Post by codystarbuck on Jul 5, 2021 19:14:58 GMT -5
As Denny O'Neil told it, he went into the office and Julie Schwartz said they "had" to do a Joker book. Denny was a bit wary, since they had to adhere to the Comics Code and it would necessitate changes; but, could they make a super-villain the protagonist of his own comic? Let's find out.
The Joker #1
Creative Team: Denny O'Neil-story, Irv Novick-pencils, Dick Giordano-inks, Julie Schwartz-editor
Synopsis: We start out at Arkham Asylum, where the regular jailbreak is occurring....
Some dandy, named Alvarez, has broken Two-Face out of jail, but refused to spring the Joker, saying Two-Face was the greater criminal genius.
Uh, oh!
Joker doesn't take kindly to this; and, after berating the guards for their lack of knowledge of Edmond Rostand, he arranges his own escape. Out in the exercise yard, he plays with some balloons, donated by a charitable group,. he pumps them with a hand pump, but one keeps inflating and it pulls the Joker up into the air. before anyone points out that mere compressed air, from a hand pump will not float into the air, since it is the same density, Denny covers that by having a guard declare that the hand pump must have actually contained helium. Another guard pulls his sidearm and fires, with nothing but a flag, with the Joker's face, emerging from the barrel. Joker floats away to Gotham, landing in a park (people think it's and advertising stunt). He gets a newspaper from a newsboy and verifies that Batman is out of town, at an Interpol conference in Paris (since he would announce such a thing).
Joker meets up with his gang and gets the intel about Two-Face and Alvarez, who have the whole top floor of a hotel, with guns posted all over. Joker is happy, saying he loves a challenge.
We switch to the hotel, where we find out why Alvarez sprang Two-Face out of jail....
He's after some gold Spanish doubloons, with heads on both sides (of course!). That changes Two-Face's outlook and he flips his coin, which comes up scarred; so, he agrees to the heist. They are soon interrupted by room service, bringing Alvarez's dinner. The bodyguard checks it out and lets the waiter wheel it in. The cover is removed to reveal the Joker, with acid pies!
One of Joker's hoods (the waiter) goes for Two-Face, but gets decked. Joker pulls out a double-barreled gun, just for Two-Face, but gets a bowl of pears (get it?) in his face, as Two-Face goes out the window. Joker's henchman helps him up and joker relates the irony of being taken down by a bowl of pears, by Two-Face. Joker goes back to his hideout and makes his plans, then sneaks into the museum, in anticipation of Two-Face's heist. he knows the 2nd of the month is the next morning, so he sneaks in the night before. he goes to the basement to hide out, but gets ambushed by Two-Face, gets hooded and bashed into unconsciousness.
Joker comes to and says two-Face broke his MO, but TF replies that he planned it for 2:00 am; so, he's still good. Two-Face has him tied down on a shuttle on a buzzsaw, in a sub-basement.
He flips the coin and it comes up scarred, so he starts the saw and sends Joker to his doom. Joker claims he is cheating, since there is only one saw; but Two-Face says it will bisect Joker, so it is covered. Joker condemns the lack or originality, but laughs at the joke. However, Joker isn't accepting it and he uses his squirting flower to spray acid on the ropes and gets loose.
Elsewhere, Commissioner Gordon assures the museum head that the doubloons would be safe. he details the security features, but, the lights go out and the doubloons are still there, when they come back. however, Two-Face has the coins, as he used a magnet to pull them out of the case and substitute fakes. Two-Face hides out until the heat is off and is about to leave when Joker hits the lights and catches him, on the second floor. The two fight, with Joker using stinging hair (pulled from his head) and slaps to the head.. They battle and Two-Face goes to throw Joker, but they crash to the ground and both are knocked out. The cops catch them and reveal that Alvarez stole the doubloons in Spain and was covering his tracks, double-crossing Two-Face.
Thoughts: Denny has to tone down Joker's psychotic mania, but substitutes his own brand of intelligent mockery. This Joker spouts quotes from literature and a much more developed vocabulary. His hoods enjoy working with him, because of his success and creativity. His hideout is a bit subdued from the Ha-Haciendas we have seen in other stories. The rivalry with Two-Face works very well, as both feel superior to the other. Joker anticipates Two-Face, but Two-Face has his own insane "rationalizations" for his actions, defying Joker's own logic. Joker makes a decent, if loopy detective, but it fits, when you think about it. Anyone who matches wits with Batman is going to be intelligent.
Since this is covered by the Comics Code, Joker had to be apprehended at the end of the story and this gets creative, as he and Two-Face get themselves knocked out. The opening is fun, as Alvarez and Two-Face leave Joker behind, which is like flipping the bird at a mafia don. If you think bars will stop him from getting even; you are more nuts than Joker, and he is a 50 lb bags of peanuts!
This is a lot of fun and it looks nice, with Irv Novick & dick Giordano giving it that same Neal-Adams-lite look that they bought to the regular Batman title. Novick doesn't get named with the Batman greats; but, he did a ton of great Batman stories; a hell of a lot more than Adams, and was really good when paired with Giordano. Now, he will have other inkers on this and he won't be the only artists; but, Novick was a damn good storyteller and was a dab hand at mystery stories. A lot of the flashier guys could really have used his ability to tell a great story, with clarity.
