Action Comics #419 (December, 1972)
"The Most Dangerous Man on Earth!"
"The Assassin-Express Contract!"
Writers - Cary Bates & Len Wein
Pencillers - Curt Swan & Carmine Infantino
Inkers - Murphy Anderson & Dick Giordano
Technical Assistance - Pete Simmons
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.20
Here's another from the "covers I want blown up to hang on my wall" collection!
Can the stories inside even hope to be worthy of such an amazing cover? Let's find out.
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We open with Clark Kent... in space! He's on the job for WGBS, reporting on the LST (that's large space telescope, if you're nasty). Seems like a hell of a trip just to report a news story, but we'll allow it. The jist of it is, the LST is being placed in fixed orbit above Metropolis... may as well call it Chekhov's Telescope. I gotta wonder why WGBS never tried to hire Superman as a foreign/interplanetary correspondent... the whole world trusts him, and think of the money they can save on jet fuel! Anyhoo, at that same time, we meet the two-bit crook (and from the looks of it, hobo) Moe Malloy as he fishes in (the stinkin') Metropolis River. What he finds is... a pair of irradiated cleats and a glowing gun. Go figure! He slips on his new shoes and aims the gun before blasting the Metropolis Electric Company building. They don't mention the lights going out anywhere during this story... so, we'll assume the damage was cosmetic only.
Across town at Metropolis' own NASA space-port, Clark and the Colonel touch down. No sooner do CK's feet touch the ground than the field is overtaken by glowing bubbles... that pop with the force of grenades! Clark convinces the Colonel to load him into the gantry lift... which, might be the unsafest thing in the world at this point... so he can change clothes. In an interesting bit, he "starches" his civvies with his super-breath to make it appear (from the ground, at least) that Clark is still there.
Now properly attired, Superman swoops down to save the space-port. One popping bomb-bubble causes a missile to ignite... which begs the question, what in the hell is a live missile doing out in the open? I mean, Metropolis is a big city, right? That can't be a good idea. He also manages to save a multi-million-dollar experimental craft. Funny thing here is... while Superman is off the ground, the bomb-bubbles are gone!
After "saving" Clark Kent, Superman flies outta sight to test a theory. Wouldn'tcha know it... every time he touches down, the bubbles return. He realizes now that until he can get to the bottom of this, he's stuck being airborne... even when he's Clark Kent!
The following morning we rejoin Moe Malloy... as he robs the Metro Savings Bank with his weird-o ray gun. Like, it literally disintegrates a wall of the building... so, the bankers inside know ol' Moe means business. He vaporizes a police car on the way out for good measure.
Now for something completely different... Clark Kent trying on clothes! A zoot suit, if we're being specific. What's a zoot suit? Well, Julius Schwartz is glad you asked, because (I'm assuming) he wrote a handy-dandy editorial note revealing the secret origin of the outfit. It has something to do with jittery bugs, or something... which is probably what happens when a fly lands in your coffee. Anyhoo, Clark's lookin' snappy... and is still in hover mode, by the grace of the constant stream of compressed air he's blowing out his nose. That could get ugly real quick if he's not careful!
Back with Malloy as he plans his next heist. He learns that an amateur astronomer named Vincent Appleton has been hoarding "priceless" space rocks... and so, ol' Moe's gonna pay him a visit! By the way, the astronomer lives at 344 Clinton Street... which sounds familiar, don't it?
Malloy pistol-whips the poor stargazer and sets about using his glow-gun to shoot the lock off the box'a rocks. In so doing, he also shoots through the floor to the apartment below... which just so happens to be Apartment 3-D... where Clark Kent is sorta-kinda lounging while trying to enjoy a tall glass of water... or milk... I dunno, it changes colors.
And so, it's not long before Superman is on the job. He immediately notices the glowing green cleats and gun... and we learn that they are (thankfully) not Kryptonite-infused. He uses his super-breath to push Malloy back... and into the air... where his gun sorta just fizzles out. Superman deduces that Malloy must be "grounded" in order to use his glow-gun... as the cleats are drawing "some fantastic energy" out of the Earth. And so, he hangs ol' Moe out to dry.
