BATMAN versus RED HOOD

The Killing Joke (DC)
Where: Batman: The Killing Joke When: May 1988
Why: Alan Moore How: Brian Bolland

The Story So Far...
So this guy walks into a bar... He had a plum job working as a Lab Assistant for Ace Chemicals, but all he wants to be is a comedian. So what did he do? Up and quit his job to line up an audition! Only catch is: His girl Jeannie is waiting at home -- six months pregnant in a cruddy one-room apartment with the rent overdue!

So this guy goes to his audition with everything on the line. He's real nervous. He blows a punch line. He's dead! Nobody's laughing! The dream is over before it even began! He goes back home and all Jeannie can say is "oh". Guy feels like a total loser! She makes some joke about him being good in bed, but now all this guy can think about is needing cash. So where's he gonna come up with the loot? That's the joke!

After running around town humiliating himself the guy winds up right back where he started: Ace Chemicals! Only this time it's after hours, and a couple of mobsters convinced him to put on a tuxedo and red dome to guide them to the card store next door. It was bound to go bad, but at least it'll make a great story!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Batman 29 (Metahuman)

The dynamic between Batman and The Joker is fairly well established.

The Joker rarely poses any significant physical threat to the supremely trained & conditioned Batman. Instead, he thrives on tormenting the razor sharp mind of The Dark Knight Detective with his own brand of demented genius.

This legendary arch-rivalry has been one of the most studied here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths. In the last encounter we looked at: The Joker finally broke his losing streak with a rare draw found in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2!

That cosmically assisted escape was a change of pace from the one-sided beat downs we've usually seen. Typically if a fight has broken out, Joker has already lost a bigger game. Detective Comics #781 showed Batman dominating his nemesis in the prison yard. Even with the Injustice League surrounding him, Joker was still isolated for a swift kayo in Justice League of America #15.

The most popular examples of Batman's supremacy remain those that explore a finality that can never really come about: Batman #614 presents a moment of violent contemplation and restraint, while the alternate future of The Dark Knight Returns #4 reveals an endgame that The Joker chooses to bring about.

Today we're exploring a very different perspective of the Batman/Joker rivalry: the beginning!

This time the man who will become Joker is merely a hapless, wannabe comedian dressed up as The Red Hood. Red Hood is a domed, tuxedo-wearing patsy cooked up by mobsters as a phantom target for cops. Not to be confused with Jason Todd, who adopted the vacant moniker of his one-time killer later.

Red Hood offers no real advantage or unique abilities. In fact, there seems to be an issue of restricted vision to consider. Otherwise, this is an inexperienced and reluctant criminal far more green than he'll become as Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime. No matter how early Batman is into his career, he's a clear favourite!

History: Batman (7-0-1)
The Tape: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
Barely able to see through the narrow lens of the crimson dome stuffed over his head: Red Hood gingerly negotiates the steps to Ace Chemicals Processing Plant with the aide of the criminal cohorts ushering him into this life of crime.

The roles are soon reversed as the trio relies on the former Ace employee's insider knowledge to lead the way through the facility.

Things go bad almost immediately as a voice from the gloom orders the crooks to freeze! They're caught dead to rights in the gun sight of a security guard on a nearby elevated runway -- an unforeseen change, according to the Red Hood!

The sound of gunfire echoes inside his dome as Red Hood finds himself caught between armed guards and angry mobsters!

Returned fire gives the trio a chance to flee from their precarious predicament, while the security guard radios for backup. Their efforts once again undermined as the panic-stricken Red Hood finds himself unable to see clearly enough through his helmet to guide them to safety.

The mobsters swear bloody murder as they run aimlessly through the plant, but the hapless Hood is the only one who isn't caught in a sudden hail of bullets!

Extra security guards mow the quickstepping crooks down with a wall of gunfire -- but the Red Hood is rescued by straggling behind!

One of the mobsters only takes a bullet to his calves and attempts to play the Red Hood's unscathed survival as part of a master plan! He completely sells the Hood out as the mastermind the guards want, but is still shot dead as he fingers at the pistol in his coat.

Still in a panic -- Red Hood darts for a nearby ladder to an overhead gangway while a bullet clips his flapping cape! He's still within range when a cool, commanding voice dissuades them from further shooting. Enter: The Batman!

