phoenix Joker, the Jack Nicholson Joker, the Heath Ledger Joker, and the Jared Leto Joker. And quite a few other comic book magazines that I’ve collected over the years.”
She also has over 100 unique autographed items in her collection – one of her favourites being a Dark Knight: Master Race issue 4, signed by Jim Lee, Frank Miller, and Klaus Janson, whom she met at Baltimore Comic Con.
And the oldest comic that she has in her collection is a coverless copy of Batman issue 55 from 1949.
“We have Joker here committing crimes in 48 states, recognizing that there are only 48 United States at this time – which I think is a very cool historical piece in my collection.”
And even though Megan’s now claimed her Guinness World Records title – which is displayed proudly in her room – she doesn’t think she’ll stop purchasing merchandise anytime soon. She doesn’t know how much everything in her collection is worth, but it’s a small price to pay for following your passions.
Congratulations, Megan, on your incredible collection – you are Officially Amazing!