GN Review -- Batman: Harley and Ivy / Paul Dini, Judd Winick, Bruce Timm, & Joe Chiodo

A more cartoony, delightfully campy predecessor to Dini's work on Gotham City Sirens, Batman: Harley and Ivy explores the relationship between these two female characters that started in Batman: The Animated Series where Harley originated.  It also demonstrates the fact that, despite the overuse of the device, buddy comedies are timelessly entertaining.

Batman: Harley and Ivy collects three tales that showcase the characters' relationship.  "The Bet" focuses on Ivy betting Harley a dollar that she can get every man in Arkham Asylum to kiss her.  Things are going fine, and Harley doesn't seem to mind losing, until the Joker is suddenly returned to Arkham, and Ivy includes him in the bet.  Harley must use every trick in her charmingly demented book to thwart Ivy's attempts to kiss her man, leading to a chuckle-worthy ending.

"Harley and Ivy: Love on the Lam" starts off with Harley and Joker pulling a job in a museum when Two-Face and his men show up.  When Harley suggests a relatively bloodless solution to their problem, Joker throws Harley out on the street again, leading Harley to seek out Poison Ivy so they can pull a job and make some money.  Ivy, skeptical that Harley's doing this to get back in the Joker's good graces, agrees to do so on the condition that Harley consider working on her own, that and the fact that the company they're robbing is a major polluter of rain forests.

"Batman: Harley and Ivy" deals mostly with the antagonistic relationship between the villainous duo, as Ivy can't stand Harley's general air-headedness and incompetence, but also can't bring herself to abandon Harley completely.  After Harley botches their latest job, Ivy escapes from Arkham, intent on leaving Harley behind to go to Costa Verde by herself.  But Harley's not far behind, and manages to tag along on Ivy's adventure, causing equal amounts of grief and chaos for her begrudging partner, much to the delight of readers.

The plots are fairly light and trite, and rightfully so.  This is a focus on the characters, and it's hard not to be charmed by these two lead characters.  Not only are they gorgeous bad girls, but their comedic chemistry is undeniable.  Theirs is one of the classic comedy friends duos, with Ivy as the more uptight straight woman, while Harley gets the role of wildly demonstrative comic relief.  Ivy easily gets frustrated with Harley's childishness, but can never bring herself to really abandon or hurt her friend, despite how doubtlessly easier her life would be if she didn't have to worry about her.

The humor was very clever in places.  One of my favorite moments is when Harley knocks out an actor playing the Joker in a Hollywood production of a movie about Harley and Ivy.  The actor murmurs, "Yoda?  Dagobah System?" as he falls to the ground, a playful dig at Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker for so long.

Art-wise, it's very delightfully modeled after the animated series look, with the exception of "Love on the Lam."  There, Chiodo's illustrations in that story, while still very cartoony, also have a more rounded, finished look that belies his work as a pin-up artist.  It's very lush and sexy in places, an obvious fit for two of the ladies who would come to make up the Gotham City Sirens.

Overall, I enjoyed this book on several levels.  The comedic team these two make up is quite a joy to behold, as are their mildly cheesecake depictions by the various artists who draw them.  If you like Harley and Ivy, or want to see the basis for their madcap relationship, definitely check it out.  If you enjoy buddy comedies, this is a good depiction of one.  Highly recommended.

GN Review -- Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? / Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert

What would Batman's funeral be like, in the event that he actually did die?  Who would attend?  What would they say about him?  Would the stories match up, or would they all be accounts of a different man, a different person?  Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert take a crack at a possible answer in their tribute to the Dark Knight, Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

The story begins with the funeral-goers gathering for the deceased Batman's service.  Their ranks include friend and foe alike: Dick Grayson, Catwoman, Joker, Alfred, Harley, Commissioner Gordon, the Penguin, Poison Ivy, and so on.  As they gather to pay their respects, they tell stories of how he died, and it seems none of them is talking about the same Batman.  No one mentions the contradictions, though, and simply continue the service in respectful somberness.  Adding to the confusion is the disembodied presence of Bruce Wayne, watching the people from his various lives gather to tell these stories, wondering if he's actually, really dead and if this isn't another clever ploy by an enemy.  The stories told are different in scope, tone, and plot, but they all have one thing in common that makes Bruce realize instinctively that no one is lying: the Batman in all of their stories never gives up, never compromises himself or his brand of justice, never gives in, no matter what the situation.

