batman

Back Issues [Bat-Month]: Knightfall

Dr. K3 Comments

Following his first dramatic appearance in the pages of Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne/Batman became a mainstream pop culture icon. The brainchild of writer Bob Kane, Batman was brought to life by artist Bill Finger and has been a popular staple of DC Comics and countless movies, videogames, and cartoons over the years. “Batman Day” fell on 20 September this year so I spent every Saturday celebrating comic’s grim and broody vigilante.

Story Title: “Vengeance of Bane” and “Knightfall Part I: Broken Bat” (includes various subtitles)
Published: January 1993 to July 1993
Writers: Chuck Dixon and Doug Moench
Artists: Graham Nolan, Jim Aparo, Jim Balent, and Norm Breyfogle

The Background:
After the overnight success of Clark Kent/Superman, National Comics Publications commissioned Bob Kane to add another masked crimefighter to their repertoire. Thanks to considerable input from artist Bill Finger, the “Bat-Man” immediately became one of DC Comics’ most popular characters and a mainstream cultural icon. This was bolstered, in no small part, by the many costumed supervillains the Batman has contended with over the years, with perhaps the superhuman mastermind “Bane” being the Batman’s most dangerous and physically imposing foe. Created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan based on input from legendary Batman editor Dennis O’Neil, Bane was specifically conceptualised for this sprawling story arc, with the seeds of his first appearance and actions during “Knightfall” being planted throughout 1992. Following plans to introduce the warped vigilante Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael, O’Neil, Dixon and other DC creatives planned to significantly shake up the Dark Knight similar to how Superman was set to be dramatically killed. In keeping with DC’s plans to comment upon the readers’ desire for darker, grittier characters, Bane drove Batman to exhaustion before breaking his spine, leading Valley to assume the Batman mantle and become a more violent and unhinged version before Bruce reclaimed the role. The initial eleven issues were seen as one of the most important moments in Batman’s storied career and, while Bane struggled to remain relevant in the eventual aftermath, the visual of him bending Batman over his knee has influenced videogames and cartoons for years. Though always appearing significantly altered from the source material, Bane has appeared numerous times in cartoons and live-action, where he was reduced to a mindless lackey and something worse than cosplay before Tom Hardy largely divided audiences with his enigmatic portrayal in The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan, 2012). Still, as one of Batman’s most enduring villains, Bane joined the Secret Six, murdered Bruce’s mentor and father figure Alfred Pennyworth while conquering Gotham City, was once rumoured to be Bruce’s brother, and almost became the head of the League of Assassins!

The Review:
The story of Bane, easily Batman’s most physically imposing foe, begins years ago in the chaotic nation of Santa Prisca. After the totalitarian dictatorship quashed a doomed coup d’état, the insurgents were either slaughtered or arrested. One such insurgent, a heavily pregnant woman, was taken to island gulag Pena Duro and her unborn son was tried and convicted for his father’s crimes, as per Santa Prisca custom. Thus, the infant Bane was born in captivity, cared for only by his mother and fellow prisoner “Zombie”. They watched as the child grew and the mother’s health failed, with the boy showing an aptitude for exploration and subjected to daily horrific brutality. When the boy was six, his mother finally passed, yet by then he was too hardened to shed a tear. Without his mother’s protection, the boy was released into the cutthroat general population, far from Zombie’s gaze, where he was protected by the brutish Trogg. However, while Trogg fought off a malicious inmate with sadistic designs on the boy, the youngster fell and suffered a near-death experience, a vision of his future self who spoke of his destiny to rule. The vision also warned that the boy must overcome fear (represented by a giant, fearsome bat) to be a true conqueror and, when he awoke from a thirty-odd-day coma, the boy took his first steps towards becoming a man by savagely murdering his would-be abuser. The boy’s feral nature earned him the moniker “Bane” and a lengthy stint in solitary confinement, where every day and night was a fight for survival against crabs, rats, and a nightly flood of water. Each time, Bane overcame the odds, killing what he could to survive and growing stronger, harder, and more disciplined with each passing day. To stave off further madness, Bane entered a meditative trance, dreaming of slaughtering a bat-like creature and overcoming fear itself.

After a lifetime of hardship and training, Bane vows to crush Batman and conquer his city!

After ten years in the hole, Bane was released by the warden in the hopes that the inmates would kill him, only to be praised as a legend and to gain an additional follower, Bird, who taught Bane to read. Bane consumed knowledge and literature, learning six languages and training himself to the peak of human physical perfection. Bane’s coveted position was challenged many times, and each time he established himself as the alpha male in brutal combat. Still, Bane remained curious about Gotham City and demanded Bird tell him everything about the city, learning of its vigilante protector and vowing to destroy the Batman, whom he soon became obsessed with. Frustrated by this obsession, Bane incited a riot, slaughtering over thirty prisoners before he was subdued and returned the isolation. This was when the cruel warden forced Bane to be the next “volunteer” for Doctor Ruger’s inhumane experiments with a particularly deadly nerve toxin. Although others died from the serum, Bane persevered and was further altered, with “Venom” fed directly into his brain and turning him superhuman. As Dr. Ruger and the others busied themselves with Bane, Zombie stole a Venom sample, replicated it, and helped Bane fake his death so he could finally escape the island. His first act was to take the warden hostage and free his three lieutenants, tossing the warden to the sharks as they helicoptered to safety. Establishing themselves in Gotham City, Bane’s lieutenants devised a portable delivery system for his drug and quickly made a name for himself by brutalising a mob gang. Bane watched and followed the Dark Knight as he investigated, even saving Batman’s life so he could claim it for himself later. Eventually, Bane confronted the Batman and mocked his code against killing, though the Batman was unimpressed by Bane’s threats.

When Bane frees Arkham’s inmates, an exhausted Batman’s forced to hunt them all down.

After spending more time observing and studying his quarry (during which Bane fought Waylon Jones/Killer Croc and broke his arms), Bane finally struck about six months later, ransacking a military armoury and launching a premeditated assault on Arkham Asylum. At Bird’s suggestion, Bane blew open the Joker’s cell first before dropping some ordinance to fuel the ensuring riot. While the other prisoners attacked the guards, the Joker gleefully took Doctor Jeremiah Arkham hostage. Though still recovering from mental and physical fatigue, the Batman arrived to help, rescuing who he could but unable to keep many inmates from blasting their way to freedom. While Batman freed Dr. Arkham from the Joker’s death trap, his hated enemy escaped and Batman was left mortified at the prospect of hunting down the escapees, much to Bane’s delight. After reviewing the situation and, alongside Tim Drake/Robin, surmising that Bane sparked the outbreak, Batman’s first test came when Jervis Tetch /The Mad Hatter invited him to a “tea party”. There, the Mad Hatter forced some goons to wear his brainwashing hats, sending Z-tier villain Burt Weston/Film Freak to investigate the bird following him and leading to him being beaten to death by Bane. Though Batman and Robin broke up the tea party, they were nowhere closer to locating Bane and, though physically struggling, Batman was adamant about proactively stopping the more dangerous inmates from organising themselves. His stubborn nature saw him chastising Robin’s concern and being more abrasive than usual, almost costing him when he investigated a toy store break in and was attacked by Arnold Wesker/The Ventriloquist’s brutish companion, Aaron Helzinger/Amygdala, while searching for Wesker’s mobster puppet, Scarface. With Robin busy tussling with the agile and arrogant Bird, Batman took a beating before finally knocking his simple-minded foe unconscious, forcing him to slink away to the Batmobile rather than apprehend the Ventriloquist.

While Batman’s pushed to his limit and Robin barely escapes Bane, the mayor is kidnapped.

Though hurting and fatigued, the Batman raced to a school where sadistic serial killer Victor Zsasz/Mister Zsasz had taken schoolgirls hostage, relishing the thought of scarring his body after slitting their throats. Though Bane’s lieutenants were eager for their boss to act, Bane was content to observe and delight in exhausting Batman and the Dark Knight refused to allow the Gotham police to interfere in the situation, which left one cop dead a feisty pupil held at knife point. After sending Robin after Bird (expressly forbidding him from confronting Bane), Batman brutalised Mr. Zsasz with a beating so vicious that Detective Renee Montoya had to intervene at gunpoint. The ordeal left the Batman so drained that he blacked out on a rooftop, meaning he couldn’t answer Robin’s calls for backup as he tracked Bird to Bane’s location. When Bane leapt to a passing train, Robin followed and was easily captured, blindfolded, and taken to the sewers. There, Bane expressed admiration for the boy and queried him regarding Batman, only to be meet with quips and Robin’s desperate attempts to fight back. Luckily for the Teen Wonder, the vengeful Killer Croc stepped in for a rematch, damaging Bane’s Venom device and ending up with his arm broken again. Their smackdown saw all three being swept through the sewers, with Robin barely getting to safety, though both he and Alfred despaired when Batman refused to back down from Bane’s challenge. As Trogg repaired Bane’s device, Batman was horrified to learn that cannibal psychopath Cornelius Stirk planned to murder Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon. Utilising his unique ability to cloud his prey’s mind with fear, Stirk masqueraded as Batman and almost knifed Gordon, much to the anger of his accomplice, the Joker, who wanted Gordon alive. Although the Batman saved Gordon, the incident led to the Joker teaming up with the true master of fear, Doctor Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow, who suggested they terrorise the city’s anti-Batman mayor, Armand Krol.

Though Batman leaves Firefly to Robin and defeats Poison Ivy, he flies into a rage against the Joker.

After kidnapping Mayor Krol and driving him to near madness with the Scarecrow’s patented fear gas, the two coerced the mayor into causing a firefighter strike, which allowed crazed pyromaniac Garfield Lynns/Firefly to set the city pier alight. Though he stubbornly refused Robin’s aid, the Batman was too exhausted to apprehend Firefly and begrudgingly let his partner investigate Firefly’s possible targets. While this led Batman to Firefly’s location, he was still too out of it to stop him, leading to him literally collapsing upon returning to Wayne Manor. While the Ventriloquist searched for Scarface and Jean-Paul Valley tested himself, Mayor Krol was forced to send the cops into a trap. Despite his failing health, Batman forced himself to attend a charity function as Bruce Wayne alongside physiotherapist Doctor Shondra Kinsolving, only for Doctor Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy to gatecrash the function and use special spores to kidnap wealthy gentlemen. Bruce played along to reach Poison Ivy’s lair and then switched to Batman to stop her, expending the last of his energy fighting her terminally infected minions. After the disgruntled Tim’s legwork leads Batman to the zoo and finally results in Firefly’s capture, Robin’s forced to intervene when Edward Nygma/The Riddler takes a talk show hostage, though his reckless actions earn him a dressing down from cantankerous detective Harvey Bullock. Upon learning of the mayor’s kidnapping, the Batman races to locate him, rescuing Bullock from an explosion and eventually tracking the Joker and the Scarecrow to the Gotham river tunnel. Unfortunately, the Scarecrow’s fear toxin bombards Batman with images of the Joker beating former Robin Jason Todd with a crowbar. Enraged, the Batman makes short work of the Scarecrow and savagely beats the Joker while screaming Jason’s name. The Batman’s only kept from killing his hated foe by the Scarecrow’s timely intervention, which sees him save and finally earn the trust of Mayor Krol.

Bane beats the near-helpless Batman close to death and then shockingly breaks his back!

As the Ventriloquist finally reunites with Scarface, the Batman’s gauntlet ends when he’s attacked by Trogg. Though the brute snaps one of Batman’s rubs with a bearhug, the Dark Knight’s gadgets and tenacity see him victorious. He then quickly outsmarts Zombie but, after being driven to the edge by Bird, again comes close to snapping. Drained and at his wit’s end, the Batman reluctantly heads home, eager to rest, only to be horrified to find Alfred unconscious and Bane in his family home! Bane reveals he easily figured out the Batman’s identity, has mastered and perfected the Venom serum that once almost drove Bruce insane, and states his desire to take Gotham City by ending its creator. Though startled by Bane’s cold-hearted demeanor, Bruce dons his cowl and leaps into the fight…only to be immediately swatted aside. After launching Batman through some nearby furniture, Bane tackles him down to the Batcave and shrugs off his foe’s pitiful counterattack, disgusted by Batman’s broken resolve. The vicious beating causes Batman to remember every fight, injury, and villain to have mentally and physically scarred him, leaves him trapped under the Batcave’s giant penny, and driven head-first into the Batmobile, all while Bane rages. Though the Batman tries to fight back, it’s a miserable attempt and he’s sent crashing through Jason’s memorial, mercilessly battered, and partially impaled on parts of the Batcave. While Alfred rushes to Tim for aid, the half-dead Batman is manhandled by his monstrous foe. Victorious, Bane decides it would be too easy to simply kill the Batman and that he’d rather his foe continued to suffer so, in dramatic and horrifying fashion, Bane lifts the brutalised Batman over his head and drives him, spine-first, onto one meaty knee, snapping Bruce’s back in an awesome show of power. Bane then simply drops his foe to the floor, dismissive in victory, and prepares to claim his reward…

The Summary:
It’s easy, at first glance, to compare this first dramatic chapter in the “Knightfall” saga to the “Death of Superman” (Jurgens, et al, 1992 to 1993) arc that happened just before it (indeed, Batman and Robin both wear black arm bands in mourning for the Man of Steel). However, while that was a prolonged slugfest over a few issues with little meat on its bones beyond the shocking death of the world’s greatest hero, “Knightfall” is an agonising gauntlet for the Dark Knight that pushes him to his mental and physical limit. This was all perfectly set up in previous issues, which pushed Batman to breaking point and saw him shun Robin and drive himself to exhaustion, causing Tim to resent his stubborn and dismissive attitude and Bruce to alienate his allies. Perhaps he would’ve snapped out of this of it wasn’t for Bane, a calculating supervillain who spend a lifetime in near-literal hell honing his mental and physical self to conquer Gotham City and destroy her protector. I’ve mentioned it before, but this is peak Batman for me, in terms of art, with the likes of the immortal Jim Aparo showcasing Batman’s exhaustion, anger, and degenerating mental state throughout each issue. While this first chapter suffers from the absence of Batman’s biggest foes, Bane’s test is more than enough to exhaust Batman as he insists on going alone to avoid others getting hurt and out of a pig-headed refusal to accept help. Notably, however, the Batman commends Tim when his investigation locates Firefly and shows concern when Tim survives his encounter with Bane and Killer Croc, but Bruce ultimately shoulders the burden alone, which leads to his inevitable downfall.

The calculating Bane tests Batman’s mettle by running him ragged across Gotham.

I’ve always found it interesting that Bane chose to put Batman to the test this way. It’s a fantastic way to showcase Bane’s cunning and strategy; he’s no mere mindless brute, something many subsequent stories and adaptations tend to forget. Bane is a man of deep focus and determination, with a sprinkle of obsessive insanity thrown in, and is depicted as a dark mirror of Batman in many ways (though he’s ironically more courteous to his lieutenants than Batman is!) Still, for a man who expresses such admiration for the Batman and who wants to make a point of physically dominating him, it’s ironic and a little hypocritical that Bane chooses to strike when Batman is ready to keel over. All through the one-sided beatdown, Bane scoffs at the Batman and rages in disappointment, but he specifically chose to fight a Batman who was far from his peak, cleverly ensuring his victory but also meaning his win, while dominant, was undeniably tainted. Bane even maims and kills others to keep his target alive so that he can have the final glory, though showcases enough respect to leave Alfred and Robin alive since the Batman is his sole target. Nevertheless, Bane takes perverse pleasure in watching new reports and observing Batman’s progress and decline, studying his quarry to learn all his strengths and weaknesses to aid his eventual attack. The gauntlet is an exhausting test for the Batman, who’s obsessed with locating Bane, to the point where he brutalises some of his villains and comes dangerously close to breaking his “one rule”. This was particularly notable in Batman’s confrontation with the Joker, which sees the enraged Dark Knight beat his foe half to death for killing Jason Todd. It’s enough to terrify even the Scarecrow, and similar outbursts against the Mad Hatter and Mr. Zsasz sees Batman’s allies question his mental stability. This is reflected in Mayor Krol’s anti-Batman campaign, though the city’s cops are left largely useless thanks to a departmental shake-up and the mayor being forced to mess them about.

Bane showcases cunning, strength, and a psychotic determination in his memorable debut.

This first chapter of “Knightfall” does a fantastic job of painting Bane as an intelligent and nigh-unstoppable foe. While it’s a shame that it took a new villain to overwhelm and decisively defeat the Dark Knight, Bane makes a far greater impression here than Doomsday, who was a mindless brute bent on destruction. While Bane’s design is perhaps too simplistic, I really enjoyed how calculating and quietly psychotic he was: he has a plan and he sticks to it, confident of his victory. Naturally, this is aided by his Venom serum, which makes him almost superhuman, but a lifetime of hardship and training made Bane the perfect villain, a puppet master largely being content to let the escapees do as they please. This chapter also depicts some of Jean-Paul’s redemption, as he trains with Robin to put his skills to good use, shows Robin’s frustration and adaptability, and even leaves the door open for future threats from the Joker, the Scarecrow, and the Ventriloquist. Far from being as one-note as “The Death of Superman”, this first chapter of “Knightfall” deconstructs Batman and leaves him a man weary from a lifetime of fighting, effectively shattering the status quo as surely as Bane breaks Batman’s back. This startling conclusion leaves the reader wondering what’s next for Batman, Bane, and Gotham City and shows that even the Batman has a breaking point. While it’s a shame that Bane struggled to remained relevant after such a memorable debut, his intriguing and imposing character certainly made an impact on me as a teenager and continue to make “Knightfall” one of the quintessential Batman stories.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Were you a fan of Bane’s dramatic debut? What did you think to his violent past and his depiction as a dark mirror of the Batman? Do you agree that it was unfair of him to run the Batman to exhaustion? Which of Batman’s battles were you most invested in? Were you shocked when Bane broke the Batman’s spine? What are some of your favourite bane stories and moments? How are you celebrating Batman Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on this first chapter of the “Knightfall” saga, and Batman in general, share them below. If you’d like to see me tackle the next chapter in the “Knightfall” saga, support me on Ko-Fi and let me know.

Back Issues [Bat-Month]: Batman #242-244

Dr. K1 Comment

In the decades since his first dramatic appearance in the pages of Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne/Batman has become a mainstream, worldwide, pop culture icon. The brainchild of writer Bob Kane, Batman was brought to life by artist Bill Finger and has been a popular staple of DC Comics and countless movies, videogames, and cartoons over the years. “Batman Day” falls on September 16 this year and I figured this was a perfect excuse to spend every Saturday celebrating comic’s grim and broody vigilante.

Story Title: “Bruce Wayne — Rest in Peace!”
Published: June 1972
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Artist: Irv Novick and Dick Giordano

Story Title: “The Lazarus Pit!”
Published: August 1972
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Artist: Neal Adams

Story Title: “The Demon Lives Again!”
Published: September 1972
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Artist: Neal Adams

The Background:
Following their success with Clark Kent/Superman, National Comics Publications tasked Bob Kane with creating another masked crimefighter to add to their repertoire. Thanks to the invaluable and long-suppressed talent of artist Bill Finger, the “Bat-Man” quickly became one of DC Comics’ most popular characters and a mainstream cultural icon. Over the years, the Batman defended Gotham City from many costumed supervillains, but perhaps his most captivating and intriguing villain is “The Demon’s Head”, Rā’s al Ghūl. Created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Dennis O’Neil, and artist Neal Adams during DC Comics’ reinvention of the Batman to downplay the camp trappings of the sixties, Rā’s al Ghūl was an enigmatic criminal mastermind not unlike a James Bond villain. His expansive criminal empire, lofty goal of ending worldwide conflict by any means necessary, and international flavour made him a dark counterpart to the Dark Knight. Following his first appearance, Rā’s al Ghūl continually plagued Batman thanks to the rejuvenating properties of his “Lazarus Pits”, which were introduced in these three issues and restored him from death at the cost of his keen intellect. Rā’s was a pivotal figure in DC Comics thanks to his daughter, Talia, who birthed Batman’s volatile son, and numerous appearances outside of comics. He was excellently brought to life by the eloquent David Warner, Matthew Nable, Alexander Siddig, and Liam Neeson. These issues also inspired some of these interpretations of Rā’s, with the story and visual of the two (or a Batman proxy) battling bare-chested and/or with swords being evoked in the DC Animated Universe, Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005), and Arrow (2012 to 2020).