The Dark Knight looms for a moment before leaping over the heads of the huddled security guards. He rushes down the gangway, unaware his prey is not the same Red Hood he previously encountered. It pushes Red Hood to the edge!

Completely losing his cool, Red Hood opts to jump over the rails rather than face the punishment of the dark avenger descending upon him!

Batman lunges to catch him, but it's too late! The Red Hood plunges into the chemical waste filter and washes out of the building through a drainage pipe!

Crawling onto the outer bank doesn't end Red Hood's suffering. His body stings and itches, his hands burning as he scrambles to remove the suffocating dome that hides a horrible truth.

Hunched on his knees, he sees himself distorted in a puddle puckered by the spitting rain. For a moment, he holds his head in silence, absorbing the pallid reflection staring back at him. He lurches to his feet, staggers, and laughs...

The Hammer...
As time marches on: I'm beginning to realize I prefer to think there is a true origin story behind The Joker, even if his in-fiction past is lost to bleached skin, and a poisoned body that no longer offers any valid genetic identifiers.

I don't necessarily need intricate details. The growing tendency to over-work key milestones in comic book history has become a real drag. Most often in life, major events just happen -- and while it's satisfying to have stories eventuate with later payoffs -- we don't need to constantly relive our history, bogging it down in an increasingly absurd mess of retroactive, future entanglements.

All I really need from a good Joker origin is a simple, mythic transformation: A vat of chemicals, an unfortunate fall, and a lanky man emerging from the mix with ghastly white skin, green hair, and 'a nice big smile'.

The Killing Joke's backstory contains most of these elements, but almost goes too far away from them. The iconic details of Joker's fall are glossed over. We don't really see his fated plunge into the weird stew. This telling dwells more on what brought him to that moment, and his emergence from the waste water.

Maybe some of this glossed take speaks to the first-person perspective of The Joker. Batman is only seen on a single page, obfuscated by shadow, motion, and the narrow red-tinted lenses offered by the Red Hood's dome.

In the four panels he appears in; Batman is mere shoulders & cowl, a hunched and almost beastly leaping figure, a demonic shadow seen in double, and a hand -- too late to stop the Red Hood's doomed leap over the gangway rail. He is humanoid, but reveals no clear human face in any of these panels.

It could be taken that these are the memories of an unreliable narrator, but I also wonder if established understanding had an impact on Alan Moore's script, and Brian Bolland's pencils. After all, much of the Red Hood sequence can be traced back to its introductory origins in 1951's Detective Comics #168.

"The Man Behind the Red Hood" was a Bill Finger story that saw repeat reprints every decade after its original run. It was even collected in The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told the same year as The Killing Joke: 1988 - a good year!

The story finds Batman & Robin reopening a cold case with university students, inadvertently coaxing The Red Hood back to action after ten years in obscurity. It has its Scooby Doo red herring moment before The Joker is finally revealed, and explains some of what's retold in The Killing Joke.

The Red Hood identity is a pretty strange convolution to layer on top of The Joker's origin. If you were reading The Killing Joke years after the fact, you might've mistaken it for a post-modern appropriation of an earlier Detective Comics story. In truth, it has all the hallmarks of a story ten years into an established character's history. It awkwardly adds something new to obscure and refresh a quantity as well known as The Joker. Even as the first reveal of the Joker's largely unimportant origin, it's still a little odd and cluttered.

That obscuring aspect is also part of what lends the story to the idea that it could be a lie. A contrivance played with in later retellings that arguably enhances the myth of The Joker as the ultimate intangible and unknowable villain for The Dark Knight Detective. A crime that won't be solved.

You'll note in the images above that the majority of these flashback scenes in The Killing Joke have an almost sepia tone. Red is the exception, highlighting the Red Hood's cape and helmet. It's not until his transformation into The Joker that colour invades the world as his suit turns purple, and hair goes green.

It's a nice little Wizard of Oz type technique that could be subtly informed by the stages of Joker's metamorphosis, but maybe it also reflects a filter of doubt on the telling of the story. The picture is drained of truth until The Joker shows up bloodshot and laughing maniacally [above].

Hopefully at some point we can revisit the subject via Detective Comics #168 and the present-set story that also unfolds during The Killing Joke. There's certainly plenty more to say!

