Who's the Best... Frienemy?

Doug: Friends, foes, sometimes even lovers (and haters!). What about characters who cross the line... and back?

Laughing His Way Into Cancellation - The Joker 9

The Joker #9 (September/October 1976)
"The Cat and the Clown"
Elliot S! Maggin-Irv Novick/Tex Blaisdell

Doug: There might be a reason this was the last issue of The Joker. Or, maybe the story was written as is because the creators already knew. So who killed what is perhaps moot -- this still isn't what you'd call a Bronze Age gem. And it should be -- the cover is great, and darned if Mike W. Barr, Alan Davis, and Paul Neary didn't have some fun with this same concept. Not so much here.

Maybe we've had this discussion before -- over seven years, I'm guessing that we have -- but let's start with it here. It is very difficult to publish an ongoing series where the protagonist is a mass murderer or some other evil-doer preoccupied with world conquest. In my mind, the only way to make it work is to feature a hero as foil to the bad guys. Had the DC Implosion not occurred, Secret Society of Super-Villains might have succeeded. It was genius to take a character largely unknown to then-current readers (Captain Comet) and make him the steady hero throughout most of the series. It also seemed a nice decision to include various heroes as team-ups, including Kid Flash and Hawkgirl. But this Joker-headlined comic seemed a tougher sell. The bad guys who populated SSoSV were more bent on outwitting their primary nemesis (in most cases, the Flash) and less on widespread property destruction or loss of life. One cannot say that about the Joker. In this issue, the last in the series and pretty goofy all the way around, at least three deaths are featured and the last of them is of a quite malicious nature. Even Catwoman's appearance, and she's much more sympathetic, does not soften what's gone on once you sit back and think about it. And obviously this title could not have featured any of the Bats in that foil role, as that would have made it just another Bat-book.

100-Word Review:Benny Springer is a Hollywood legend for playing Buster Keaton-type comedy roles. Just as popular as Springer, however, is his cat Hiawatha. The two are to star in a new motion picture, “The Clown and the Cat”, but Springer is knocked unconscious by a disguised Selina Kyle. Little did she know, though, that she’d captured the Joker masquerading as Springer. Already confused? The Joker leaves a trail of bodies on his way to Catwoman’s lair, where he ends up fighting… himself? Springer becomes the Clown Prince’s doppelganger and the two clowns fight nearly to the death. Of course the bad guys lose.

The Good: I've always felt that Irv Novick was an able penciler of all things Batman. I liken him to Aparo and Adams, but a few steps below. Perhaps a more apt comparison would be to Dick Giordano. We primarily think of Giordano as an inker, but when you've seen his pencils of Batman... similar to Novick's in my mind's eye. I cannot speak much to the inks of Tex Blaisdell. We've encountered his work before over Dick Dillin and Bob Brown. A far cry from "lush", he's in the Vinnie Colletta camp; maybe not that feathery, though. So while I seem to be making excuses for these creators (if you like that, then you'll like this, only not as much), there was merit to the pictures. It's just that they didn't have much to go with because...

The Bad: Elliot S! Maggin's script. As I said above, it's like everyone knew (and I'm sure they did) that this book was on its way out the door. This story seems cobbled together quickly and with not much care. I've argued, maybe unfairly at times, that Silver and Bronze Age DCs were written for 10-year olds. Having been one of those myself (and this would have been on the stands right around the time I turned 10), I don't know if I'd have liked this story. First of all, it's really confusing near the front when Catwoman kidnaps Benny Spencer. At the same time, the Joker is impersonating Spencer, and we see Catwoman out of costume (assaulting Springer... er, the Joker in disguise) and in costume (kidnapping Springer and his cat from the movie studio's screening room). How did this shake out? I read it three times, for detail, and couldn't get it down. No way I'd have made sense of it as a youngster. NOTE: In fact, on the fourth read while preparing the scans, I'm not sure now if it was Selina Kyle who ambushed the Joker. But if it wasn't, then that plot point is even more vague. What's more, the intentions of both the Joker and the Catwoman are pretty lame: Catwoman kidnapped Spencer and his cat (emphasis on the cat as part of the crime) in order to hold them for ransom. The Joker wanted Spencer out of the way so that he could impersonate the actor and then star in a movie. Yeah, OK...