While helping Appleton to his feet, Superman realizes that all of his bubble-bomb troubles are due to the Earth changing... not himself! He flies up to the fixed orbital telescope and checks the lens. It looks as though the unit passed through a cloud of cosmic dust... which, somehow caused a that mysterious energy o'er Metropolis. Oof. Anyhoo, he cleans the lens and returns home in time to cut a rug with lady Lois.
Out back-up feature begins with Christopher Chance being just the coolest guy ever. Think James Bond if he were on a regimen of GNC shark cartilage pills. He's drinking a glass of Mouton Rothschild... which I'm assuming is impressive, I don't drink. It gets shot out of his hand... so, he nonchalantly fires back... killing his would be assassin, before pouring himself another glass. I mean, the story could end right here and I'd be perfectly satisfied.
But alas, that's just our introduction page. The story proper begins while... good God, Chance is practicing his knife-throwing. I swear, they're about three panels away from bringing in an alligator for him to wrestle! Anyhoo, he is visited upon by a man named Smithers who has a job for him. He got mixed up with some bad dudes while on his way to the top of the corporate ladder. T.C. Newman is the President of Horizon Chemical... a position (I assume) he wants for himself. He arranged with these baddies for Newman to take a fall... which they took to mean, ya know... offed, so rather than sending a spy to trail him... they sent a hitman. According to Smithers, that was never his intention. Yeah, likely story, pal.
Chance considers the offer... and ultimately decides to take the contract. We see a bit of his "method" here, as he checks out the most recent picture of Newman... noting that he's wearing an eye patch, to ensure his disguise is spot-on.
Next we see Chance, he has become a new man... er, become Newman, that is... T.C. Newman. He's decked out in some dazzling duds while boarding a train. After tripping and nearly breaking his neck, he is directed to his berth. This is a cool scene because it shows how deeply he is paying attention to his surroundings... while neglecting his own two feet, or... so it would appear, you'll notice his hand went right into the train's emergency brake mechanism... more on that in a bit.
While on board, a man with his right arm in a cast enters Chance's berth unannounced. Our man gets the drop on him and cinches in a hammerlock. The fella swears he just entered the wrong berth. This allows us to see more of the Chance method... he judges the man's face and eyes... and deduces he is telling the truth. And so, he lets him go.
Time passes, and Chance is joined by the conductor he almost tripped over while boarding. They share an awkward apology session... and some light chatter. Chance asks when the next stop will be, to which the conductor says 5:47. Chance notes that the conductor didn't peer at his pocket watch like he did the last time somebody asked him about stops (scroll up two images to see!)... and he gets a sneaking suspicion that something's about to go down!
Chance ransacks the berth until he procures the pocket watch... which, at this point, is ticking loudly. He busts out a window with his briefcase and tosses the watch before it goes BLAM!
Looks like the "conductor" is really our hitman! Chase gives chance... er, Chance gives chase, that is... and when he has the baddie cornered, presses a button on his watch, which triggers the emergency brake... and sends the hitman a'flyin! I'm picturing the sound Goofy would make in an old cartoon while trying to ski... but instead, falling into a bottomless pit.
After ahem, "scraping up" the hitman, the train arrives at the station. Chance is met by Smithers who is pleased to see him, but is wondering where Newman is. Well, ya see, real-Newman is standing right there... in a different disguise, in fact... he's who our man tripped over to set up the train-brake scenario. Smithers is fired for being a jerk-ass, and we are out.
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That didn't quite go the way I was expecting it to. I had assumed going in that I was really going to dig the Superman story and just tolerate the Human Target... and it was the complete opposite! The Superman story was just sorta "there" while I found myself really enjoying Human Target!
I've tried getting into the Human Target every now and again... I believe his last couple of launches came out through Vertigo, and I'm mentally-associating Peter Milligan with like all of them... maybe he wrote one, I don't recall. All I know is that it never really captured me, and I'm pretty sure I never went back for a second issue. This short story here was more engrossing to me than any of the Vertigo stuff.
