This issue, Batman vs. Foulmouth.

If I find a $7.99 book in the dollar bin, I kinda have to buy it, right? And I bought a few of this series! Did I buy enough to read a whole serial...well, that remains to be seen. From 2023, Batman: the Brave and the Bold #1. Cover by Simone Di Meo.

When is a team-up book not a team-up book? When it's an anthology title like this one, I guess. The opener was...sigh...yet another Batman "Year One" story, with Batman seemingly reeeeeeally considering letting a rather potty-mouthed wife-murderer get run over by a train; while a lost little girl is kept company in the rain...by the Joker. The Joker doesn't get word balloons in this one, but instead his speech is conveyed through silent movie-style dialogue cards. Which, kind of feels pretentious? And eats up like a splash page and 18 separate panels? I'm a little down on writer Tom King of late, so I might be too hard on him; but the Mitch Gerads art and in particular the Clayton Cowles lettering are on point; and it is a suitably gloomy start. (I don't know which designed the intertitles, though.) I also wonder, is there a database somewhere of "Year One" stories? Every year feels like twelve lately, maybe seeing that would put things in perspective. Or not. (Per the GCD, this is a retelling of the first Joker story, from Batman #1.) 

 Next, is it still a Stormwatch if they only have like two Stormwatch guys? Also, it's mentioned they would be less focused on extraterrestrial threats and more so on domestic ones; which differentiates them from the Suicide Squad how? I'm not sure anybody wants to be there. I guess they're in a satellite rather than a prison...New director Mr. Bones takes over, although holdovers Winter and Flint are still there, as the team's "Weatherman" and field leader, respectively. Most of the rest of the team appeared to be either disposable like Peacekeeper-01 (not the guy with the helmet!) or Phantom-1, or long-time characters that didn't seem to have a home now, like Ravager and Shado. The team is deployed to recover an evil scientist, which it does, barely, after a time-acceleration field nearly destroys Iron Heights. And Mr. Bones gets a call from his bosses, who threaten to terminate all of them if they don't work out...("Down with the Kings, part 1" Written by Ed Brisson, art by Jeff Spokes.)

Then, I was surprised to find a Superman story! A full Superman story, for that matter; I remember when Action Comics Weekly used to have the 2-page strips. I don't remember if super-memory is still a power, though? I feel like sometimes, maybe in later stories, but Clark doesn't maybe have super-recall over his entire life: he can't recollect the name of a childhood sweetheart from camp, but later receives a decoder ring like he had as a kid, with a note: "Save me!" Also, this was tied to then-current continuity, with Lois as acting chief of the Daily Planet; she admits to Clark that readership numbers were dire. ("Order of the Black Lamp, part 1" Written by Christopher Cantwell, art by Javier Rodriguez.)

Finally, and almost worth the full price of admission: Dan Mora does a little one-off, that is very much Batman Kamen Rider. Nothing wrong with that! ("Heroes of Tomorrow" Story and art by Dan Mora.)

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I haven't read the Batman: White Knight books (although I think I have a McFarlane Batcycle from it, that I gave to Signalman!) and for all I know, this will be a speedrun through that: from 1996, Catwoman Annual #3, written by Joan Weis, pencils by Michal Dutkiewicz, inks by Gerry Fernandez.

Catwoman's spin through the Legends of the Dead Earth begins at a museum, where children learn about the crazy, violent nonsense mankind went through to become the peaceful types they were then. The historical record might be a bit dicey, though, as this is about the criminal dynasty of Catwoman and Batman! Starting with a robbery at a chemical plant, that led to a cop, Jock Bozer, taking a dip in a vat of chemicals and becoming the Joker. Joker would eventually become police commissioner, but never caught those villains. Over the years, even as they had a son, Dick; Selina is the brains of the Bat-Cat team, using clever robberies to get inside information that Wayne Industries could then capitalize on, making them millions. Still, she commits other robberies, and is not squeamish about killing any potential witnesses. Which might be a problem, as Dick becomes a teenager, that hates Catwoman and Batman!