The Review:
This three-part story kicks off with quite the sensational headline: “Bruce Wayne Vanishes!” In Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon’s office, the world-weary commissioner discusses the millionaire’s presumed death with the Caped Crusader, obviously oblivious that the Batman is Bruce Wayne. Both men lament Wayne’s assumed death before the Batman leaves, informing Gordon that he’ll be out of the country for some time. As the Batman swings through the city, we learn that he faked his alter ego’s death as a mysterious villain apparently knows of his dual identity and the Batman doesn’t want to risk endangering those closest to him. Begrudgingly, the Batman realises he needs help combating this threat and thus swoops into a downtown café to chat with crime boss “Matches” Malone. However, Malone sics his goons on the Batman and flees into the café’s kitchen. Cornered, Malone opens fire and apparently shoots Batman dead! Thus, the story follows Malone (whose gimmick, who may have guessed, is repeatedly lighting matches with his thumb) as he follows Doctor Harris Blaine through the Gotham Arms Hotel. When Dr. Blaine is attacked by an unknown assailant, Malone repays the favour and carries the unconscious doctor to a nearby building to meet the Batman, alive and well and grimly revealing that Rā’s al Ghūl – the seemingly immortal head of the worldwide criminal organisation the League of Assassins – has targeted Dr. Blaine due to his as-yet-unknown research. Dr. Blaine’s attacker, Lo Ling, interrupts the meeting and spontaneously reveals some of his backstory (he was saved by Rā’s and thus owes him his servitude) and that Rā’s’ daughter, Talia, disagrees with his vendetta against the Batman, all before tossing a knife right into the Dark Knight’s chest! Malone is so enraged by this that he accidentally topples over the projector Batman was using to show Dr. Blaine slides, temporarily blinding Dr. Blaine and allowing Lo Ling to vanish…along with the Batman’s corpse!

The Batman assembles a rag-tag team to track Rā’s al Ghūl to the Swiss alps.

Malone orders Dr. Blaine to the lobby and then races after Lo Ling. With Dr. Blaine out of sight, Malone removes his clever disguise and reveals that he was the Batman all along, the Dark Knight assuming the mobster’s identity after he accidentally killed himself and setting up a dummy for his meeting with Dr. Blaine. Lo Ling is so shocked to see the Caped Crusader alive that he slips from the rooftop, though the Dark Knight catches him mid-fall by racing to a lower-floor window. Now owing his life to the Batman as much as Rā’s al Ghūl, Lo Ling is drafted into Batman’s crusade, though insists on fighting him in respectful combat first. This time, Dick Grayson/Robin assumes Malone’s identity as the two battle, with Batman abandoning his blade and overpowering Lo Ling with his superior judo skills and earning Lo Ling’s eternal servitude. Despite needing allies for his war with Rā’s al Ghūl, the Batman sends Robin back to Hudson University to avoid endangering the Teen Wonder and to ensure that the Batman’s legacy can continue if he falls. Dr. Blaine and Lo Ling then meet with Malone (who’s Batman in disguise, keep up!) at a private airfield and take a plane to the Swiss alps, where it’s rumoured Rā’s al Ghūl is located. Upon landing, Lo Ling randomly spots Talia al Ghūl and rushes to capture her, eager to please his new master, only to be knocked out by Talia’s hulking bodyguard, Ubu. The Batman intervenes and quickly takes the brute down, only to be blasted by international ski champion Molly Post, who misread the situation and thought Batman was attacking Talia. This allows Ubu to kick the shit out of Batman, but Talia calls him off since she’s still got the hots for the Masked Manhunter.

Although Batman and his allies find Rā’s dead, the Demon’s Head rises again, stronger than ever!

After apologising for her blunder, Molly insists on accompanying the three in hunting Rā’s al Ghūl since the Demon’s Head manipulated her fiancé so badly that he turned to alcoholism. Upon reaching Rā’s al Ghūl’s private cable car, Batman and Lo Ling KO two guards (much to Dr. Blaine’s chagrin) and have Molly and Dr. Blaine assume their identities, while Batman and Lo Ling cling to the outside of the cable car, to bypass the inept snipers. As swift as the Dark Knight and his ally are, however, the goons open fire, causing the group to be pinned down by machine gun fire from a nearby World War Two bunker that serves as Rā’s al Ghūl’s Swiss headquarters. Despite claiming to be a pacifist, Dr. Blaine resolves the situation by hurling a bar of Sodium-19 (which was being transported in the cable car) into the bunker, causing a massive explosion that the doctor is strangely confident their attackers will have survived. Eager to discover what Rā’s is planning for the Sodium-19, the Batman leads the group onwards, lamenting that he must endanger such brave and feisty lives, easily breaking into Rā’s’ stronghold and taking Ubu down with a flying kick. Although Molly tackles Talia, believe her to be a threat, Talia not only reaffirms her love for the Batman but also reveals that Rā’s is dead. Dr. Blaine confirms it by examining the body and Batman offers his condolences. Although Talia dismisses Batman’s sympathies and agrees to be arrested, the group miss that she activates a hidden switch that lowers Rā’s al Ghūl’s corpse into a bubbling, putrid green liquid – the Lazarus Pit. True to its name, the mysterious liquid reanimates Rā’s, returning him to life with the strength of ten men and the madness of an animal! Accordingly, the crazed, half-naked Rā’s races into the frigid cold to confront the group, laying Lo Ling out with a single punch and shrugging off the Batman’s most powerful blow! Refusing to back down even in the face of such a mighty madman, the Batman is easily manhandled and tossed into the cable car.

Following a beautiful sword fight, Batman KO’s his foe and takes him into custody.

After Dr. Blaine wrecks the cable car’s controls, Talia talks some sense into her father and flees with him to their hovercraft, leaving Batman to shake off his injuries and Dr. Blaine insisting they get the wounded Lo Ling to a hospital. Upon seeing Rā’s al Ghūl’s futuristic hovercraft blast away, the Batman is stunned when Molly gives chase on her skis, forcing him to follow to protect her. Though astonished by her recklessness, the Batman can’t help but admire her skill and bravery, and he’s even more impressed when Molly hurls one of her skis into the hovercraft’s propeller, forcing a crash landing, though she’s wounded from debris. This is all the distraction the al Ghūl’s need to flee and, after getting Molly to safety, the Batman returns during the night to inspect the downed hovercraft and discovers a camel’s bridle. With all his allies on the shelf, Batman heads to the desert of an unspecified nation to confront Rā’s, whose regained his senses and determined to rebuild his empire. Determined to stop Rā’s, Batman agrees to a duel to the death and the two face each other, topless and armed with swords, in the sweltering desert. As a weeping Talia watches her lover and her father clash, Batman and Rā’s battle long into the afternoon but the fight unexpectedly ends when Batman is stung by a scorpion. Declaring himself the victor, Rā’s abandons his foe to his fate, though a kiss from Talia revitalises Batman and counteracts the poison. Driven by rage and instinct, the Batman stalks to Rā’s’ tent and lays him out with a single punch, with Rā’s too humble and horrified to offer any resistance. Although the Batman carries Rā’s al Ghūl off to be the authorities, he lets his emotions get the better of him and spares Talia, leaving her with a final kiss.

The Summary:
These three stories (generally referred to as “The Demon Lives Again!”) have become iconic moments in the Batman’s long and storied career mainly due to the visual of the bare-chested Dark Knight duelling with the Demon’s Head in the arid desert. For me, this is peak classic Batman since I grew up with the writing and art of Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams, which portrayed him as a well-rounded, intelligent, and stable individual more focused on crime solving than bashing heads or being a paranoid control freak. While the Batman loathes asking for help and putting others in danger to track down Rā’s al Ghūl, he feels compelled to do so to protect those he cares about (such as Robin and, assumedly, his mentor and father figure, Alfred Pennyworth). While the Batman is clearly rattled to have his civilian identity be targeted, to the point where he fakes Bruce Wayne’s death to operate autonomously as the Batman, it’s not clear what Rā’s al Ghūl’s goal is in this story arc. He targets Dr. Blaine for unspecified reasons and is stockpiling Sodium-19, but it’s not revealed why or what the endgame is beyond Rā’s wishing to strengthen his already powerful criminal empire. The assumption is that whatever Rā’s al Ghūl is planning can’t be good since he’s essentially a threat to the entire world by default, but it might’ve been nice to get some idea about what the stakes were beyond this vague threat. It’s also not revealed how and when Rā’s al Ghūl died. The Batman doesn’t seem to have known about this, so I doubt it happened in a previous story, and it raises questions regarding Talia. While she’s clearly conflicted between her loyalty to her father and her love for the Batman, it’s heavily implied that she’s begrudgingly carrying out his posthumous orders and is therefore the true threat of the story arc.

Batman’s allies and methods are questionable, adding little to the plot and ultimately being unnecessary.

Naturally, she hides it well, talking down Ubu, kissing the Dark Knight, weeping at the iconic clash between the two, and making no explicit moves against him, but Talia clearly can’t be trusted and carries out her father’s orders, willingly or not. The Batman’s plan is to assemble a team to hunt the Demon’s Head, though I’m not entirely sure what the benefit of assuming “Matches” Malone’s identity was since his underworld ties didn’t have any impact on their journey. I guess it helped to distract Lo Ling, who was fooled by the dummy Batman, but Malone didn’t seem necessary to the plot to me. It would’ve made more sense for “Bruce Wayne — Rest in Peace!” to revolve entirely around Batman masquerading as Malone to figure out who Rā’s al Ghūl is planning to target and then abandoning the disguise once Dr. Blaine was saved. I quite liked Lo Ling; he seemed like a tortured soul torn between his loyalties, like Talia, and was a useful ally in combat. It definitely would’ve made more sense for him to toss that Sodium-19 bar and for that to have killed Rā’s’ men, bringing some conflict between Lo Long’s methods and the Batman’s. It also would’ve made more sense for Lo Ling to guide Batman through the Swiss alps; he should know the location of Rā’s al Ghūl’s base, after all, meaning the inclusion of Molly Post also a questionable one. I liked that she impressed Batman time again, how resourceful, determined, and fearless she was, and that he was obviously taken by her, but I fail to see how she added anything to the story. Lo Ling and the Batman could’ve easily filled her role and it’s not like Molly and Batman become an item by the end. Additionally, Lo Ling and Molly are both grievously wounded in the final issue, which also takes Dr. Blaine out of the picture since he needs to see to her, meaning Batman faces Rā’s al Ghūl alone in the end…which was the exact opposite of his plan!

Batman’s relationship with Talia and rematch with Rā’s are the two highlights of this arc.

Therefore, the primary focus of this story arc (tracking down and stopping Rā’s al Ghūl’s mysterious plot) is a bit flimsy for me. However, these issues still stand as a landmark moment in the Dark Knight’s history simply because of how alluring and nuanced Rā’s al Ghūl and Talia are. Rā’s al Ghūl poses a significant threat to both the world and the Batman because of his resources and knowledge of Bruce Wayne’s identity, while Talia represents seductive temptation. Both the al Ghūl’s deeply respect and admire the Batman and wish him to join their cause, though they refuse to alter their methods to appeal to him and even Talia only defies her father so much. These issues not only reintroduce Rā’s al Ghūl but also introduce the concept of the Lazarus Pit, a mysterious, ancient substance that not only restores the dead to life but briefly bestows them with superhuman strength, though at the temporary loss of their sanity. When he rises from the dead, Rā’s al Ghūl is a mindless, animalistic force who easily fells Lo Ling and overpowers the Batman, only coming to his senses when confronted by his daughter. By the time the Batman intercepts them in Egypt Afghanistan whatever desert they flee to, Rā’s al Ghūl has fully regained his composure and is ready to battle to the death to settle his differences with the Dark Knight. While the Batman outright refuses to kill Rā’s al Ghūl, he also refuses to leave without the Demon’s Head in custody and accepts the challenge, providing the arc’s most powerful and sexually charged imagery. The actual sword fight, however, is surprisingly disappointing; neither competent draws blood, there’s no back and forth between the two, and it randomly ends when a scorpion stings Batman. Rā’s is incredibly pleased by this victory, claiming that nature itself has willed him as the victor, but so startled to see his foe fully recovered that he offers no resistance when the enraged Batman comes for him. In the end, these are decent enough stories, but I feel it could’ve been cut down to a two-part tale by removing some unnecessary characters and moments. This might’ve freed some panels to better explore Batman’s relationship with Talia and Rā’s al Ghūl’s plan, but there’s no denying the appeal of their sword fight and the juxtaposition between the Dark Knight and the Demon’s Head.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think of Rā’s al Ghūl’s rematch with the Dark Knight? Do you agree that the additional characters bogged down the narrative or were you a fan of Lo Ling and the “Matches” Malone identity? Did you enjoy the bare-chested sword fight between the two? What are some of your favourite Rā’s al Ghūl stories? Which interpretation of the Rā’s al Ghūl, whether animated, pixelated, or live-action, is your favourite? Whatever you think about the Rā’s al Ghūl, share your thoughts below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Batman content!

Back Issues [Crossover Crisis]: Crisis on Infinite Earths

Dr. K15 Comments

Cover-dated April 1985, the first issue of this ground-breaking event precipitated the destruction of the “Multiverse” in favour of a unified DC canon. Though DC returned to this concept again and again, that doesn’t change how influential this massive crossover was and what better way to celebrate than with a “Crossover Crisis” of my own?

Published: 3 January 1985 (cover-dated: April 1985) to March 1986 (cover date)
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: George Pérez

The Background:
In Showcase #4 (1956), writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino debuted Barry Allen/The Flash, the successor to Jay Garrick, who was established as an alternative version of the Fastest Man Alive. This concept was taken to the next level when Barry and Jay met face-to-face, revealing an infinite number of parallel worlds. Regular crossovers between the likes the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America soon followed, allowing alternative heroes and various stories to exist simultaneously. Over time, writers like Mark Wolfman became frustrated with this concept, which made keeping track of continuity difficult and it was hard for both writers and readers to connect with the stories. Wolfman initially pitched a reader guide to simplify the DC universe, which then evolved into a sprawling tale of multiversal destruction seen as a risky proposition as it meant erasing all continuity and starting from scratch to attract new readers. Such an event was unprecedented and DC spent two years laying the foundation for this Crisis, hiring researchers to document every character and event in their library and bringing in George Pérez to illustrate, with the artist excited at the idea of illustrating every DC character. Crisis on Infinite Earths became a bestseller for DC Comics and was heralded as a turning point for both the publisher and the industry. The fallout saw every DC character rebooted, with Clark Kent/Superman notably being reimagined as a more grounded character and Wally West taking over as the Flash, though Carter Hall/Hawkman was irrevocably damaged for years as DC struggled to reconcile certain elements of his character. Praised as the greatest comic book crossover in history, the event popularised massive, cosmic crossovers and DC revisited this concept numerous times in subsequent years. The event was even adapted into an ambitious and well received television event and an impressive three-part animated feature.

The Review:
Confused by the concept of the multiverse? Well, Crisis on Infinite Earths has you covered, to a degree, as it opens with (and features throughout) narration and exposition from the tragic Kell Mossa/Pariah. In the beginning, before there was light and life, there was only darkness. Then, from nowhere, came a single light that grew and expanded and finally exploded in “pain [and] relief” as the multiverse was born. The idea is infinite parallel realities all co-exist at once, separated by vibrational planes, though this is noted to not have been the intention when the light burst into being. The story the shifts to one such Earth where the hooded, weeping Pariah witnesses the destruction of not only that world, but the entire reality, at the hands of an all-encompassing white light. As entropy erases everything it touches, Pariah begs to be taken with it, sparing him his grim fate, only to be teleported away as the universe meets its destructive end. We then jump to Earth-3, home of the Crime Syndicate, an evil alternative version of the Justice League. There, Harold Jordan/Power Ring and Clark Kent/Ultraman desperately try to stop the cataclysmic natural disasters springing up across their world as the anti-matter wave approaches. While Thomas Wayne Jr./Owlman and Jonathan Allen/Johnny Quick lament their helplessness against such awesome power, the world’s only superhero, Alexander Luthor, watches helplessly as lifelong enemies like Diana/Superwoman are devoured by the anti-matter wave. With no way to save his world, Alexander rushes to be with his wife, Lois, and baby son, Alexander Luthor, Jr. In a parallel to Superman’s iconic origin, the baby is loaded into a specially prepared rocket and spirited away to Earth-1 as his world dies.

With all universes at risk of annihilation, the Monitor assembles a team of heroes and villains.

The mysterious Mar Novu/The Monitor observes this from his orbiting, spherical space station alongside Lyla Michaels/Harbinger, whom he sends to recruit Earth’s greatest heroes and villains to stop the pending Crisis. Harbinger recruits King Solovar from Gorilla City, Dawnstar from the 30th century Legion of Super-Heroes, Danette Reilly/Firebrand from Earth-2 1942, Ted Kord/The Blue Beetle from Earth-4, and Roger Hayden/Psycho-Pirate from present-day Earth-2. She returns Psycho-Pirate’s emotion manipulating Medusa Mask and coerces him into quelling Louise Lincoln/Killer Frost’s bloodlust and bringing both her and Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein/Firestorm to the cause. Though Harbinger is possessed by a Shadow Demon when recruiting Ahri’ahn/Arion the Sorcerer, he joins the other recruits, including Kal-L/Superman, John Stewart/Green Lantern, Neal Emerson/Doctor Polaris, Victor Stone/Cyborg, Simon Jones/Psimon, and Todd Rice/Obsidian. With tensions running high, the group are attacked by Shadow Demons, which seem impervious to physical, mental, and energy-based attacks. While the likes of the Blue Beetle can only run and Firestorm struggles with Killer Frost’s newfound affections, Obsidian and the arrogant Dr. Polaris put their shadow- and magnetism-based powers to good use. The Monitor halts the attack and introduces both himself and the threat to their universes. Weakened by the spread of anti-matter and facing suspicion from his assembled forces, the Monitor reveals that he’s judged them as the best hope of protecting five devices spread across the different eras that he hopes will halt the anti-matter wave. Meanwhile, reality is warped across the multiverse: in prehistoric times, Anthro the Cave-Boy is as astonished to spot a futuristic city amongst the wilds as Querl Dox/Brainiac-5 is to see mammoths stampeding through the 30th century. Half a galaxy away on Oa, the Guardians of the Universe prepare to summon their entire Green Lantern Corps to meet the threat, only for a mysterious voice to corrupt the Central Battery and trap them in a stasis beam. On Earth-1, Bruce Wayne/Batman is busy confronting the Joker during his latest crime spree and is astonished when an emaciated, confused Flash suddenly appears babbling about the end of the world and begging for help before disintegrating before the Dark Knight’s eyes!

As the Crisis worsens, the Monitors prepares Alexander and a new Dr. Light to face the threat.

On the post-apocalyptic Earth-AD, Kal-L, King Solovar, and Dawnstar meet Kamandi, the last boy on Earth, and discover the Monitor’s device, a towering, golden Cosmic Tuning Fork that’s immediately (though only briefly) attacked by Shadow Demons. Arion, Obsidian and the Psycho-Pirate watch over another tower in Atlantis, only for the Psycho-Pirate to be transported to a dark realm and coerced into turning against the Monitor just as Harbinger secretly conspires with that same dark force. Oblivious, the Monitor experiments on the rapidly aging Alexander Luthor, Jr., an impossible merger of matter and anti-matter who potentially holds the key to defeating the anti-matter spread, whom Harbinger’s dark master wants destroyed before he can threaten his schemes. Meanwhile, in the far future of Earth-1, the Flash races to keep his world from being torn apart from natural disasters but is forced to vibrate at super-speed to escape death. This same anti-matter energy arrives on present-day Earth-1, much to the horror of the Teen Titans, who desperately try to both halt the destructive wave and save lives alongside Batman and Superman. As Linda Lee/Kara Zor-El/Supergirl does the same, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl gives in to self-doubt, and John Constantine arrogantly believes it’ll all work out, Vril Dox/Brainiac coldly observes the events concludes that, if he’s to survive, he must team up with Lex Luthor. While defending a Cosmic Tuning Fork from both Nazi forces and Shadow Demons in 1942 Markovia, the Blue Beetle discovers the mysterious Scarab fused to his suit is lethal to the shadowy entities but is wounded before he can put this to good use and returned to his world by the Monitor to spare him. Back on Earth-AD, the skies turn red and King Solovar succumbs to his wounds while Cyborg, Firebrand, John Stewart, and Psimon team up with some local heroes (including Jonah Hex) in 1879 to defend another tower, only to be as overwhelmed by anti-matter as the far-flung future of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Elsewhere, the terrified heroes of Earth-6 blame Pariah for the looming threat, to no avail (though Pariah does save Tashana/Lady Quark to ease his suffering). While the unseen villain forcibly recruits the Red Tornado, the Monitor activates an “ion-based energy ray” to empower Doctor Kimiyo Hoshi, transforming her into the new Doctor Light and sending her to defend his tower on Earth-1.

