Jokertown
Encyclopedia
Jokertown is a fictional neighborhood in the Wild Cards
anthology series.
In the Wild Cards universe, it is an area of Manhattan. After the Wild Card virus was released over New York in 1946, many Jokers, those deformed by the virus, began to filter into this largely abandoned area, which was nearly depopulated in the wake of the outbreak. During the remainder of the 1940s and 1950s, and into the early 1960s, the Jokers went unseen, living in isolation, shame, and abject poverty in the former Bowery. The denizens of Jokertown wore masks and other disguises on the streets to hide their deformities, and no nats
came into this neighborhood except to beat up a few "freaks" for kicks.
Starting in the mid-1960s, however, Jokertown began to become a true home for its citizens, developing its own customs. A number of Jokers started their own businesses. Nat tourists started coming to gawk at the natives and partake of the seamier side of life, often "blending in" by wearing cheap dime-store masks that fooled nobody. Most importantly, Dr. Tachyon
returned and opened the Blythe Van Rensselaer
Memorial Clinic, usually known as just the Jokertown Clinic, to treat the various, often exotic, medical needs of the poverty-stricken Jokers.
New York's Jokertown is the single largest Joker community in the Wild Cards world. It is the home of the Jokertown Clinic, the Church of Jesus Christ, Joker (home of Father Squid
), The Crystal Palace (a bar belonging to information broker Chrysalis
), the Famous Bowery Wild Card Dime Museum (where the largest collection of wild card artifacts - such as The Great and Powerful Turtle
's old shells and the Astronomer
's skeleton - are on display), several tourist-oriented clubs such as Freakers and The Funhouse, and some very non-tourist places like Squisher's Basement. Police presence is usually limited and scarce (unless a nat tourist is involved), and the jokers who live here have learned to watch out for themselves.
The criminal community operates in Jokertown mostly unrestricted, held in check only by rival gangs and the occasional wild card vigilante, such as the Oddity or Black Shadow. Major joker gangs include the Werewolves and Demon Princes. Adjoining Chinatown
on one side, Asian gangs such as the Immaculate Egrets also exert pressure on Jokertown. From the 1980s onward, the Italian Mafia
is little in evidence New York's underworld. Instead, a fusion of Asian and joker street gangs under the umbrella title of Shadow Fists
came to power following a bloody gang war.
Wild Cards
Wild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
anthology series.
In the Wild Cards universe, it is an area of Manhattan. After the Wild Card virus was released over New York in 1946, many Jokers, those deformed by the virus, began to filter into this largely abandoned area, which was nearly depopulated in the wake of the outbreak. During the remainder of the 1940s and 1950s, and into the early 1960s, the Jokers went unseen, living in isolation, shame, and abject poverty in the former Bowery. The denizens of Jokertown wore masks and other disguises on the streets to hide their deformities, and no nats
Nat (Wild Cards)
Nat is a slang term from the Wild Cards novels referring to normal humans uninfected by the Wild Card virus. Most often used by Jokers when referring to their uninfected oppressors, though also occasionally employed by Aces as a pejorative...
came into this neighborhood except to beat up a few "freaks" for kicks.
Starting in the mid-1960s, however, Jokertown began to become a true home for its citizens, developing its own customs. A number of Jokers started their own businesses. Nat tourists started coming to gawk at the natives and partake of the seamier side of life, often "blending in" by wearing cheap dime-store masks that fooled nobody. Most importantly, Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He was created for the books by Melinda M. Snodgrass. Tachyon is a geneticist from the planet Takis, whose people naturally developed various telepathic powers...
returned and opened the Blythe Van Rensselaer
Brain Trust (Wild Cards)
Brain Trust was a fictional character from the first book in the Wild Cards anthology series and a member of The Four Aces, appearing in the stories "Witness" by Walter Jon Williams and "Degradation Rites" by Melinda M. Snodgrass .-Biography:Blythe was the wife of domineering New York Congressman...
Memorial Clinic, usually known as just the Jokertown Clinic, to treat the various, often exotic, medical needs of the poverty-stricken Jokers.
New York's Jokertown is the single largest Joker community in the Wild Cards world. It is the home of the Jokertown Clinic, the Church of Jesus Christ, Joker (home of Father Squid
Father Squid
Father Squid is a fictional priest from the Wild Cards anthology series. He was created by John J. Miller.Father Squid is a Joker, the common term for a person deformed by the alien Wild Card Virus. He has a mass of small tentacles hanging where his nose would be, slick hairless grey skin,...
), The Crystal Palace (a bar belonging to information broker Chrysalis
Chrysalis (Wild Cards)
Chrysalis is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. Chrysalis is the current owner/operator of the Crystal Palace, one of Jokertown's most well known nightclubs. She has blue eyes, almost totally transparent skin and muscle tissue, and no hair. She usually wears minimal amounts of...
), the Famous Bowery Wild Card Dime Museum (where the largest collection of wild card artifacts - such as The Great and Powerful Turtle
The Great and Powerful Turtle
The Great and Powerful Turtle is a fictional character from the Wild Cards series of books. Created by series editor George R. R. Martin, Turtle has appeared in several stories penned by his creator as well as a supporting character of varying levels of importance in stories by other Wild Card...
's old shells and the Astronomer
The Astronomer (Wild Cards)
The Astronomer is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He first appeared in the short story "Pennies from Hell" by Lewis Shiner in Wild Cards II: Aces High, though his presence was earlier implied in "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" in the first volume of the series...
's skeleton - are on display), several tourist-oriented clubs such as Freakers and The Funhouse, and some very non-tourist places like Squisher's Basement. Police presence is usually limited and scarce (unless a nat tourist is involved), and the jokers who live here have learned to watch out for themselves.
The criminal community operates in Jokertown mostly unrestricted, held in check only by rival gangs and the occasional wild card vigilante, such as the Oddity or Black Shadow. Major joker gangs include the Werewolves and Demon Princes. Adjoining Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
on one side, Asian gangs such as the Immaculate Egrets also exert pressure on Jokertown. From the 1980s onward, the Italian Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
is little in evidence New York's underworld. Instead, a fusion of Asian and joker street gangs under the umbrella title of Shadow Fists
Shadow Fists
The Shadow Fist Society is the name of a fictional criminal organization in the Wild Cards book series. They were created by John J. Miller, and featured in many of his Wild Cards short stories, but have also been used by other Wild Cards writers. The Shadow Fists are composed of three major gangs:...
came to power following a bloody gang war.