Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Two: Joker's Favor

Plot: Two years ago, the Joker spared Charlie Collins's life in exchange for a favor. Now, on the eve of a banquet in honor of Commissioner Gordon, the Joker calls the favor in.

Easily one of my favorite episodes, Joker's Favor is the Animated Series take on Cape Feare, with the Joker the obsessive psychotic, who will play with someone's life for two years for no greater reason than as a hobby. Yes, Charlie curse at the Joker, but he certainly doesn't earn the Joker's wrath as much as Gordon or Batman has. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Joker is especially psychotic in this episode. He obsessively tracks Charlie to another state, noting that Charlie "owes me a favor!" as if the Joker might forget that. He's fixed his hatred on Gordon, moving from previous targets Mayor Hill (who cameos) and Batman himself. Even the nature of favor is insane. Charlie just has to open a door, which either of the Joker's two thugs who were also in the room could have done. All of his actions move him from being an extreme personality to one that has actually become unfathomable. You just cannot understand why he would torment someone for two years, only to kill him off-handedly.

He's also such a delightful dick in this episode. After being chewed out for not signalling, the Joker makes a big show of signalling while chasing Charlie to his death. He actually throws down two cents to challenge Charlie. He makes sure to give Charlie a big hug when they meet again and makes fun of Charlie's baldness and weight. He even keeps Charlie mobile but trapped before blowing him up, just so Charlie has a chance to beg for his life. What a villain!

This episode makes a nice follow up to Be a Clown, with Charlie Collins standing in for Jordan Hill. There, we saw a child's interaction with the Joker, here we see an adult's. Of course, for adults, the Joker is just as scary, but in a different way. The Joker is an immediate threat to Jordan, a monster that is coming for him. Here, the Joker is a looming threat to Charlie's wife and son, a constant nagging fear.

Of course, skipping to the end, we learn that the Joker is of course, just a bully. A lot of his power comes from the fear he induces in his victims beforehand, making people believe that only Batman can stop him. But one good punch to the solar plexus and little "I might be crazy" routine and the Joker changes his tune right quick. Of the four Joker episodes so far, this is by far his most satisfying defeat. Not only does he have to beg Batman to save him again, but instead of tripping or getting one good kick the chest, he's actually out witted and out joked, and by a "nobody" at that.

Charlie makes a pretty great "everyman," with pudgy features, bald head with a pathetic attempt at a combover, and his own theme music pulled out of a 50s sitcom. He's a loser, but he's not a bad guy. He is motivated by his family's safety and he's surprisingly resourceful, basically inventing the Batsignal in a world that lacks it. Ed Begley Jr. voices him with such a put-upon tone, like he was defeated long before he crossed paths with a supervillain.

But, of course, the really big story is that this is the first episode with Harley Quinn, who is easily the most popular character created by the show. You can see her development from Be a Clown, because she is exactly what the Joker was trying to turn Jordan Hill into, a mini-version of himself who is also his biggest fan. Harley literally cheers almost everything the Joker says, and finds his plans brilliant and his jokes hilarious. We know she's not just any thug, because she has her own costume. We don't know her origin, a couple lines to Batman implies that she's new on the scene and possibly a beauty school drop out, but that doesn't get at just how dark her relationship with the Joker actually is.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Nine: Be a Clown

Hey, remember when I said The Underdwellers would be better if they used an established Batman villain? Turns out I was right.

Plot: Feeling neglected by his father, Mayor Hamilton Hill, Jordan Hill runs away from his own birthday party in the back of the hired clown's van. Unfortunately for Jordan, the clown is actually the Joker in disguise. Hijinks ensue.

In Christmas with the Joker, the Joker represented the ever-present threat and the attention seeker. Here, we are dealing the Joker as a tempter and a corrupter. Just as Batman is an inspiration to Frog in The Underdwellers (and, presumably, Robin), it turns out the Joker can be an inspiration too. He represents the freedom to runaway from it all and join the circus. Though, in the Joker's case, "it all" includes the law, morality, and sanity itself.

Notably, this inspiration is a by-product of his actions. The Joker doesn't set out to kidnap the Mayor's child and turn him against his father, that happens accidentally. In comparison, his actual plan of sneaking into the Mayor's house and blowing up his guests is remarkably straight forward.

But once the Joker learns what happened, and begins to realize the potential in creating a protege, the creepiness of the episode begins to ratchet up. We actually see the Joker make up his plans as the episode progresses, first simply teaching Jordan magic tricks to keep him entertained, then deciding to use him as bait to lure Batman into a trap, and finally forcing Jordan to watch Batman drown while the Joker stands behind him, squeezing his shoulder. The mythical parents who watch cartoons with their kids must have been freaking out at that point.