Following the Monitor’s death, his champions are convinced to unite and save the remaining Earths.

When the heroes attack her, believing she and the tower caused the entropy, Superman quells the fighting, though things take a turn when the Shadow Demons combine into one gigantic, terrifying entity in each era. Even Princess Diana Prince/Wonder Woman’s hopes of recruiting her Amazonian sisters fail. When Pariah berates the Monitor for not doing more to intervene, he reveals just how weak he’s become and then nobly faces his end at Harbinger’s hands. Distraught, Pariah weeps as Earth-1 and Earth-2 are finally consumed; confused to find his strength hasn’t increased as a result, the dark villain delights in having the Psycho-Pirate torture the Flash. Depowered, Lyla is distressed by her actions but a pre-recorded message from the Monitor reveals that his death allowed his essence to empower his Cosmic Tuning Forks and create a “netherverse”, a pocket dimension to keep Earth-1 and Earth-2 safe. After giving the Monitor an appropriate burial, Lyla, Pariah, and the now teenage Alexander Luthor, Jr. gather both world’s champions on the Monitor’s satellite to merge all existing realities into one lest all worlds and realities be lost. Since there are some doubters, Alexander has them witness the Red Tornado be forcibly transformed into a being of pure, primal force, one easily subdued by sorcerers like Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate and Zatanna Zatara (though Ted Grant/Wildcat’s legs are shattered during the fracas). Thus, even the most sceptical agree to defend their worlds, only for the satellite to disintegrate courtesy of the event’s big bad, the Anti-Monitor! Fleeing to the emptiness of limbo, Alexander moves to save Earth-4, -S, and -X, only for Harbinger to subdue him and take his place. While Yolanda Montez continues Wildcat’s legacy on Earth-2, the Freedom Fighters and the Monitor’s agents come to blows on Earth-X when the Psycho-Pirate, his powers augmented by the demonic Anti-Monitor, stirs fear and hatred amongst them. Similarly, on Earth-1, Billy Batson/Captain Marvel and his siblings mindlessly attack Supergirl and Wonder Woman, though the fighting ends when Harbinger forces Earth-4, -S, and -X into the netherverse alongside Earth-1 and Earth-2, exhausting her incredible powers but dooming them to be slowly merged together.

After Lyla relates the Anti-Monitor’s origin, Supergirl sacrifices herself to try and destroy him.

Thus, Lyla, Pariah, and Alexander assemble Earth-1’s Superman, Earth-2’s (Kal-L), Captain Marvel, the Blue Beetle, Lady Quark, and Uncle Sam and reveal that, ten billion years ago, the Oan scientist Krona dared to seek the beginning of the universe, witnessing a giant hand clutching a star cluster. This caused a cosmic fracture, creating not just the multiverse, but an anti-matter universe and a counterpart to Oa, Qward. After banishing Kronoa, the Oans created peacekeeping forces like the defective Manhunters and the Green Lantern Corps but were fractured by a civil war, birthing the Controllers. Amidst the fighting, the Monitor and his evil, anti-matter counterpart came into being. The Anti-Matter conquered Qward and created the Shadow Demons to spread his influence throughout the anti-matter universe before waging war against the Monitor upon sensing his presence. Evenly matched, they were rendered unconscious for nine billion years before being awoken by the misguided Pariah, once a celebrated healer and scientist who also investigated the origin of the universe. Pariah’s world paid the price, and he was damned to live forever and watch all worlds die, though the Monitor also saw him as instrumental in saving all reality. Alexander uses his unique matter/anti-matter powers to create a dimensional tear to the anti-matter universe, which Pariah leads the heroes to the Anti-Monitor’s vast stone fortress. Enraged that the Psycho-Pirate is too drained to corrupt them, the Anti-Monitor has his stronghold attack, injuring the usually invulnerable Kal-L. Dr. Light and Superman discover the Anti-Monitor’s solar collector but are attacked before they can destroy it and halt the merger of the Earths. Hearing her cousin’s agony, Supergirl flies to Superman’s aid, brutally beating the villain in a rage and chastising his disdain for life, tearing through his protective armour. Furious, the Anti-Monitor prepares to explode with all his energy and, in a last-ditch effort to destroy him, his machine, and save everyone, Supergirl tackles him, destroying his machine but being fatally blasted. As the Anti-Monitor’s deteriorating, incorporeal form slinks away, Superman mourns his cousin’s death and vows to kill the Anti-Monitor. Kal-L calms his counterpart and they escape, and a memorial service is held on Earth-2, where Superman pays homage to Supergirl, vowing to remember her and fight in her name. Despite the loss, the five worlds are saved; similarly, the Green Lantern Corps free their masters and almighty Darkseid wisely cloaks Apokalips from the Anti-Monitor’s gaze. However, the Anti-Monitor reconstitutes himself on his ship, where the Flash is imprisoned, and prepares a counterattack from Qward.

Despite the Flash’s noble sacrifice, the Anti-Monitor gains God-like power from his anti-matter universe.

Though saved, the five worlds are still overlapping, causing anomalies and damage to each while  the Anti-Monitor oversees the creation of the anti-matter cannon, which he plans to use to obliterate the worlds. Just as the Psycho-Pirate feels his powers return, the Flash escapes and angrily attacks the sadistic villain, forcing him to turn the Anti-Monitor’s slaves against their master as a distraction. Though stunned to find the anti-matter cannon is powered by concentrated anti-matter and realising that destroying it would kill him, the Flash bravely circles the weapon’s core to turn its destructive energy back on it. Staving off the agony with memories of his loved ones, the Flash runs fast enough to move back in time (explaining his earlier, sudden appearances). Though Barry successfully destroys the weapon, it costs him his life. Enraged, the Anti-Matter absorbs the anti-matter universe, literally sucking the life out of over a million worlds to feed his lust for power and vengeance, an act so awesome that it’s detected by both the Challengers of the Unknown and the embodiment of the Lord’s wrath, Jim Corrigan/The Spectre. In the face of multiversal destruction, the Guardians of the Universe offer Guy Gardner the chance to become a Green Lantern once again and, when all but one of them are all slaughtered by a sudden explosion, Guy vows to avenge them as their champion. The Brainiac/Luthor team then recruit dozens of villains to strike while the remaining Earths are weak and in disarray. As time runs amok on Earth-1 and Alexander, Lyla, and Pariah address the United Nations, the villains make their move, having conquered Earth-4, -S, and -X, encasing them within impenetrable barriers, and threatening to destroy the remaining worlds. Lyla and Jay recruit a reluctant Wally West/Kid Flash to breach the barrier with the cosmic treadmill, though neither Luthor or Brainiac care much about their losses since they still possess the power to destroy everything. However, the Spectre ends the hostilities by revealing that the Anti-Monitor still lives and plans to corrupt the flow of time and formation of life by travelling to the dawn of time.

The Spectre demands co-operation, resulting in a singular world being created.

With the villains back on side, Kal-L bids an emotional farewell to his wife, Lois Lane, to join the counterattack, alongside a surprising newcomer: the Superboy from Earth-Prime (a fictional approximation of the real world where he’s the only superhero). After a rousing speech from Uncle Sam, heroes and villains alike pool their technology and powers to travel to the dawn of time and confront the anxious Anti-Monitor. The Anti-Monitor reveals that he, not Pariah, was responsible for the destruction of Pariah’s world after he took advantage of Pariah’s experiments to rebuild his power, absolving the tragic figure of his sins. Now grown to immense proportions, the Anti-Monitor withstands the assault of those assembled (with guys like Batman offering only support), absorbing their life energy to add to his power and allowing his hand to be the one that shapes all reality, as witnessed by Kronoa. His grasp is intercepted by the Spectre and the combined magic of the unified sorcerers, reducing the battle to a literal arm wrestle between the Anti-Monitor and the Spectre. Thanks to their bickering, Luthor’s underlings fail to kill Kronoa before he can cause the creation of the multiverse and the Anti-Monitor, and all seems lost. However, following a blinding light and the literal shattering of all time and space, Kal-L awakens on present-day Earth to find he’s on the same world as his Earth-1 counterpart. Sharing the same fragmented memories, Superman explains that time seems to be healing (albeit wonkily) and that elements of multiple Earths have been merged into one. For example, everyone knows Supergirl died but not how, the Flash is presumed vanished, and Earth-2’s Keystone City and Jay Garrick now live on this Earth. Jay, Wally, and the Supermen use the cosmic treadmill to discover Earth-2 is missing. Realising that the multiverse no longer exists, Superman has to force his older counterpart to return rather than throw himself into the endless void in despair. With the cosmic treadmill irreparably damaged, Wally assembles everyone at Titans Tower, discovering guys like Captain Marvel, Superbody-Prime, Uncle Sam, and the Earth-2 Dick Grayson/Robin also exist on this world, where they’re all shocked to see Harbinger alive and powered back up. The refugees are despondent and horrified to learn their worlds, pasts, and many loved ones are gone thanks to “cosmic irony” as Harbinger explains that there is now one Earth with one coherent timeline that folds their disparate lives into its flow, sending Kal-L into a crazed distress at having lost his wife and home.

A final, all-out assault ends the Anti-Monitor and starts the universe anew, with some casualties.

After questioning the imprisoned Lex Luthor, Batman, Jason Todd/Robin, and Alexander confirm that, while some duplicates remain and some lives were restored, others weren’t and only those who present at the dawn of time remember the multiverse. Just as they’re processing this, the skies turn red and the world suddenly shifts to the anti-matter universe, where the titanic, disembodied Anti-Monitor still lives! Though incensed by their efforts, the Anti-Monitor congratulates them for handing him his first defeat in ten billion years and then decrees that they must all die. Wally’s shock at his mentor’s death is mirrored by the abject panic that sweeps the civilians following the Anti-Monitor’s threat, which doubles when the Shadow Demons kill Don Hall/Dove, Helena Wayne/Huntress, and Tula Marius/Aquagirl. While the sorcerers remove the Shadow Demons, Harbinger assembles one last effort to stop the Anti-Monitor on Qward. Though the Anti-Monitor is too large and powerful to be damaged, Harbinger has Dr. Light absorb the star feeding him power, weakening him enough for Alexander to breach the villain’s armour. With the threat seemingly ended by a combined energy blast, Alexander struggles to return Earth home and the Anti-Monitor absorbs his exiled Shadow Demons to rise again and vaporise Wonder Woman. Rather than see anyone else die, Kal-L tackles the Anti-Monitor, believing he’s got nothing to lose, and Alexander and Superboy-Prime are trapped with him. Though Darkseid, watching from Apokalips, strikes a fatal blow through Alexander’s eyes, the Anti-Monitor refuses to die, so Kal-L delivers a final strike that obliterates the tyrant. Faced with the pending destruction of the anti-matter universe, Kal-L and Superboy-Prime prepare to meet their end only for Alexander to teleport them, alongside Kal-L’s Lois, to a pocket dimension. In the aftermath, Wonder Woman returns to the clay that forms Themyscira, her Earth-2 counterpart is welcomed among the Gods, the dead heroes are memorialised, and Wally assumes the Flash mangle. Confined to Arkham Asylum, the Psycho-Pirate is dubbed a raving lunatic since he’s the only one who remembers the multiverse and the catastrophic events of the Crisis.

The Summary:
Whew, there’s a lot happening in Crisis on Infinite Earths. There’s a reason I’ve put off reviewing it for so long, and why I rarely revisit it. It’s a very dense and complex story, full of exposition and cameos and faces both obscure and iconic. As a celebration of DC’s rich history and characters, it’s hard to find much better than Crisis on Infinite Earths, which stuffs just about every costumed character, hero or villain, into its dense twelve issues! My hat’s off to George Pérez; it must’ve been painstaking to sketch all these group shots, action sequences, montages, and dramatic events. Equal praise to Marv Wolfman as I can’t imagine how difficult it was to make sense of all these different worlds and come up with a cohesive way to explain, link, and destroy them all. In the end, the solution was simple: pure, destructive, unstoppable entropy. It’s fitting that the anti-matter wave is depicted as a blinding white light that erases everything it touches, for it symbolically represents a blank page or an artist’s eraser, indicating that these colourful and convoluted worlds are being literally wiped clean for a new status quo. Our guide through most of this is Pariah, a tragic figure doomed to watch each world die as penance for kick-starting the events that follow. Immortal but seemingly powerless to intervene, all he can do is shout desperate warnings and is powerless to rescue anyone and constantly met with aggression, suspicion, and accusations. He’s merely a pawn in a much larger game, however, much like Harbinger, who acts as an all-powerful emissary of the Monitor and deliver exposition in his stead. A conflicted individual burdened with the knowledge that she will betray and murder the man to whom she owes her life, Harbinger, nevertheless works to uphold the Monitor’s legacy and bring together heroes and villains alike to stand against his dark counterpart.

The Anti-Monitor’s power sends shockwaves through the multiverse and those who’ve witnessed it.

The dreaded inevitability of death is a focal point in Crisis on Infinite Earths. When the anti-matter wave hits, heroes and villains set aside their differences and use all their powers and resources to either stop it or save people from its destructive touch. Even the abhorrent Crime Syndicate find themselves fighting to save their world and Ultraman willingly enters the wave to die on his terms. Even before the wave arrives, the worlds are shaken to their core by natural disasters; volcanoes, tsunamis, and ominous, crackling red skies precipitate the disaster as much as Pariah. Perhaps no character is more synonymous with the coming destruction than the Flash; thanks to his super-speed, he ends up travelling through time, arriving before the likes of Batman and Wally as an omen of what’s to come and taking on an appearance that resembles Death itself. The Anti-Monitor echoes this in his design; though shrouded by his all-powerful armour, he sports a skull-like visage and dark, piercing eyes. Commanding demonic shadows, he’s very much the embodiment of Death and his lust for utter annihilation drives him to snuff out all life and light. Sadistic to the core, he employs the Psycho-Pirate to foster fear and hate, turning his would-be opponents against each other and causing countless more deaths. His ruthlessness seemingly knows no boundaries as he gleefully corrupts Harbinger, relishes the death of his counterpart, and nonchalantly obliterates his rebellious slaves without a second thought. His power and cruelty are so great that even the mighty Darkseid is driven to hide rather than confront him, striking when the villain is at his most vulnerable and largely avoiding the greater conflict. For all his God-like power, the Anti-Monitor still relies on technology; his merger and destruction of worlds can be halted or stopped by Cosmic Tuning Forks or destroying his solar collector. Indeed, it’s only after his massive, world-ending cannon is destroyed that the Anti-Monitor eschews all other methods and absorbs the entire lifeforce of the anti-matter universe into himself to literally take matters into his own hands.

The Supermen anchor the story, leading the assembled champions in battle and saving all reality.

There is no one central character in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Instead, it’s a team-up story through and through, meaning some of your favourites may be sidelined. In some respects, I don’t mind this; Batman outright admits how useless he is against the Anti-Monitor and it’s clear only beings of incredible power can stand against him. Yet, the Blue Beetle is said to be pivotal in opposing the villain, the Red Tornado is briefly said to be incredibly important, and Lex Luthor comes close to co-ruling five entire worlds and even leads the charge to assassinate Kronoa. The Earth-2 Superman, Kal-L, is often at the heart of the conflict, leading the others and inspiring confidence, as is his Earth-1 counterpart. It’s therefore more tragic seeing Superman’s grief-stricken reaction to his cousin’s death; holding Supergirl in his arms, the Man of Steel briefly forgets his morals and vows to kill the Anti-Monitor as recompense. This is but one of the unforgettable deaths featured in Crisis on Infinite Earths as the Flash sacrifices himself to deal a critical blow to the Anti-Monitor, making a martyr of himself for decades before DC made the bone-headed decision to revive him. There’s an odd dichotomy in Crisis on Infinite Earths; these alternative worlds and characters co-exist and are even folded into one by the end. Rather than wiping everything away and starting afresh by the conclusion, the story clunkily has the survivors forget key events and weaves characters like Captain Marvel and the Justice Society into a unified timeline. This works for me as I prefer a coherent narrative, but it essentially means Crisis on Infinite Earth takes place mid-way through the early years of the post-Crisis reboot and reimaginings like John Byrne’s Superman stories happen before and during this event, rather than after it.

Worlds lived, worlds died, and the DC Universe was never the same…for about twenty years…

These days, Crisis on Infinite Earths may be a lot for modern readers to take in. Many of its characters and concepts are either forgotten, wildly different, or have been done to death thanks to the multiple reality-altering events that followed (many specifically to address loose ends from this story). At the time, though, I’d wager many long-term DC readers appreciated the cameos and call-backs weaved into the story. I’m glad DC devoted twelve issues to the story and didn’t rush it, but it does get repetitive and convoluted as it drags on. The secondary threat of Brainiac and Luthor directing a team of villains to conquer the five worlds, for example, could probably be skipped or relegated to a tie-in comic. Similarly, the defending of the Cosmic Tuning Forks isn’t very interesting and doesn’t really add to the story since we barely see any action around this, the Shadow Demons are too powerful to be interesting, and it’s all negated by the Monitor’s death. In this respect, I think the event could’ve been cut down to eight or ten issues and still been just as effective, especially as many Earths and characters feature as quick cameos to be obliterated. The remaining five Earths are said to be the most important, which is a little disrespectful to those that perished by the Anti-Monitor’s hand and a bit of an insult to any fans of those worlds. I liked seeing new heroes rise during the chaos, like a new Dr. Light (who was an aggressive bitch throughout), Wildcat, and Guy being Green Lantern again, though it falls a little flat when you know the canon is going to be altered after this to return the status quo. I liked the Anti-Monitor’s design and his characterisation as a reprehensible being who craved only power and destruction, but it was hard to get a sense of his power and limitations. One minute he’s weakened by giant towers, then his armour is containing his energy, and then he’s being powered by a black sun despite having absorbed the lifeforce of his anti-matter universe. Still, the unification of heroes and villains to oppose him was fun to see, the sacrifices and determination were poignant, and the weaving together of a singular continuity, while flawed, was ambitious and visually engaging to behold.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever read Crisis on Infinite Earths? What did you think of this unprecedented mash-up of DC’s various worlds and characters? Which parallel world was your favourite and were you upset to see destroyed? What did you think to the Anti-Monitor, his vast power and his stubborn refusal to die? Were you shocked to see Supergirl and the Flash die so dramatically? Do you agree that the story dragged on a bit by the end? Which of the subsequent Crisis events was your favourite and what are some of your favourite cosmic events? Drop a comment below to share your thoughts about Crisis on Infinite Earths and feel free to check out my reviews of other notable crossovers.

Screen Time [JLA Day]: Justice League: Secret Origins

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To celebrate the release of Justice League (Snyder/Whedon, 2017), DC Comics named November 18 “Justice League Day”. Setting aside all the drama surrounding that movie, this provides a perfect excuse to spotlight DC’s premier superhero team, which set the standard for super teams in comics by bringing together DC’s most powerful heroes.

