The Man Behind the Red Hood!

"The Man Behind The Red Hood!" is a comic book story arc in the Batman and Detective Comics series. It features Batman and a few University students trying to crack a decade-old case—only for an old archenemy to return.

Plot Summary
Batman and Robin have been asked by Dean Chalmers, head of Gotham University, to volunteer as teachers for his criminology class. Batman agrees.

Over the course of a month, Batman teaches the students many things and decides that they are ready for a real case—that of "The Red Hood." Batman gives the students clues about the mysterious burglar's crimes and encounters with Batman.

The students discover that the Red Hood decided to steal one million dollars from the Monarch Playing Card Company, but was thought to have been killed after jumping into a basin of the company's chemicals following a confrontation with Batman.

The Red Hood hears of the re-opening of the case and attacks the school. Finally, when Batman unmasks him, The Red Hood turns out to be the school gardener. Batman questions him and finds out that the school gardener had captured the real Red Hood and left him locked inside a tool shed. He decided to commit crimes and frame the Red Hood.

Batman, Robin and the students discover that the "Red Hood" is in fact their old nemesis, The Joker. The Joker explains that years ago, he was a lab worker who decided to steal from the Monarch Playing Card Company. After being thwarted by Batman, however, he jumped into the chemical waste to escape. He survived, but was left with his trademark chalk white skin, red lips and green hair. Driven insane by the accident, he dedicated his life to getting revenge on Batman.

Publication
In addition to having been printed in "Detective Comics 168," "The Man Behind The Red Hood!" has been reprinted in:
 * Batman
 * Batman Archives Vol.8
 * Batman In The Fifties
 * Batman: From The 30's to the 70's
 * The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told
 * Limited Collector's Edition C-39

Notability

 * This issue is extremely notable for being the first ever media of introducing the origin of The Joker, Batman's greatest enemy.
 * The Joker's origin from this comic has been used in various Batman-related media, including the 1989 film Batman, which starred Michael Keaton versus Jack Nicholson.
 * Due to being the only Silver Age Comic Book of introducing The Joker's origin, it has been reprinted in countless DC comics collections which feature characters's origins from the Silver Age and Golden Age of Comic Books.
 * It was chosen as one of the comic books to represent "Batman In The Fifties," "Batman From The '30s To The '70s," and as one of "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told."