When a reporter starts to get too close, Batman and Catwoman test an experimental "brain-tumor buster" on him, inadvertently creating the Riddler, who then works with Commissioner Joker. Batman is starting to feel the heat, and proposes their 'retirement,' but Selina still wants the big score: engineering a chemical spill, and Wayne Industries would be positioned to stop an environmental disaster in the nick of time. But they aren't prepared for Dick to find out the family secret... 

Were any of the other LotDE annuals historical reconstructions like this one? Oh, I guess I've read most of them by now; I can say 'no.' Interesting, even though it makes this a completely "imaginary story." Still, only two more to go!

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If I scheduled these right, earlier in the week we mentioned an old issue of Batman Adventures, so now seems like the time to see another one! From 2003, Batman Adventures #3, "My Boyfriend's Back" Written by Ty Templeton, pencils by Rick Burchett, inks by Terry Beatty; and "Breathing Room" Written by Dan Slott, pencils by Ty Templeton, inks by Terry Beatty.

The Joker is not himself today, and driving multiple motorcycles into a vat of tapioca isn't even why: after extensive bouts of multiple therapies at Arkham, he wasn't really sane, but he also wasn't his usual homicidal self, either. He was more lovey-dovey as well, which Harley does not seem to appreciate, which might also be because he wasn't even as funny: the motorcycles were part of a "Harley Pudding," which doesn't even get a pity chuckle out of her. Especially when she finds out the Joker didn't even steal the bikes; he traded the helicopter for them! Which puts Batman on the case, as he roughs up the seller that put it on "eBuy." Harley can't bring herself to try and kill the Joker herself, but figures if someone else did, maybe he'd snap out of it; so she busts one of R'as al Ghul's "shadow assassins" from stir, to let him take a shot at it. Meanwhile, Gordon and Montoya were on their trail: Batman was currently wanted, and Montoya wonders if Gordon would be ready to arrest him. Gordon says sure, if he sees him.

As usual, Batman arrives in time to save the Joker; taking the assassin down with a taser rather than play with him. Harley then makes another play, kissing Batman to make the Joker jealous, which works like a charm. With his taser broken, Batman is slapped around, landing near the Joker's crossbow: he takes the shot, but seemingly misses...cracking the tapioca case, and washing Joker and Harley with a wave of pudding! Swamped, Harley is thrilled to have her Joker back, even if now he was far more interested in killing Batman than her. They're both grabbed by the cops, while Gordon claims not to see Batman leaving, taking the assassin with him: I think he was an issue or two away from another showdown with R'as.

In the next story, with Arkham currently "structurally unstable," both Joker and Harley are taken to Gotham Penitentiary, despite her claim of "special needs." In the yard, Harley sees her pal Ivy, and tries to recall if she was still mad at her, for not mentioning she was turning into a plant-monster: she's not, but Ivy attacks her as a "stinking bag of meat!" Poisonous, Ivy is thrown into solitary in an isolation ward, but then she starts to crash out. Harley fights past the guards in biohazard suits to free Ivy, which saves her: now more plant-like, Ivy was breathing in carbon dioxide, and producing oxygen. She and Harley are made roommates, to Ivy's chagrin and Harley's delight.

I feel like Harley never knows when she's better off... Read more!

The ventriloquist joke wasn't bad!

Cue up the Danny Elfman theme, and get your afternoon snacks! Although I might have the last issue floating around, I had slept on this one, and might need to rectify that: from 2023, Batman: the Adventues Continue Season Three #2, "Crack-Up! Part One" Written by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, art by Ty Templeton.