“Secret Origins”

Air Date: 17 November 2001
Director: Dan Riba and Butch Lukic
Original Network: Cartoon Network
Stars: George Newbern, Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Michael Rosenbaum, Maria Canals-Barrera, Carl Lumbly, and Kevin Michael Richardson

The Background:
In 1992, hot off the success of Tim Burton’s gothic Batman movies, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini produced one of the most lauded cartoons of an entire generation with Batman: The Animated Series (1992 to 1995). The award-winning animated series was soon accompanied by one of the greatest adaptations of Clark Kent/Superman’s adventures, and it wasn’t long after that The New Batman Adventures (1997 to 1999) and Superman: The Animated Series (1996 to 2000) were crossing over. Superman also introduced a number of additional superheroes into the celebrated DC Animated Universe (DCAU), colourful faces familiar to comics readers who would be pushed to the forefront when Dini and Timm collaborated on the illustrious Justice League animated series (2001 to 2004). The late, great Kevin Conroy (for many the definitive Bruce Wayne/Batman) returned to voice the Dark Knight, though George Newbern replaced Tim Daly as the Man of Steel, and the show came to define the values and appeal of the titular team. Starting with a bang with a three-episode arc that was later collected as a feature-length presentation, Justice League expanded its lore and roster evermore in its sister-series and has been widely praised for its mature themes, relatable characters, and for setting a new standard for animated adaptations, to the point that DC’s later animated ventures are often directly compared to the DCAU.

The Plot:
When the alien invaders who decimated Mars attack the Earth, the planet’s greatest superheroes are called together for the first time by Martian survivor J’onn J’onnz (Lumbly) to combat the threat.

The Review:
The DCAU started as a very grounded affair. Batman: The Animated Series largely stuck to street-level or city-wide disturbances, focusing on Batman villains who were crazed, yes, but largely human. There were obviously exceptions, but things rarely got too fantastical. That changed when Superman: The Animated Series was confirmed to take place in the same continuity; suddenly, Batman existed alongside aliens, magic, and other supernatural threats far beyond his mortal limits. Yet, even then, Superman: The Animated Series focused more on the titular Man of Steel and his exploits; when costumed heroes did appear, it was more of a spotlight or a cameo, a glimpse into an even bigger world. I say all this as “Secret Origins” wisely starts off from Batman’s perspective, with him investigating a series security breaches in WayneTech’s global deep space monitoring network and finding the culprits are guilty of more than simple corporate espionage. Confronting the facility staff as they attach an alien device to a satellite dish, Batman is stunned to find the employees not only speaking an alien language but exhibiting superhuman strength and an unnerving ability to reconstitute broken limbs. Stubborn as ever, Batman refuses Superman’s help when he stops by, only to end up aiding the Man of Steel when he’s half-crippled by what appears to be a psychic attack. Though Batman scoffs at the idea of calling for Superman’s help with his signal watch, he pockets the device and continues his investigation over the next six months, undeterred despite his enemy being far outside of his weight class. However, when checking out a Metropolis warehouse, Batman discovers more scientists, this time encased in disgusting, egg-like pods, held in stasis so the alien invaders can better assume their identities. When he’s attacked by an alien guard dog, Batman’s forced to signal Superman for help but even the Man of Steel is seemingly powerless when a series of meteors crash to Earth and birth gigantic, tripod-like alien walkers that decimate the world’s major cities.

When invaders attack, Earth’s heroes are forced to work together (and with J’onn) to fight back.

Despite throwing his best punches, Superman barely slows the destructive walkers, but another psychic barrage clues him in on the key to fending off the invaders. Closely followed by Batman, who’s no match even in his kitted-out Batplane, the World’s Finest find a strange alien humanoid held in captivity in an alien base. Freeing the visitor, they learn that he is J’onn J’onnz, the last survivor of Mars, and that he was attempting to communicate to Superman on a mental level. Though naturally distrustful, even after J’onn assumes a more human guise, Batman listens intently as J’onn relates how the once-peaceful Martian civilization was decimated by the relentless, gloop-like invaders. They destroyed all trace of J’onn’s people, committing mass genocide and even stealing their shape-shifting powers, and were only stopped when J’onn himself led a final, desperate attack on their underground stronghold and paralysed them with a nerve gas. Though he sealed the invaders away and kept watch for 500 years, J’onn was in a hibernation cycle when two astronauts accidentally opened the tomb, reawakening the invaders and turning their aggression towards Earth. Desperate to ensure that another civilisation doesn’t suffer as his did, J’onn escaped and tried to warn the Earth, only to be captured and studied. Luckily, he retained enough of his power to call out not just to Superman, but to Wally West/The Flash (Rosenbaum), John Stewart/Green Lantern (LaMarr), and Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl (Canals-Barrera), who all join the fight and take down a contingent of the alien walkers. Their efforts are further aided by Princess Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman (Eisenberg), a “rookie” hero (as John puts it) who abandons her island paradise to aid mankind. Though new to the hero game, Wonder Woman makes an immediate impression, deflecting incoming fire with her wrist guards and showcasing superhuman strength and flight, aiding Hawkgirl and taking down the walkers as forcefully as Superman. Still, distrust is rife amongst the fledgling Justice League; not only are they wary of J’onn but Diana’s expertise is called into question, and the group initially struggles to gel. John immediately takes charge, barking orders and dividing the group into teams to gain intel on the walkers, only to be lumbered with the childish Flash and left chastising Wally for his reckless nature. Such recklessness is echoed in both Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman, whose first instinct is to fight and cause them to blindly charge into ambushes and traps as a result. Superman is constantly trying to help everyone and therefore lets his guard down. Apparently somewhat complacent since he’s largely invulnerable, Superman’s easily subdued by the invaders’ powerful tech.

The fledgling Justice League ultimately triumph over the invaders and become a cohesive unit.

Although they’re unsure about J’onn, he proves to be dependable and is extremely capable in a fight. Boasting psychic powers, he can also fly, turn invisible and intangible, and exhibits superhuman strength on par with his peers. He also holds the key to shutting down one of the invaders’ drilling facility, working alongside Wonder Woman and Batman to steal the ion crystal, only for Batman to be left behind and seemingly gunned down. As the only member of the team without superpowers, Batman is at a physical disadvantage, but he does his best. He has his toys, of course, but his greatest asset is his mind. He colludes with J’onn to fake his death, an act that galvanises the team to work harder in rescuing Superman and Hawkgirl, and which deceives the invaders and their overseer, the Imperium (Richardson), a Lovecraftian, tentacled nightmare that delights in torturing J’onn before his newfound allies. The Imperium realises all-too late that Batman has survived as the Dark Knight sabotages the ion crystal, reversing its polarity and dispelling the polluting cloud that’s blanketed the Earth since the invaders arrived. It’s also Batman who deduces that the invaders are vulnerable to sunlight, a weakness the team quickly takes advantage of by ripping holes in the alien craft, killing the creatures without a second’s hesitation. Though they have no name, the alien invaders are a formidable force; they use shape-shifting abilities stolen from the Martians to impersonate public figures and even the heroes, laying the groundwork for their forces to arrive. They also wield laser blasters and are fully malleable, pulling themselves back together or reforming after taking damage. Most notably, they attack humanity using tripod-like walkers ripped right out of The War of the Worlds (Wells, 1898) just as the Imperium’s arrival is ripped from Independence Day (Emmerich, 1996). Their numbers and advanced alien tech make them more than a match for each of the team individually, even overpowered members like Superman and J’onn, but, once the disparate heroes start working together, the invaders are summarily driven off and Earth gains a powerful group of protectors.

The Summary:
“Secret Origins” has quite a mountain to climb. Sure, while DCAU viewers would’ve been well acquainted with Batman and Superman and have some knowledge of the Flash and the Green Lantern Corps, Wally, John, Shayera, and Diana are essentially brand-new characters in this sprawling continuity. Rather than spending time delving into the background of each of these new heroes, “Secret Origins” spends more time focusing on introducing J’onn and Wonder Woman, assuming the audiences will remember lore about the Flash and the Green Lantern Corps from Superman: The Animated Series and simply dropping Hawkgirl in our laps. I think this was a good approach; I liked that the first part was essentially another Batman/Superman team-up as it showcased neither man could fight off the invaders alone and that the two together wouldn’t be enough, either. This greatly aided in establishing the invaders as a true threat; they easily manhandled Batman, forcing him to ask Superman for aid, and Superman was distracted by J’onn’s attempts to communicate and unprepared to face a physical challenge. J’onn is depicted as a suitably tragic figure, one who’s seen his whole world die at the hands of these invaders and who is determined to prevent it happening again. J’onn even apologises for humanity’s violent nature and defends the very people who treated him so poorly when he arrived. He finds a kindred spirit in Superman and a surrogate family in the Justice League, who eventually accept him as one of them through his courageous actions. This arc is echoed in Wonder Woman, who renounces her place in paradise out of curiosity to explore “Man’s World” and a sense of duty to defend the planet from its aggressors. However, as she’s new to the superhero lark, she’s initially treated with contempt by the strait-laced John Stewart. A gruff military man who focuses solely on the job, John has no time for the Flash’s games and is dismissive of Diana for being a “rookie”. The others are much more accepting and even John is turned around after seeing the fantastic abilities Wonder Woman brings to the table.

Heroes old and new must learn to fight together to defend the Earth.

The dynamic between the fledgling Justice League is at the forefront of “Secret Origins”. J’onn calls them together to defend the planet but none of them have any experience working together. Sure, Batman and Superman have teamed up, but they didn’t exactly like it or make a habit of it. Indeed, the only one with a sense of teamwork is John and even he’s bad at it, ordering the heroes around like he’s king shit and simply expecting them to fall in line or work together without laying the groundwork first. Egos and personalities clash throughout, with Batman being his usual pig-headed self, Hawkgirl charging into conflict, and the Flash toying with his foes, seemingly oblivious to the stakes. Even Superman struggles with the team dynamic, feeling obligated to help everyone and being blindsided as a result, and consequently sees the value in bringing the team together as a permanent fixture. Superman’s focus is on solving all the world’s problems, so much so that he doesn’t even suspect he’s being manipulated by the invaders to weaken Earth’s defences. The invaders are relentless and extremely aggressive, laying waste to cities with little resistance, but are both formidable and extremely vulnerable. Even Batman takes them out with enough effort and their machines are brought down by the heroes, but their sheer numbers and tenacity mean they can easily subdue even the Justice League. It isn’t until they underestimate Batman and their weakness is exposed that they show any signs of fear, with the Imperium desperately fleeing once its exposed to sunlight, only for Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl to violently bring down its escape craft and send the rest of its kind scurrying back to the depths of space. Again, it’s a very War of the Worlds-like ending and perhaps a little too contrived and nonsensical for the invaders to have such a glaring weakness, but it’s used to emphasise the team coming together as a unified force, so I’ll allow it. Ultimately this was a great introduction to the DCAU Justice League. “Secret Origins” established their different and conflicting personalities and how their various powers and abilities will work going forward, emphasising that they all have a part to play, and showed that there are some threats that require a whole group of special heroes to oppose it.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to “Secret Origins”? Did you enjoy seeing these heroes come together? What did you think to threat they faced? Would you have liked to get a little more insight into the Flash and Hawkgirl? Are you a fan of J’onn J’onnz? What are some of your favourite Justice League episodes? Feel free to use the comment section below to share your opinions and be sure to check out my other Justice League content across the site.

Movie Night: Joker: Folie à Deux

Dr. K3 Comments

Released: 4 October 2024 (Hey, that’s my birthday!)
Director: Todd Phillips
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget: $190 to 200 million
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and Harry Lawtey

The Plot:
Two years after killing Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) on live television, Arthur Fleck/Joker (Phoenix) is incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital, experiencing musical madness through a shared delusion with Joker fan Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Gaga).

The Background:
The Joker has been a staple of DC Comics for decades and is inarguably Bruce Wayne/Batman’s greatest foe. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the “Clown Prince of Crime” first appeared in 1940 and has been responsible for many tragedies in the Dark Knight’s life, including the death of Jason Todd/Robin and the crippling of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. The Joker has also appeared in live-action many times: Cesar Romero famously refused to shave his moustache for the role in the sixties, Jack Nicholson set a new standard in Batman (Burton, 1989), Heath Ledger received a posthumous honour for his incredible turn in The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008), and Jared Leto’s screen time was significantly cut from Suicide Squad (Ayer, 2016). A standalone Joker movie was initially planned to spin out from Suicide Squad before numerous blunders saw Warner Bros. shift towards an unrelated interpretation of the character. Filmed on a modest budget, Joker (Phillips, 2019) was the first “R” rated DC Extended Universe movie and an unprecedented critical and commercial success, despite its protesters and controversy. Though planned as a standalone and the first in a series of darker, more experimental DC films, star Joaquin Phoenix personally lobbied for a follow-up after dreaming up the premise of a musical sequel. After briefly considering a Broadway show and unanimously deciding against transforming Arthur Fleck into a traditional criminal mastermind, Phoenix and director Todd Phillips developed the musical concept further, bringing in Lady Gaga as a new version of Harley Quinn that required her to change her approach to singing. The musical numbers were performed live, which proved an editing nightmare for Philips, who was given an extraordinary level of autonomy over the project, which ultimately failed to replicate the financial success of its predecessor. Reviews were equally far more scathing this time around; indeed, while Phoenix ’s performance was praised and Lady Gaga was seen as underutilised, many questioned the use of musical numbers and criticised the pacing and tedious, plodding narrative. In the wake of James Gunn rebooting DC’s live-action ventures, it seems our time with this alternative Joker is over not just because of these factors but also because Phillips stated he was finished with the character and this fictional world.

The Review:
I’m proudly in the minority of people who didn’t care much for Joker. Even it had somehow been a decent film, in my opinion, I still would’ve found it annoying to have an alternative version of the Joker running around in a Batman-less Gotham City. As a psychological thriller that made you question the sanity and reliability of its narrator, it was okay; but I would still rather watch the vastly superior American Psycho (Harron, 2000) for that fix. Either way, Joker: Folie à Deux (ridiculous title, by the way) picks up two years after the first movie and finds a heavily emaciated, largely silent Arthur Fleck committed to Arkham State Hospital, where he’s routinely harassed, abused, and mocked by bullish guards like Jackie Sullivan (Gleeson). While Joker ended with the suggestion that some of the film’s events were part of Arthur’s twisted imagination, Joker: Folie à Deux confirms that he did kill five people (actually, it’s six, but it’s not common knowledge that he killed Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy), his overbearing and abusive mother), with Murray Franklin’s live execution inciting a riot and a gaggle of clown-themed protestors calling for Arthur’s release. Despite finding his true self and experiencing a euphoric empowerment by embracing his psychotic urges, Arthur is a broken shell of his former self. Lethargic and largely mute, he’s easily bossed around by the guards and kept under the whim of his daily medicines. Jackie and the others regularly taunt him, forcing him to kiss other inmates and rewarding him with cigarettes whenever he tells one of his bad jokes, but the strong, confident, self-assured Joker is absent in the early going of the film (and, truthfully, for much of it). Arthur’s so mellow that his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Keener), is working to convince him, a jury, newly elected assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (Lawtey), and basically anyone who’ll listen that the meek Arthur and his psychotic Joker are distinctly different personalities. Her goal in aiding him, in trying the change the public’s opinion of him as some crazed murderer or a martyr to the lower classes, isn’t to prove he’s innocent, of course, since he absolutely is guilty of murder. Instead, she wants to show the tragedy behind his childhood, the mitigating circumstances around his killings, and prove that he’s a disturbed individual who needs real medical help, not to be caged in a veritable torture chamber or sent to the electric chair for actions outside of his control.

A broken down Arthur is given new life as Joker through Lee’s musical influence.

Arthur is largely apathetic about all this. He endures his daily torment and routine without so much as a peep and does his best to go along with Maryanne’s plan, taking solace in his fantasy world where he imagines his life as a classic Warner Bros. cartoon, relives the trauma he suffered at the hands of others and his mother, and seemingly longs for the feeling of empowerment he felt when he embraced his Joker persona. All this changes, however, when he passes through B Wing, a low security section of Arkham housing non-violent inmates, and catches the eye of Lee Quinzel. When Jackie arranges for Arthur to participate in the same musical therapy class as Lee for good behaviour, Arthur finally opens up to this self-professed Joker fan. Instantly enamoured by Arthur and having been inspired by his actions, Lee claims to have struck out against her own abusive family and landed herself in the nuthouse after burning down her apartment building. The two grow closer as Lee professes her admiration and love for the ideal Arthur embodied when he killed Murray Franklin and Arthur, love starved and craving attention, falls head over heels for her in return. The two express themselves through song almost constantly, either in Arthur’s warped imagination or, seemingly, for real. As in the first movie, it’s not always clear when things are real or not, though many of the musical numbers take place in Arthur’s head. These imaginary sequences are also the only times Arthur shows his violent side, braining and beating people to death with footstools and mallets, and are seemingly his new way to work through his pain and frustration and emotion. Unlike Arthur’s obsession with his neighbour, Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz), Lee is quite real. Others see and acknowledge her, though it’s debatable whether she really did blag her way into his cell to seduce him and much of her character is called into question when Maryanne reveals that Lee lied about her past to get closer to Arthur. Indeed, rather than being a downtrodden and forgotten member of the lower classes like him, Lee comes from money, is studying psychiatry, and willingly committed herself to meet him, reframing the usual Joker/Harley dynamic as she’s the one subtly influencing him to coax out what she sees as his “true” self.

Faced with daily abuse and a death sentence, Arthur retreats into a musical fantasy.

Lee’s influence sees Arthur become bolder, more confident, regaining the spark that took Gotham’s crooks and destitute by storm. A parade of supporters surrounds the courthouse during his trial, which is broadcast live since he’s such a high-profile killer, and witnesses testify against Arthur’s mental state. Encouraged by Lee to embrace his status as a cult symbol, Arthur snaps and fires Maryanne and opts to represent himself, donning the Joker makeup and persona once more and strutting around the courtroom ranting about his shitty life. By his own admission, however, Arthur knows nothing about the legal system, resulting in him mocking his traumatised former co-worker Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill). These moments, and where Arthur is wailing or uncontrollably cackling in despair, are where Phoenix excels in the role. I’ve never liked the idea of a definitive origin for the Joker, but he certainly brings his A-game in personifying Arthur’s depressing bleakness and Joker’s manic insanity. For the most part, Lady Gaga does well enough as a heavily revised version of Harley Quinn. After she checks out of Arkham, we’re told that Lee campaigns on Arthur’s behalf and she slowly adopts more clown-ish makeup and mannerisms in support of him. When she’s not singing (and she sings all the damn time), she’s an intriguing character, one who I would’ve liked to see more from. She seems to want Arthur to embrace his Joker persona and lead his followers in some kind of revolution (to “build a mountain”, as they say) but it’s not clear why or what their ultimate goal is rather than simply sticking it to “The Man” and unapologetically being true to oneself. Arthur’s main antagonist is himself, as ever; he’s riddled with insecurity, feelings of abandonment and helplessness, and is thus depends on Lee for emotional support. However, while he relishes frolicking around like Foghorn Leghorn, Arthur’s outbursts and rantings see him anger Jackie and the other guards. While the Arkham inmates and Joker’s supporters cheer and applaud his antics, the guards mercilessly beat and seemingly sexually assault him, with Jackie even throttling Arthur’s fellow inmate, Ricky Meline (Jacob Lofland), for being a little too outspoken in his rambunctious support.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Despite some confusion in the marketing and various interviews, Joker: Folie à Deux is very much a musical. Even before Arthur meets Lee, his fantasies favour belting out Frank Sinatra and, after they get closer, this only increases, to the point where almost every conversation becomes a musical number. I like musicals; I’m not against the idea of a musical. I like the idea that Arthur’s warped imagination has evolved to where he retreats into musical fantasy. However, I don’t think it was executed well here and it became very tedious. It seems the only reason these musical numbers is because of Lady Gaga’s stunt casting as Harley Quinn (sorry, “Lee”), and I definitely feel it would’ve been more impactful to just have three or four of these numbers. Indeed, it bothered me that Arthur was suddenly so into singing when surely his fantasy should be being a stand-up comedian or a talk show host like his former idol? Either way, it was physically exhausting seeing mundane conversations turned into songs and it got tired very quickly. While the first half of Joker: Folie à Deux mostly examines a beaten-down Arthur as he shuffles through daily torment in Arkham and his blossoming relationship with Lee, the second half is a courtroom drama, where Arthur’s very presence causes controversy even before he’s prancing around in his clown makeup. Personally, I found the courtroom stuff more interesting, but it was also a joke. The idea that anyone would acquit Arthur when thousands of people saw him commit murder on live television is laughable, to the point where Dent seemingly only endures the circus to bolster his career using the publicity. Things seem to turn a corner when Arthur represents himself as Joker, finally standing tall as a taunting, unhinged figure and stirring up a fresh wave of support from the incels who worship him as a martyr. However, beneath the makeup and the façade is lowly old Arthur Fleck, a damaged man who struggles to live up to expectations. Dent argues that Arthur is faking his mental illness and Arthur’s brief euphoria at reassuming his Joker guise soon comes crashing down following Jackie’s assault, leading him to openly denounce his persona, admit to his wrongdoings, and essentially criticise not just those who support him, but the myriad audiences who hailed Joker a subversive hit.