If you'd like to take a closer look at The Killing Joke yourself, you can grab yourself one of the many printed editions currently available via the Amazon links provided! If you do, Amazon will help support the site at no extra cost to you!

You can also find more combative featured fights involved Joker, Batman, and more by following links throughout this post -- or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of battles by publisher, series, and issue!

Follow Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook to get links to daily fights inspired by the topics of the day! Be sure to throw in a like, comment, and share to boost your favourite battles!

Winner: Batman
#1 (--) Batman
#407 (--) Joker

HERO OF THE WEEK: JOKER (DC)
Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Batman #1 (April, 1940)
Fight Club Ranking: #362

Featured Fights:
- vs BATMAN: Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 (May 1985)
- vs BATMAN: The Dark Knight Returns #3 (May 1986)
- vs BATMAN: Batman: The Animated Series Ep. 2 (Sep 1992)
- vs HARVEY DENT: Batman: The Long Halloween #3 (Feb 1997)
- vs BATMAN: Batman #614 (Jun 2003)
- vs BATMAN: Detective Comics #781 (Jun 2003)
- vs ROBIN: Detective Comics #826 (Feb 2007)
- vs BATMAN: Batman #663 (Apr 2007)
- vs JUSTICE LEAGUE: Justice League of America #15 (Jan 2008)

There could only be one choice for this week's Hero of the Week. Not only is he about to assault the big screen in the live-action Suicide Squad (August 5th), but he's also stirring controversy with the long anticipated animated adaptation of Alan Moore & Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke!

I am (of course) talking about The Joker! A character who is arguably as important to DC Comics and Warner Brothers as the hero he lives to fight. Interesting, then, that there are two very different visions of the character coming to screens. Three - if you project forward to the Lego Batman movie!

In The Killing Joke, DC & Warner seemingly offer the safe option. The customary reverence for Alan Moore's work is supported by the return of arguably the most beloved performer to play The Joker, if not the most celebrated: Mark Hamill. The film and actor have been inexorably linked by Hamill's desire to slow down as cackling maniac, whilst citing The Killer Joke as the story that would bring him back in an instant. Hamill, like comics readers, has a taste for the classics.

The oft referenced 1988 one-shot is brief, but significant. Remembered for giving Joker the closest he's come to an accepted origin (as The Red Hood), while also introducing the concept of a crippled Barbara Gordon, Batgirl: later wheelchair bound computer whiz Oracle - hero for the millennium.

It's the latter that likely necessitates the R Rating that puts WB's direct-to-video feature in the milieu of a short-lived trend of 18+ comic book films started by February breakout: Deadpool.

It's debatable whether an R is entirely necessary to tell this story. At the heart of that debate lies whether or not you believe Joker's assault on Barbara Gordon is sexual in nature. The filmmakers assume it is, and will pursue that interpretation in their animated vision. Personally, I've never been inclined to read it that way. I don't perceive sexual intercourse as part of The Joker's language. It's hard to argue definitively that it isn't in the story of driving Commissioner Gordon insane. It's simply not required. The message of vulnerability, personal injury, and violation is there regardless.

Of course, I can understand the impulse to look for something deeper and more chilling than what is committed to paper. The Killing Joke, despite its reverence, ultimately reads like a simple episode in the on-going war between Joker and Batman. In factoring Commissioner Gordon in as a target for a psychological attack - it's a pretty good episode, but not an overwhelmingly involving one. I like The Red Hood plot. I like what became of Barbara Gordon in the Oracle persona -- a character I think is far, far stronger than Batgirl. I'm just not especially enamoured with the story. Even less so, as an animated project, given how frequently they gut the subtext and nuance out of the stories they adapt. With so little to mine in The Killer Joke, I can see why they've taken perceived subtext and run with it. Naked Jim Gordon crawling around in circus mud can only fill so many minutes.

If The Killing Joke is testing the threshold for what's acceptable for The Joker -- Jared Leto is officially challenging it as the next live-action version! He was boldly introduced to the world in portrait. Warner Brothers chose to lead with everything they'd changed. A risky proposition.

The need to do something to distance the character from Heath Ledger's Oscar Award winning performance makes sense.

