Pick of the Brown Bag
April 15, 2021
by
Ray Tate
Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag. For those of you who came late to the show, my name is Ray Tate, and I review comic books.
I've been reviewing comic books since the nineties: on the usenet, Comics Bulletin and this blog. No matter the strata; from raw, self-published independent to well known Marvel.
Of late, I've been concentrating on the DC Multiverse. After this post, I'll be breaking from their Infinite Frontier brand and returning to the potpourri approach. You can also find encapsulated reviews on Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.
The Joker War took a big chunk of same Bat-Time. It must have been successful because nobody wants it to stop, even if Infinite Frontier gave everybody an excuse.
I've had good experiences with Mariko Tamaki's writing. I liked her stint on Tomb Raider. I enjoyed her run on X-23. She gets Batman, and the artists uniformly present fresh dynamism.
Tamaki notes that Batman is far from dour. He has a very twisted sense of humor. Updated for modern times, Batman texts a knock, knock onomatopoeia and distracts his targets. Sticking to the shadows, Batman scares the living hell out of them as he picks off the gang one by one. I really couldn't ask for anything more.
Yet.
I give up.
The environment Batman now operates in isn't for me. The creative teams seem unified. There appears to be no escape from the lukewarm Mayor One-Eye and a mediocre supporting cast.
The patch doesn't make Mayor One-Eye any more intriguing. Nick Fury, black and white, was just as interesting a character without the patch. Neither can One-Eye be considered original. Rupert Thorne marketed the technique of legally stamping out Batman in the Bronze Age.
Rupert uses the full weight of his mob/political machine to ban the Bat. He nevertheless maintains the pretense of being an upstanding citizen. Rupert Thorne is ingrained in the Batman mythos for a reason. Mayor One-Eye will be forgotten tomorrow.
Rupert debuted in the first issue of Steve Engleheart's historic run of Detective Comics. Engleheart took great pains to explain Thorne's consistent presence in Gotham City. Deborah Donovan exists in Batman just because DC Editorial says she does.
I'm sorry. Where the hell did you come from? If you're the Kolchak of Gotham City, from when and how?
Gotham City only had three journalists of note: Vicki Vale, Summer Gleason and Alexander Knox. Deborah, you're older than Lois Lane. How is it that I've never heard of you before? Never mind. I don't care.
I loathe all the leftover Joker War villainy. Why do the antagonists need to be Joker-inspired thugs? Incidentally, we have a failure to communicate between Tamaki and artist Daniel Mora, however stellar.
Whoops.
That looks like jewel theft to me. Other logistical problems manifest.
Bruce Wayne just happens to be at Mayor One-Eye's function, to gather intel. The jewel thieves happen to break in at the same time Bruce is there. They also somehow happen to elude the Huntress, positioned outside on page one.
She does nothing to stop the hoods. She never cameos again in the book. So, I don't know why she's also on the cover. In fact, given her participation, why is she here at all?
This poorly planned heist isn't the gist. The central mystery occurs within Batman's new sphere of influence.
Something happened in the Joker War that reduced Batman's fortune down to measly townhouses and satrap caves.
You know what never interfered in my relishing the Batman stories? Batman's wealth. I never said to myself. Gosh, I could appreciate Batman's superior intellect and his status as the World's Greatest Detective if only he weren't so wealthy.
Never.
No, I never aspired to be as wealthy as Batman. I aspired to be as smart, skillful and good as Batman. The whole idea of expunging Batman's wealth so he can crawl out of a sewer is ridiculous.
Batman's wealth is simply another tool to wage a war against crime. Present tense. Cause, let me clue you in on a little secret. If you own multiple townhouses with caves under them. You're still super-wealthy.
In fact post Joker War Batman is still wealthier than the original, who only owned one stately Wayne Manor and the acreage surrounding it. Batman happened upon the cave on his estate and gradually added more expensive equipment: the Batgyro and a modified roadster that would evolve into the Batmobile. My point is. You didn't go all the way. Something tried before. You didn't impoverish Batman, which would have sucked. However, this wishy-washy wealthy but not business is just as bad.
Batman's fall from status reduces him to sleuth rather than professional. See, if Mayor One-Eye weren't in charge, Commissioner Gordon would be calling in Batman to solve this kidnapping. Who's Commissioner these days? Perhaps some chap with one ear.
Instead, Bruce just stumbles upon the mystery like a butch version of Jessica Fletcher. Furthermore that five dollar price tag is a killer. I'm not poor enough to buy a townhouse. Drop.
This is the first time since the advent of the New 52 Harley Quinn reconnected with continuity. To be sure. Harley Quinn appeared in DC proper, but she had nothing to do with the more familiar Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti incarnation. That version of Harley Quinn joked through about sixty plus issues and three spin-off series. Unfortunately, the newest volume of Harley Quinn is just another consumption of the Joker War.
You may argue that I'm being unfair to writer Stephanie Phillips. Surely, Harley Quinn in continuity would naturally, in some way, link with the Joker War. I disagree, and that's mainly due to Riley Rossmo's art.
The illustration is so different from what is considered House Art or even classical comic book art, such as what's seen in Detective Comics, that it's better suited for an unique universe.
Renewing and Rebirthing the multiverse was the whole point of Infinite Frontier, yet Harley Quinn is set in the Townhouse Universe. I don't understand why.
Palmiotti and Conner basically related their stories in a bubble. I get the impression, they would have done that any way, whether or not a multiverse existed. Just try to recoup as much as possible--an Earth-Two Power Girl for example-- before the editors caught on. The Powers That Be at DC now have a contextual reason to do the same. So, why not use it?