Ultimately, Arthur fails to live up to Lee’s expectations and ends up shanked like a bitch.

Indeed, Joker: Folie à Deux appears to be taking all the goodwill of the first movie’s success and purposely flushing it down the toilet. Arthur is taken right back to square one, being pushed around and bullied like a feeble, pathetic child and his number one supporter, Lee, is shown to be a deluded, obsessed super fan who encourages Joker’s outbursts with no real end goal in mind. His anonymous supporters rally for him but mostly use the Joker persona as an excuse to lash out, attack the police and government, and commit petty crimes. They’re not trying to overthrow the elite or get equality; they just want an excuse to act like assholes. After seeing how traumatised Gary is and suffering Jackie’s malicious abuse, Arthur snaps again and the empowerment he rediscovered leaves him. His public denouncement of Joker sees Lee leave in disgust and either kill herself or bluntly reject him, depending on which scene you want to believe is real. As the jury delivers their unanimous guilty verdict, the courthouse is attacked, leaving Dent mildly wounded on one side of his face, and Arthur escapes. He’s briefly picked up by some Joker fanatics, who desperately try to shield him in hopes of inciting a revolution, only to be astonished when he flees in fear, wanting no part of their movement. After Lee rejects him, Arthur is immediately and easily apprehended and dragged back to Arkham, ending the film right where he started: a small, broken, screwed up little man facing the death penalty. However, when he’s called to see a visitor, Arthur is stopped by a fellow inmate (Connor Storrie), one of many who gleefully watched Arthur’s trial and supported his manic actions. Disgusted that the lauded Joker is nothing but a worthless nobody who doesn’t appreciate his following, the inmate spitefully tells Arthur a joke and then repeatedly shanks him, mutilating his own face with a Glasgow smile as Arthur bleeds out on the floor and, presumably, dies.

The Summary:
I didn’t care for Joker. I thought it was largely pointless and meaningless since we’d never see this version of the character in the larger DC extended universe and the idea of doing a Joker movie without Batman seemed like a waste of time to me. I’ll admit, it was a decent, gritty, psychological thriller but…it wasn’t the Joker. Joker: Folie à Deux hammers that home explicitly; by the end, it’s obvious that Arthur Fleck was never supposed to be the Clown Prince of Crime and was, instead, the catalyst for psychotic copycats to spread terror and discord. This wouldn’t be a bad concept if the movie was actually good. Maybe if it had taken some time to explore how Arthur’s actions influenced people, perhaps shown us more of Gotham from Lee and Dent’s perspectives and juxtaposed them with Arthur cackling it up in Arkham, I could’ve endured the obnoxious musical numbers. Alas, this isn’t the case and the film instead devotes itself to stripping away everything people loved about the first film except the performances, and even those are called into question by the tedious singing. I didn’t like the idea that Arthur regressed while in Arkham; he ended Joker on a high but it took the obsession of a woman to get him back in gear, which made him seem weak and lack agency. Lady Gaga may as well have been an entirely different character; she’s as removed from Harley Quinn as Arthur is from Joker. In that regard, the idea makes perfect sense but it’s hardly providing a quintessential adaptation of these two popular characters. What really bugs me about these Joker films is how some audiences will grow up or go around thinking that this is what Joker and Harley should be, when the actual intent seems to be the exact opposite. But, by messing with our expectations and presenting this weird, poorly paced, nonsensical musical, Joker: Folie à Deux wastes more of my time than I would’ve liked. It’s not clever or saying anything new; indeed, much of its runtime treads the same ground as the last film. The singing is annoying and gets in the way of the story, and any potential of seeing Arthur truly embody the Joker persona is done away in favour of trolling audiences. I’d love to know where the $200 million budget went on this titanic insult of a film. Still, hopefully now that Arthur is dead we’ve seen the last of his “Joker” and we’ll never have to worry about this terrible incarnation of the character ever again.

My Rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Terrible

Did you enjoy Joker: Folie à Deux? If so…why? Name one thing you enjoyed; I dare you! What did you think to Lady Gaga’s version of Harley Quinn? Were you disappointed that Arthur didn’t truly embrace his Joker persona? What did you think to the musical numbers? Are you glad Arthur was shanked in the end or are you insane and think this is the best Joker ever? What are some of your favourite Joker-centric stories over the years? Whatever you think, good or bad, about Joker: Folie à Deux, drop a comment down below and let me know your thoughts.

Back Issues: Detective Comics #475/476

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Writer: Steve Englehart – Artist: Marshall Rogers 

Story Title: “The Laughing Fish!”
Published: February 1978 

Story Title: “Sign of the Joker!”
Published: April 1978 

The Background:
After achieving success with Clark Kent/Superman, National Comics Publications tasked Bob Kane with creating a masked crimefighter to add to their superhero portfolio and, thanks to Bill Finger, the “Bat-Man” went on to become a mainstream cultural icon. Over the decades, the Batman has gone toe-to-toe some of comics’ most recognisable supervillains, though his greatest nemesis is unquestionably the self-styled Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson all claimed to have created the Harlequin of Hate, but it’s widely agreed that the Joker’s trademark visage was heavily influenced by The Man Who Laughs (Leni, 1928). A last-second decision from then-editor Whitney Ellsworth saw the Joker survive his first encounter with the Batman, though the character faded from the spotlight under the direction of editor Julius Schwartz. Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams reinvigorated the Joker in the 1970s and 1980s with stories such as this classic two-parter that is such a pivotal Joker story that it was adapted for the hugely popular Batman: The Animated Series (1992 to 1995). The stories played a huge part not just in giving the Joker back his edge, but in reviving the character to terrorise Gotham City for years to come as the Batman’s number one antagonist. 

The Review:
This classic two-part Batman story begins, appropriately enough, in the murky dead of night with the Batman prowling across the rooftops of Gotham City, preparing for the greatest confrontation of his vigilante career. At this point in time, billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne had been dated wealthy socialite Silver St. Cloud, a gorgeous platinum-haired woman who quickly captured Bruce’s heart. They became so close that Bruce suspected that Silver had figured out his dual identity, so he swings by her apartment in the guise of the Dark Knight to confirm his suspicions. Although Bruce is convinced that Silver is aware of the truth, she denies that she has anything to confess to the Batman and her demeanour convinces him that there’s a shred of doubt in his assumptions. Realising that it’d be foolish of him to simply unmask in front of her if there’s even a one percent chance he’s wrong, the Batman bids her goodnight and leaves, only for Silver’s resolve to falter once he’s gone. Wracked by her knowledge of Bruce’s dual life, Silver makes the difficult decision to take a hiatus from both men, and Gotham City, to get her head straight. The Batman is still mulling over his complicated love life and the dichotomy between his two identities when he’s aroused by local fishermen, who frantically show him that all the fish they’ve caught have been horrifically mutilated to carry the Joker’s signature smile, perplexing both them and the Dark Knight. 

Batman’s personal issues are compounded by the Joker’s latest insane threat.

The phenomenon isn’t limited to Gotham City; over the next few days, reports of “laughing fish” come in from all across the country, shocking the nation. However, it’s G. Carl Francis who gets the biggest shock when the Joker himself, and his goons, storm into his office and demand that he helps to copyright the laughing fish so that the Joker can profit from every one sold. Unfortunately, Francis is duty-bound to inform the Clown Prince of Crime that fish can’t be copyrighted as they’re a natural resource, angering the Joker and causing him to threaten Francis to find a loophole before midnight or face his wrath. The Joker then pays a visit to crime boss Rupert Thorn, who’s already on edge after being seemingly haunted by the ghost of Professor Hugo Strange, whom he murdered tree issues prior. Since Thorn was one of many villains who tried to purchase the knowledge of Batman’s identity from Strange, the Joker warns him to stop trying to expose his rival’s identity as the Joker is eager to match his wits against the Dark Knight and believes unmasking him would rob his game of all its fun. With Thorn left slipping into insanity, Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon calls in the Batman to help with the threat against Francis’s life. After the Joker makes a televised promise to murder Francis, Batman meticulously checks the apartment and places him under lockdown, though he remains frustrated by the Joker’s madcap nature and unpredictable insanity. Still, the Batman acts swiftly when a mysterious gas suddenly floods the apartment. Be fixes a breathing apparatus to Francis’s face, but to no avail; Francis collapses, dead, his face twisted into the hideous smile of the Joker. Although Jim is confused since the gas didn’t harm anyone else, the Batman correctly surmises that the Joker must’ve secretly poisoned Francis at their meeting so the gas would have a lethal effect. 

The Joker outwits Batman, as Silver and Thorn struggle with their literal (and figurative) ghosts.

The Joker boasts of his victory through another pirate broadcast and vows to kill another bureaucrat if his legal claim on the fish isn’t approved by 3am, and the issue ends with the Batman aggravated and Silver skipping town courtesy of Rupert Thorn. The story continues in the next issue, with Batman, Jim, and Officer O’Hara keeping a vigil on the Joker’s next target, Thomas Jackson, lamenting that state laws prohibit them from simply executing the Joker since he’s clinically insane. Despite their best efforts, Jackson’s cat wanders in with a Joker fish in his mouth, which drives him to bite and instantly kill the Batman, leaving him with the pale grin of the Joker! However, Batman had actually switched places with Jackson using a clever disguise, but the cat recognised and attacked his master regardless. After the Joker mocks them through his broadcast, the frustrated Batman flees into the stormy night, momentarily spying Strange’s ghost and stumbling upon a vapor analysis meter. The story briefly jumps over to the Joker’s lair, where he somewhat breaks the fourth wall to chuckle at his wit and having bamboozled his foe, and even plots expanding his food-related antics to other products. Another detour delves into Silver’s troubled mind; she’s overwhelmed by her knowledge, unwilling to destroy the mystery of the Batman but pining for her lost love, while Thorn wrestles with the stress caused by his visions. When the radio mentions Batman, the two get into a heated debate about his presence and Thorn angrily ejects Silver from the car, leaving her by the side of the road. While she quickly finds another ride, Thorn is terrified when Strange’s ghost flies at him from the night and seemingly throttles him to death! 

Batman’s victory is tainted by ambiguity and personal heartache for the Dark Knight,

At dawn, the Batman and Jim prepare for the Joker’s next attack, but Jim is horrified when the vapour analyser drives Batman to suddenly attack one of his officers, who’s quickly revealed to be the Joker in disguise! Though rumbled, the Joker keeps the Dark Knight at bay with an acid-spitting flower and makes a hasty retreat using the fire escape. Arriving in town via a cab, Silver pulls up just in time to witness the Batman in action as he ventures into the rainswept night to apprehend his foe, surprisingly caught off-guard by an errant kick and almost tumbling to the street below. While the Joker gleefully taunts his rival, the Batman ponders his own mental instability since he’s the only one crazy enough to chase after the grinning madman, and their chase takes them to the city rooftops. The two come face-to-face atop a construction site, where the Batman is forced to take a desperate plunge to avoid getting a face full of acid, and the Joker is hit by lightning while laughing on a hanging girder. The Batman watches the Joker plunge into the raging river below and frantically checks for any sign of his foe, but it appears the Joker has finally perished. Batman is then stunned when Silver approaches him, confessing not only her love for him but also that that same love caused her great pain when she watched him in battle and realised that he could die at any moment. Unable to shoulder the loss of the man she loves, or expose his true identity, she tearfully begs him to leave her alone and runs off into the night, leaving him stoic and heartbroken. Even Jim’s news that Thorn was picked up, terrified out of his mind and spilling the beans on all his criminal activities, brings Batman little comfort and he simply swings off as a new dawn rises, his victory bittersweet and emotional. 

The Summary:
These two stories are representative of the kind of Batman stories I grew up with. I had a handful of Batman annuals as a kid, which contained assorted stories from the 1970s and 1980s and featured names like Steve Englehart and Denny O’Neil prominently. Consequently, I have a real fondness for the gritty, dark, neo-pulp art style on show here. Gotham City is seeped in gothic darkness and flooded by incessant rain, making it grimy and claustrophobic and uncomfortable to behold, and characters are rendered with a stark realism. Although I’m not the biggest fan of Batman’s blue-and-grey ensemble, he cuts an intimidating figure here and it’s fun seeing him operate so openly with Jim and others. He’s still regarded as a bit of an urban myth, but also respected as an informed mind and necessary evil to help combat threats such as the Joker. His presence in Gotham City is the subject of much debate at this time. Thanks to Thorn’s influence, the people and council have started to question the Batman’s necessity and his impact on the city, aspects which come to be reflected in Silver’s conflict regarding her knowledge of his identity. Though these stories are all I really know of her, I like Silver and it’s not often Batman gets a love interest who knows of his dual life. I enjoyed the emotional conflict between them both, where they both knew the other knew but didn’t dare say it aloud for what it would entail, and it brings a real humanity to Batman when she has to reluctantly end their relationship to spare herself greater pain and perpetuate his myth. 

Batman’s detective skills and limits are tested by the Joker and his complicated love life.

One aspect I really like about this time in Batman history is how much his detective skills are emphasised. Jim calls the Batman in as an advisor and immediately sets to work meticulously safeguarded each victim’s apartment, checking every inch for possible threats and desperately trying to prepare for every eventuality. Although his thoughts are shown to be completely focused on the task at hand, I think it’s pretty clear his frustration with the Joker’s antics is exacerbated by his personal issues with Silver. The Batman laments time and again that the Joker is nigh-impossible to predict as he just does whatever he wants for seemingly no reason, meaning Batman’s preparation and planning are meaningless as the Joker outwits him each time. Even swapping places with Jackson doesn’t help the Batman, and it’s only by utilising the analyser left for him by Strange’s ghost (or some other unknown ally) that Batman exposes the Joker’s disguise before he kills his last victim. The battle between the Batman and the Joker is depicted as a war of attrition, a game of one-upmanship, rather than a physical confrontation (at least, until the end). Like in his first appearance, the Joker hijacks television broadcasts to make threats and taunt his foe, and employs disguises and subterfuge to bamboozle even the World’s Greatest Detective. One thing I especially enjoyed here was that Bruce Wayne doesn’t appear in these stories. His personal life is of great concern to Batman, but he stays in costume throughout both issues, emphasising his unwavering focus on protecting the Joker’s victims and apprehending him. Another interesting aspect is, like in his first appearance, the Joker surprisingly holds his own against Batman thanks to being a slippery devil and surprising him with his acid flower, wild kicks, and daredevil nature. 

A fantastic return to form for the Joker that emphasises his insanity and menace.

Indeed, this is a fantastic return to form for the Joker after years of being a buffoonish clown or being absent from DC Comics. Drawn as what I would define as the quintessential depiction of the character (tall, gangly, in a purple suit, coat, and fedora, and sporting an elongated jaw), the Joker is a cackling maniac whose newest plot is to spread fear and profit from his laughing fish. His scheme is ludicrous in its simplicity; he’s tainted the water supply with his Joker toxin, killing the fish, poisoning their meat, and leaving them with his signature cheshire grin, all with the intention of profiting from their sale! Obviously, these demands are preposterous but the Joker won’t take no for an answer and mercilessly targets and kills the bureaucrats he believes are denying him his intellectual rights. As mentioned, the story takes hefty influence from the Joker’s first appearance and is, in many ways, an expansion and remake of that first story. The Joker is an elusive, diabolical, and maniacal figure who tests the Batman’s mind as much as his resolve. However, the Joker is also prideful and overzealous. He enjoys toying with Batman so much that he threatens Thorn to stop trying to unmask the vigilante and arrives, in person and in disguise, to finish the job by the end, a decision that proves to be his downfall. However, there’s a clear suggestion that the Joker doesn’t care; he doesn’t care about winning, losing, living, dying, or being locked up. He simply enjoys jousting with Batman and takes glee in their conflict, and the death and terror he spreads, fully aware that the Batman’s moral code keeps him from cross that line. In the end, these are two essential Joker stories; they highlight his outrageous nature, his chilling menace, and his versatility as one of the Batman’s most enduring foes. It’s also a great showcase for the Dark Knight; not only of his detective skills and standing amongst his peers but also the complicated dichotomy of his dual identity. In a nutshell, I’d say this two-parter is a must-read Batman tale, as is most of this run since this really was a great time in the Batman’s publication history. 

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to the Joker’s plot to profit off his laughing fish? Did you enjoy this era of Batman’s history? Are you a fan of more cerebral challenges for the Dark Knight or do you prefer it when he’s beating villains up? What did you think to the subplots involving Silver St. Cloud and Rupert Thorn? Do you consider these two stories essential reading for any Batman and Joker fans? What are some other Joker stories you enjoy? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below or and be sure to check out my other Batman and Joker content across the site. 

Movie Night [Bat-Month]: The Dark Knight

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In the decades since his first dramatic appearance in the pages of Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne/Batman has become a mainstream, worldwide, pop culture icon. The brainchild of writer Bob Kane, Batman was brought to life by artist Bill Finger and has been a popular staple of DC Comics and countless movies, videogames, and cartoons over the years. “Batman Day” fell on 21 September this year so I’ve been spending every Saturday celebrating comic’s grim and broody vigilante.

Released: 18 July 2008
Director: Christopher Nolan
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget: $185 million
Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine

The Plot:
After his dramatic debut as “The Batman”, billionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne (Bale) is cracking down on organised crime within Gotham City. However, his mettle is tested by the clown-faced anarchistic “The Joker” (Ledger), who seeks to disrupt social order and corrupt upstanding district attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart).

The Background:
After Joel Schumacher effectively killed the live-action Batman franchise with his dismally received camp adventures, Warner Bros.’ desperate attempts to get a new movie finally paid dividends when visionary writer/director Christopher Nolan, writer David S. Goyer, and star Christian Bale explored Batman’s origins in the highly regarded reboot Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005). Despite teasing the Joker at the finale, Nolan was initially unsure if a sequel would be greenlit but worked closely with Goyer and his brother, Christopher Nolan, to develop a suitable follow-up once Warner Bros. prioritised a sequel. The filmmakers took inspiration from seminal Batman stories like The Long Halloween (Loeb, et al, 1996 to 1997) and some of cinema’s most memorable movie villains to bring their versions of the Joker and Harvey Dent to life. Despite Jack Nicholson’s memorable performance as the character, Nolan confidently cast against type after being impressed by Heath Ledger, who mentally and physically threw himself into the role. In keeping with his preference for practical effects, Nolan signed off on the construction of a fully-working Batcycle, redesigned the Batsuit to be more flexible, blew up a building for real, and flipped an 18-wheeler truck using a massive piston! Sadly, the editing process proved particularly difficult after Ledger unexpectedly died from an accidental overdose; the film was summarily dedicated to him. Following an aggressive viral marketing campaign, The Dark Knight enjoyed a record-setting $1 billion+ box office and was met with widespread critical acclaim. It is widely considered one of the best and most influential comic book movies ever made, praised for its performances and socially relevant narrative, with many praising Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker which won him a posthumous Oscar. Immediately regarding as the best Batman movie of all time and recognised as setting a new standard for comic book movies, The Dark Knight’s success more than justified the production of a third and final (and far more divisive) entry some four years later.

