The Card Sharks
Created by:
Bob Wayne
Although the conspiracy is not named until the thirteenth book of the series, it is plain that it was organized in the 1940s, shortly after the wild card virus was released. Albert Einstein is reputed to have started the organization and may later have been assassinated by the same. Since the Card Sharks are themselves the source of this rumor, its validity is questionable.
The Card Sharks details numerous Card Shark plots down through the years. Although not explicitly noted, it can be assumed that members of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) were among the first recruits. Some of the minor plots were just to discredit or remove individuals (the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis) or to create anti-wild card propaganda or to prevent pro-wild card stories from being circulated.
Other plots were more widespread. Jokertown was created through the Sharks’ manipulation to herd jokers into a contained area (like the Warsaw Ghetto of World War II). A 1959 plot to burn down Jokertown (later fictionalized in Roman Polanski’s movie Jokertown) was revealed ending a long-term Card Sharks plan to kill jokers en-masse, as was an attempted 1985 genocide of African jokers using the AIDS virus.
