Send In the Clowns - Batman: Mad Love

The Batman Adventures: Mad Love (February 1994)
"Mad Love"
Paul Dini-Bruce Timm

Doug: No, we're not trying to milk any traffic from the Suicide Squad flick that releases toward the end of the summer. Shoot - I'm not even going to see it (I can't speak for Karen, though). Rather, we're here today because this is one of those Batman stories that often turns up on Bat-fans' favorite stories lists. I'd say it rests within my list, which has never been formerly compiled, I should add. But this is a good one, and for those among our readers who hold Batman: The Animated Series in high regard, it will be a trip down memory lane. Paul Dini has been praised on this space before for his collaborations with Alex Ross on the oversized DC storybooks of the 1990s; Bruce Timm provided the art on the very-fun Avengers 1 1/2 that many enjoyed. But these guys made their "claim to fame" by crafting the Batman cartoon, one of the very high points of comics-related material in that decade. Today's comic, if you've never read it, is a PG-13 story from Earth-BTAS.

Doug: Back in the early 1990s I had a recurring recording set on the VCR for Batman: The Animated Series. When our first son was an infant and on into his toddler years, it was a little easier to find time to watch my tapes. I'm pretty certain that I've seen every episode from the show's first few seasons. But when it evolved to The Adventures of Batman and Robin and beyond, it became more difficult to make the time. I really can't think of any clunkers in the inventory -- BTAS was consistently great. So later on I gave the four-color The Batman Adventures a try, and found it to be one of the best Batman books available at the time. Collecting the trade paperbacks from that series is on my "to do" list, primarily due to the timelessness of the stories told without the weight of continuity and "trendiness". To the book at hand, I don't believe I'd heard any publicity ahead of the release; but when I saw this square-bound beauty on the shelf at my LCS, I knew it was going home with me. Shall we check out a 100-Word Review of the plot?

Batman barely saves Commissioner Gordon from death in the dentist chair at the hands of the Joker and Harley Quinn. But in the melee the Joker finds out that Harley had left a joke as a clue; he neither found it funny nor appropriate that he hadn’t been the one to make it. Woven among vignettes of Harley’s origin, we watch her scheme against the Batman in an effort to win the Joker’s heart. We learn that she has truly given herself to the notion of being “Mrs. Joker”. Of course the plot fails and the Joker di-… does he?

The Good: Right from the beginning, the tagline atop the cover of this book just cracks me up: "Psychotic Mass-Murdering Clowns and the Women Who Love Them". And while that would make for a clunky title as compared to "Mad Love", it truly is the gist of the story. Sure, Batman and the Joker are the main attractions here, but this is really a tale of Harley's "mad love" for the Clown Prince of Crime. And what a Joker this is. Many have felt that the Joker of "Hunt the Dark Knight", Arkham Asylum or The Killing Joke is the most over-the-top DC has presented. I'd argue that despite being presented in the animated style, this Joker is as maniacal and unpredictable as Heath Ledger's turn in the film The Dark Knight. I recall feeling very uneasy whenever the Joker was on screen during that movie. Although not the same sense here due to the different medium, in retrospect this Joker is every bit as impulsive, violent, egocentric, etc., etc. as anything Ledger showed us.

The plot and script of this story are very well done. The pacing is perfect, and every scene either fills in some backstory (in the case of Harley's origin) or moves the "present" along toward the climax. Nothing is wasted in terms of page count or my time as a resource. I mentioned above that this is a bit racier than the stories we'd find in the regular four-color series about the animated world. The violence is ramped up, as is the sexual tension. Harley spends a fare amount of page time in nothing but a red teddy; however, it is inferred that although she chases the Joker for physical love he seems disinterested. As to the violence, as one might assume a fair degree of explosions, gunplay, and so on. You'd be right. There are also a few scenes that would definitely qualify as domestic violence, the whimsical style of the art aside. I thought about shifting that aspect of the plot down to "The Bad", but as it's important to the characterization of both the Joker and Harley I left it here. It fits.

While the themes are adult, the story is still told like a cartoon. Yes, it's violence is off the charts, but even that is so ridiculous that you really do feel like you're watching an old Looney Tunes. It's not good at all when the Joker knocks Harley out a 5th-floor window, and her landing is hard... but to the point where you expected to see an exaggerated "Splaaaat!!" Tastefully, it isn't that.

Lastly, it was nice to see a Batman story where he is a) solo and b) heroic. There is no line-crossing here, no gray area. This is the Batman we grew up with. Sure, he's slightly darker due to the tone of the story -- even here you can feel the impact of the works of Frank Miller and Tim Burton. But it's done better, taking the good aspects of the latter-day Batman mythos and combining it with the Bronze Age Batman of O'Neil, Adams, Englehart, Rogers, etc. And the ending is just right.

