Is Prince Finally The Joker in This Upcoming Batman Comic?

The artist behind a revival of the Batman '89 comic shares a first look at the character designs for his new Clown Prince of Crime.

Though he was captured in comic panels several times over throughout his career, Prince appears to be headed back to the page in an upcoming reboot of DC Comics' Batman '89.

Earlier this week, Joe Quinones, the artist illustrating the Batman '89 revival, previewed a number of character designs for the limited-run series. On Twitter, Quinones shared early mock-ups of Bruce Wayne as both caped crusader and corporate titan, along with Alfred and Commissioner Gordon. But in another frame, Quinones teased The Joker's crew with a sketch bearing an uncanny resemblance to Prince, as if it were cut straight out of the "Partyman" video. Although it's unclear whether the late icon will have a second life as the actual Clown Prince of Crime in the comic, it appears his likeness will at least be central to this iteration of Batman.

And it's a fitting salute. Prince was a vocal fan of Batman, once claiming to have taught himself the theme song to the 1960s live-action show starring Adam West. Prince was also behind the soundtrack to the Tim Burton-directed film Batman '89 is based on. Anchored by the lead single, "Batdance," his OST was released three days ahead of the film and went on to become 2x platinum in the states. In a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone, the late musician claimed the soundtrack was initially intended to be a collaborative project with Michael Jackson, but scheduling and label conflicts upended the colossal team-up.

See Joe Quinones' early sketches from Batman '89 below and scroll on to watch Prince's "Partyman" video. Hold tight for the first issue of the comic to drop on  July 26th via DC Comics.