 Additionally, and also as I mentioned above, there's a body count in this book. Two studio guards and a captured henchman of the Catwoman's all succumb to the Joker's laughing death serum. What's more, they all die on screen. That gives me pause, as I'm back to the "written for a 10-year old" notion: Did DC's editorial staff think that was OK? It's certainly not in line with Marvel's "flat of the blade", which we've also discussed. If the deceased died with a smile, does that mean the Comics Code was bypassed? These are legitimate questions that I have.

One knock on the art is that Catwoman only once appears drop-dead (haha) gorgeous. She seems like a character who should always be drawn as beautiful. She also is written with some pretty clunky dialogue. During the "battle of the Jokers", she sits to the side and watches the skirmish play out. She thinks to herself, using words like "interesting", "most fascinating", "absolutely wild", and "far out"... those just seemed like odd choices for her.

The Ugly: Overall, this book is not very good. I really thought the cover implied a fantastic adventure inside. What I got was farcical at best. It wasn't horrible, in that I don't think I'd have requested a refund of my three dimes. But it certainly didn't advance my love of the Batman mythos. And there were just enough stupid plot points that added to my displeasure, notably during the story's climax when Springer said he gave his cat a signal to behave a certain way. You'd have to read it -- the situation was quite complex, in that the cat would have had to ignore all his instincts and behave in a counter-intuitive manner. I wasn't buying it. 

In the interest of ending on a positive note, please see my review of The Joker #4, where I go on in a sunshiney light about Elliot S! Maggin's storytelling. Which further makes this issue disappointing (oh, shoot -- I did end on a negative.).

Breaking Up is Hard To Do - Detective Comics 369

Detective Comics #369 (November 1967)
"Batgirl Breaks Up the Dynamic Duo!"
Gardner Fox-Carmine Infantino/Sidney Green

Doug: My Bronze Age connection to this Silver Age gem? I first came across this tale between the covers of Batman Family #2 (Nov./Dec. 1975), which I acquired in some unknown manner; I know I didn't buy it off the spinner racks. So despite the fact that I'll be scanning from Tales of the Batman: Carmine Infantino (2014), I've known of this story for many a'moon. I'm curious as to the intentions of Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino (and editor Julius Schwartz) -- this was only the 4th appearance of Batgirl, having debuted in Detective Comics #359 (cover dated January 1967). We know of her tie-in with the William Dozier television program, but I almost have to wonder if there wasn't some intent to create more of a triangle relationship between the three caped crimefighters. And no, I'm not even going to entertain the posits that float around about Batman and Robin -- that never occurred to me as a kid, and I'd prefer to leave that in the realm of people just stirring up trouble. But certainly Dick Grayson as an adolescent male, suddenly confronted with a powerful (and powerfully beautiful) female every bit his equal... well, who wouldn't take a second look? But I'm curious about Dick's age in the comics at this point. Without digging too deep, I'll assume that he was still high school aged (15 or 16?) -- which seems younger than he was portrayed on TV where I felt he was 18 or maybe 19. Even if the older suggestion is true, that would still put him a good 3-4 years or so younger than Barbara Gordon. While one can complete a bachelor's degree in library science, it was my sense that Barbara was a little higher up at the Gotham City Public Library and so perhaps had her M.S. -- she'd then be 23 or 24. So anyway, the match-up wasn't quite making sense to me as a kid, and I still have reservations and curiosities about it on the reread. I'd sure like to see others' take on this.