Let's stick with Human Target for a bit. I swear, that introduction just oozed stereotypical masculinity... to the point where if it had been written today, it would immediately be dismissed as parody. I really thought he'd be wrestling alligators before retiring to a bed-full of beauties before this was all said and done. Let's not get it twisted, I thought he was cool... but, this might've veered a bit into the realm of cartoon-silly.
The Target story, while I really dug it, left me with a few questions. When Chance boarded the train and "tripped" our narrative caption made it seem like it was an accident. We later learn it was all part of the plan... but why would he hide the plan from "us"? Like, the narrative bits are his own thoughts... why would he lie in his own thoughts? He doesn't know we're reading them! It kinda took away from the story, because I had assumed that he was just so focused on his surroundings that he kinda lost himself in them... and goofed!
Also, the ending was a bit outta nowhere. The real Newman (which, ya gotta figure is a play on "new man" for this Human Target introductory adventure, right?), is also on board... but disguised as another fella. Smithers should know that, right? I mean, he knew Newman was going to be on the train, surely there wasn't going to be real Newman and Chance-as-Newman on board at the same time, right? And, wasn't the point of this to keep Newman safe? Of course he's going to be disguised! Not sure why Newman waited until he arrived to fire Smithers either. Oh well... only so much you can do with the pages afforded by an Action-Plus backup.
Now, the opener... it was, ya know, okay. Nothing I feel I'd need to read again... and definitely a bit of a downer when you consider the amazing cover this issue has... but not so bad that I'd advise against reading it. It's all very convenient... which seems to just be "the way the sausage is made" for Silver/Bronze-Age Superman, so it's not something I can really hold against it. It was neat to see Clark doing everything he can to keep hovering... and it was silly seeing him jitterbugging.
Overall... I can't say not to grab this one. The cover makes the entire thing worthwhile... and the Human Target ain't nothin' to scoff at. Despite my gripes, that was some engaging, quality storytelling. The Superman story, I can take or leave... it really just comes across as filler. It doesn't look like this one has been made available digitally just yet. If you're looking for just the Human Target story, it was reprinted in Best of DC Digest #30 (1982).
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Teen Titans #5 (September-October, 1966)
"The Perilous Capers of the Terrible Teen"
Writer - Bob Haney
Artist - Nick Cardy
Letterer - Stan Starkman
Cover Price: $0.12
It's been awhile since I covered the Titans, and figured finding a (really rough-looking) copy of this issue was as good a reason as any to revisit the kids.
I found my copy in a dollar bin... and it looked like the cover was all scraped up... bits of color are missing... just looked a mess. When I opened it up, I discovered that the color hadn't been rubbed off... it seems as though somebody was using this issue as a surface to paint something on! It should go without saying that the cover image I'm using here isn't my own.
Lord only knows what kind of toxic substance I just touched... if I don't post again, just assume it was lead poisoning that did me in!
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After our spoilery-Silver Age splash, we open with Wonder Girl trying out a few new hairdos... which amounts to her just piling all of her hair atop her head. Aqualad thinks this looks ridiculous, which... it kinda does, and teases her a bit. In turn, she grabs the water cool jug and dumps it all over him. He thanks her because, well, he's Aqualad... and he was probably just seconds away from doing that to himself anyway! Robin chimes in to inform the gang that "fun and games" are over, and it's time to get down to the important business of... answering their fan mail! The first letter comes from their sometimes-running-buddy, Speedy, who makes a bunch of arrow puns and says he looks forward to their next adventure. The next letter comes from Dr. Paul Turner from the Lacklock Camp for juvenile delinquents. He's got a problem, and he requests an audience with the Teen Titans... and so, off they go in a shoddy jalopy driven by "the guy who fed Paul Revere's horse". I wanna mention that the fellas refer to Donna as "W.G." here, which... while I'm sure is just there to aid in the lettering, really sounds awkward if you were to say it... not that awkward dialogue is altogether alien to Mr. Haney... but actually say W.G. out loud... double-you-gee. My mouth doesn't even wanna contort that way!