I'm not real current on Batman continuity, although we might check a recent-ish issue later for comparison, but this of course was further adventures in the Batman: the Animated Series continuity. Today, the Joker is up to some new tricks, adding a new player to his act: Straightman. The thick blond seems to have about a foot of height and 100 pounds of muscle over his boss, which just adds to the comedy of using him as a dummy in a "ventriloquist act" in front of a literally captive audience. Although he doesn't seem to have any comedic timing, and keeps having nightmares about his military service and medical treatments thereafter, Straightman does bring super-strength and invulnerability: he no-sales several punches from Batman, before giving the Caped Crusader the bum's rush. Only the intervention of an unseen shooter with a tranq dart saves Bats, but even with the sudden arrival of Katana and new muscle...Muscle, the Joker is still able to grab Straightman and get away.

Batman notices a mysterious hooded woman watching him from a distance, and follows up at "the Institute," the local HQ for Amanda Waller and Task Force X! After a brief scuffle, Amanda tells him they were in Gotham to take care of the Joker once and for all; which Batman doesn't quite buy: they might not mind if they did kill him, but that can't be their only goal. But Amanda also lets on, whoever the hooded woman was, she wasn't Task Force X. Bats had Barbara on tech duty now, and she had most of the files for Captain Carl Finley, a former Army officer, "right up until he volunteered for one of those endless secret programs to create the ultimate soldier." Cutting away, we see another of Straightman's nightmares, which involves Dr. Hugo Strange, and possibly Clayface? The Joker was keeping him "medicated" with something, to keep him under control.

Later, tracking down the Joker's hideout, Batman runs into the hooded woman, who was seemingly trying to rescue Carl from the Joker, before Waller could get him. Bats is probably on the verge of figuring this out, but the woman shoots at him, forcing him out of a window! Which, like the rest of this comic, feels very B:TAS, like right before a commercial break. The only complaint I'd have, is that there were several variant covers for the series, and there's one the next issue in the style of the classic title cards: this issue's was close, but not quite there...! Read more!

It's no great stretch that I had an issue of probably the most prominent "Legends" title handy, although this isn't from the original run. Still, it keeps the streak going! From 2013, Legends of the Dark Knight #3, "Letters to Batman" Written by Steve Niles, art by Trevor Hairsine.

This one plays with a recurring Bat-theme, as Batman captures the Joker three pages in, and he escapes Arkham on the next page! The Joker left him a message too, a model of a revolving door, with a charming (if awkwardly lettered) note, saying "You might as well not exist." That's unusually disparaging, since the Joker seems to enjoy their conflicts; but since Batman was literally still bleeding from their last match it hits pretty hard. He asks Alfred if what they did was even worth it; and Alfred says he's never wondered that, and he's sad that Bruce has. Batman answers a call from Commissioner Gordon, but it's not Joker-related: instead, it's sacks full of Bat-mail! He brings them back to the cave, but tersely tells Alfred he won't be reading them. Alfred, of course, digs right in.

The first letter is a thank-you, from a young woman whose mom had been saved by Batman. Alfred suggests, maybe Batman really should read some of these, and Bats does, grudgingly at first, then sorting them. Alfred had rather hoping for a more emotional, cathartic response, not OCD, but still. Batman thanks him for the push, and asks him to check on a few names from the letters, seemingly prioritizing them over the Joker. He visits a thug, who gets the recruitment pitch from some of Joker's thugs, but doesn't want back in the life. Batman puts him in touch with some barmen he had saved earlier, getting him honest work; then tracks down the Joker, showing up behind him and stepping on his big speech. 

Batman has the letters sorted into several piles, although that might just be because he could only stack them so high; but what are the stacks? One is people he saved, sure; then maybe thugs and petty criminals who turned their lives around after a stout beating, but what else? I suppose there would be some that were sour grapes, or why didn't you save so-and-so, and then outright cranks. Still, it'd be nice to see people embrace the written word again.

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A Joker what's funny? Must be so many universes away.