Doug: I've said it before, I'll say it again -- I have an affinity for Batman comics with Batgirl and for Superman comics with Supergirl. I don't know why... I guess I really like the feminized derivative costumes. So let's jump into this with a 100-Word Review and see just what the Dominoed Daredoll (yes, Fox uses that painful, PAINFUL expression on the third page of the story -- meet me in the "Ugly" section below) was up to in trying to end the Dynamic Duo.

Batgirl’s installed a “multi-color light-tracer beam” on her Batcycle that allows her to lock in on the specific vibrations of a car’s motor. This allows her to beat the Dynamic Duo to crime scenes – better tech = better crimefighting! Batman chauvinistically tries to take over, but in doing so ends up in a quicksand swamp. Batgirl soon deduces that he’s contracted the “swamp fever” and tells Robin. Knowing Batman won’t get bedrest, the new Dynamite Duo plot to beat him to every crime so he won’t have to work hard. In the end, Bruce Wayne is cured in the hospital.

The Good: Carmine Infantino's art trumps Gardner Fox's sometimes dopey script and dialogue. The plot is pretty typical Silver Age fare, but then I reflected on it and thought to myself, no -- Batman probably wouldn't quit crimefighting to mend from his illness. We've agreed in the past that Infantino is one of the classic cover designers, on par with any of the other artists in the "best" conversation. He's also not too bad at laying out a story. His pacing is great, and while I'd argue that he's as guilty as the next guy of using "stock poses", it works for me. It's a Carmine Infantino book. That being said, I'll stand by my comments that I did not generally care for his Bronze Age work at Marvel. But here, ten years earlier and at DC his pencils feel comfortable.

I enjoyed the camaraderie between Robin and Batgirl. As I said above, I'm not certain if there weren't romantic motives on the part of the powers-that-be, but if we just look at it through the lens that the two of them were closer in age it still works. There's also that generational element, with the "old guy", Batman, squeezed out. "Never trust anyone over 30", indeed! The creators do a nice job of ramping up the tension in the "triangle" once Batman is afflicted with the swamp fever. It's priceless when Batgirl shows up with a sidecar on her bike and Robin's logo affixed to it. This follows one of those uncomfortable times we all faced as kids when a parent had to drive us somewhere. Yep -- Robin can't drive the Batmobile alone, so Batman has to take him to his rendezvous with Batgirl! Awesome... The new "Dynamite Duo" do their best to keep Gotham City under control while Batman further spirals down with his illness. The whole time I was reading this, I just wanted to scream, "Tell the poor guy!", but as I said before -- there was no quit in the Dark Knight. The Bat-team of Fox, Infantino, and Schwartz came up with a fun solution.

The Bad: I don't really have anything of note here, other than perhaps the stock poses employed by Carmine Infantino. But since I feel like I need to raise at least one stink to show that this wasn't a perfect book, I'll settle on Catwoman's outfit. She appears in the last three panels of the story in her secret identity of Selina Kyle. Ahead of its time, Detective Comics #369 actually continued into the December issue of Batman (#197 - Holy crossover!) where a jealous Catwoman would seek out Batgirl to let the young interloper know that Batman was off-limits. The Infantino book reprints the cover (and there's that costume for which I don't care), but not the story. I'd have liked to read that!

The Ugly: Nicknames! Within these fourteen pages lurk the following: Boy Wonder, Caped Crusader, Teen Titan, Dynamic Duo (all of those are just on the splash page!), the aforementioned Dominoed Daredoll, Gotham Gangbusters, Masked Maiden, Bat-Beauty, Masked Manhunter, Chic Crimefighter... and several of those are repeated throughout the story! People complain about Bob Haney's forced language in the Teen Titans, but this style of Gardner Fox's is equally annoying. I know -- you can argue that it's part of the charm and I should view this as a "period piece". I get it. And I agree. But it was still a bit much in a 15-minute span.