The Bad: As I said, the domestic violence aspect is something to be wary of. But then again, the overall violence level in this story would make me keep it out of the hands of a child. This isn't a "roll it in your back pocket and get on your bike" sort of comic book.

The Ugly: I guess I am hesitant to review comics where I'd really fill up this section. I find myself often leaving this blank. In fact, I'm basically typing this text so it won't be blank! But truly, there were no plot points that irked me, no blatant mischaracterizations, or anything overtly offensive about this book. You couldn't say it was "good, clean fun", but you could say it was fun.

"Mad Love" has been reprinted a few times, so it's not too difficult to find a copy if you've not previously read it. Again, like the Batman Adventures series, if you're a fan of classic Batman stories you will not be disappointed. If for some reason you're put off by the art style, I believe you'll put that behind you very shortly -- the stories are that good.

Superman 75th Anniversary Tribute Cartoon

Karen: Hey kids, has everyone seen this neat little tribute film by Bruce Timm and Zach Snyder?

Finding Silver Well Past Bronze: Avengers 1 1/2

Avengers #1 1/2 (October 1999)
"The Death-Trap of Doctor Doom!"
Roger Stern-Bruce Timm

Doug: Here's an issue that turned up in the comments section of one of our posts some months ago. I wish I could recall specifically where the comment was made; it runs in my mind it was in an Open Forum on what is canon in comics. At any rate, Karen and I both liked this issue over a decade ago, and with all of the attention being paid the Avengers cartoon and upcoming film this seemed like as good a time as any to have a look.

Karen: I loved this issue when I first saw it, and still do. If nothing else, it makes you wish there'd been more stories with the Hulk as an Avenger.

Doug: First off, Bruce Timm just does a phenomenal job of emulating Jack Kirby. His style dovetails nicely with the King's, right from the cover image. And how about the editing team? From the Silver Age goodness of that cover to the send-ups of 1960's advertisements throughout the book, this was $2.50 well spent back in the day!

Karen: You can tell a lot of love went into making this book.

Doug: As the numbering suggests, this story (a done-in-one, natch) takes place between the origin of the team in #1 and the first break-up of the team in #2. I think the creators, and some fans alike, felt that the immediate departure of the Hulk, accompanied by the switch by Henry Pym from Ant-Man to Giant-Man, left a big hole in Avengers history. So we pick this one up as the media gets hold of the news that this team has formed. Scribe Roger Stern shows us the reactions of local New Yorkers as well as those other super-powered denizens of the Marvel Universe: the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. It's a really nice touch, and is a real throwback to simpler times, when the MU was in its infancy. While the FF are for the most part interested in the Avengers as allies, Spidey just wants a job. Funny stuff.

Karen: Both Stern and Timm did a wonderful job capturing the feel of that era. All of the cameos had the perfect tone.

Doug: Once the real plot gets rolling, we find Major Bowman of the National Security Council dropping by Tony Stark's mansion to ask assistance of this new band of heroes. Jarvis shows him in, and explains that the mansion's staff has been reduced by 75% due to the presence of the volatile Hulk. There are a couple of nice scenes in the midst of this of Janet being Janet and Thor and Hulk arguing over the Hulk's attire. Classic, smiley vignettes. The Major has come to report that there are concerns about Dr. Doom; Hank explains that he helped the FF defeat Doom and Doom's no easy foe. His "flying fortress" had been impounded, but that's where our trouble begins: in the midst of the briefing, the Major gets word that the ship has shaken free of its hangar and is heading out over the Atlantic!

Karen: The interactions here between the founding members are priceless. I especially enjoyed the Hulk and Thor butting heads over everything, including Hulk's shorts, and the Wasp flirting with Thor - and asking Iron Man if Tony Stark is as dreamy as he looks on TV! The tie-ins and footnotes to existing comics were appreciated.

Doug: Scrambling into a waiting "jet copter", the Avengers and the Major pursue. What's interesting about this scene is the fact that it's the Hulk who urges the team to action; of course he just wants to get his hands on Doom, but given that this was the pre-"dumb Hulk" era it was strange to see him in somewhat of a leadership role. In a big reveal (literally), Bruce Timm gives us a full-page shot of Doom's airship, which is as big as Noah's Ark! Suddenly the copter and Thor (who was flying on his own power) are caught in a grappling ray and pulled toward the larger ship. As everyone panics, the Hulk leaps out of the copter and smashes through the hull of Doom's fortress. Once inside, he insults Thor who has joined him. It's great dialogue! Thor rebukes the Hulk's brashness, but Iron Man explains that maybe it was the right move. Only halfway through the story, it's pretty obvious who the star of this team could have been.