I was having another of those "geez, did I even read any comics last week?" moments; just long enough to not feel great about it. Then I remembered, oh yeah, didn't I read like all of the 1997 and 1998 Tangent Comics? Like 18 comics in one sitting? I think their version of the Flash was the breakout; and it's a fun book to be sure: a girl born in space with a ton of light powers, has wacky hijinks with her stage-manager of a mom and her dad working for the eeeeeeevil secret-government conspiracy trying to capture her but repeatedly failing in slapstick fashion. (The conspiracy stuff is gloomy and dead-serious across the rest of the Tangent titles, except for her dad!) I liked this one better, although it may or may not have more jokes: from 1997, Tangent Comics/the Joker #1, "Laugh 'till it Hurts!" Written by Karl Kesel, pencils by Matt Haley, inks by Tom Simmons. 

The Tangent Universe was pretty divergent from our world or the usual DCU, since Cuba and Florida were destroyed in a worst-case version of the Cuban Missile Crisis. 35 years later, New Atlantis was a thriving metropolis (not that one!) built out of Atlanta; and now home to new cop John Keel, and mysterious vigilante the Joker. Joker seems to be giving Keel the business, but lures him into giving chase, only to instead find midget mobster Doll Man and his thugs tied up and ready for jail.

Not letting it go, Keel tries to get background on the Joker, and from reporter Lori Lemaris he gets a couple of rumored origins for her, that probably aren't even close. He also tries Higher Atlantis University, where we meet meek Mary Marvel, mocked by a classmate as "girl of a thousand gimmicks." Then, wannabe cult leader Brother Power tries to preach the gospel of the Joker, who is not having it; and shuts down her prospective followers by asking them to follow her, as she leaps off a building.

Keel gets jumped by the Joker, and wakes up in a virtual reality nightmare, part-Joker, part family history: although he had been following orders, his father had been the soldier that launched the missile strike that destroyed Cuba and Florida. After the bomb goes up, Keel comes out of it, in Madame Xanadu's "VR-cade." But, when he catches up to the Joker, he thinks she might have inadvertently revealed her true origin: she was probably the child of survivors of the missile strike, who would have been severely irradiated. They're then interrupted by Doll Man's girlfriend and muscle, Big Barda!

In the end, Keel thinks he maybe understands the Joker, but also knows nothing; and the reader doesn't yet either! There's a brief peek at Joker's hideout, with masks that resemble Lori Lemaris, Mary Marvel, and Madame Xanadu; implying she was all of them. Which would make for a busy day! (No spoilers, but the sequel seemingly backpedals on that.) 

The Tangent Universe was maybe DC's only fifth-week event that they ever revisited; and they still show up here and there. I don't know if this Joker is used much, though; since her cheerful anarchy is now 100% Harley Quinn's schtick, and Kesel has his own Impossible Jones too. (It's great, grab it if you see it!)  

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I have been trying to work "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter" into a strip for ages.

I'm pretty sure I bought the Batman/Elmer Fudd special new; but that was on the strength of Lee Weeks art. I'm trying to recall if I liked it, since Tom King has burned any goodwill he had with me. So has today's writer, but I didn't pay full price for this one: from 2018, the Joker/Daffy Duck #1, "Why Tho Theriouth?" Written by Scott Lobdell, pencils by Brett Booth, inks by Norm Rapmund. 

Yes, a lot of 'jokes' with Daffy's lisp here; first and foremost his inability to get through the automated phone system for customer service at Acme. Predictably enraged, Daffy heads to Acme in person, but finds the building abandoned...and now the new hideout of the Joker, who has just beat a disappointing henchman to death. Caught, Daffy thinks fast, and tells Joker he's from the temp agency, Acme Hench. The Joker seems to buy that, or maybe just wants to see how this plays out.

As the new lead hench, Daffy excels at motivating the other goons and at lair setup, but can't manage to get enough leeway to escape. Worse, the Joker next job was murdering a bunch of conceited billionaires at a fundraiser...in theory, 'worse,' I suppose. Daffy executes the plan to a 't,' with a couple minor errors: he accidentally locked the goons in the van, and may have used sneezing gas instead of laughing gas. Ooh, that's going to look bad on his next performance review, but Batman arrives in time to break the Joker's jaw, since somebody carelessly removed all the lugnuts from the van's tires.