The Review:
After the disaster that was Batman & Robin (Schumacher, 1997), I think it’s safe to say that everyone thought Batman’s feature film career was dead in the water. For me, that’s why Batman Begins was such an exciting and enjoyable experience. Finally, after decades of Batman being either a goof or a psychopath, we got a live-action film that really nailed the heart and drive of the character. The extended and in-depth exploration of Bruce’s psyche, determination, and training to become “more than just a man” really put him at the forefront of the piece and allowed the most accurate depiction of the Dark Knight ever seen in cinema at that point as Bale deftly shifted between numerous subtle personas. With Batman Begins’ conclusion masterfully teasing the Joker, expectations were high for the sequel, but reactions to Ledger’s casting were mixed at the time due to his reputation as a “pretty boy”. To address this, Nolan opens his film with an intense and engaging bank heist, filmed entirely in IMAX, in which the mysterious Joker showcases his hands-on, manipulative abilities by arranging for his clown-faced goons to knock off a mob bank and off each other once their specific tasks are completely, allowing him to easily slip away in the chaos. It’s been about a year or so since the last film and Batman now appears at crime scenes to liaise with Lieutenant James “Jim” Gordon (Oldman), much to the chagrin of cops like rookie detective Anna Ramirez (Monique Gabriela Curnen) because of his vigilante status and the corruption that continues to infest the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD). However, neither Batman or Gordon initially place much stock in the Joker’s continued threat since their focus is solely on taking down the last vestiges of organised crime in the city, represented by mob bosses Salvatore “Sal” Maroni (Eric Roberts), Gambol (Michael Jai White), and “The Chechen” (Ritchie Coster), a decision that’s entirely logical bit which comes back to bite them in due time.

Batman’s war on crime is thrown into chaos by the maniacal Joker.

Bruce has been extremely busy in the time between films. Although he’s forced to operate out of a penthouse and highly equipped bunker in the city as he waits for Wayne Manor to be rebuilt, he’s established quite the reputation both in and out of his cowl. As Bruce Wayne, he’s the bored, party-going philanthropist who’s just as likely to abscond with a bunch of actresses to an isolated yacht as he is to fall asleep in board meetings. Although Bruce is seen by many as an aloof, reckless, and embarrassing billionaire, this persona effectively keeps anyone from questioning his nightly jaunts and he’s still savvy enough to fund and promote any programs or individuals who are committed to bringing Gotham City back to glory, such as Harvey Dent. As Batman, Bruce’s reputation is even stronger; criminals are now so afraid of the Dark Knight that they think twice about being on the streets when the Bat-Signal is in the sky and mobsters hold their meetings during the daytime. Although the Batman is still something of an urban legend, many in the city have been inspired to dress up as him and take the law into their own hands, something Bruce is disturbed to see since it results in a bunch of out of shape blokes with itchy trigger fingers wearing “hockey pads”. Still, Batman’s presence has had a positive impact on the city. He and Gordon collude to tackle the city’s mob, eventually entering a shaky alliance with Dent to apprehend mob banker Lau (Chin Hau) and make mass arrests, and Batman even detains Doctor Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) in during the opening, finally taking the maniac’s drugs off the streets. However, night after night fighting crime and getting into fist, fire, and dog fights takes a toll on Bruce. His faithful butler and father figure, Alfred Pennyworth (Caine), continues to offer wry commentary and deep concern for his master’s welfare but Bruce is determined to clean up the streets and make the city safe before even considering giving up his crusade.

The loss of Rachel takes a heavy toll on Gotham’s “White Night” and drives him to murder.

However, Batman’s positive impact, the arrest of hundreds of mobsters, and the public’s approval of Dent give Bruce pause to reconsider his path. Since the last film, Bruce has been keeping a close eye on childhood friend and crush (and assistant district attorney) Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal), who works closely with Dent to prosecute the criminals and the corrupt. Thanks to Gyllenhaal being a far superior actress to her predecessor, Rachel has much more gusto this time around. She exudes a confidence and determination that was lacking in Katie Holmes’ performance and allows her to not only appear effective when interrogating Lau but also sees her fighting back against the Joker when he targets her at Bruce’s fundraiser for Dent. Although Bruce is clearly rattled by how close Dent and Rachel have become (the two are shown to be in a relationship) and somewhat condescending towards Dent’s marketing campaign, he’s as impressed by the D.A.’s conviction as the rest of the city. Dent is a square-jawed patriot who makes a buzz in the court room with his no-nonsense approach towards criminals and inspires the wealthy and the destitute alike with his commitment to justice. Dent is also an avid supporter of the Batman and determined to do whatever it takes to keep the city streets clean, even if just for six months, but he’s not as squeaky-clean as everyone believes. Gordon is sceptical of Dent due to his past in Internal Affairs, while Dent is highly critical of the corruption within the GCPD, but the two form an efficient trio alongside the Batman when they agree to pool their resources to bring Lau back from Hong Kong. Dent proves to be a surprisingly complex man. He believes so strongly in the iconography of the Batman and in not giving in to the Joker’s demands, no matter how many lives are at stake, that he publicly outs himself as the Dark Knight to keep the myth alive but also proves that he’s not above threatening criminals at gunpoint, showcasing an unexpectedly erratic side to his character. This is only exacerbated when Dent and Rachel are targeted by the Joker and Batman is forced to choose which one to save. Naturally, he picks Rachel but both he and Dent are horrified to learn that this was a double-cross that leaves Dent hideously scarred and despondent, his faith in both justice and the caped vigilante shattered and replaced by a cruel devotion to “chance”.

Bruce’s allies believe in the Batman and play a hands-on role in aiding and advising him.

As before, Bruce is supported in all things by Alfred, who acts as a field surgeon, conscience, and advisor to his duties both in and out of the Batsuit. We learn a little bit more about Alfred in this film through his entertaining exchanges with Bruce, in which the two share a banter that is both amusing and heart-warming. Alfred spent some time in the Peace Corps in Burma, indicating he’s seen combat and has a military background, and his insight into chaotic aberrations such as the Joker are almost on par with Bruce’s years of training to learn the criminal mind. Initially, Bruce dismisses Alfred’s insight, however, refusing to believe that the Joker is anything more than a thug with a gimmick, but is forced to admit that he’s underestimated his foe when the Joker pushes him to breaking point with his killing spree. Interestingly, Alfred actually encourages Bruce not to give in to the Joker’s demands, to “endure” the slings and arrows so as to maintain the Batman’s incorruptible persona, and also secretly shields Bruce from the knowledge that Rachel ultimately chose Harvey over him to spare his surrogate son further pain. As before, Bruce is provided with new toys and even a sleek new suit by Wayne Enterprises Chief Executive Officer Lucius Fox (Freeman), who now exhibits a working knowledge of Bruce’s dual identity despite both never outright saying it. Fox plays a pivotal role not just in helping Bruce apprehend Lau but also in throwing off the suspicions of Coleman Reese (Joshua Harto) when his number crunching exposes Batman’s identity, and in the creation of a fantastical device that allows Batman to pinpoint the Joker’s location by hacking every cell phone in the city. Though Fox threatens to resign if the device isn’t destroyed because of the dangerous invasion of privacy it offers, his loyalty is rewarded when Batman rigs the machine to self-destruct once the Joker has been located. Finally, we have Gordon, who publicly disavows any knowledge of Batman but regularly colludes with him to fight the mob. Gordon’s role is also crucial to the film as he is seemingly killed protecting mayor Anthony Garci (Néstor Carbonell), only for this to be revealed as an elaborate plan by him and Batman to capture the Joker, a gamble that sees Gordon promoted to police commissioner after the Harlequin of Hate assassinates commissioner Gillian Loeb (Colin McFarlane). Although horrified by the Joker’s murderous antics, Gordon’s riding quite the high when he, Dent, and Batman finally get their hands on the city’s mob, but his hubris comes back to bite him when Dent specifically targets him as failing to protect Rachel since Gordon’s forced to work with corrupted cops and a wayward vigilante.

Ledger delivers a star-making performance as the chaotic and unhinged Joker.

And then there’s the Joker, played with an unnerving, scene-stealing performance by the late Heath Ledger. Unlike in Batman (Burton, 1989) where the Joker was provided with a hefty original backstory, this Joker is a complete enigma. A self-styled “agent of chaos” who proudly showcases both his gruesome facial scars and boasts that he’s simply “a dog chasing cars”, the Joker is as manipulative and psychotic as he is unpredictable and hypocritical. With no identification or fingerprints, the Joker is like a ghost. When he’s introduced, it’s like he’s been conjured by the city itself to challenge Batman’s presence and there’s no definitive explanation for who he is and why he does what he does. Indeed, much like popular depictions of his comic book counterpart, the Joker himself offers conflicting versions of his origin, scars, and motivations. The film suggests he’s been “rippin’ off mob bosses” for some time, he’s shown to have an intense hatred towards city officials and authority figures, and he even openly mocks the city’s mob bosses, threatening and murdering them with a gleeful menace. Although he favours knives over guns since they’re “more personal”, he’s proficient with firearms and, especially, explosives, hinting at a military background but, in true Joker fashion, his origins are completely irrelevant as he “just wants to watch the world burn”. Initially, the Joker encourages the mob to pay him to kill the Batman so they can run rampant over the city but he becomes infatuated by the Dark Knight’s incorruptible nature and refusal to kill. Thus, his motivation switches to opposing Batman’s ideology by corrupting the city’s “White Knight”, Harvey Dent, and breaking the will of the city by exposing their heroes as flawed human beings, demanding that the Batman publicly unmask and forcing both criminals and civilians to make life or death choices to test their mortality. In combat, the Joker is wild, dangerous, and apparently suicidal. He laughs manically in life-threatening situations, practically begs Batman to run him down, and is more than willing to die if it means forcing Batman to breaking point. Although his greatest strength is his unhinged imagination (he absolutely does have a plan, despite his claims, and carries them out with an almost supernatural foresight), the Joker gets the best of even the Batman thanks to appropriating mobsters for his own use and surprising Batman with his tenacity. But his true goal isn’t to simply fight Batman to the death but to instead cripple Gotham City by proving that anyone can turn to psychotic madness after one bad day, necessitating extreme actions from both Batman and Gordon to ensure that Dent’s reputation remains untarnished.

The Nitty-Gritty:
The Dark Knight represents how ingrained Batman’s iconography has become not just in the fictional world, but in ours. Just the fact that we got a Batman movie that omitted the character’s name entirely shows how synonymous this description is with the character, and it takes on a double meaning here since Batman is depicted (and, by the end, explicitly referred to) as a “Dark Knight”, a necessary evil to keep Gotham in check, since a “White Knight” has little chance of surviving the crime and corruption that infests the city. Indeed, Bruce is actively considering hanging up the cape and cowl when he sees how effective and unanimously beloved Dent is. Dent is the hero Gotham deserves without a masked persona, giving Bruce a sliver of hope that he can make good on his promise to be with Rachel once the city no longer needs Batman, but he vastly underestimates the destructive influence of the Joker, who perfectly encapsulates Gordon’s previous concerns about “escalation” through his unique brand of anarchy. The Joker is depicted as a man even Bruce “doesn’t understand”, someone beyond reason, intimidation, and bribery, and we see this when he shows no fear when interrogated by Batman and simply cackles with glee when the Dark Knight unloads on him since the Joker always has an ace up his sleeve (both literally and figuratively). Thus, the film very much focuses on the “battle for Gotham’s soul”, with the Joker shifting his motivation towards opposing and destroying not just the city officials and authority figures, but Batman himself since he’s the ultimate symbol of incorruptibility, to the point where he and his allies allow five people to die rather than reveal his identity because the Batman has become such an iconic force for justice within the city.

Some impressive practical effects and stunts make the film instantly memorable.

Speaking of Gotham, we’re shown a much different side of the city this time around. We’re firmly topside amongst the towering, glistening skyscrapers rather than in the dingy alleys of the Narrows, which is thematically relevant since the Joker is targeting the upper-class façade of the city but does rob it of a lot of its bleak, gothic identity. The Dark Knight also continues Batman’s crusade not against the street-level crime that killed his parents, but organised crime. He, Gordon, and Dent believe cutting the head off the proverbial snake will kill the body, and this is reflected after their big arrest that sees the lower-level scum facing at least six months in jail, giving the city breathing time to recover. However, this has the knock-on effect of reducing Batman’s street-level crimefighting to near zero since he’s more focused on nailing the likes of Maroni and the Joker and less on stopping random muggings and such. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because, sadly, there’s little to no improvement in the fight scenes here. Nolan again opts for a close quarters, frenetic depiction of Batman’s fighting that does paint him as a brutal and efficient animal but robs us of seeing what he’s truly capable of. On the plus side, The Dark Knight explores Bruce’s detective skills; while it’s a bit confusing how he recreates fingerprints from bullet casings and he’s constantly one step behind the Joker, I liked how he colluded with Gordon and Dent to apprehend the mob and he’s given some fancy new toys to help him in these endeavours. The most prominent remains the tank-like Tumbler but, when this is destroyed by the Joker, Batman spends the remainder of the film blasting through the city streets on the sleek, bad-ass “Batpod”, a motorcycle-like vehicle that performs all kinds of unlikely turns and tricks with its near-spherical wheels, When extraditing Lau from his office building, Batman makes impressive use of his cape to soar through the skyline and then uses a “skyhook” to yank himself and his quarry out of there, just one of many impressive practical effects utilised in the film, with two more being the Joker’s insane truck flip and the fully practical, full-scale hospital explosion.

While I don’t like the new Batsuit, the Joker and Two-Face look especially impressive.

As mentioned, Batman gets a new suit this time around once he realises that he’s “carrying too much weight” and needs more flexibility. Sadly, I’m not a fan of the new suit; it allows full head movement and is less bulky, sure, but the Bat-symbol is too small, it’s unnecessarily “busy”, and just seems incredibly impractical to put on. It’s also far less durable; separation of the plates means Batman’s more vulnerable, which levels the playing field in his fight with the Joker, and the whole suit just looks too plastic-y and ugly for me. On the plus side, the Joker looks amazing; this might be my favourite depiction of the Joker and he looks ripped right out of a Lee Bermejo comic. While he still sports a permanent grin thanks to his facial scares, his clown make-up is haphazard and intimidating, specifically applied to resemble “war paint” and even degrades to reflect his insanity. His suit is also absolutely perfect, and I love how it’s filled with “knives and lint” and little booby traps, like grenades and such. The Joker also assumes various disguises, included dressing up as one of his own henchmen in a callback to the 1960s TV show, masquerading as a police offer at Commissioner Loeb’s funeral, and, most disturbingly of all, dressing up as a nurse to have a heart to heart with Dent! This is where the film really surprised me; obviously I half-expected Dent to become Two-Face (or “Harvey Two-Face” as films insist on labelling him…) but I never expected Nolan to go so comic-accurate with the depiction of Dent’s burns. Two-Face is absolutely gruesome to behold and the perfect example of how CGI can be used sparingly to enhance practical effects. You can see tendons, muscle, and charred flesh as Dent talks and he really does look like the comic come to life, almost to a fault as I find it difficult to believe that he’s talking so coherently and functioning so efficiently despite refusing pain medication. Similarly, I think we could’ve had a few more scenes exploring Dent’s dark side and his “lucky coin” before his scarring. His descent into vengeance and anarchy seems purely motivated by grief, perceived betrayal, and anger at having “lost everything” rather than having always had a dark side deep within him. Sure, there’s one scene where this is hinted at but it’s not what it seems; Dent never leaves anything up to chance since his coin is double-sided, meaning the odds are always in his favour. Accordingly, he was never actually going to hurt anyone, though this is twisted when he goes on a killing spree as Two-Face as he shoots his enemies dead based on the flip of that same coin.  

Crushed by Rachel and Dent’s deaths, Batman sacrifices his reputation to keep hope alive in Gotham.

Another element that doesn’t sit right with me is how everyone (and I do mean everyone) is aware of Batman’s code against killing. Maroni and the Joker challenge him on his “one rule” and Batman openly champions it at every turn, severely diminishing his threat somewhat and presenting a familiarity with him that irks me for some reason. A huge part of the Joker’s final plan is predicated on the notion that even “civilised people” will kill to survive. He even rigs the game in his favour to prove this point and is so determined to tarnish the Batman’s heroic visage that he plummets to his death with a maniacal laugh. However, Batman saves him at the last second and the two have an unnerving conversation about their duality and intertwined fates. This is made doubly uncomfortable not just because of Bale’s strained Bat-voice but knowing that they would never tangle again due to Ledger’s untimely death, and part of me wonders if it might’ve been better to insert an edit that shows the Joker willing die after giving his speech. When I first saw The Dark Knight in the cinema, I was so engrossed in the Batman’s fight against the Joker that I completely forgot about Two-Face and, as much as I enjoy the entire film and the finale, I wonder if it might’ve been better to incorporate Two-Face’s actions into the third film and cap things off here. Regardless, both Dent and Bruce are devastated when Rachel is brutally murdered by the Joker. This helps tip Dent over the edge and to kill those who’ve wronged him, but he forces Gordon to choose which of his family should be killed to teach him a lesson in pain and loss. When Batman arrives to confront Two-Face, both he and Gordon desperately try to appeal to Dent’s better nature and fail. Disillusioned and broken, Two-Face disregards Gordon’s pleas and prepares to kill his son (Nathan Gamble), forcing Batman to tackle him to his death. Glossing over the fact that Batman just killed a man (I guess, technically, it was the fall), Batman decides to heed Alfred’s advice and maintain Dent’s reputation by assuming responsibility for Two-Face’s murders. Though reluctant, Gordon realises that it’s the only way to keep people from losing faith in the justice system and begrudgingly agrees to paint Batman as a murderer, ending the movie with Batman a wanted fugitive who willing endures any punishment, mental, spiritual, or physical to ensure peace in Gotham.

The Summary:
I absolutely loved Batman Begins when it first came out. It was the dark, gritty, comic-accurate Batman I’d been hoping for for years and I was really excited to see where Bale and Nolan took the character in the sequel. To say that The Dark Knight exceeded expectations would be an understatement. The film is an absolute masterpiece not just of comic book cinema, but of the thriller genre. Bale continues to deftly embody the conflicting personalities and introspective drive and determination that fuels Batman’s crusade, and his Batman continues to be the definitive version of the character for me, despite the dodgy fight scenes and my dislike for the new suit. At its core, The Dark Knight works as an intense thriller depicting the fundamental conflict between justice and anarchy, logic and sanity, and truly elevated the genre to a new level by taking elaborate and colourful concepts like a clown-themed terrorist and a guy with half his faced burned off and treating them seriously. Naturally, Heath Ledger steals the show here; we may never see a better performance of the Joker and you can see that he’s as lost in the role as Bale is as Batman. Ledger’s manic energy and subtle touches really create a feeling of dread, mystery, and unpredictability to the villain, and it remains a tragedy that he didn’t live on to have more dramatic roles like this. Add to that the impressive practical effects, sweeping cinematic score and visuals, and the engaging discussion regarding Batman and his influence on the city and its criminal element and you have, for my money, one of the finest Batman movies ever put to cinema. The film masterfully pulls from some of Batman, Joker, and Two-Face’s most iconic and engaging stories to present an emotional and gripping tale of adversity for the Dark Knight. The film absolutely set the standard for both Batman and comic book movies going forward and, while the third film might have stumbled in concluding the story so wonderfully established here, it doesn’t diminish the timeless appeal of The Dark Knight in the slightest.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Did you enjoy The Dark Knight? Where would you rank it against the other Batman movies? What did you think to Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker? Were you a fan of the new Batsuit or do you also find it a bit too busy? What did you think to the effects and stunt work used in the film? Were you also surprised by how gruesome Two-Face’s scars were? Did you agree that Bruce had to maintain his identity, or do you think you should’ve come forward sooner? How did you celebrate Batman Day this year and what is your favourite Batman movie? Whatever your thoughts The Dark Knight, or Batman in general, share them below or leave a comment on my social media.

Movie Night [Bat-Month]: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

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In the decades since his first dramatic appearance in the pages of Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne/Batman has become a mainstream, worldwide, pop culture icon. The brainchild of writer Bob Kane, Batman was brought to life by artist Bill Finger and has been a popular staple of DC Comics and countless movies, videogames, and cartoons over the years. So, as today is “Batman Day”, I figured this was a perfect excuse to spend every Saturday celebrating comic’s grim and broody vigilante.