Doug: Several of us have praised DC for getting all manner of Batman (mostly Bronze Age) material back in print through these hardcover series -- "Tales of the Batman" and "Legends of the Dark Knight". The books are certainly pricey if you're into paying the cover rate; me -- I usually pre-order my copies or get them from places like In-Stock Trades. I feel like if I can pay $30 for one of these rather than $50, then I've taken care of myself both economically and nostalgically. And, since I don't buy comics any more these books are a wonderful way to acquire a nice run at prices below what I'd pay for back issues. Win!

Guest Review: "Bang! You're Dead!" - Batman 321

Doug: Welcome to a second review submitted by Thomas F. You'll recall Thomas's maiden voyage with his thoughts on Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #1. We're excited to post this today, as it will serve as a sort of bookend to next Monday's review, where I'll take you back to the Silver Age for a Batgirl story from Detective Comics. Onward!

Batman #321 (March 1980)(cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez)

“Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker…!”

Len Wein-Walt Simonson/Dick Giordano/Julianna Ferriter

Thomas F.: Here we have the first Joker story in the pages of Batman for the 1980s. This story is scripted by Len Wein, an underrated writer who happens to be the co-creator of Marvel’s Wolverine and DC’s the Swamp Thing. This is a classic Joker tale, and Len Wein writes a perfect homicidal, sociopathic Joker with a morbid sense of humor (the twisted humor and depraved deeds tend to be at the expense of the Joker’s victims or even Batman himself).

The art duties were handled by Walt Simonson, a distinctive and popular artist initially known for his acclaimed work on Detective Comics (specifically, the eight-page Manhunter backup stories, beginning in November 1973, which gained him industry-wide recognition), Marvel’s Star Wars, and especially The Mighty Thor in the late 1970s/early 1980s. (Simonson is also well-known for creating the Beta Ray Bill character who first appeared in The Mighty Thor #337, a key Bronze Age issue). 

Although it’s unrelated to the review of Batman #321, I just wanted to mention that the very first piece of artwork by Walt Simonson that I’d ever seen was back in 1989 when I was in elementary school. It was a few months after the release of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton, and Batmania was in the air, especially amongst youngsters. The artwork was a full page pinup of Batman that Simonson had contributed in the pages of Detective Comics #600. (As I recall, a classmate had the issue and was showing it around). It’s a powerful shot of a dark, moody Batman standing in readiness atop a gargoyle.

By the way, the entertaining story in Batman #321 is deservedly reprinted in the trade paperback “Batman in the Eighties” and “The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told,” so it’s easily accessible (NOTE: It's also been recently reprinted in 2014's Tales of the Batman: Len Wein. -Doug). Of course, all Joker appearances in Silver and Bronze age Batman comics are highly-sought after by comic book collectors, but fans should be able to obtain an original copy of this great book at a relatively low price if they wish to do so.

The story opens at Gotham Police Headquarters on Gotham City’s lower east side. Commissioner James Gordon enters through the front doors out of the pouring rain, where the sergeant manning the front desk informs him that there’s an envelope bearing no return address waiting for him. Tearing it open, Commissioner Gordon is appalled to find that the contents include an invitation from the Joker to attend his birthday party the next evening. The invitation reads: “Dear Gordie, you are cordially commanded to be present at the JOKER’S BIRTHDAY PARTY tomorrow evening at 9:00 PM! Black tie optional, funny hats mandatory. R.S.V.P.  B.Y.O.B.” Gordon tosses the invitation aside, scoffing at the Joker’s presumptuousness.

Suddenly, the two policemen at Gordon’s side are overcome with an attack of mirth. But as the Joker himself strides through the door, clad in his trademark purple overcoat, it’s clear that the laughter is unnatural and is caused by the Joker’s lethal laughing gas!
Outside, having been summoned earlier via the Bat-Signal, the Batman swings down on a rope towards Gotham Police Headquarters, where two things immediately alert him that the present situation is out of control: one, the Jokermobile parked directly in front of the building, and two, the loud hysterical laughter audible even from outdoors. The Batman correctly surmises that laughing gas is involved here and accordingly puts on a miniature gas filter. Crashing down through a high window, the Dark Knight lands amidst the Joker’s armed henchmen. He wades into them like a tornado, making short work of them.