Still, Daffy overhears Gordon and Batman badmouthing ducks and goes off, and since he had been ostensibly leading the raid, it looks bad for him. A nice long stay at Arkham might do him some good! (Batman also misses the Joker's escape in a carjacked food truck earlier: world's greatest detective, my tailfeathers.)

Also this issue: "Silence of the Lame," written by Joey Cavalieri, art by Luciano Vecchio. Commissioner Gordon light the signal, not for Batman, but for the "head head-shrinker" Dr. Daffy Duck. Most of the jokes don't land, except the Joker's secret, of his greatest trick ever: Arkham wasn't so much his cage, as it was his home! He does have a point about his cell being nicer than most prisons' exercise yards...

   

I kinda thought there would be more callbacks in this; but "shoot me now!" is the only one that jumps out at me. I know there were other team-up issues like this, but I recently read (possibly from the same quarter bin!) Nightwing/Magilla Gorilla, which has a decent plot, a couple touching moments, and a third-string second-banana that goes bad. ("Third-string" is generous; I watch so many cartoons and couldn't have told you if that character was shown as a jerk before!) It was better than this one; although I'm still wondering where Batman/Elmer Fudd ranks.

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When even Alfred's like maybe sit this one out, Bats really should listen.

Hmm, we've seen two from Joker's Asylum II, but we're just now finding one of the first batch: from 2008, Joker's Asylum: Poison Ivy #1, "Deflowered!" Written by JT Krul, art by Guillem March.

The Joker presents the story--leading with a couple of halfway decent zingers, for a change--and while he usually wouldn't be a reliable source, Ivy also narrates a chunk of this. She murders a couple real estate developers, fairly brutally, and Batman knows she's got a third in her sights, so he's forced to tail the sleazebag for a week, watching him pick up prostitutes. Alfred suggests, the world wouldn't shed a lot of tears over the loss of that particular life; but Bats isn't doing this to save him but to stop Ivy.

For her part, Ivy recaps some of her origin that we've seen before, except we see her (a lot of her!) right after she first got her powers from Dr. Woodrue: she could hear the plants, and in this case, she can hear them screaming, as a forest is cleared out...for a real estate development. (A bulldozer driver berates the "crazy tree hugger" to get out of the way; making him the most dedicated deforester on the face of the planet if he could just brush Ivy off!)

A fun one-off: I haven't read the more modern series yet, although I think DC's pretty much given up on Ivy as a villain. The environment kinda needs her to go as hard as she can, doesn't it? Anyway, looks like there were 10 Joker's Asylum books total, and I think I have four, tops. Maybe the other one will turn up later. Read more!

Hey, you know what we could use around here? More comics! After an oil change the other day, I stopped by the local Comic Book Shop's third location, and picked up over a hundred from the dollar bin. There were only a few miniseries complete in there, but solid veins of All-Star Western, Justice League Odyssey, and Slaine the Berzerker. Then, a number of random issues, like this one! From 2015, Batman '66 #25, featuring "Night of the Harlequin" Written by Jeff Parker, art by Lukas Ketner, and "Bad Men" Written by Gabe Soria, art by Ty Templeton.

This was the second appearance of 66's version of Harley Quinn: Dr. Harley Quinn had sacrificed herself to save Gotham from "the Joker Wave," and had become the criminally insane Harlequin, busting out of Arkham and intent on making the Joker proud. After sabotaging the Batmobile to eject the Dynamic Duo, and stealing the Bat-Phone, she starts her crimewave in earnest. It's a lot of work! So much so, she figures, what would the Joker do? Hire some goons! At a warehouse hideout, she gets a solid turnout--too many goons, in fact. One goon...chewing a match...suggests, maybe they could fight it out, last five standing get the job! Harlequin loves the idea, except two goons fight too hard, knocking out all the other applicants. Well, maybe two good goons will do; unless they were actually Batman and Robin! I feel like Harlequin was probably based on an actress that theoretically could've been on the show in 1966 or so; but I can't nail it down.