What's surprising is that their direction is moving away from the iconic vision of the comics! The Dark Knight loosely adapted the iconic visual cues of the purple clad clown, but could never be mistaken for the over-the-top comic visual. Going comics faithful seems like a good way to go. A thin, angular man with a big style. Leto goes OTT with a huge mouth, but not that way.

Ironically, one of the few positives taken away from Zack Snyder's direction of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was commitment to the visual. His efforts to bring a Frank Miller inspired vision to life - responsible for the first cinematic Batman to look like a comic book superhero! That his opposite will be so far removed is very surprising!.

Granted, there's a sense that Miller's Bowie-esque, thin white Joker of The Dark Knight Returns [#3] has participated in giving Leto a foundation. I imagine it will be argued the tattooed, metal toothed Joker should be seen as a "modern" evolution of that concept. I'm not sure it will ever deliver that.

Live-action casting is often met with reluctance, especially after a memorable performance by another actor. Ledger certainly wasn't someone embraced immediately for what he brought to the role once owned by Nicholson, and to that extent, Leto is in good company. I'm just not sure I will ever be able to accept this incarnation. Grotesque in ways I don't think I can ever accept of The Joker.

Suicide Squad opens in wide theatrical release today! Margot Robbie stars as the Joker's favourite gal: Harley Quinn! We'll be talking more about her and the rest of the Suicide Squad throughout the month of August in Friday Night Fights and HOTW! It's sure to be an interesting ride!

<< Hero of the Week 08/08: Harley Quinn       [Home]       Hero of the Week 07/25: Vulture >>

BATMAN versus JOKER

Time and Time Again! (DC)
Where: Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 When: May 1985 Why: Marv Wolfman How: George Perez

The Story So Far...
As the barriers of time and space blur into insignificance and cosmic forces conspire to shape reality; a night in crime ridden Gotham City appears like any other...

A spate of murders have Batman on the hunt for a brazen killer. The last victim's appointment book: containing a vital clue that points to Plymouth Films and their next big production - Captain's Hill.

The movie title points to the resting place of one Miles Standish, whose last descendent holds the multi-million dollar rights to silent comedy films. As death lingers in the air, Batman races to stop The Joker from claiming his murderous prize -- unware he's a step closer to solving an even bigger mystery!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnastic)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)


It's a story called "Time and Time Again" and it perfectly encapsulates the battle we have before us! There are over 820 ranked characters from ten years of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths -- and no two of them have met more frequently in featured fights than The Batman and The Joker!

The two most famous encounters come from The Dark Knight Returns #3 and Batman #614. Both stories show Batman overwhelmingly triumphant in the physical domain, but compromised by the Joker's unrelenting assault on the psychology and morals of The Dark Knight Detective. The hypothetical future of Dark Knight Returns frees the story to end in Joker's self-inflicted death, while the canon plot of Hush sees a Batman contemplating the finishing blow - but ultimately saved from his own anger by Commissioner Gordon.

More frivolous examples come from Detective Comics #781 and Justice League of America #15. The stakes of these stories are less dire, the themes less bold. These are the passing encounters of the superhero and super-villain: arch-nemeses destined to meet episodically ad infinitum. The Detective Comics fight is a personal favourite - a snow covered prison brawl between inmate Joker and his looming interrogator.

The JLA issue is more about The League fighting their Unjust counterparts. Batman appears as a monolithic shadow over an unconscious Joker. An off-panel reprisal of the same old story, flippantly punctuating the action with the benefit of a common understanding -- Joker is no match for Batman.

Of the seven fights featured in the past, Batman has won all seven.

In the animated series episode Christmas With The Joker, and in the Academy Award winning performance by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, multimedia canonizes the mismatch on film.

In the cartoon, Batman's adventures have alluded to his life's training in the martial arts under the great masters of Japan. His past haunts him in battle with deadly ninja. In 2005's Batman Begins, the determination of a young Bruce Wayne again leads him far East, where he is indoctrinated into The League of Assassins, and again demonstrates intense learning of deadly martial arts.

The competitive match-up of the modern super-ninja and his clownish lightweight nemesis isn't especially compelling, but the dynamic of their seventy year arch-rivalry is evergreen! It's steeped in psychology and circumstance, and has been interpreted a great many ways over the decades.