At Camp Lacklock, the Titans are swarmed by fannish campers. They just love their teen-age heroes! Dr. Turner arrives and brings the team into his cabin. Along the way we get a bit of history on the camp. It's called Lacklock after a tribe of... no, no it's not... it just doesn't have any locks. It's an open-air juvenile rehabilitation center, basically. Turner takes great pride in the success of his methods... however, it now appears that one of his "grads" might have returned to criminal activity. This is Eddie Whit, who Doc Turner believes might be the "master criminal" the Ant!
Turner claims that of all the Lacklock grads, he had the most hope for Eddie... and if it's true he's gone bad, he might have to reconsider all of his therapeutic methods, which could lead to Camp Lacklock... getting locks! Well, we can't have that! The Titans agree to look into it. On their way out they pass a group of teen-agers discussing the Eddie-hub-bub. It appears that even the resident campers' confidence is shaken. If Eddie can go bad, what hope is there for anybody else! In case I haven't made it clear, Eddie Whit is held in pretty high regard 'round these parts.
Now, this being a Silver Age story, you might imagine that the Titans run into the Ant on the very next page... well, you'd be right. The Ant has just robbed a bank and is escaping by... climbing a nearby building. I wanna mention we're getting a ton of wacky exclamations here... it's like every other panel has a "Suffering Sappho!" or "Jumping Jackfish!", it's pretty great. Anyhoo, Robin gives the orders, and Double-You-Gee is on her way upwards to lasso the insect. It doesn't go all that well.
Somehow in the, I dunno, five seconds that took... the rest of the Titans have made it to the top of the building. Robin repels down to get the drop on the bug... but that doesn't go all that well either. The Ant swings him around a few times before tossing him back atop the building. We should note that although the Ant is dangerous... he isn't looking to kill anybody.
Seeing that he's surrounded by Titans, the Ant jumps off the side of the building, pulls some acrobatics around a conveniently-placed flagpole... and lands flat atop a train as it barrels through a tunnel. Not a bad showing! I need to pay more attention to flagpoles when I'm in the city... if comics have taught me anything, it's that every building has at least a dozen of them attached.
Well, with the man himself miles away, the Titans decide to go a different route... visit Eddie Whit's home. Rather than knock, Robin suggests they make a "cool entrance" via the fire escape. Remember that folks, that's how you make a cool entrance. Anyhoo, inside they meet Danny Whit, Eddie's younger brother. He's excited to see a group of costumed teen-agers breaking in through his bedroom window and decides to share with them his life story. Ya see, he and Eddie's parents were killed in a train wreck... Eddie turned to unnamed bad stuff and wound up in Camp Lacklock, while Danny was sent to an orphanage. Eddie finally arrives... though Robin mentions (to Kid Flash) that he didn't hear the elevator. Wally heads to the roof where he finds a little storage shed.
He vibrates through the door and finds... (duh) the Ant costume! He returns to Robin and gives him the "bzzz bzzz". The Titans ask Danny to wait outside so they can begin their interrogation. Eddie doesn't take being confronted all that well, and just starts whuppin' the team! Even going so far as to dropkick Robin out the window... which, ya know, might have killed him... if not for the conveniently-placed clothesline, his acrobatic prowess, and the aid of the pony-tailed chick from Paradise Island. In the distraction, the Ant gets away... his thoughts reveal that there may be more to this situation than meets the eye.
As the Titans recuperate, Danny Whit reenters the room. He doesn't want to believe that Eddie's the Ant, but knows the Titans never lie (I think that's line item 3 in the official Teen Titans handbook). He gives them a bit more info on Eddie, including his current employer Zenith Caterers. And so, the Titans (and Danny) head out to perform some hi-tech surveillance. We overhear that Eddie's bosses at Zenith have set him up to be the Ant via blackmail. They've got some goods they threaten to spill to the police if he refuses to comply. Eddie agrees to do one more job... and it's going to be the biggest one yet! Keep that in the back of your mind... earlier today, the Ant robbed a bank... wait'll you hear what Zenith's got planned.
The Ant is to... rob a charity picnic. Okay, ya get it? Ants... picnics! Har har har. But seriously, wouldn't robbing a bank be a bit more lucrative (not to mention dangerous)?! Oh well, Kid Flash splits off from the team to chase the Zenith goons (and the Ant) to the park. I mean, c'mon... the heist is going down at the park. That's just adorable. The Ant leaps out of the caterer's pot, swipes the... picnic basket... full of dosh, and takes off!