"Bad Men" features Barbara Gordon, but not Batgirl: she couldn't get away to change! On a temp job at an advertising agency, she's on the spot when Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and the Eartha Kitt Catwoman arrive; less to take hostages (although they do!) and more to "rebrand." If ad men can rehabilitate the reps of oil and tobacco companies, surely they can do something for them. "Gotham City should love to hate us as much as we love stealing from it!" as the Penguin puts it. Barbara has to jump up and volunteer to "help," and gets an idea after they scuffle over their agency's name: they were no match for office politics! This is of course a Mad Men riff; a show I have never watched. (When I was like 3 years old, I promised my grandma I'd never go into advertising! I wish I remembered when ad she got mad at...) Read more!

80-Page Thursdays: New Year's Evil #1!

Halfway through the year, and we're just now using the 80-pager tag because while DC still puts out a few, I don't usually buy them immediately: if I time it out, I can get them a bit cheaper from EntertainMart. I don't think this one saw the first six months of 2020 coming, though: from 12/04/19, New Year's Evil #1.

For a change, I don't think these stories were all complete downers, and some weren't even evil evil. The opener, well, probably: "The Amateur" Story and art by Gabriel Hardman, story by Corinna Bechko. A gas attack on New Year's seems like a typical Joker crime--except he's torturing a society party when he sees it on the news! It doesn't take Joker long to find the "amateur" misappropriating his name, but the amateur defends his work as more efficient and less hackneyed than the Joker's. While the amateur may be almost as nihilistic as himself, it leaves the Joker in a pickle: killing the amateur does nothing, but would taking the credit for his work be unsatisfying? What to do, what to do...ah, you can probably guess.

"Slaybells Ring" (Written by Kenny Porter, art by Ramon Villalobos) features the Toyman, again complaining that kids today spend too much time on their phones and not enough on action figures. A helpful child explains, he just doesn't like Toyman's figures, and assists Superman in taking him down.

In "Bright and Terrible" (Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, art by Sumit Kumar) Sinestro, with Lex Luthor on the holographic phone, visits a planet he once defended when he was Green Lantern, and finds the locals have made a little religion based on him. But their leader may have drawn the wrong conclusions. I think this was set during recent Legion of Doom stories; and does a good job of explaining Sinestro's motivations.

Next, "Auld Lang Ivy," written by Jim Krieg, art by Aneke: Poison Ivy tries to connect with humanity, starting with her contemporaries at a super-villain bar, using her powers to give them a little nudge towards their New Year's resolutions. This does of course lead to murder, but hey, she's trying.

Dan Watters writes and Alessandro Vitti draws "Winter's Root," which has Wonder Woman but is an Ares story: he's trying to start a war because he needs to spill blood. His blood, to sustain a lover he turned into a tree centuries ago and felt kinda bad about. Diana should appreciate seeing even Ares has a heart in there, but wonders if he's helping, sorry or not.

Black Adam stars in "A Coal in My Stocking," where to make a little orphan girl feel better and to bring Christmas to his homeland of Kahndaq, he beats the stuffing out of a mystical Santa figure. Kind of...all over the place there, man. (Story by Ram V, art by Anthony Spay, inks by Jon Sibal.)

Remember when Calendar Man was one of the New 52's Channel 52 presenters, along with Ambush Bug? Yeah, he's a murderous loon again. In "New Year, New You" a new therapist at Arkham thinks Julian Day is a cliched loser, but takes the bait at rehabilitating him, Firefly, Amygdala, and Killer Croc. Which Julian completely turns back on itself, but can he break his own cycle? (Story by Christos Gage, art by Karl Mostert.)

The Chronos story is a good one, as the villain tries again and again to change his own history by turning his dad around. There may only be one way to do that, though. ("Father Christmas" Written by Dave Wielgosz, art by Cian Tormey.)