The Caped Crusader then rushes outside just in time to see the Joker make his getaway. In the Jokermobile’s passenger seat lies Commissioner Gordon, unconscious, while the Joker speeds away from Gotham Police Headquarters. That Jokermobile looks hilariously over-the-top!

Almost incidentally, Batman learns from a policeman that in addition to Commissioner Gordon, his sidekick Robin was also abducted by the Joker earlier that day. Disguised as a woman and pretending to have a flat tire, the Joker waves Robin down and tricks the Teen Wonder into helping change a flat tire. The tire, however, turns out to be covered with an adhesive substance that Robin can’t free his hands from. We then see the “woman” pull off her mask, revealing herself to be the Joker.

The scene cuts to Bruce Wayne’s penthouse apartment, located above the Wayne Foundation Building. Selina Kyle is over, visiting, and we see Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler and confidant, recommending that Ms. Kyle visit a doctor in regard to her frequent headaches. The door opens, and Lucius Fox (CEO of Wayne Foundation) enters the room, a stack of files tucked under his arm. Lucius Fox has arrived to discuss corporate issues—arbitrage deals, to be precise—only to be informed by Selina Kyle that Bruce had been summoned away on an urgent business matter some time earlier.

Just then, Alfred hears the patter of footsteps on the roof above, and he assumes that Bruce Wayne is returning in his guise as Batman, and just as it occurs to him to distract Selina Kyle and Lucius Fox, a powerful explosion rocks the room. In the wall is a gaping aperture where now stand the Joker and two of his armed henchmen. The Joker instructs his hired help to pick up Alfred, who has been knocked unconscious by the heavy impact, and prepare to leave.

Suddenly Selina Kyle rises to her feet, and with her martial arts prowess makes short work of the Joker’s goons. The Joker charmingly apologizes to Selina for intruding, and offers her a bouquet of roses. Selina is suspicious—as well she should be—since a moment later a gloved fist is ejected from the flowers, like a jack-in-the box, with such force that it knocks Selina out.

Exactly why the Joker kidnaps Alfred isn’t clear—have they crossed paths before? Probably. I’m wondering if the Joker knows of any connection between Alfred and the Caped Crusader. I’m also not sure why the Joker doesn’t kidnap Lucius Fox or Selina Kyle, for that matter, instead of leaving them unconscious in Bruce Wayne’s penthouse suite. Surely abducting them in addition to Robin, Gordon, and Alfred wouldn’t have been much trouble at all. And wouldn’t the Joker—not knowing Batman’s secret identity—seek to kidnap millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne himself, instead of Mr. Wayne’s elderly butler?

When Selina Kyle finally regains consciousness, she finds Batman perched in front of her, but she’s unable to give him much information. Nevertheless, by now Batman has a pretty good idea of what’s going on.

Meanwhile, in the Joker’s hideout, we see at least seven figures strapped to the Joker’s “Victim-Go-Round.”

The Joker explains his motive to Robin, which is, quite simply, vengeance. In the Joker’s own words: “Tomorrow is my birthday … and by way of celebration … I intend to eliminate all you who’ve crossed me … while all of Gotham City watches!” Then Joker the quips: “It’s not exactly the catcher’s mitt I really wanted … but it’s a pretty fair second place!”

In the background, we see the Joker’s henchmen laugh at the Joker’s inane comedy, except for one, who rolls his eyes, thinking: “Sheesh.” The Joker is vexed that this henchman didn’t find his wit amusing, and in a typically Jokeresque manner, casually murders him using a handheld spear-gun from his deadly arsenal.

This scene is so memorable—“Bang You’re Dead!”—that I just had to include it here in its entirety.