The best part of the book is Harley Quinn's quest to get a Bat Toaster.
That's the kind of absurd humor I want to see. The lion's share is underwhelming.
The story opens in what looks to be a stand alone vignette with Harley apologizing to Killer Croc.
I don't know. Maybe their schism occurred in the Joker War. Maybe not. It's not important. Gibing with the Townhouse Universe motif, Harley leaves the arena via a manhole. She immediately meets up with some disgruntled Gothamites.
I'll give Harley this. She's exhibiting far more restraint than I expected. You also won't find any slapstick violence in the style of Conner and Palmiotti. A damn shame because I'm sure Rossmo would be astounding at the depiction.
Harley finally plays on team Batman.
Though it should be noted, Harley Quinn creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm established Halrey's inevitable reform when they explained that she was in an abusive relationship with the Joker.
This is why audience members were so pleased when Harley found Poison Ivy. It's not the male gaze lesbian erotica. At least not totally that. With Ivy, she remains a criminal, but Ivy is a loving partner.
Traditionally, nobody with a conscience likes a wife beater. So, it's no surprise that Harley joined Team Batman or that Batman's checking up on her.
After explaining that she intends to apologize to everybody she hurt and make amends for her partnering with the Joker all these years, things become a little meta.
So, apparently, the Joker attracted a cult. They tattooed his face on various parts of their bodies. They did his bidding, and now, it's payback time for ordinary Gothamites.
It's difficult not to see a parallel between the clown tattooed yahoos and treasonous bastards that attacked the Capitol at the behest of Donald Trump. Especially when one of the Gothamites speaks of accountability.
Batman is of course a way better person than I am. I'm not sure I would have lifted a finger to save a Capitol Rioter from being beaten up by a crowd. The events culminate in a House of Mirrors where Harley makes a decision that I'm guessing is the theme of this series.
Good point about the medical license. For those not in the know, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is a former Arkham Asylum psychiatrist, which means she's also, believe it or not, a medical doctor. That's right. Harley could have hung up a shingle had she not been brainwashed by the Joker.
One of the things about Batman: the Animated Series that I feel helped propel it to the level of love is that the writers never exalted the criminals to a higher level than they were in the original comic books.
The Joker in the Animated Series is a dangerous, psychopath, but that's all he is. He's not supernaturally persuasive enough to attract a cult. He doesn't have the resources or the ingenuity to mount a successful war against Batman that leaves Gotham in ruins.
Batman is a deterrent in the Animated Series. Plain and simple. The Joker can never be the almost James Bond villain he is in modern comics because Batman exists to thwart him.
This is why I avoided the Joker War in the first place. I am philosophically opposed to the whole concept. For Harley Quinn. Ignore. Perhaps pick up the trade for Rossmo's artwork.
Gene Luen Yang adapted the Adventures of Superman radio serial, "The Clan of the Fiery Cross," into a superb all-ages mini-series; viscerally known as Superman Smashes the Klan. I therefore shouldn't be surprised by the quality and pure fun of Yang's delightful debut issue of Batman/Superman, yet given the shape of the Batman titles, I am.
The book is four bucks, but you get two stories unfolding simultaneously, illustrated to utter perfection by Ivan Reis, Danny Miki and colorist Sabine Rich.
Been a fan of Ivan Reis since his Ghost days. I'm also aware of Danny Miki's accomplished inks. I've never heard of Sabine Rich. So, let me just emphasize despite Yang essentially relating two stories occurring in two different universes inspired by black and white serials, the colors are luxurious.
The mechanics of the tale unfold classically. A threat presents. The hero notices. Takes a stand. except each spool of film manifests a deeper secret to uncover.
Yang draws upon numerous old time sources to enrich the art team's vivid visual kinetics. For example...
Carol Forman portrayed the Spider Lady in the Kirk Alyn Superman serial.
Gale Sondergaard debuted a year later as The Spider Woman in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films. Nobody called her Spider Woman in the movie, but the name stuck to her and became zeitgeist.
Soon Spider Woman would become synonymous with femme fatale. Yang resuscitates the Spider Lady for his spiffy double feature.
Looking smashing to boot, but Yang isn't just interested in bringing back memorable imagery to the World's Finest tales. These changes pack substance and take full advantage of a multiverse. So far this is the only book living up to the Infinite Frontier label.
If you'd like to take my word for it and subscribe or follow, nothing more needs to be said, but if you'd like a few spoilers to sauce the goose, read on.
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The premises of both filmstrip universes is that something changed to deprive the Superman period of Batman, and the Batman period of Superman.
The stories start out naturally with Superman battling a familiar bald gentleman and Batman pursuing the Rogue's Gallery from Arkham Asylum plus one. Batman hunts in a superb reconstruction of the 1940s Batmobile. His costume is a throwback as well.
Note how the creative team emphasizes the leathery texture, more organic look to Batman's classic costume. The boots, the ears are all practical. The cape snaps onto the collar of the cowl. I love this. Can this be Batman's look from now on?
Superman also gets a makeover that mimics his original outfit almost perfectly, especially the trunks. The only difference lies in the Shield on his chest. The S replicates the era's S, but there's a few flourishes outside the original.
You think you have an idea of where Yang is headed until the very end of the book, where something truly weird and wonderful happens. It's a surreal metaphor turned real. That's all you get from me and spoiling all that was just traumatizing to a tight-lipped someone like myself.