Kurt Busiek returns to the Prankster: I'm not sure he had been used in the New 52 continuity, but he sets him back up as the guy villains go to for a distraction. (Go read Superman #660 if you can!) The New Year's party may have gone a bit awry, though...(Art by Dale Eaglesham.)

Finally, a Harley Quinn story, "Little Christmas Tree," in which she attempts to cheer up Renee Montoya for the holidays. (Script by Vita Ayala, art by Elena Casagrande.)

We had to go with the digital camera for pictures instead of scans this time; so they're probably...not especially more crooked than usual, actually. Still, I don't think there were any outright stinkers in this one, so not bad! Better than the 2020 we got, anyway.
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For the last few years, I'm pretty sure I've spent more on DC figures, than I have on new DC comics. Now that McFarlane has the license, those numbers might zero out, but I still end up with random issues here and there. Like this one! From 2013, Catwoman #14, "To Skin a Cat" Written by Ann Nocenti, pencils by Rafa Sandoval, inks by Jordi Tarragona.

This is a crossover issue, with the Death of the Family event. What was that one about...23 issues? At like three bucks a pop? ($69. Niiiice.) The one where the Joker's face had fallen off and he was wearing it strapped on with a belt. Oh, and he was going to kill off all of Batman's friends and allies. Does Catwoman qualify? Depends on when you ask, and right this second, not really? The Joker runs Selina through a series of deathtraps and embarrassments, arguing she should spurn Bats, break his heart and make him stronger. His 'jokes' are all on the theme of 'to skin a cat,' like tearing her apart by centrifugal force in a jacked-up carnival ride, or by cheating her at strip poker. Catwoman spends a surprising amount of this issue in various stages of undress; as first her costume is shredded, then Joker gives her a new one that doesn't squeak when she walks, but is booby-trapped with spicy-catnip scented "rigor mortis paint" and what appears to be Bat temporary tattoos.

Even though he has every opportunity to kill Catwoman, the Joker refrains, possibly because he figures she'll hurt Batman more alive in the long run. Catwoman, on the other hand, realizes Joker's the one that loves Batman. In a super-unhealthy way. She also burns him with "you can't even smile. All you can do is unzip your face." And that's...pretty much that? I usually love Nocenti, but she couldn't pull much good out of this crossover.
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The quantity of Bat-deaths is to cover some other, Bat-death deficient chapters.

Man, I bought a couple more issues of the "Batman Dies!" event a while back...then buried them in a pile. So far we've seen Catwoman #89, Batman #586, and Nightwing #52, and today we're up to Robin #85, "Fool's Errand" Written by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Pete Woods, inks by Jesse Delperdang.

Unlike the Harley Quinn chapter in Catwoman #89, this one does feature a pile of Batman 'deaths,' but most of the focus is on Robin. Somewhat surprisingly, even though it's Robin's comic, but because the story is being told by the Joker! In an observation cell in Arkham, he wonders if Batman should be putting a child in frankly horrific danger, although less out of concern and more because he wants to be the one to kill him. After all, he'd done it before. Joker had long ago realized the first Robin had grown up, but didn't seem to know (or perhaps care) what had happened to him. When the second, "edgier" Robin showed up, Joker made sure he was the one who got to kill him, but then felt like he was going through the motions, in a rut. Until the third Robin--Tim--showed up.

That creates a momentary crisis of faith for Joker--how many times was he gonna have to kill that kid? But he realizes, there were at least three Robins. And if that's the case...maybe there's been more than one Batman. Maybe the Joker actually had killed him--maybe even more than once! That happy thought is undermined by the fact that Robin had actually beat the Joker, without any help from Batman. The idea of Batman's extended Bat-family agitates Joker more than usual, and he smashes a one-way glass window to reveal he was being watched...by Robins! They're everywhere! (It's not entirely the same, but Dixon did this bit better with the Riddler!)

Hmm. Three issues left of "Batman Dies!" and I know I have one. Which will it be?
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