Ordered the book over Amazon.  Many thanks, Quantus.

Glad to know that unlike Fight Club, the folks here will talk about fighting. 

Ouch.  Copyright and intellectual property issues.  No easy answer here. 

I think the latest version of the Joker worked so well because we were never really sure what motivated the guy.  He told several stories about how he got his "smile," and each one of them pretty grim.  But he gave a different story seemingly at the drop of the hat.

I think we can all relate to someone who has gone "bad" because of unusual or tragic circumstances in their life, but the Joker kept us guessing as to what that might be.  That was unique.

Also, I think some of the greatest villains aren't necessarily ones who think they're right, but know that they're wrong and relish in believing that they're above or beyond the normal morals.  For example, Hannibal Lechter worked as a villain because he knew he was a killer, but thought himself beyond the rules of society -- "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."  The same was true of the Joker.

Other villains are memorable simply because they are a complete badass -- like Darth Vader in the "A New Hope."  Or Agent Smith in "The Matrix."  Definitely not people to mess with.

Back from vacation.  Up to 155,000 words on my first novel.  Started working on the climax, but I know that there are some lose threads/subplots that need to be worked on.  It is a long and slow process, sometimes.