Released: 25 December 1993
Director: Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Budget: $6 million
Stars: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Bob Hastings, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and Mark Hamill

The Plot:
Early into his crimefighting career as the Batman, Bruce Wayne (Conroy) finds mobsters being slain by a mysterious and vicious, Grim Reaper-esque vigilante “The Phantasm” (Stacy Keach). In trying to uncover the Phantasm’s identity, Batman reconnects with his lost love, Andrea Beaumont (Delany), and uncovers a terrible connection between the two.

The Background:
Artist Bob Kane may have dreamed up the idea of a new masked crimefighter to capitalise on the success of Clark Kent/Superman’s debut, but it was the long-suppressed efforts of artist Bill Finger that the “Bat-Man” became such an iconic figure. Decades later, the likes of Dennis O’Neil sought to correct the Batman’s image following the gloriously camp (and incredibly popular) 1960s television show, but the release and relative success of Batman (Burton, 1989) and Batman Returns (ibid, 1992) saw renewed interest in the character. Consequently, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Eric Radomski spearheaded a new animated series influenced by both films that became one of the most beloved and influential cartoons of its era. Batman: The Animated Series aired eighty-five episodes between September 1992 and 1995 before being succeeded by twenty-four episodes of The New Batman Adventures (known as The Adventures of Batman & Robin in the United Kingdom) between 1997 and 1999, but its initial success convinced Warner Bros. to task Alan Burnett with writing a full-length animated feature. Heavily influenced by Batman: Year Two (Barr, et al, 1987), the film was set to feature a Grim Reaper-like counterpart to Batman while also acting as something of an origin story for both the Dark Knight and his long-standing nemesis, the Joker. Filming was completed within eight months, and Warner Bros. made the last-minute decision to release it theatrically. Although this negatively impacted its box office return, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm made up for this in home media sales and is widely regarded as one of the best superhero films ever made. Critics praised the presentation and score, the slick animation, and its mature themes, and it remains one of the quintessential adaptations of the character for many Batman fans.

The Review:
I watched Batman: The Animated Series as a kid, alongside a host of other popular cartoons at the time, but my memories aren’t massively clear. This is a general statement of my childhood in this regard, and I think it’s because I usually slept in at the weekends and didn’t get up until after a lot of the big cartoons had already been on, then I’d spend the rest of my time eating, playing videogames, or watching the same video cassettes over and over. Still, Batman: The Animated Series definitely made an impression on me. It was dark, surprisingly violent, and probably the most readily available incarnation of Batman since it didn’t involve buying any books or comics, so it was massively exciting when this animated feature aired on television for the first time or you saw the VHS available for purchase. The film begins in present day Gotham City, where Batman has established himself as a nocturnal vigilante but is still early enough in his career to large be considered an urban myth. As a result, Chuckie Sol (Dick Miller) has no qualms about conducting his business in the dead of night, which naturally means his money laundering deal is interrupted by the Batman. Although Chuckie slips away with his counterfeit money, he’s intercepted by a mysterious, Grim Reaper-like figure we now know as the Phantasm and so intimidated by the spectre that he drives out of the parking lot to a violent death.

The mystery of the Phantasm puts Batman in the frame, but their true identity may surprise you!

Thanks to the Phantasm, and the testimony of bystanders, Batman is fingered for Chuckie Sol’s death and councilman Arthur Reeves (Bochner) wastes no time publicly declaring Batman a violent vigilante who needs to be brought to justice. When Commissioner Jim Gordon (Hastings) remains adamant that sensationalist claims that Batman has snapped and gone on a killing spree are against Batman’s very nature and washes his hands of the entire debacle, Reeves personally leads numerous unsuccessful attempts to apprehend the Dark Knight. Batman is more concerned with analysing a piece of Chuckie’s windshield, which is stained by chemical residue from the Phantasm’s smoke, and investigating the graveyard where Buzz Bronski (John P. Ryan) was killed. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm does a wonderful job of depicting Batman’s detective skills and it’s a nice change of pace from all the thrilling action, chase, and fight sequences to follow his investigation into the murders. Additionally, there are two pressing mysteries in the feature: the identity of the titular Phantasm and the connection between the mobsters left dead in their wake. Of course, these end up overlapping but there’s a decent attempt to throw some red herrings our way. Reeves, Andrea’s father Carl (Keach), and Andrea are all potential suspects but it’s the latter who turns out to be behind the cloak and hand-scythe of the Phantasm. There’s an argument to be made that this isn’t too surprising given we’ve never heard of Andrea before this film, but the stature and physicality of the Phantasm definitely helps to keep this a dramatic reveal at the finale. Unlike the Batman, the Phantasm isn’t above killing; Andrea utilises theatricality to equal Batman, appearing to appear and disappear in a cloud of smoke, brandishes a dangerous scythe-like gauntlet, and is garbed in a heavy-duty armoured suit that makes her more than a match for Batman’s skills and gadgets when they inevitably come to blows.

Kevin Conroy delivers another stellar performance as Bruce is torn between his vow and his heart.

While Michael Keaton may have set the bar for live-action portrayals of Batman, make no mistake that Kevin Conroy remains the standard for depictions of Batman. Any actor looking to take on the iconic role must depict his three dominant personas: Public (Bruce Wayne, socialite and playboy), Private (Bruce Wayne, brooding and melancholy), and Vigilante (the grim and stoic Batman) and Conroy perfectly nails all three of these. When Bruce is attending functions and banquets, he’s a suave and smooth-talking ladies’ man known for being extremely generous with his family’s wealth, hands-on with charities and opportunities from growth and employment in Gotham, and for stringing along a seemingly endless parade of bimbos and lusty women. At home, in both the solitude of Wayne Manor and the sanctity of the Batcave, this public mask slips, allowing Bruce to confide in his faithful butler and father-figure, Alfred Pennywoth (Zimbalist Jr.), and is the closest he gets to being truly honest with anyone. And, of course, under cover of night, he stalks the criminal underworld as a theatrical vigilante, and Conroy expertly depicts the differences in each of these personas and situations with subtle changes to his tone, line delivery, and inflections that really went a long way to making this version of Batman one of the most well-realised, complex, and layered interpretations of the character. This really comes to the forefront here thanks to repeated flashbacks to an earlier time in Bruce’s life where he struggled with how to make good on the vow he made to avenge his parents’ death by tackling the criminal scum that took their lives. At this point, he’s still an angry, directionless young man whose vigilante debut goes sideways because, while he has the physical means to overpower even armed crooks, he’s at a disadvantage because he’s seen as just a man, rather than a force of darkness and justice (as he puts it: “They weren’t afraid of me!”) While brooding at their gravestone, he crosses paths with the beautiful Andrea Beaumont. Though she comes across as dismissive and aloof, she’s actually intrigued and somewhat taken by him since he has all this wealth and privilege but always seems so melancholy. As she’s also lost someone, her beloved mother, the two bond over their shared grief and, when she comes to visit him, she impresses him with her combat prowess and the two begin a whirlwind romance.

As if the mysterious and brutal Phantasm wasn’t enough, the Joker shows up to steal the show!

Bruce is so taken by Andrea that he questions his vow and contemplates a life of happiness as a benevolent entrepreneur with her by his side. He is therefore devastated when she suddenly rejects his proposal and leaves the city, forever setting him on a path of grim vigilantism. When Andrea returns to Gotham some years later, in the present day of the story, Bruce is a fundamentally changed man. A chance encounter between her and Batman accidentally reveals his true identity to her, and she greets the Batman with a cutting hostility when he’s forced to question her as part of his investigation into the recent killings (delivering a biting jibe about how he’s controlled by his parents). Buzz Bronski, a mob associate of Chuckie’s, is the Phantasm’s next target; his henchmen see him chased by the cloaked figure and crushed to death under a gravestone and mistake the “Angel of Death” for Batman, which causes a media sensation. Startled by the murders of his associates, the decrepit Sal Valestra/The Wheezer (Abe Vigoda) fears for his safety and turns to the Joker (Hamill) for protection. As if touching upon Batman’s origins wasn’t enough, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm thus provides a glimpse into the background of the typically mysterious Clown Prince of Crime. Although not named as such here, the Joker was once Jack Napier like in Batman, but we also learn that he was once a chauffeur and assassin for the mob before taking his dive into disfiguring acid. While I appreciate the effort to flesh out the Joker’s backstory a little, and the film does a decent jump of bringing him in late into the runtime, I can’t help but feel like the Joker’s inclusion was a little forced and unnecessary. It’s as though the filmmakers didn’t quite trust the intriguing mystery of the Phantasm, the glimpse into Bruce’s past, or the narrative of Batman being hunted by the police and felt they had to shoehorn the Joker in to make things more exciting.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Of course, I’d be doing Batman: Mask of the Phantasm a disservice if I didn’t mention the absolutely haunting score from the late, great Shirley Walker. Having collaborated with composer Danny Elfman for Batman, Walker was the perfect choice to evoke the same melancholic, gothic undertones of Burton’s blockbuster reinvention of the character, and she’s at her absolute best here. The sweeping, operatic score really gives Gotham City an ominous, looming character, punctuates the action, and makes the more poignant moments of the film all the more heart-breaking and that’s all thanks to Walker’s absolutely iconic and memorable orchestral number. The animation must also be praised; thanks to an emphasis on shadows and darkness, Batman moves like a slick, otherworldly figure and comes across as fearsome, intimidating, and efficient all at once. Nowhere is the use of lighting more impressive than in scenes in the Batcave, where deep, never-ending shadows and darkness are at their most prominent, and this all really adds to the stark contrast between the inky black of night and the brighter, dull pastels of the few day time scenes.

The feature provides a tantalising glimpse into Bruce’s motivation to become the Dark Knight.

One thing that helped Batman: Mask of the Phantasm stand out as an animated feature was how surprisingly adult it was. Batman: The Animated Series always expertly towed the line with the censors by depicting guns and bullets rather than laser pistols, and the feature film gets away with even more to depict people smoking, modern-day pistols rather than Tommy guns, a bit of blood when Batman takes a beating, and an unexpectedly high body count for a “kid’s film” thanks to the murderous Phantasm. A central aspect of the film is the exploration into the motivation and tragedy that pushed Bruce into assuming the Batman guise. Despite travelling the world and gaining the physical and deductive skills to be a crimefighting detective, Bruce is torn between seeing his vow to the fullest extent and using his wealth to benefit the city while living a happy life with Andrea. Alfred naturally pushes him towards the latter, and Andrea even believes that his parents “sent [her]” as a sign that he can go back on his vow. Unfortunately, fate intervenes. Right after she accepts Bruce’s proposal, Carl Beaumont forces Andrea to leave the city after his dealings with the mob threaten both of their lives and, rather than explain the situation to her love, Andrea left him heart-broken and rejected. With his one last chance of a happy, normal life denied him, Bruce returns to his vow and, in a hauntingly impactful scene, embraces the cape and cowl of the Batman, losing himself to the darkness of his never-ending crusade and shocking even Alfred with his monstrous transformation.

The climatic finale sees Batman engage with the Joker, and seemingly lose his one true love forever.

Batman takes his investigation up a notch after figuring out that the Joker is involved, and the cackling madman quickly takes a perverse pleasure in hunting down the one responsible for killing his old buddies. This involves murdering Valestra and wiring to explode, reducing Reeves to a hysterical mess with his laughing gas, and trying to off the Batman with ludicrous contraptions cobbled together from the abandoned world’s fair that the Joker’s taken as his hideout. Oddly enough, once Andrea’s true identity is revealed, the Joker actually holds his own in a fight with her thanks to his acid-spitting flower and turning the fair’s animatronics and rides into death traps. Andrea, however, is driven by a murderous bloodlust. Since the Joker was responsible for killing her father, she has no problem fighting dirty, kicking him in the nuts and tracing him across the hazardous amusement park in a bid to have her revenge. Naturally, Batman makes a dramatic save and chases down his most persistent nemesis, leading to a somewhat ludicrous conclusion where Batman battles a jetpack-wearing-Joker through the skies of a dilapidated amusement park wired to explode. Determined to see the Joker pay, Andrea ignores Batman’s pleas to leave and seemingly perishes along with the Clown Prince of Crime as the world’s fair is dramatically engulfed by explosions, leaving Batman not only heart-broken but guilt-ridden at his failure to save his former flame. In the darkness of the Batcave, he finds solace in Alfred’s reassuring words and Andrea’s pendant, giving him hope that she’s still alive. Hardened by the experience, he returns to the night as the Batman, grim avenger of injustice, while Andrea sails off to an unknown future with only her own heartbreak for company.

The Summary:
It’s hard to get much better than Batman: Mask of the Phantasm for pure, unadulterated Batman action. In many ways it, like the cartoon it spun out from, is one of the most striking, influential, and unapologetically faithful renditions of DC’s Dark Knight ever put to screen and perfectly captures the dark, gothic melancholy of the titular vigilante, his city, and his never-ending crusade against crime. This was one of the rare, few glimpses into a time of Bruce’s life where he was struggling to make the transition from angry, vengeful young man to grim avenger of the night and it’s absolutely tragic to see how close he came to abandoning his crusade for true love and was forced to fully commit to his dark alter ego once fate set him on that path. One of the things I absolutely love about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is that it’s not afraid to show Batman’s more cerebral side. The mystery of the Phantasm and the killings is as crucial to the narrative as the romance between Bruce and Andrea, and is far more of a focus than the handful of fantastically realised and slickly animated fight and chase sequences. Batman also feels fallible and human while still being a fearsome and intimidating figure. He easily outmatches street level scum but can be hurt by the likes of the Phantasm and the Joker thanks to their skills and/or gadgets. As I’m also a big fan of Batman: Year Two, the Phantasm struck me as a brilliant foil for Batman. As cold and stoic as the Dark Knight, Andrea’s gruesome, cloaked persona is a dangerous and ruthless foe out for blood and nothing more, but more than a match for the Caped Crusader thanks to gadgets, theatricality, and a degree and physical ability. While I find the finale a bit over the top thanks to the focus shifting towards the Joker, you can’t deny that Mark Hamill steals the show at every turn with his maniacal performance, delivering every line with a sadistic glee that makes the Clown Prince of Crime a joy to watch. Honestly, if you know anyone who isn’t sure if they want to get into Batman or who wants to learn more about Batman, I would absolutely recommend you point them towards Batman: Mask of the Phantasm as you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better representation of everything that makes the Dark Knight such an enigmatic and alluring character.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Are you a fan of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm? Where would you rank it against other Batman films, live-action or otherwise? What did you think to the Phantasm, their depiction, and the reveal of their identity? Were you a fan of the Joker’s inclusion or, like me, did it kind of overshadow the rest of the plot for you? Did you enjoy Batman: The Animated Series growing up? What are some of your favourite episodes, and where would you rank Kevin Conroy’s performance? What was your first experience of Batman and how are you celebrating his debut this month? Feel free to share your thoughts on Batman: Mask of the Phantasm down below, or leave a comment on my social media, and be sure to check back in for more Batman content in the near future!

Back Issues [Bat-Month]: Detective Comics #66/68

Dr. K1 Comment

In the decades since his first dramatic appearance in the pages of Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne/Batman has become a mainstream, worldwide, pop culture icon. The brainchild of writer Bob Kane, Batman was brought to life by artist Bill Finger and has been a popular staple of DC Comics and countless movies, videogames, and cartoons over the years. “Batman Day” falls on 21 September this year and I figured this was a perfect excuse to spend every Saturday celebrating comic’s grim and broody vigilante.

Writer: Bill Finger – Artist: Bob Kane

Story Title: “The Crimes of Two-Face”
Published: August 1942

Story Title: “The Man Who Led a Double Life”
Published: October 1942

The Background:
Following the huge success of Clark Kent/Superman, National Comics Publications had Bob Kane create another masked crimefighter to add to their repertoire. Thanks to the long-suppressed influence of artist Bill Finger, the “Bat-Man” soon became not only one of DC Comics’ most popular characters but also a mainstream cultural icon. In the years that followed, the Batman battled numerous costumed supervillains, but perhaps none are more tragic then former district attorney-turned-criminal Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Originally debuting in this two-part story as Harvey “Apollo” Kent, Two-Face was heavily inspired by the 1925 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera (Leroux, 1909) and the 1931 adaptation of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Stevenson, 1886), both tales of a tortured soul, often gruesomely depicted or disfigured, who struggled with the duality of good and evil. Subsequent Two-Face stories have offered further insight into his tragic and abusive childhood, as well as further emphasising his complex relationship with Bruce Wayne, and the character is often a rival or litmus test for Batman’s different Robins. Widely regarded as one of Batman’s best villains, Two-Face has appeared as a prominent foe outside of the comics, from his renowned appearances in the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series (1992 to 1999), Tommy Lee Jones’s bombastic portrayal in Batman Forever (Schumacher, 1995), and Aaron Eckhart’s understated turn in The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008).

The Review:
This two-part story begins by introducing us to Harvey Kent, the dashing and famous district attorney beloved by the press and nicknamed “Apollo” for his courageous stance against organised crime, such as mob boss Sal “Boss” Moroni. Kent is the lead prosecutor in the case against Moroni and wastes no time in calling the Batman to take the stand as a key witness in Moroni’s trial. Amazingly, the testimony of a masked vigilante is seen as perfectly acceptable and admissible as evidence. Batman relates how Moroni shot “Bookie” Benson while escaping from a fight and Kent produces his most damning piece of evidence: Moroni’s lucky, two-headed silver dollar with his fingerprints on it! Moroni’s so incensed by Kent’s bravado that he tosses a vial of acid right at the district attorney! Although Batman intercepts the throw, Kent is hit with a concentrated splash of vitriol on one side of his face, leaving him wrapped in bandages for an entire month. When the time comes to reveal the extent of the damage, Kent is horrified to find that the left side of his face is “scarred and hideous”. He’s even more despondent to find that his only hope, a “European specialist” Batman knows of, is currently imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. The Batman simply peaces out after that, advising Kent to face his fiancée, Gilda, sooner rather than later, but Kent is distraught to find his gruesome visage frightens not only children, but also his beloved Gilda. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he flies into a rage, defacing a sculpture of his former chiselled features and terrifying her almost as much as his monstrous scarring.

After being hideously scarred, Two-Face embarks on a bizarre crime spree across the city.

Tormented, driven to the brink of madness, Kent ponders this dichotomy of his explicit duality. He focuses his rage on Moroni’s silver dollar, defacing one side of it and lashing out at the cruelty of fate. Deciding that all life hinges on the flip of a coin, Kent projects his duality onto the now-scarred dollar. He resolves to decide his immediate future on a coin toss, promising to wait for Batman’s specialist to be freed if the unmarked side comes up or embark on a criminal career if the scarred side comes up. Of course, the scarred side wins and Kent rebrands himself “Two-Face”, adopting a suit to match his split face and putting his knowledge as district attorney to use in his crimes. Since everything he does is decided by this bizarre coin, one day he and his goons might rob a bank for illicit gain, but the next day he might donate his stolen money to charity! This causes public opinion of him to be fittingly divided, with some branding him a thief and a murderer and others a philanthropist and saviour. Even his goons are confused by Two-Face’s unpredictable nature, but they’re excited when the bad side wins and they undertake an elaborate scheme to rob the Brown Bond Company messenger that sees them hijack a double decker bus to rob the bondsman. As luck would have it, Batman and Robin happen to spot the mugging taking place and swoop in to intervene. Apparently well aware that Kent is Two-Face, Batman tries to talk him out of his life of crime but is stunned when his former friend pulls a gun on him and orders his men to toss him off the roof of the bus!

When Batman confronts Two-Face, the tragic villain is left clueless when his coin fails him.