The Joker, accidentally and then intentionally, makes a mini-version of himself, a demonstration that anyone could be as bad as himself in the right circumstances, which is a recurring theme for the Joker from The Killing Joke to The Dark Knight. The Animated Series explores this theme further with the character of Harley Quinn, particularly her origin episode Mad Love, and then takes the disturbing implications of the Joker's attempt to make his own Robin to its extreme in the Batman Beyond movie, The Return of the Joker. But back to Jordan.

Jordan follows the Joker because, unlike Mayor Hill, who knocks aside Jordan's magic props to drag him to the party, the Joker doesn't seem to care about impressing people, he just wants to do his magic tricks. Ironically, the Joker is in fact obsessed with impressing people (as established in Christmas with the Joker) and craves Mayor Hill's attention even more than Jordan does, but Jordan doesn't realize that until the Joker tells him "there is no trick." The Joker is just a killer.

Even after Jordan rejects the Joker and runs away, the creepiness only increases. He already rejected one father for a new one. Rejecting the second father-figure leaves him alone in a terrifying world where nothing makes sense, everything is too big, and a monster is hunting him down. Even twenty years later, the sound of the Joker following Jordan while clack clack clacking his cane along the picket fence sends chills down my spine.

Which leads to the big moment of the episode, when Batman asks Jordan to trust him. At this point, Jordan has been betrayed by two father figures, and the second chased him onto a runaway rollercoaster while throwing exploding cupie dolls at Batman (in a scene taken from The Dark Knight Returns #3). Now a scary man in a black mask, who his father and the Joker insist is a bad man, is asking Jordan to rely on him, or he will die. It's impressive Jordan is able to even get out of his seat. But not only does his bravery save his own life, it earns him the highest honor, the Bat-thumbs up.

Other things to note: I'm pretty sure the Joker would have succeeded in blowing up the party if he hadn't put his face on the dynamite and thus given himself away. But then, he wouldn't be the Joker.

I'm also pretty sure that the full bearded Prociutto is actually Alan Moore, who wrote the Killing Joke.

For the third time in as many episodes, the Joker has Batman at his mercy and decides not to just shoot him in the face. I'm starting to get the feeling that he's not serious about this killing Batman thing.

And this is the first episode where Batman fails to capture the villain in the end. The Joker simply falls into the water. We don't see him escape, but we can't assume he drowned either. At least Batman actually kicked him this time, and the Joker didn't just trip, again.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Four: The Last Laugh

The plot: When the Joker parks a barge of laughing gas in downtown Gotham to cover a crime spree, Batman must race against the clock to stop him before Alfred, and half of the city, succumb to permanent insanity.

The Last Laugh may be my least favorite episode. It's certainly my least favorite episode featuring the Joker. Every other episode he's in is about something. In this one, he's just a criminal. A criminal who uses a terrorist attack to rob a city blind with the help of a murderous robot clown, but just a criminal. It could have been any villain in this episode, under scored by the fact that the Scarecrow also used a gas attack. Yes, he's attacking on April Fool's Day (wasn't it just Christmas? And why would you leave your home on any holiday in Gotham?), but it could have been the Scarecrow attacking on Halloween.

There's not much plot to speak of, or characterization. It's a good thing they set up Alfred as a surrogate father in the last episode because they certainly don't give Batman any reason to be extra concerned about Alfred's welfare in this one (other than good help is hard to find). Arguably, this is the episode that contrasts Batman's humorlessness with the Joker's mirthful attitude, but that doesn't ring as true in the episodes we've seen so far. The first thing we see Batman do, in fact, is smile and make a joke. So that kind of falls flat.

And the Joker is once again defeated when he trips and almost falls into a vat of chemicals. Sigh. At least we get to see him in his zoot suit this time.

I can see what they're trying to do. This episode, more than any other I can think of, resembles the old Max Fleisher Superman cartoons, which didn't have much plot or dialogue either. Just long chase sequences and action set pieces. The big difference between those shorts and this episode is that the Superman cartoons are seven minutes long. This episode tries to sustain a Tom and Jerry chase for twenty or so minutes. And fails.

I also don't like the score, for once. Yes, it's great that we hear the Joker's insane circus music theme for the first time, but it's overshadowed by the repeated funk drumbeat that plays throughout the episode. Shirley Walker uses a lot of different styles throughout the series, but for some reason this score just clashes with the symphonic style that usually characterizes the show.

There are a couple of good moments. Batman managing to punch the Joker through a periscope; the Joker's goons rolling their eyes as the boss makes yet another terrible joke, the reveal of what's under Captain Clown's mask (a shot that is straight out of the Fleisher cartoons).

