I do like how it takes like two pages for Joker and Harley to get into space.

The other Saturday was Batman Day, and even though I'm pretty lapsed, I still sat down with a pile of Bat-stuff: the TMNT crossover was great, the Doom That Came to Gotham is pretty good, Under the Red Hood is one of DC Animated's best and is better than its source material, and I watched the classic "Mad Love" again. But there's a line in Under the Red Hood where Batman admits every day he thinks about killing the Joker, and the Joker immediately responds, "Aw, so you do think about me." And it doesn't entirely feel like just another smartass crack; it does feel like there's something behind that? Of course if he starts seeing other people and forgot their anniversary, well, then I suppose all bets are off. From 2008, Justice League Unlimited #41, "The Anniversary Party" Written by Grace Randolph, art by Dario Brizuela. (There are probably other uses of that title, but it was also a 2001 movie.)

With Batman off in space with the Justice League on their anniversary--presumably when he fell into the vats at Ace Chemicals, which is marked as the 13th of some month--a miffed Joker hijacks a space shuttle. Meanwhile, on the Watchtower satellite, the heroes left on duty were settling in for a movie night when the shuttle crashes in, as the Joker intends to spruce the place up before Batman's return. While the Joker is able to block Zatanna's spells with trick gum, Zat still slugs him one; and Harley Quinn is left trying to outgun the Crimson Avenger, who she doesn't even recognize as a second-stringer. The pair run around causing trouble, with Joker wearing a Bat-cowl for a bit ("This thing is ridiculously hot and heavy! No wonder he's in a bad mood all the time!") before Elongated Man suggests, maybe they had been underestimating Joker and Harley because they didn't have powers or serious weapons. Zatanna later gets the duo with "Stekop ytmpe!" (which, honestly, should be game over for them) and Hawkgirl launches them into the anniversary pie (cake?) they had been preparing, which was full of mousetraps. Knowing he was stuck, the Joker also suddenly realizes, he had been in Batman's room, and all he did was try on his cape? Upon the return of the rest of the team, Joker and Harley are gifted to Batman, wrapped up in an Elongated Man bow.

Harley is furiously jealous, when the Joker describes being chased by "a crazy dame in fishnets," but continuity-wise I thought she had left the Joker before Justice League had started. Based on Hawkgirl's outfit, this story was post-Starcrossed and well into the Unlimited run. Harley had been prone to backslide, though; at least in that continuity: in current DC books, I don't think she's looked back in some time. But, I don't know if the Joker is still written as...stuck? Smitten? Sweet on? Batman, or if that's fallen by the wayside.

Read more!

This one has kind of a striking cover--it got me from a spinner rack in the comic shop! Although I'm almost positive the cover was done first, then the story backfilled. From 1971, Flash #206, "24 Hours of Immortality!" Written by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Irv Novick, inks by Murphy Anderson.

Two people are on their own races against time here: single mom pilot Susan Logan is trying to get to the "Sky Devils Circus" to compete for a $50,000 prize, with which she plans to guarantee her son Timmy's college education. The kid is like six, and doesn't seem like a budding genius; there's probably other ways to do that besides killing yourself? Meanwhile, on the ground, neurosurgeon William Xandel and his wife Sylvia are on their way, for him to operate on a cancer researcher, that was working and put the operation off to the last minute. Susan's plane crashes into William's car, and Timmy and Sylvia are killed. Fortunately, there are some helpful...ish? aliens, who offer them the supreme test: they'll bring back Timmy and Sylvia, if Susan and William sacrifice themselves. They agree, and the aliens say they will return in 24 hours: until then, Susan and William were immortal.

The aliens repair Susan's plane and William's car, and send them on their way. William wants to bag out of the surgery, to spend more time with Sylvia, but she refuses: the cancer researcher might be close to a cure, and he had to save him. He catches another bit of bad luck, though: two slugs from some escaping convicts! Flash captures the convicts, then is amazed at William's story; and assists in the surgery to free up some more time for him with his wife. Flash wonders about the other temporary immortal, who was currently dismayed that the Circus might be cancelled because of a forest fire. Flash stops the fire, saving Susan's plane again; then she competes in the circus, finally winning by jumping from a plane and landing without a chute, which should have reduced her to a chunky living paste, but the aliens maybe covered her on that one. Kinda feel like she cheated a bit; but Flash is determined to save William and Susan, and was willing to fight for them. The aliens try to kill Flash three times--which could be significant, or could just be how much time was left in the story--before recanting, allowing William and Susan to live. Presumably, not immortal and indestructable...probably.

Also this issue: the Elongated Man faces a "Showdown in Elongated Town!" Story by Cary Bates, art by Dick Giordano. In a strangely distorted old western town, E-M finds himself in a showdown, with one of Flash's foes--I won't say who!--who wants to kill E-M as practice for waxing the Flash. Actually, that's not entirely correct: he's also going to use Elongated Man's corpse as bait, which makes more sense. I couldn't figure how the skills to kill E-M would carry over to killing Flash... Read more!

Why am I surprised it took multiple issues for Ollie to quit?

Yeah, like I've never tried to milk another story from a plot! From 1980, Justice League of America #182, "Reprise" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Dick Dillin, inks by Frank McLaughlin.

Green Arrow thinks he has teleported down from the JLA's satellite for the last time, as he's just quit, on the grounds that the team spent "too much time fighting super-crooks" and apparently not enough busting kids for petty crime. Lost in his thoughts, Ollie barely notices a generic multiracial street gang stripping a car, and does miss an old foe passing by: the reformed Felix Faust! Still, even if he had seen him, Ollie may not have been able to do anything, as he's beamed back up to the satellite by Green Lantern and the League, who want more of an explanation why he resigned. (Shades of the Prisoner! Possibly because I've been watching a ton of that.) Perhaps rightly, he feels like he doesn't have to explain squat, but sine he's not an active member the teleport tubes won't send him back! This is somewhere between a totalitarian abuse of power and friendly ribbing of a friend; possibly more of the latter because the madder Ollie gets the funnier it is.

Busting Ollie's chops--ugh, that's a turn of phrase I hate, but it applies--is put on hold when Faust sends out a mystic SOS. He found the secret diary of ancient wizard Nostromus, and was possessed by it. If Nostromus's soul returned to his body, he could tear up the planet, so the JLA leaps into action; with Black Canary practically having to drag the stubborn Arrow. And lucky they did, since the team has a remarkably poor showing. Ollie puts an arrow through Nostromus's diary, and that's that. It's still not enough to get him back on the team, even with Canary opting to stay. Ollie's a cold bastard, if he can walk away from a crying Dinah--she was not quite as hardass as she would become, sure. Also, Ollie walks away from the team...in the Alps. I don't know if any of his solo tales followed up on how he got back to the states, since I don't think he would've had a passport-arrow or anything.

Also this issue: an Elongated Man back-up, with the unfortunate title "the Sun Queen Snatch!" Written by Paul Kupperberg, pencils by Rodin Rodreguez, inks by Vince Colletta. The Dibnys are on vacation with the Halls, Hawkman and Hawkgirl! Hawkman's swimsuit...well, he's got the ass for it, I have to give him that.


Read more!