Joker has relied on weapons, traps, musclebound henchmen, chemistry, anarchy, misdirection, and Batman's capacity for selflessness to elude capture, or eke out occasional victories. Batman is always triumphant in the end. Who would win? The real question is - what went down? Let's find out!

History: Batman (7-0-0)
The Math: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
As cosmic dominoes topple beyond, a dark night falls over a solitary mansion on a secluded hill. The night air is cut by the sound of murder! The grinning victim's provocation: Estate inheritance of comedy rights possessed by millionaire silent film owner, Harold J. Standish III. The Joker is getting into the movie business!

The plot comes with a killer twist in the Third Act: A heroic entrance for a Dark Knight Detective whose dogged analysis of clues has led him to Joker's final victim! The Batman smashes through a nearby mansion window - launching himself at the unsuspecting Clown Prince of Crime!

A gloved fist collides with Joker's ghastly grin, sending him to the ground with a single right hand! Surprised, but not unprepared, Joker compliments The Batman for his unwavering abductive reasoning -- dousing him in adhesive sprayed from a novelty flower gag!

Covered cape to cowl in copious amounts of the restrictive goop; Batman drops to his knees and struggles to reach for solvent stored in his trusty utility belt!

As he does, the cackling clown twirls the .45 caliber pistol he already used to kill Mr. Standish, promising a remedy for Batman's stiffening joints. Things look dire for The Dark Knight -- but then something very unexpected happens!..

Without warning - The Flash appears!

Arm out stretched, the Scarlet Speedster cries out for help! His apocalyptic plea falls on deaf ears as The Joker, panicked, points his gun and begs for clemency.

The crime clown sees conspiracy between the Central City Speedster and his usual Gotham City sparring partner. Looking for a way out, he fires wildly with his pistol - and then goes for the super-adhesive. A batarang cuts him off!

Batman looms over The Joker as the chemical reaction between solvent and glue surrounds him in smoke. It seems the day is won, but again, the ghostly vision of The Flash speaks desperately of the world dying around him!

Distracted by the bizarre re-appearance of The Flash after he'd been missing for some time, The Batman allows Joker to make a mad dash for the exit! There are forces far greater than crime and law at play. A crisis on infinite earths!

The Hammer...
What started as just another battle between hero and villain ends as something very different! Batman had the upper hand, but The Joker got away. They both got a few good licks in. For the purposes of The Comic Book Fight Club we're calling this one a draw -- but the fight is only part of the story.

Playground lore always had it that Batman was remarkably uninvolved in the cosmic reorganizing of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's certainly a far cry from the stories that came in the years and decades that followed!

By the time of Final Crisis (2009), major plot points were revolving around a Batman whose tactical and fighting brilliance made him equal with gods! Ironically, it's through the similar vision of controversial Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, that many fans are waking to Batman's brush with the Crisis.

The foreshadowing of Flash's ultimate fate is a classic comic book moment!

Even read with foreknowledge of the series; the way the initial Flash vision intrudes upon a familiar status quo is sudden, unexpected, and drenched in apocalyptic foreboding! With any luck, you may have even been stunned by The Flash's sudden appearance while making your way through this very article.

The Flash's story is certainly one of the strongest in a maxi-series defined by its chaos. The future echo of unclear significance, but it sets a suitably ominous tone for the epic that unfolds. The true horror of Flash's ghostly appearance won't become certain for another six issues. Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 closes the loop, confirming every earlier dread with spectacular results!

In Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck's Batman experiences "knightmare" visions of a dream world in ruin. Flash appears in the dream to warn of what seems to be an apocalyptic future influenced by Darkseid and an evil Superman. Its function of foreboding is effectively the same, but its position is the opposite -- a threat to a cinematic universe yet to be assembled. A much simpler preposition than the end of multiple universes created over several decades.

It was thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths that we, the modern readers, had the luxury of a densely populated singular DC Universe. Acting as a deconstruction and construction of superhero existence, the series is undoubtedly significant, but it's also unruly and unfocused throughout. Sifting through dense pages of the end of the world can be a lot of fun, but may not make the best first impression for a movie-going audience conditioned to expect streamlined tales.

It helps that the "pre-Crisis" multiverse was essentially defined by the dispersal of characters across different worlds. This isn't a series inundated with repeating counterpart versions of one or two characters. The worlds may not be in sharp focus, but their peril is clear, told through the scrambling of dozens upon dozens of individually familiar heroes.