When the Ant hops back in the Zenith van, he is shocked to find that the driver is... his brother Danny (who is probably too young to be driving... but whatayagonnado?)! Kid Flash runs alongside the van and vibrates into the cargo area. It's here we get the juicy details of the blackmail. Eddie is the Ant because the Zenith goons have information on... his brother Danny! It seems that while Eddie was in Lacklock, Danny fell in with a bad crowd... but, don't worry, they never broke any laws. Ya see, Eddie's been hornswoggled into being a costumed criminal all to protect his little brother (aww!). Kid Flash overhears the whole thing, and suggests he might be of assistance in returning the funds to the picnickers.
To aid in the Whit brothers' escape, Wonder Chick pulls the ol' switcheroo on the Zeniths by placing a detour sign on the road. It seems like this wouldn't work, as the Zenith van was mayyyybe two van-lengths behind the Whit van... but, I guess we'll allow it.
That night we join some Zenith geeks as they descend on the place they're sure the Whit's are hiding out... yup, Camp Lacklock! Well, of course they are... but they're not alone. The Teen Titans have their backs! After a brief skirmish, we wrap up with the Zeniths being tied to a pole, like so many baddies before them. Eddie spills the beans about his Ant-iness, and Doctor Turner assures him the only punishment he'll get is more time at Camp Lacklock! I guess it's back to the orphanage for Danny... but why let that ruin an otherwise happy ending?
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Man, what a silly story. Let's do it the great disservice of breaking it down!
Let's look at the Ant. If I didn't know any Titans history, I'd swear they were setting him up to be a new recruit to the team. I mean, dude's got crazy skills, and a moral code (of sorts). I was surprised that he really doesn't make any future appearances... outside of a flashback and in the Tiny Titans-verse. When the Titans are first informed that Eddie might be the Ant... they're all like "yeah, that dangerous criminal... we've heard of him!" which begs the question, why hadn't they already gone after him? I mean, how many banks does a costumed criminal need to rob before getting the attention of the Teen Titans?
We get a bit of nebulous characterization in that the Ant wouldn't let Robin fall from the side of a building... but had no problem drop-kicking him through an upper-story apartment building window. Unless Eddie didn't know his own strength... or was sure Robin would grab the clothesline... but that's just silly. Hell, if he was that confident in Robin's acrobatic ability, he'd have let him fall from the building... at least there was a flagpole he could grab on the way down, right?
Now... the picnic. I know I probably joked about this enough already, but... c'mon, a picnic? For his big "final" heist for the Zenith folks, the Ant is going to rob a pic-a-nic basket's worth of cash from a charity event in the park? Just hours earlier, he robbed a freakin' bank! It's so silly I can't even get mad at it!
I enjoyed the way the Titans interacted with each other. It really felt like (a middle-aged man's approximation of) teen-age camaraderie. The Titans razz one another every now and again, get distracted by things like hairdos and fan letters, but when push comes to shove, each Titan fills their heroic niche. This is a team you can't help but want to follow.
Overall, this issue was a silly Silver Age romp and I had a blast reading it. This is available digitally, and has been reprinted several times, including SHOWCASE Presents Teen Titans, Volume One, the Silver-Age Teen Titans DC Archives, Volume One and the recent Teen Titans Silver-Age Omnibus. Worth checking out.
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Joker: Last Laugh #1 (December, 2001)
"stir crazy"
Writers - Chuck Dixon & Scott Beatty
Penciller - Pete Woods
Inker - Andrew Pepoy
Letterer - Willie Schubert
Colorist - Tom McCraw
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.95
Today we're going to discuss the opening chapter in the first line-wide DC Comics crossover that I went "all in" on. I'd been "in the thick of it" for awhile at this point, but there were still a handful of books I never would have grabbed if not for the Joker's Last Laugh branding. There's no way I would have grabbed titles like Azrael: Agent of the Bat, Harley Quinn, or Orion otherwise... so, this story was a pretty big deal for me. It's a time in my collecting-career I remember fondly... things felt new, exciting, and fresh... and, ahem, I found a way to put my "disposable income" to use.