We also get Efrem Zimbalist Jr.'s first take on Alfred, which unfortunately does not start out promisingly. We all know Alfred is an observational humorist, prop humor is beneath him.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Two: Christmas with the Joker

From one of Batman's worst villains to one of his best, fantastic.

In "Christmas with the Joker," The Joker takes over the airwaves with his own version of a Christmas special, complete with surprise guest hostages and a wild goose chase around Gotham for Batman and Robin.

When listing influences for the show, Dini and Timm mention a lot of earlier cartoons like the Max Fleischer Superman shorts, but never, say, the Simpsons. Yet, here is the Joker singing the same version of Jingle Bells that Bart Simpson did in the Simpson's Christmas episode (that is, before jumping on a rocket tree and flying out of Arkham Asylum).

And yes, it's THAT version of Jingle Bells, which comments on Batman's body odor and mechanical trouble for his car, which also demonstrates the Joker's meta-awareness, the fact he seems to know that he's a fictional character in a TV show, like when he provides his own title card for the episode, or tells us the show will be right back after a word from the sponsor, right before the commercial break. Is he crazy? Or is he hyper-sane?

Outside of Batman himself, the Joker is probably the best character in the Batman mythos, and definitely the best in the cartoon series. The Joker first appeared in Batman #1, and has had many different interpretations over the last 70 years; crime boss, serial killer, colorful bank robber, terrorist, anarchist, nihilist. Like they did with Batman, the producers of the series drew on all of these versions, but instead of synthesizing it down to one cohesive whole, they just left it all in, hodge podge, creating a character that veers wildly from clown to killer between episodes, and even within them.

All of which is brought forward by Mark Hamill incredible voice work: his manic laughter, enthusiastic deliveries, underlying malice and his mercurial mood shifts from delight to hatred to boredom to actual fear to sheer delight again. Hamill's Joker actually seems to be having a good time. (Something I think Nicholson's Joker didn't have, and Ledger's Joker sometimes had).

Each Joker episode focuses on different aspects of the character. This one focuses on Joker the showman, the attention whore. The one that cuts into every transmission in Gotham so he can broadcast the show "no one wants to see but everyone will watch." When no audience shows up in his studio, he builds his own, and when he gets bored, he blows up his audience.

This episode also establishes that, while Joker wouldn't mind killing Batman, he'd much prefer to keep him alive and focused on him. At two points, the Joker basically wins, and so he must give Batman a hand. When Batman is lost and cannot find the Joker's base, the Joker gives him a clue where to find him. When he has Batman at his mercy, instead of blowing Batman up or dumping him in acid, he throws a pie in Batman's face. So from his first episode, we see that the Joker could never really kill Batman, or he'd lose his favorite audience member. And God help anyone else if THEY managed to kill Batman (but that's an episode we'll get to later).

The Joker serves another purpose, the ever-present threat. The first third of the episode, where Robin tries to convince Batman to stay home and watch It's a Wonderful Life because no one commits crime on Christmas, resembles a Batman short story, "The Silent Night of Batman," where Batman spends the night singing with the police choir as the people of Gotham basically sort out their own problems for once.

But in the Animated Universe, Batman still can't take the night off to practice his vibrato, because there will always be the Joker. Even the final moments, with Batman admitting life might not be wonderful, but "it has it's moments", is undercut by the fact that the Joker, wrapped in a straight jacket in a bare cell, is still singing carols and laughing and having a grand old time, and could escape on a rocket powered decoration at any time!

Robin is also first seen in this episode, but like the Joker, he isn't introduced as much as assumed to have always been there. To be clear, this is Dick Grayson, the first Robin, though he's wearing Tim Drake's uniform, long pants, black cape with yellow interior.

His relationship to Batman, however, is firmly established. In the field, he's junior partner. Batman gives the orders, but trusts Robin completely to carry them out. They even have established plays they can call in the field. (Though it seems "Operation Cause and Effect" means "stop whining about the Joker robots and blow up the cannon like I told you.").

At home, however, Robin is family. When later episodes establish Dick is attending college, we realize he's home for Christmas, and that's why he's disappointed to spend it with Batman "at the office." The show brings up that the Joker doesn't have a family twice, to contrast it with Batman, who though he may not realize it, does.

This episode places the show in a very odd place, time wise. For the most part, we're supposed to be seeing Batman's early career. This is his first encounter with most of the villains (other than the Joker and the Penguin), the police don't trust him, and Harvey Dent is still good looking. But his line, "it's never easy with the Joker," implies that he's fought the Joker many many times.

Robin's age also implies Batman's been Batmanning for a while. Assuming Batman didn't adopt Dick right away, and seeing that they are practiced partners by now, we have to assume he's been at it for four or five years at this point. Which makes it somewhat odd that the police still don't trust Batman, and Batman STILL doesn't work with the police.