This will be a mini-thread, as there were only 9 issues of the series, plus an unpublished 10th script, which got printed some decades later.
The Joker #1
Creative Team: Denny O'Neil-story, Irv Novick-pencils, Dick Giordano-inks, Julie Schwartz-editor
Synopsis: We start out at Arkham Asylum, where the regular jailbreak is occurring....
Some dandy, named Alvarez, has broken Two-Face out of jail, but refused to spring the Joker, saying Two-Face was the greater criminal genius.
Uh, oh!
Joker doesn't take kindly to this; and, after berating the guards for their lack of knowledge of Edmond Rostand, he arranges his own escape. Out in the exercise yard, he plays with some balloons, donated by a charitable group,. he pumps them with a hand pump, but one keeps inflating and it pulls the Joker up into the air. before anyone points out that mere compressed air, from a hand pump will not float into the air, since it is the same density, Denny covers that by having a guard declare that the hand pump must have actually contained helium. Another guard pulls his sidearm and fires, with nothing but a flag, with the Joker's face, emerging from the barrel. Joker floats away to Gotham, landing in a park (people think it's and advertising stunt). He gets a newspaper from a newsboy and verifies that Batman is out of town, at an Interpol conference in Paris (since he would announce such a thing).
Joker meets up with his gang and gets the intel about Two-Face and Alvarez, who have the whole top floor of a hotel, with guns posted all over. Joker is happy, saying he loves a challenge.
We switch to the hotel, where we find out why Alvarez sprang Two-Face out of jail....
He's after some gold Spanish doubloons, with heads on both sides (of course!). That changes Two-Face's outlook and he flips his coin, which comes up scarred; so, he agrees to the heist. They are soon interrupted by room service, bringing Alvarez's dinner. The bodyguard checks it out and lets the waiter wheel it in. The cover is removed to reveal the Joker, with acid pies!
One of Joker's hoods (the waiter) goes for Two-Face, but gets decked. Joker pulls out a double-barreled gun, just for Two-Face, but gets a bowl of pears (get it?) in his face, as Two-Face goes out the window. Joker's henchman helps him up and joker relates the irony of being taken down by a bowl of pears, by Two-Face. Joker goes back to his hideout and makes his plans, then sneaks into the museum, in anticipation of Two-Face's heist. he knows the 2nd of the month is the next morning, so he sneaks in the night before. he goes to the basement to hide out, but gets ambushed by Two-Face, gets hooded and bashed into unconsciousness.
Joker comes to and says two-Face broke his MO, but TF replies that he planned it for 2:00 am; so, he's still good. Two-Face has him tied down on a shuttle on a buzzsaw, in a sub-basement.
He flips the coin and it comes up scarred, so he starts the saw and sends Joker to his doom. Joker claims he is cheating, since there is only one saw; but Two-Face says it will bisect Joker, so it is covered. Joker condemns the lack or originality, but laughs at the joke. However, Joker isn't accepting it and he uses his squirting flower to spray acid on the ropes and gets loose.
Elsewhere, Commissioner Gordon assures the museum head that the doubloons would be safe. he details the security features, but, the lights go out and the doubloons are still there, when they come back. however, Two-Face has the coins, as he used a magnet to pull them out of the case and substitute fakes. Two-Face hides out until the heat is off and is about to leave when Joker hits the lights and catches him, on the second floor. The two fight, with Joker using stinging hair (pulled from his head) and slaps to the head.. They battle and Two-Face goes to throw Joker, but they crash to the ground and both are knocked out. The cops catch them and reveal that Alvarez stole the doubloons in Spain and was covering his tracks, double-crossing Two-Face.
Thoughts: Denny has to tone down Joker's psychotic mania, but substitutes his own brand of intelligent mockery. This Joker spouts quotes from literature and a much more developed vocabulary. His hoods enjoy working with him, because of his success and creativity. His hideout is a bit subdued from the Ha-Haciendas we have seen in other stories. The rivalry with Two-Face works very well, as both feel superior to the other. Joker anticipates Two-Face, but Two-Face has his own insane "rationalizations" for his actions, defying Joker's own logic. Joker makes a decent, if loopy detective, but it fits, when you think about it. Anyone who matches wits with Batman is going to be intelligent.
Since this is covered by the Comics Code, Joker had to be apprehended at the end of the story and this gets creative, as he and Two-Face get themselves knocked out. The opening is fun, as Alvarez and Two-Face leave Joker behind, which is like flipping the bird at a mafia don. If you think bars will stop him from getting even; you are more nuts than Joker, and he is a 50 lb bags of peanuts!
This is a lot of fun and it looks nice, with Irv Novick & dick Giordano giving it that same Neal-Adams-lite look that they bought to the regular Batman title. Novick doesn't get named with the Batman greats; but, he did a ton of great Batman stories; a hell of a lot more than Adams, and was really good when paired with Giordano. Now, he will have other inkers on this and he won't be the only artists; but, Novick was a damn good storyteller and was a dab hand at mystery stories. A lot of the flashier guys could really have used his ability to tell a great story, with clarity.
This will be a mini-thread, as there were only 9 issues of the series, plus an unpublished 10th script, which got printed some decades later.