Neil Gaiman is one writer you can always trust to have a unique perspective on a popular, well-loved mythology, and from the start of this story, you can tell that Batman has had a profound influence on him creatively.  In choosing to shed the specifics surrounding Batman's "one, true" off-panel death, he's using the setting of Batman's funeral as a stage to pay his respects to the various interpretations of Batman over his 70-year publication history.  It's a clever ploy, and one that is both entrancing and haunting in its exploration of the character's soul, as we see the various lives he's touched at various points, and how they, regardless of whether they liked him or not, were profoundly impacted by his existence.

If there's a criticism with this story, it's that it's lacking in particulars.  Batman's various stories and the deaths in them are of course conflicting accounts in terms of character, time, and place.  Things are therefore left with a very metaphysical, surrealistic feel that may come off as disappointing to anyone wanting a more concrete story.  This was all undoubtedly intentional, and I can understand Gaiman's desire to keep mum on the specifics in order to pay homage to all of the various interpretations of Batman over the years.  I can just also understand if other readers are more than a little turned off by it as well.

Art-wise, you generally don't get much better than Andy Kubert.  He had to not only draw a plethora of characters in Batman's extended family, but he also had to do varying interpretations of them in different eras.  He does a good job of this, and conveys emotion, clarity, and purpose to what could have otherwise been a rather muddled and perplexing story.

Overall, I'd say this was a decent story, and very typical of Neil Gaiman in its atypical-ness.  Anyone who enjoys his works will at least want to give Whatever Happened a read, as will Batman fans.  I'm not guaranteeing either will like it, particularly if you expect more traditional modes of storytelling, but for those with the patience for a more surreal experience, I think will find a loving and well written take on the Dark Knight mythos.  Recommended.

The Face of Villainy: Great Joker Moments

For those of you who aren't yet aware, Jerry Robinson, who created the Joker, passed away two days ago. Comic Vine did a nice piece on how the Joker has helped make Batman the great hero that he is, and I figured I'd take a moment to post some of the moments that I think made the Joker a great character. These five are just off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are others who would agree with at least a few of these examples of Batman's greatest foe in action.

Batman: A Death in the Family

In this landmark story, Jason Todd, the second Robin, had his fate placed in the hands of the fans of the comic, who narrowly but decisively voted to have the Boy Wonder killed. Who better than the Joker to do it? And we see the clown at his most viciously murderous, as he takes a crowbar and, smiling the whole time, proceeds to beat Jason to a bloody, messy pulp. This of course sends Batman into a vengeful rage, leading to a confrontation that leaves both smarting.

Robin: The Joker's Wild

A personal favorite. Tim Drake, the third Robin, is still fairly new in his crimefighting role when circumstances dictate a harrowing situation: the Joker breaks out of Arkham and Batman is out of town. When he confronts the Joker for the first time, the look of shock and surprise on Joker's faces is priceless. "YOU..." he says. "I KILLED YOU..." When Robin manages to put him away without his mentor's help, the Joker swears it's personal now.

The Killing Joke

Batman's caught Joker after a rough night, in which the clown has crippled Barbara Gordon and nearly driven Jim Gordon insane. After trying to reach out to the Joker and get him to help end their long feud, the Joker declines and tells Batman a joke. As he starts to laugh helplessly, Batman's stoic exterior fades, and he joins the Joker in his laughter. This is the one time I've ever seen these two laugh together.

I can think of two moments from The Dark Knight:

When Batman asks the Joker why

he wants to kill him, the Joker laughs erratically and responds, "Kill you?! I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you?... You... you... complete me." This riff on a Jerry Maguire line is both hilarious in its delivery and a little unsettling when you consider how very true it likely is. As many have said, Batman simply wouldn't be the hero he is without the Joker, and The Dark Knight does an amazing job of showcasing why that is.

The interrogation scene between Batman and Joker after he's been captured by the GCPD is amazing. It showcases how they're essentially two sides of the same coin, yet also points up their similarities in a disturbing way. They're both extremists, doing anything to further each's own cause of either chaos or order. When Batman starts beating the Joker, all the clown can do is laugh at him, pointing out that "You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all your strength!" It's a frightening display of how much power a chaotic enough force can have over even the most delicate of circumstances, and it's that moment that Batman considers crossing the one line he's set for himself.

Again, these are just some scenes that occurred to me on first consideration of the topic. I'm sure there are plenty of others. What's your favorite Joker moment or quote? I really want to know!