Other things to note: even more than with Man-Bat, the show has left realism far behind. Any questions on how the Joker built a rocket into a tree, or found giant robot nutcrackers, or turned a telescope into a cannon, can be left at the door.

Besides the Joker and Robin, this episode also introduces reporter Summer Gleason, a low-rent Lois Lane knock off, as one of the hostages, but she's not named and surrounded by Gordon and Bullock, it'd be easy to assume she was cop as well. We'll get to her a bit more in the next episode.

That Batman hasn't seen It's a Wonderful Life, the story of how much good one man can do for a city, because he couldn't get past the title, is fantastic character work.

The animators are also zeroing in on the period setting. The television sets are still in color (later they'll be exclusively in black and white), but the hoods are now using tommyguns and the cameras look like something from the fifties.

And finally, I have long argued that Batman has one of the best dressed Rogues Galleries of any superhero. It'd be easy to wear tights and battle armor, but most of Batman's villains wear suits and tuxedos. It's a shame the first episode with the Joker doesn't have his purple zoot suit, but the green turtleneck under the orange cardigan (with optional breakaway hands) IS delightfully festive.

And so, in all, a great introduction of Batman's chief antagonist, their ongoing struggle, and Robin to boot. A Christmas miracle!

Opposite Man

After reading this interview with Chuck Dixon (which is very good considering it could have been nothing more than a puff piece but instead gets into some real issues) I am a lot more impressed with the man as a writer than I was before. Not for his stance against writing sexual superheroes (a prudish and limiting attitude towards superhero stories that he himself has broken in order to write about teenage pregnancy), but for his ability to NOT inject his own politics into the story he needs to write.

Specifically, he states that he's pro-death penalty, which surprised me, because Joker: The Devil's Advocate is one of the best arguments against the death penalty I have ever read.

Now, I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a Dixon fan but Devil's Advocate is a cut above. Not only does it feature some of Graham Nolan's best art ever, as well as a Joker that is intelligent, vicious, crazy, and actually funny, it presents the ultimate test case for the death penalty: The Joker.

The Joker is guilty; he's irredeemable; he offers nothing to society (which Lex Luthor arguably does or could); and he's a credible future threat. In short, if ANYONE deserves execution, it's the Joker.

And yet... and yet the punchline of the book is that the Joker is actually innocent (of these murders, if not all the other ones) and that executing him would be a mistake! And therefore executing anyone, even the Joker, when you are not 100% certain he did it, would be a mistake as well.

I've used this book as an argument against the death penalty, and to find out its author is actually PRO-death penalty is... surprising, to say the least.

It gives me some hope for the Grifter/Midnighter series, that Dixon can convincingly write a character whose motivations and causes are so different and antithetical to his own. Perhaps more writers should do the same, just to prove that they can.

Maybe they'd learn something.

Does Lex Luthor Do Drugs?

No, really. Does Lex Luthor get high? Ride the powder? Kiss the sky? Take a long ride with Lucy is the Sky with Diamonds? Smoke Smoke?

Obviously, I'm talking about post-Crisis Luthor, the powerful businessman, not the pre-crisis Mad Scientist. That guy was clearly on something. I mean, look at him!

But post-Crisis Lex acted a lot more rational. On the other hand, he was also a lot fatter.

That's a man that indulges his appetites. Though we never really see him put away a large deep dish pizza, we do see him smoke and drink fine wine and aged scotch. He openly lusts after women and usually gets them. And legality never seems like an issue to Lex.

So why wouldn't he? Or rather, why do I have trouble actually imagining him doing drugs? I certainly don't see him rolling a joint. And maybe the Michael Rosenbaum young, hip Luthor might pop a tab of E before hitting a rave, but it's hard to imagine Superman's most deadly nemesis tripping out like that. Heroin seems a little... scruffy for the bald baddie. I guess I could imagine Lex snorting cocaine. It seems like a rich man's drug.

But I guess I can't imagine Luthor getting addicted to anything. Despite the amount of alcohol he seems to have in his desk, I never read a story with him drunk. He lights his cigars only when he wants to look non-chalant. And though he has pursued many women, he has always had a goal in mind beyond sex (which makes Lex one of the few male villains who use his sexuality as a weapon).

Drugs would be a thing he craves other than power. And since Lex trades on the desires of others, giving himself such a weakness seems... out of character.

So, while I can imagine The Penguin inhaling a line with that impressive nostril, The Cheetah being blissed out on H, or the Flash's Rogues passing around a fat doobie while reminiscing about the good old days, I have to think that Lex Luthor would just say "no."

(I think the Joker would say "no" too, not because he'd get addicted, but because there really isn't a drug out there that would make him more crazed)