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We open up at a crab shack in Maryland where Barbara Gordon has begrudgingly joined Dick Grayson for a day out of town. There's no beef between the two, it's just that she doesn't feel right being away from her Oracle duties... after all, she is the point of contact for just about every hero in the universe. Dick's all "you need this" and asks how useful she'd be if she went and got herself burnt out. It's hard to argue, but at the same time it reeks of justification. I tell myself from time to time that "I'm working too hard" to justify treating myself... but that's neither here nor there.
We shift over to Slabside Penitentiary where the Joker has just been informed that he has a terminal brain tumor, and isn't long for this world. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest idea to tell someone like the Joker that he's got absolutely nothing to lose, but whattayagonnado?
Well, the Joker's going to die... he knows he's going to die... so, what now? If you guessed "Prison Riot", you win the kewpie! A prison riot that Dick and Babs would have known about if not for the crab shack changing the channel on their television.
Back in Gotham at the Clock Tower, Black Canary arrives to check in with and share a Thai meal with Barbara... but, as we know, she's not home. Dinah heads into the communication room and sees the news of the riot... and sees that the Joker is behind the whole thing!
All of the Slabside inmates are wearing restraining collars, and through them, the guards can induce a measure of bodily effects... including extreme nausea. The guards are advised to, gulp, "prime the regurgitants" which just sounds foul. While many of the inmates rush to the nearest vomit-depository, the Joker stumbles across the one fella he's been looking for... Multi-Man!
We rejoin Dinah and learn she has enlisted the aid of Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, who at this point was a semi-retired on-again/off-again associate of the Birds of Prey. He was usually depicted as having a little bit of a paunch belly during this era, however, he looks lean and mean here... that ab-rocker must really work! They are on board the Bug and fast approaching the Slab. Canary says she'll hit the ground first to perform some recon.
Inside the Slab, Shiloh Norman flanked by a crew of elite guards are on the crawl. They learn that Warden Zimmer is currently trying to facilitate a surrender from the rioting inmates... which is probably not the best idea. It's here that we learn that the guards weren't aware that the Joker was behind the whole thing, as the shapeshifting Chiller had been lounging in his cell during the proceedings. Norman produces a Mother Box as a backdoor should things go "ca-ca". Oh yeah, he's the third Mister Miracle, by the way.
Back with Babs and Dick... they just can't seem to stop talking about "work". Barbara makes some salient points about the hypocrisy of the Bat-Family of crimefighters and the nature of good versus bad. She contends that if the bad guys are willing to kill... the good guys should at least consider it, if in the long run it will save more innocent lives. Dick's all "we don't do revenge", neglecting that what they do every night is pretty much just that. She contends that she was the only person to join "the party" without an axe to grind, and wound up being the worst for wear. What it comes down to is... she wants the Joker dead. Understandable... I'm guessing if I lived on DC Earth, I'd probably feel a lot safer if the Joker was six-feet under as well.
Back in the Slab, Joker's got Multi-Man pinned down. Now, ya see... back in the day, Multi-Man drank something called Liquid Light. This granted him the "power" to be reborn with a new set of superpowers every time he dies. Well, the Joker needs a very specific power, so it looks like poor Duncan's in for a lonnnnnng night. The Joker kills him over and over again... once (somehow) with an electric mixer... which is pretty gross.
After almost a hundred deaths, Multi-Man finally makes himself useful. The Joker approaches the rest of the rioters, and has his new toy burn a hole in the ground to drop them to the floor below. Then, for good measure, he kills Multi-Man again.
The baddies are now in the "K" block, where they keep the "baddest of the bad"... I guess this was an off year for the Joker if they weren't keeping him there as well! Norman is tracking their movement, and posits that they are looking to spring Dr. Polaris!
Black Canary is working her way through the ventilation system recording everything for Oracle's review. Warden Whatshisface attempts to continue his search for prison diplomacy, but runs into a brick wall... in the form of the immovable Black Mass. The Warden informs his guards to prepare the metagene inhibitor gas for the baddies in cell block K.
