Morrison’s return of the
big seven stars to the JLA was still seven years away. After being best friends for years, Post
Crisis, the most Batman and Superman could hope for was grudging respect. Then the World’s
Finest title (along with the friendship) was resurrected in this
wonderfully written and beautifully drawn miniseries.
The relationship of the
enemies of Batman and Superman was also reestablished. There’s wasn’t nearly as smooth. That is due to Lex Luthor being closer to an evil
version of Bruce Wayne than having any connection to the alien he lives to
despise. Once the contrived reason for
the now theoretically legitimate Luthor to stoop to working with a known
criminal was established, the Joker spent the rest of the three issues expending
as much effort as possible driving old Lexy up the wall like he does to old
Batsy.
A true high point for
all the characters was how it showed, at first, that neither hero was capable
of dealing with the criminal methods of the other one’s foe. However, they both also were able to learn
from each other not only how to combat the new enemy, but how to use the
other’s methods on their usual opponent.
All four heroes and villains came off worthy of the title “World’s
Finest.”
God, I love this story.
Any time I give comics as a gift, I use this one as a self-contained tale to
introduce Batman to them. (Yes, I’m not
only a comics addict, I’m contagious.)
The key to it is the
different way Batman and the Joker deal with the women who are “saving them” –
physically for the hero and mentally for the supposedly reformed villain. DeMattis looks at the idea that Joker only
exists because of Batman, and subtly pokes holes in it. Stanton brings the emotions and transitions of
the characters right into the readers face during the ride. The buried in his secret identity Dark Knight was far more honest and open with the woman helping him than the “sane” Joker is
with the woman he’s theoretically forming a “normal” relationship with, as his
flashes of darkness grew.
I’d write more, but I
don’t want to ruin it, go out and read it.
This may be the perfect
single regular issue Joker story. It’s
been referenced countless times, made into an episode of the Animated Series,
and even followed up by Englehart in 2000 during the short lived Legends of the DC Universe with a nifty
two-parter:
“The Fishy Laugh” Issues 26-27. Aquaman was none too thrilled with
the smiley faces on his piscine pals.
The premise - patenting
fish that look like his face for financial gain - was fantastically silly. However, the Joker was presented as
completely unpredictable, utterly in control of his plan and unquenchably lethal,
forcing the city to try to deal with his absurd demands. It was a fantastic issue, embedded in the
equally marvelous run by Englehart and Rogers.
Many comic readers and
critics have called this story overhyped, or mean spirited, including the
creators. I don’t care, as this list is
based on how I experienced the stories.
I was still only reading Marvel in 1988, which was in the throes of
trying to bury everyone in continuity and crossovers (kinda like today). The now famous camera cover caught my eye,
and I figured, “I used to like Batman comics back when I read anthologies and
reprints, here’s a one shot story.”
Most modern comic fans
have an “I didn’t know comics could do that” revelation story. The Killing Joke was mine. I’d seen Brian Bolland’s mind bogglingly
stunning art in Judge Dredd, but never on fancy, glossy paper before. It was also before I became a fan of Moore’s Watchmen and Swamp Thing. I read it over and over again and brought
it into school after the AP tests in High School. The entire physics class was passing
it around with a much higher priority than the other comics I brought in. (Again…I’m contagious.)
It also inspired me to paint this:
It also inspired me to paint this:
Aside: I prefer the original coloring. I know it’s
contrary to Bolland’s intent, but the medium is collaborative, and I think
having it look like a regular comic, rather than a cinematic feature, added
weight to what was occurring. Also, if
you do read it, try to get a printing with black border panels instead of
white. I can’t explain it, but it works far better.
I’ve seen this story
cited as evidence that Batman is just as crazy as his enemies. I’d say nothing is further from the
truth. Joker’s whole point in this tale
is based on his current version of the multiple choice past he lives with:
A single bad day could
turn anyone into the same level of unhinged, dangerous, psychopathic lunatic as
he is.
While the execution of
this idea is simultaneously unforgettable, twistedly humorous, and wholly evil,
it’s also completely wrong.
Batman turned his one
bad day into a drive to protect the innocent, and prevent tragedy from
befalling them in a tireless war against the forces of evil. More importantly,
James Gordon was put through a day arguably worse (in his state, and given what
he was shown, he has no reason to believe Barbara was still alive) and far
stranger than the Joker’s bad day. Once
rescued, his insistence that Batman get Joker, “By the book…we have to show him that our way works,” is the strongest disproval of the clown’s thesis
there could be. It’s a truly powerful character defining moment for the continually
abused Commissioner. Batman following his best friend’s request, and pausing to
even offer Joker the chance at redemption that prisons and asylums are supposed
to be based on, punctuates the error of Joker’s thinking.
The treatment of Barbara was pretty callous. However, the chain of Ostrander & Yale, Chuck Dixon, and Gail Simone turned Oracle into a far more developed, strong and indpendant character than Batgirl ever was. Yup, the Nu52 messed that up as well.
Back to the Joker:
The treatment of Barbara was pretty callous. However, the chain of Ostrander & Yale, Chuck Dixon, and Gail Simone turned Oracle into a far more developed, strong and indpendant character than Batgirl ever was. Yup, the Nu52 messed that up as well.
Back to the Joker:
Now Bruce Timm is
producing a Killing Joke animated feature with Mark Hamill returning to his second most
famous (and probably his best) role.
CAN’T WAIT!!!!!
Again: My list based on
my experiences.
The retelling of this story in
The Man Who Laughs (2005 Ed Brubaker
Doug Mahnke CBR #12) had better production values, stronger art, and a more
complex story. However, I bought that
book as a seasoned comic book reader following a writer and artist whose work I
admired.
Back when I was a kid
reading hardbound anniversary collections and oversized Golden and Silver Age
reprints in the library, my first Joker story was THE first Joker story.
And over thirty years after
its creation, it still scared the living bejoobies out of me!
Before the happy, shiny,
comics code approved Fifties turned him into a non-lethal cackling criminal
goofball, there was a darkness in those Forties stories that became the basis
of all the modern interpretations.
What’s amazing is how
fully formed he was in those first appearances.
In the same issue that has Batman riddling monster men using a plane
mounted machine gun, and the soon to become Selina Kyle as a non-themed burglar
in an Asian looking dress called “the Cat,” the Joker scenes would fit into any
Bat-comic on the shelves today.
The dead eyed smile,
The disturbing laugh,
The ability to outwit
supposedly saner opponents,
The venom that causes
spasms of laughter before leaving a hideous grin on the departed,
The penchant for
returning from death.
It was all there in
those two little stories back in 1940.
And it’s all still here
today.
HAAAAAAPY
ANNIVERSARY
JOKER!!
Man, I used to have that
image on a t-shirt. Not one of them
“kinda that pose by another artist” shirts but the REAL Bolland one. I replaced it with an Alex Ross design when
it disintigrated, but it isn’t the same.
Why is my life defined
by a slowly evolving t-shirt collection?
Maybe I could be a
Gotham villain!
I could speak with an
evil sounding German accent:
Beware the insidious
distractions of…
DAS HEMD!!!!!!
Well, that should have
taken care of confusing and boring all the stragglers into leaving.
Ta Ta!
2 comments:
Seen this enactment?
http://capedcrusades.com/2015/09/23/the-killing-joke-a-dramatic-reading/
Very cool thanx for sharing.
Still looking forward to the Hamill version, yay!
There was a comic book documentary where Adam West read snippets from the Dark Knight Returns, which was awesome as I ALWAYS read that story in his voice. It makes it about a million times better.
thanx again.
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