Although this doesn’t come to pass thanks to Robin accidentally causing the thug driving the bus to be killed, Batman is incapacitated in the fracas and the Dynamic Duo are left to die on the out of control vehicle, though Robin manages to get to the handbrake in time. Back at his thematically appropriate lair (one side is clean and pristine and the other is a shambles), Two-Face chastises himself for his actions. Believing that he’s killed his good friend, Two-Face almost regains his sanity before lashing out at the mirror and murdering his other goon after blaming him for causing the shambles on the bus. Two-Face then steps his game up by targeting the double-feature movie house, since he’s now committed to basing his crimes on the number two, but remains unaware that Batman and Robin survived the bus crash. Upon investigating the dead body of Two-Face’s goon, the Dynamic Duo happen to find a map stuck to the sole of his shoe by a piece of gum! This leads them to the Bijou Theatre, Two-Face’s next target, where Two-Face takes over the projection booth and demands that the audience hand over their loot. While Robin takes out the goons in the projection booth, Batman swoops onto the stage for a brief fight with Two-Face while his pre-recorded message looms and rants in the background. Somehow (it’s really not too clear), Two-Face slips away, but the Batman easily tracks him back to his lair by simply…y’know, following him after Two-Face made the error of driving down a one-way street and attracting police attention. Refusing to go down without a fight, Two-Face again threatens to shoot Batman, but the Dark Knight pleads with him to come along quietly. Batman promises to testify on his behalf to argue temporary insanity and to do everything he can to see Kent gets a light sentence until that specialist can fix his face, but Two-Face is unable to make a decision without flipping his beloved coin. Unfortunately for the tragic villain, cruel fate strikes again and the coin ends up standing on edge, leaving Two-Face conflicted and incapable of deciding whether he should give up his life of crime or kill Batman and continue down his dark path.

Two-Face slips away, continues his unique crimes, and even bests Batman in a fight.

The story continued, fittingly two issues later, in “The Man Who Led a Double Life”, which picks up right where the first story ended and sees Two-Face pocketing his coin, resolving to let fate decide what he does with his life. Unfortunately, a trigger-happy cop bursts in and guns down Two-Face, believing he’s about to shoot Batman, but the bullet strikes the coin in Two-Face’s breast pocket, allowing him to survive and make a hasty retreat by leaping out of the window! Since the bullet hit the scarred side of the coin, Two-Face believes this is fate’s way of telling him to commit himself to his criminal career. His first act is to rob the doubles tennis match (during the daytime, since the coin landed good side up) and donate the cash to charity. Next, he and his goons kidnap matchstick mogul Henry Logan, whose entire home is apparently made out of matchsticks, but Batman and Robin are stunned to find it was actually the cantankerous tycoon’s double who was taken since Kent knew about Logan’s doppelganger from his time as district attorney. Batman and Robin are disgusted by Logan’s indifference towards his double’s fate and his selfishness, but the reclusive hobbyist agrees to pay Two-Face’s $200,000 ransom. However, when Logan and his wife arrive at the disused barn to make the transfer, Two-Face is enraged to find he’s been tricked and that it’s Batman and Robin in disguise! Batman and Robin easily overpower Two-Face and his mooks. Although one of the goons buries Robin under a pile of hay, Batman continues hammering Two-Face after the scarred villain tries escaping on a motorcycle. Laughably, Batman is felled when Two-Face tosses his coin at his forehead; however, Batman is spared since Two-Face “[is] not a killer yet” (despite it being said that he was in the first story) and still has some compassion for his former friend.

Two-Face’s attempt to return to his wife, and succeed at crime, are thwarted by the Batman.

When Batman and Robin return the double to Logan, they find the tycoon to be as grating as ever, so Robin teaches him a lesson by dropping a lit match into his shoe, something the Batman simply laughs about despite the fact that the house place could’ve gone up in flames! Anyway, after spotting a loved-up couple in the street, Two-Face decides to pay a visit to his lost love, Gilda. Gilda is elated when the fully restored Harvey Kent surprises her at home, but he ensures she doesn’t get too close to his face. Over a candlelit dinner, he promises to come back to her and forgo his criminal ways if she waits for him, but is incensed when her happiness turns to horror after the heat from the candles melts the wax make-up covering his hideous scars. Gilda is driven to tears by the revelation that Kent has completely lost himself to wickedness and insanity, but Two-Face flies into a rage when Batman bursts in since he assumes she was colluding with the Dark Knight. Once again, Two-Face escapes through a window and he avenges his misfortune on the mask and make-up factory that cost him his love. Two-Face and his goons beat up the proprietors and torch the place, leaving the mask-maker destitute and his son swearing revenge. The story then leads us to believe that, despite Dick’s warnings, Bruce uses make-up to infiltrate Two-Face’s gang as “Getaway” George when the coin flips in his favour. Two-Face’s next target is the double-header baseball game between the city’s fire and police departments, in which honorary police officers Batman and Robin are publicly seen participating. Two-Face brazenly steals the $50,000 takings and even takes the mayor hostage at gunpoint after Robin beats up his minions. When Two-Face gets back to his lair and finds the cops waiting, he assumes that “Getaway” is Batman in disguise and is stunned when the real Dark Knight barges in to deliver a swift uppercut. It turns out that “Getaway” was the mask-maker’s son working in cahoots with Batman, and Two-Face bitterly comments on the irony of being double-crossed by one of his own gang in the end.

The Summary:
Two-Face’s links to Jekyll and Hyde aren’t simply thematic, they’re explicit. Hell, the first dialogue box on the opening page of “The Crimes of Two-Face” not only refers to Two-Face as “a twentieth-century Jekyll-Hyde” but even shows the disfigured criminal reading a copy of the book! I may be committing a literary sin here, but I haven’t actually read that book so I can only speak to the widely regarded themes of duality and man vs. monster that are at work in the text, but “The Crimes of Two-Face” definitely goes out of its way to draw parallels between Kent’s fate and that classic piece of gothic literature. They are, however, really only skin deep. Sure, we only see Kent for a few panels before he’s hideously scarred, but there’s no indication in either story that he was anything but a model citizen and champion of justice. More than once, he and Batman refer to each other as old friends and Two-Face is noticeably conflicted about the Dark Knight, more so than his criminal career, it seems. Indeed, it’s quite jarring when Kent just suddenly decides he has only two options: wait to be fixed or turn to crime, but it’s pretty well conveyed that his ghastly condition has caused him to snap. Batman refers to him suffering from temporary insanity, the text boxes allude to his rage, and Gilda’s reaction to his outburst all point towards this, but it’s still quite the sudden turn from model civil servant to notorious bank robber. One thing I did enjoy was that the reveal of Two-Face’s horrific visage is kept hidden to start with, so we only see it when he reluctantly reveals himself to Gilda, which builds a sense of anticipation about what he looks like. It’s a shame that he’s depicted with a literal line running down the middle of his face, but I can forgive that given the simplistic art of the time.

Despite Two-Face’s obvious gimmick, there’s little detective work involved in stopping him.

We’re well into Batman’s time as a much brighter, kid-friendly character here. He’s appearing in broad daylight, working alongside the police, and even taking to the witness stand and playing baseball, for God’s sake! Now fully deputised members of the police department, Batman and Robin are seen as assets rather than vigilantes and are specifically brought in by Police Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon to help with the Henry Logan kidnapping case. More importantly, the Batman had a close working relationship with Harvey Kent that sees him repeatedly appeal to his better half in “The Crimes of Two-Face”. Sadly, we never get to actually see the extent of their friendship. It’s simply said and inferred by their dialogue, and neither story explores Bruce’s reaction to his friend’s condition or delves into how conflicted he feels about Two-Face. Instead, Batman tries to out-think the tragic villain, occasionally begs him to listen to reason, and settles for socking him in the jaw when he refuses to come quietly. By the end, Batman views Two-Face as just another colourful supervillain and there’s no indication that he wants to try to help or rehabilitate his former friend; he just wants him locked up. As a villain, Two-Face is both visually interesting, surprisingly tragic, unpredictably volatile, and incredibly restrictive. Since he dictates his actions on a coin flip, his crimes can either be horribly violent or unnervingly charitable, casting him almost as an anti-villain since he’ll help those in need with ill-gotten gains and even kill his own men if they violate his rules. This makes the coin his most obvious Achilles’ heel, but it’s at least tied to his dual and conflicting nature. His obsession with the number two is far more of a crutch and I’m surprised that more wasn’t made of it. Once again, Batman and Robin do very little detective work here (they happen upon that map and Batman simply guesses that Kent would return to Gilda) so there’s no depictions of them trying to figure out Two-Face’s next scheme or running around the city looking for obscure references to the number two. It’s simply them reacting whenever Two-Face strikes or stumbling upon a lead.

Two-Face is a tragic and visually interesting character even in his more basic debut story.

Still, while Two-Face’s complex nature, volatile personality, and relationship with Batman is only touched upon or inferred in “The Crimes of Two-Face” and “The Man Who Led a Double Life”, both stories were surprisingly fun and unique tales. It’s not often that Batman’s villains had such a tragic twist to them back then and the references to Two-Face using his knowledge as district attorney for evil only add to the cruel twist of fate dealt to this once handsome and honourable man. I enjoyed Two-Face’s lamentations, which were suitably Phantom-esque, and his whole gimmick, including the split suit and lair. Despite seeing it as a handicap, I’ve always liked the double-headed coin aspect of the character and I enjoyed how quickly he became fixated on the coin’s decisions and how he was rendered panic-stricken and impotent when the coin landed on its side. I think “The Man Who Led a Double Life” would’ve been served better if it had begun with a babbling and broken Two-Face being taken into custody and seeing doctors try to salvage his mind and face until he inevitably returned to his evil ways, but that was kind of toyed with when he desperately resorted to a wax facsimile to reconnect with Gilda. Overall, the two tales didn’t exactly blow my socks off and there are definitely better Two-Face origin stories and tragic tales out there, but they were entertaining enough. Two-Face is an elaborate criminal with a unique, if narratively exhausting, gimmick and has (and continues to have) a tragic appeal to him that’s prominently introduced here, even with the lacklustre depiction of Kent’s time before his scarring.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever read the two-part debut of Two-Face? If so, what did you think to it, which of the two was your favourite, and where would you rank Two-Face in Batman’s villain hierarchy? Would you have liked to see more backstory given to Harvey Kent? What did you think to his coin, obsession with the number two, and the depiction of his volatile duality? Did you enjoy Batman’s time as a brighter, friendlier character or do you prefer the brooding, grim Dark Knight? What are some of your favourite Two-Face stories and which interpretation of Two-Face is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on Two-Face, share them below or on my social media, and be sure to check out my other Batman content!

Back Issues [Bat-Month]: “The Joker” (Batman #1)

Dr. K3 Comments

In the decades since his first dramatic appearance in the pages of Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne/Batman has become a mainstream, worldwide, pop culture icon. The brainchild of writer Bob Kane, Batman was brought to life by artist Bill Finger and has been a popular staple of DC Comics and countless movies, videogames, and cartoons over the years. “Batman Day” falls on 21 September this year and I figured this was a perfect excuse to spend every Saturday celebrating comic’s grim and broody vigilante.

Story Title: Technically untitled, but commonly known as “The Joker”
Published: March 1940
Writer: Bill Finger
Artist: Bob Kane

The Background:
After seeing success with Clark Kent/Superman, National Comics Publications charged Bob Kane with creating another masked crimefighter to add to their portfolio and, thanks to the long-suppressed influence of artist Bill Finger, the “Bat-Man” soon became both a popular DC Comics character and a mainstream cultural icon. Over the years that followed, the Batman has matched wits against some of the most recognisable supervillains in all of comics, but unquestionable his greatest nemesis has always been the self-styled Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson all laid claim to creating the Harlequin of Hate, but what is widely known is that the character’s iconic, gruesome smile and clown-like visage was heavily influenced by Gwynplaine (Conrad Veidt) from The Man Who Laughs (Leni, 1928). It was a last-second decision by then-editor Whitney Ellsworth that saw the Joker survive his initial encounter with the Batman and, though the character was used less under the eye of editor Julius Schwartz, he rose to prominence thanks to the efforts of Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams during the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, the Joker has become easily Batman’s most notorious and mainstream foe. In addition to terrorising Gotham City with laughing gas, the famously elusive and mysterious Joker crippled Barbara Gordon/Batgirl for many years, murdered both Jason Todd/Robin and Commissioner James Gordon’s second wife, had his face removed for a time, and has fought Batman to the death on numerous occasions, repeatedly returning to plague the Dark Knight, his allies, and Gotham City despite appearing to die more than once. The Joker has also been a prominent villain in Batman media outside the comics, often used as a primary antagonist in Batman videogames and brought to life with gleeful relish by many actors, such as Cesar Romero (who famously refused to shave his iconic moustache to portray the character), Jack Nicholson, and Mark Hamill (for many, the quintessential actor to tackle the role). The Joker has been the subject of numerous psychological and introspective debates and his popularity and infamy are such that he’s had his own self-titled comic, been a playable character in DC-related fighting games, and even appeared in standalone movies, with the first making over $1 billion at the box office!

The Review:
Our story wastes no time in introducing us not just to the Joker’s gruesome, grinning visage but also his menacing ways. A quintessential 1940s home is startled when the Joker’s cackling threats interrupt their nightly radio broadcast to issue an ominous threat against millionaire Henry Claridge, whom the Joker promises to kill and rob of his famed family diamond at midnight that night! Although some members of the public laugh it off as a gag akin to Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds prank from 1938, the radio station is swamped with concerned calls and Henry Claridge is understandably panicked. His fears are allayed when the city police arrive and promise to watch over him, and his diamond, overnight and Claridge is overjoyed when his grandfather clock strikes twelve and he’s still alive. However, he suddenly convulses in agony and collapses dead to the ground with a ghastly rictus grin on his lifeless face – “the sign of death from the Joker!” As if that wasn’t bad enough, the cops are stunned when they inspect the Claridge diamond and find that it’s been replaced with an elaborate forgery and the Joker’s calling card, a literal joker-faced playing card, has been left behind to taunt them.

The Joker baffles the police by killing his victims and leaving them with a gruesome grinning visage.

Luckily for us readers, the Joker is quite a loquacious fellow. When the story switches to his ornate lair to focus on the hate-filled harlequin, he openly explains how he delivered on his threat and outwitted the police: he simply injected Claridge with a slow-acting poison as he slept so that he would die at exactly twelve midnight. He also swiped and replaced the diamond while he was at it, and is immensely proud of his cunning, which has riled up Dick Grayson since he’s astounded by the Joker’s repeated acts of violence. However, his mentor, billionaire Bruce Wayne, believes that it’s not quite time for them to intervene as the crimefighting duo, Batman and Robin. Because of this, the Joker makes good on another threat. This time, he promises to kill Jay Wilde at ten o’clock and steal his ruby and his victim again collapses in pain, dropping dead with a smile, after being shot by a poisoned dart when the Joker easily hid amongst the cops in one of Wilde’s suits of armour. Luckily for the cops assigned to watch him, the Joker chooses simply to “paralyse” them with a gas; he then liberates his victim of his ruby and gleefully slips away. The city-wide manhunt for the Joker is met with embarrassing failure, but his actions have also riled up the city’s mobsters. Angry and envious that the Joker has been beating them to the punch, surly Brute Nelson vows to teach him a lesson and has his boys spread the word that he thinks the Joker is a “yeller rat”. Since those are fightin’ words during this time, the Joker bursts into Nelson’s home to confront him and is impressed to find that the mobster has lured him into a trap. Luckily for him, the Batman saw the mob’s interest in the Joker as enough of a reason to finally step in so he’s also in Nelson’s home and manages to get the drop on his goons despite his characteristic lack of stealth.

The Batman recovers from an initial failure to put an end to the Joker’s killing spree.

The Joker uses this distraction to his advantage, gunning the arrogant Nelson down in cold blood and making a quick getaway in his car. The Batman easily follows and leaps onto the speeding vehicle. However, when the two are launched from the car as it flies off a bridge, the Batman is surprisingly outmatched by the Joker, who socks him with a haymaker and delivers a kick that sends the Dark Knight plummeting to the water below. The Joker then takes a much more direct approach to target Judge Drake, the man who once sent him to prison. He disguises himself as the police chief (who he again chooses to simply subdue rather than kill) to get close to the judge and inject him with his gruesome poison. Although his disguise means the Joker gets away without suspicion, Robin takes his orders to “follow anyone that comes out of the judge’s house” literally and finds himself at the Joker’s hideout, where he’s summarily knocked out by the grinning maniac. The Batman, also staking out the judge’s house, uses his “infra-red lamp” to follow Robin’s trail and arrives just in time to save Robin from also being poisoned. Although the Batman overpowers the Joker, the Harlequin of Hate is knocked into a table of chemicals and a fire suddenly breaks out. Thanks to immunising himself from his poisons, the Joker sprays the Batman with a paralysing gas and leaves him to perish in the flames. However, the Batman simply recovers at superhuman speed and rescues Robin, who points him in the direction of the Joker’s next target: Otto Drexel and Cleopatra’s necklace. The Dynamic Duo arrive just as the Joker’s breaking into Drexel’s penthouse. The Joker’s driven to frustration by the Batman’s bulletproof vest and tries to make a death-defying getaway to a nearby construction site, only to be foiled by Robin and sent plunging to his doom. However, the Batman catches him and delivers a knockout blow, finally ending the Joker’s killing spree and seeing him behind bars…where he’s seen already plotting his escape!

The Summary:
I really enjoy seeing how “The Joker” influenced future live-action iterations of the titular villain. He’s shown broadcasting his threats over the radio, which is similar to how both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger’s portrayals would issue threats over the television. I believe Mark Hamill’s Joker used a similar system on more than one occasion, and the Joker would return to this method in future stories. The Joker’s entire persona here is one that is wholly unique to him and really helps him to stand out not just against the darker Batman but other comic book villains of this era. Not only does he have chalk-white make-up on and an unnerving lipstick grin, he’s decked out in the bizarre purple suit and hat that gives an unsettling air of menace to him. He’s also seen to be extremely cunning; he issues his threats as a method of intimidation and appears to be almost omniscient in the way he carries out his evil deeds, poisoning his victims ahead of time of hiding in plain sight to strike. Indeed, the Joker’s crimes have the police suitably baffled and even Batman, famously known as the “World’s Greatest Detective”, isn’t seen investigating or even trying to understand how the Joker pulls off his elaborate crimes. Beyond Bruce commenting that the Joker must use “some sort of drug” to give his victims their ghastly smiles, it’s up to the titular madman to explain his methods in an extended soliloquy, which actually goes a long way to show not just his theatricality but also how he’s got the guile and wits enough to bamboozle everyone.

The Joker is seen as a cunning and ruthless foe with a bizarre and terrifying gimmick.

At the same time, the Joker isn’t above simply gunning a man down; a prideful man, he rises to Brute Nelson’s bait and targets not just the wealthy for their priceless possessions but also those who have wronged him in the past, like Judge Drake. Constantly portrayed as being one step ahead of everyone, the Joker always has a plan B, whether that’s disguising himself as the police chief, speeding off in his car, or boldly leaping to a construction site to evade the Batman. He’s also seen to be quite capable in a brawl; when they first tussle, the Joker gets the better of the Batman, who we’d seen overpowering multiple armed men on the previous page. One quirk of the tale I found amusing was Bruce’s hesitancy to get involved until “the time is ripe”, which indirectly causes the deaths of at least three men. This is probably because the Batman’s relationship with the city’s police isn’t yet as co-operative as we know it today, but I found it interesting that he didn’t get involved sooner, especially considering the baffling nature of the Joker’s methods. Batman is surprisingly light on gadgets here, too; he has his infra-red lamp and a bulletproof vest but that’s about it, so he’s far more reliant on his wits and incredible recuperative and physical powers. This actually puts him and the Joker on relatively equal ground, but Robin gives the Batman the edge. Sure, the Boy Wonder ends up captured and is nearly killed, but he’s enthusiastic to get after the Joker where Batman is more impassive and even almost kills the Clown Prince of Crime when he sends him plummeting from the construction site. As is to be expected of this era, the artwork is quite questionable; everything has a very sketchy, “pulp” feel to it that works in the context of the time, even if I find it a bit rudimentary. However, the Joker certainly makes a visual impression; we don’t get any backstory to him beyond him having once gone to prison and being full of hate, which adds to his allure, and I’d say this set a pretty good standard for future Joker stories to build upon his character and his complex rivalry with the Batman.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Have you ever read “The Joker”? What did you think to the Joker’s debut story and the way he performed his kills? Were you surprised it took the Batman so long to get involved in the case? What are some of your favourite Joker stories? Which interpretation of the Joker, whether animated, pixelated, or live-action, is your favourite? Whatever you think about the Joker, share your thoughts below or leave comment on my social media, and be sure to check out my other Batman content across the site!