Speaking of whom, we shift to Doctor Polaris's wooden (nice touch) cell. The Hellgrammite nibbles his way through the ceiling so Joker and Company may enter. Joker produces Multi-Man... again, now in a minuscule form. MM hops into Polaris's collar and pops that sucker open. He then uses his own electromagnetic powers to pop the collars on his new running buddies.
Moments later, the K-Ward is flushed with the inhibitor gas... which Joker was counting on. Ya see, he knew they would first try the, bleargh "puke gas"... and knew that Regurgitant + Metagene Inhibitor = Well, a lotta laughing bad guys. Seems poor planning for a prison to have a pair of chemicals the mix in such a way, but whattayagonnado? This also tells us that this has gotta be the first time this place had a riot, right?
We pop back over to Dinah as she springs herself from the vents... where she is met by... well, you know.
Back in Gotham City, Babs and Dick return to the Clock Tower, where the latter is still going on about how much the former needed a day away from the grind. Welp, looks like you picked the wrong day, pal... because while you were stuffin' your faces with crab, some bad stuff was going down.
We close out with Norman weighing their options... knowing that they will need to contain these jokerized baddies. We end with the sight of Batman surveying the house o' ha-ha's.
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Kind of a mixed bag here.
Let's see... we can start with the Joker, I suppose. We learn that he's terminally ill, which is an interesting wrinkle to be sure... but, what can you expect to happen when you tell someone who already acts with abandon that he's got nothing to lose? If in the same position, I'm not sure I'd have told him. That's kinda like asking for a riot... right? The Joker's a pretty dramatic dude... why wouldn't he want to go out "in a blaze of glory", so to speak?
I do appreciate the Joker being depicted as a cartoonier baddie here. It seems these days we can't escape super-serious Joker stories... it's pretty nice to just have him acting silly. If this were written today, we'd get brutal scenes of each guard's families being slaughtered and posed on the couch for discovery or something.
That's not to say the Joker's not deadly here... I mean, hell... he kills Multi-Man like a hundred times! Speaking of which, that was a really neat bit. Stands to reason if you're reborn with new superpowers, you might find yourself a useful tool for a psychopath with designs on chaos. The scene of endless deaths, was gruesome in a cartoony way that didn't really distract from the tone of the story.
The mixing of chemicals that "Jokerized" the inmates... that was kinda weird, right? I mean, it looks like the Warden was just following their normal riot-containing protocol. Ya start with the regurgitants... and work up to metagene inhibition. If the Jokerization is the result of those two chemicals missing, it would stand to reason that every meta-riot would result in a whole lotta pale faces and laughter, right? I suppose this might be the first to get to this level. So weird.
It was neat seeing Shiloh Norman here. I can guarantee the first time I read this, I hadn't the foggiest idea who he was. Reading it back now, I just love how intermingled the various aspects of the DC Universe is/was.
Onto Babs and Dick. I dunno, they both felt a bit "off" here. I never think of Barbara (of this era) as a particularly bitter character... though, if she were, it would be justifiable. She always struck me as (perhaps too) optimistic... and fulfilled in her work. Hearing her thoughts on wanting the Joker dead, while... again, justifiable, don't ring true.
I can see Dick wanting to give Barbara a "day off", but I really don't see a fella as "prepared" as he is, going completely dark. I mean, you'd figure that they might have a mobile device of some sort that informs them when a huge alarm begins sounding at the Clock Tower, right? Just seems out of character/irresponsible for both of them to go completely "off the grid"... at least without a contingency plan. I mean, Dinah didn't know Babs was taking the day off, and they were partners! From what little I remember from the way this event ends, the out-of-character moments are just beginning.
The art was pretty good. This isn't the Pete Woods of today, and definitely feels like it's taking a bit from the animated series style. The villains all look great (and we do get a bunch of neat villain cameos!), as do Blue Beetle and Black Canary. Dick and Babs look like they were storing some of the crabs they dined on in their cheeks though. Just another example of their being "off"... at least to me.
Overall, this is an okay issue/story/event. Not one I'd say you need to rush out to track down or anything, but a serviceable Batman/Bat-Family romp. It is available digitally and has been collected in trade paperback.
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