The Joker reveals to Robin that he’s managed to entice Gotham City’s population to Gotham’s new Seaside Coliseum by using, as per his wont, a cunning trick and an understanding of elementary psychology. In other words, he offers the jaded, cynical population of Gotham City an invitation from the “Harlequin Baking Company” an opportunity to “sample its wares” the following evening at nine p.m.

A typical elderly Gothamite reading the newspaper advertisement says to his wife, “A free sample? Sounds tempting! Think we ought’a go?” To which his bored wife replies, “Why not? It’d beat sitting through another rerun of celebrity bowling!” I found this dialogue quite funny; scripter Len Wein clearly has a good sense of humor.

Unfortunately for the Joker, Batman, who has also perused the advert, shrewdly discerns that the Joker has just slipped up—there is no existing company as the “Harlequin Baking Company.” And the next night, the Joker’s scheme appears to work. The coliseum is jam-packed full of the curious and greedy who have come for the free refreshments. Promptly at nine, the steel doors swing closed, and within a few minutes, the impatient crowd is immobilized in their seats by a rapid-acting paralytic gas.

The lights dim, and then, in a spotlight, the Joker appears on stage. The Crown Prince of Crime disingenuously welcomes his audience and thanks them for coming. He then reveals his pièce de résistance: an immense cake, with his victims securely bound to explosive candles on top.

The Joker explains to his horrified captive audience that when he triggers his detonator, the candles, along with the victims tied to them, will sizzle. But as expected, Batman arrives, intent on putting an end to the macabre charade. The Joker, who momentarily has the upper hand, informs Batman that if he allows himself to be fastened to the remaining candle, he will release the others, sparing their lives.

Of course, the Joker has no intention of keeping his word. After Batman is roped to the largest candle and the Joker doublecrosses him, Batman presses a hidden button that somehow converts the candle into a makeshift rocket, launching him skyward and out of harm. Apparently Batman had arrived early and rewired his candle’s incendiary jets, which is a rather weak explanation that I didn’t really buy into.

As Batman is launched upward, the Joker chortles that although Batman may have saved himself, his other friends will burn, and with glee he slams his palm down on the detonator. The candlewicks catch fire, and the flames slowly spread towards the Joker’s victims, when Batman frees himself from his candle and hurls batarangs that sever the candles’ fuses. A final batarang cuts Robin free, and he hurls himself into the fray with Batman against the Joker’s cronies.

The Joker takes to his heels and races on foot to the docks nearby, where he has a motorboat ready. He starts the engine and speeds away. His parting comment to Batman is typical of the Joker’s insolence, and his “look out for number one” attitude: “The Joker watches out for himself, fools! ‘Bye now!”

I really enjoyed some of the Joker’s mirth-filled lines in this issue. When he cackles, “He who fails and runs away, lives to win another day,” as he cravenly flees an enraged Batman, it’s priceless.

Snagging a loose line, Batman manages to pull himself up to the boat, where the two engage in combat. Using yet another of his trademark lethal gadgets, the Joker squirts acid from a flower that Batman barely manages to avoid, but the Joker does manage to stun Batman with a heel to the chin.

The two foes continue to grapple, when Batman notices that the boat is out of control and headed directly for a mound of rocks in the shallow water. Batman tries to warn Joker of the peril they are both in, and seizing the Joker’s hand, tries to pull himself and the Joker out into the water. Batman escapes with seconds to spare, but the Joker, who was using a fake hand that came loose as the Batman yanked him, remains in the boat. An instant later, the motorboat crashes and explodes, setting the night sky ablaze with a spectacular reddish glow.

On shore, Commissioner Gordon ponders whether they’ve seen the last of the Joker, but Batman is skeptical, and we, the readers, know perfectly well that it won’t be long before the Joker rears his ugly emerald head again.

This issue is just chock-full of the Joker’s outrageous devices, from laughing gas, the Jokermobile, a spear-gun, acid spray, phony hand … scripter Len Wein really went all-out here. Overall, a fantastic late Bronze Age story featuring Batman versus the Joker.