Karen: Reading this again, I was very much struck by the similarities between this version of Hulk and the early Wolverine, whom we recently covered in our X-Men reviews. Both are the loose cannons of their respective teams, which imbues them with a quality of danger and excitement. Later on, Hawkeye would sort of fulfill this role -but more as a thorn in the side of Cap than a real problem for the team.

Doug: In keeping with early Silver Age sexism, Hank tells Jan to stay behind and protect the Major. The problem is, however, that the Major is a double-agent, working for Doom! He fires a gas gun at the Wasp -- one Avenger down. On Doom's ship, the Hulk enters a chamber that is shiny like glass. The Hulk is sealed within and recognizes that he's in a teflon room and can get no traction. That he cusses in the old comic strip style ($#@) made me smile. Thor is beset by what I would best describe as some black Ditko-spheres.

Karen: I laughed when I saw Hulk's cussing. That was a nice touch. I was surprised to see this Hulk call the room "elliptical." I know he's not as dumb as later versions but that still seemed a bit high-brow for him.

Doug: Doom watches from a monitor room, and gloats to himself that the globes were designed to take down the entire FF. At that moment, Iron Man arrives, but with his boot jets in whisper mode (ha!). It was funny to see IM flying in the clunky golden armor. Of course, it's not Doom that he approaches, but a Doombot who quickly begins to siphon the energy from IM. There's a nice nod to the days when IM's chestplate kept him alive. We then cut to Ant-Man, who has found the real Major Bowman, all trussed up. Seems the Major was captured long before his doppelganger met the Avengers. Suddenly, the faux Major appears on a vid-screen; in one of the worst examples of a character peeling off a rubber mask, the figure removes the fake face to reveal the armored mask of Doom beneath!

Karen: We've seen a lot of amazing rubber masks here at BAB, but that one has got to the most unbelievable!

Doug: It beginning to look like curtains for our heroes. Thor will be sent to another dimension, Iron Man is virtually powerless, the Hulk bounces around his cell like a pinball, and the Wasp is enclosed in a small glass sphere. Now, we see Doom pump deadly gas into the chamber holding Ant-Man and Major Bowman. But ol' Hank has something up his sleeve. Removing his Ant-Man helmet and popping a pill while urging the Major to stand back, it's Giant-Man who saves the day! What a cool surprise -- even though we've known about this for decades, it was just a neat execution of the concept and felt fresh. Now Hank's on the loose, and rescues the Hulk, then Thor. The Avengers are re-assembling! They find Iron Man, and Thor brings the lightning in a desperate effort to re-charge the Golden Avenger; it works.

Karen: That reveal of Pym's new power/identity gave me a thrill too. That was very well executed. I also got a kick out of the motion-sick Hulk.

Doug: So the boys move on Doom, who is about to go on live television to proclaim his victory. Mjolnir guts that short. A brief fracas ensues, with Doom escaping. The Hulk pursues, and in a very funny panel rips the good Doctor's head off. Iron Man asks him how he knew it was a Doombot. The Hulk just looks at the head and mutters, "Robot?" Suddenly the airship starts to descend rapidly. Finding an escape pod, everyone argues over who should get in it. Finally the Hulk's heard enough, grabs Major Bowman and launches the thing. Then the heavyweights bust a hole in the hull of the ship and exit, Avengers-style! It's pretty dramatic.

Karen: Lots of exciting action here. The scene with the robot was hilarious. Hulk is very take-charge here. That splash page of the heroes flying out of the exploding ship is awesome.

Doug: Safely ashore on Long Island, the team watches Doom's craft plunge into the sea. The Wasp explains how she had radioed information to Hank from her spot in Doom's control room, so that he was able to locate the rest of the team. The team muses if they'll see Doom again, and of course we cut to the obligatory panel of the mad Latverian monarch some miles away entering into biding-time mode. The last panel of the issue expresses how our heroes have passed their baptism of fire against Marveldom's greatest menace, but will be shaken to their very core in their next adventure... against the Space Phantom!

Karen: Typical '60s Marvel wrap-up! I loved this from cover to cover. Makes me wish this team had done a few more such tales.

Doug: I had a blast re-reading this. It was just plain fun. Part of that may lay in the fact that it was intended to be just that -- a light-hearted homage to a simpler time. But I have to give a huge tip-of-the-hat to the creators of this story for crafting a tale that fits seamlessly between Avengers #'s 1 and 2 with no silly agenda. This was an "untold tale" worthy of having been told the first time 'round. Success!