Y'know, I think the Jokerz are one of the main reasons that 'Batman Beyond' worked as well as it did. I mean, yes, there are strong central characters and a continuation of themes originated in earlier shows and all that, but it's a truism that a hero is only as good as his villains - and without some hint of the Joker, the Batman is lessened somewhat. The Jokerz give us that hint, while at the same time exploiting the clownlike image of the Joker in ways that the original couldn't really do. What I mean by this is that the original Joker may exploit the image of an evil clown, but he's been around so long that you don't think 'clown' when you see him, you think 'Joker'. His image is ingrained on our minds, and while that gives it a punch that newer images don't have, it has lost some of its freshness over the years. The Jokerz, on the other hand, take 'evil clown' as a basic starting point, and run with it in increasingly bizarre ways. I mean, look at that gathering of them on the second-to-last page. It runs the gamut from traditional clownish attire to skull-faces, weird masks, what looks like futuristic football gear... Basically, whatever bizarre permutation of clownish mannerisms you can think of, there's probably one of the Jokerz wearin' them. They work very well that way.