The scattershot nature of the action isn't especially favourable for a blogsite built on quantifying superhero exhibition bouts, but I'm excited about going beyond the concise for future installments. Superhero comics have always been at their best, I think, when they can be read and dissected in different ways.

Those future feature fights can be found by following the Crisis on Infinite Earths tag, or by scrolling alphabetically through the Issue Index Archive! There you'll find hundreds of other featured fights from Infinite Earths! This past Monday's Hero of the Week also concerned the legacy of Crisis on Infinite Earths and may be of interest!

If you've had enough of reading about the seminal maxi-series and finally want to take the plunge, you can do so by using the Amazon purchase link provided for your convenience [right]. Doing so helps keep the secret wars infinite. You can also help by sharing relevant links around the web!

All willing, The Comic Book Fight Club will continue in July with a special focus on what happened some of the other times DC Comics decided it was time for a rebirth. Some of the results may surprise!

Winner: Draw
#1 (--) Batman
#359 (--) Joker [+1 kill]
#14 (--) Flash (Barry Allen) [+1 Assist]

Hero of the Week #13: Joker

JOKER (DC)
Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Batman #1 (Spring, 1940)
Group Affiliation: NA
Gaming Credentials: Batman: The Caped Crusader (1988); Batman (1989); Batman (1990); Batman: Revenge of the Joker (1991); Batman: The Animated Series (1993); Adventures of Batman & Robin (1994); Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000); Batman: Chaos in Gotham (2001); Batman: Vengeance (2001); Batman: Dark Tomorrow (2003); Lego Batman (2008); Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (2008); Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009); DC Universe Online (TBR)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #333

In a week that saw the release of what's already being touted the 'best Batman game ever', how could you possibly look past the lead antagonist for "Hero" of the Week?

The Joker has been a cultural phenomenon for decades, but was most recently reinvigorated by the Academy Award winning performance of the late Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Mark Hamill successfully leaps out of that long shadow, however, to reprise his critically acclaimed take on the clown prince of crime from the 90's Animated Series, delivering a more traditional take on the character when he gets the plot rolling in Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Fans who favoured the PS3 version of the game will have the added treat of being able to play through as the Joker himself, in what I would describe as a rare advantage for the Sony version of a cross-platform title, in this generation.

It's interesting to think about what the Joker has to offer in a video game, let alone one that's so specifically attempted to live up to the prestige of the brand. In a medium where interactive elements have inherently demanded a succession of difficulty, you wouldn't necessarily expect the Joker to lead as many gaming titles as he has. Previous generations have let the killer prankster get by on the kinds of gimmicks that have typified the character's more friendly appearances, but with modern video games preoccupied by the advantages of realistic simulation and technology erring to favour the visceral, a skinny clown isn't what you'd expect for an ultimate showdown.

Arkham Asylum will live and die by it's story, I would imagine.
Plenty of lip service has been played toward capturing Batman's iconic role as a supreme martial artist and astute detective, but at the end of the day, it's the characters and plotlines that will sell an identity for the game. In 2009, the Joker had to be a part of that image, but I wonder if his role as puppet master in a 'house of horrors' game will hold the title of 'greatest appearance' for very long.

With it's moody art direction and reasonably faithful recreation of the iconic world of the comics, this is definitely a far superior affair to any film tie-in The Dark Knight could have produced. In Arkham Asylum there can be no doubt that there's a pointed design to the experience, which can provide as much as any new release comic book or "graphic novel" with a greater chance for interaction.

Unfortunately, often times there's more to Batman than fighting and detecting.
Certainly, the dynamics of the relationship between Batman and Joker go much deeper than simple cause and effect, which is how a physically unimposing character has maintained his role as the Batman's arch-nemesis. It will be very interesting to see how the game can explore this, particularly when taking control of the character. Here's hoping Arkham Asylum delivers a more involving experience with the Joker than the Green Goblin play-through of 2002's Spider-man.

If you haven't already, check out 1up's rundown of the Batman titles of the past.
Glancing through a catalogue that includes the promising all the way to the justly maligned, I can't help but ruminate on the past and present. There've been a lot of Batman games said to have topped the others, but Batman Forever stands out in my mind as a release to make the most significant switch from revered, to maligned. Granted, digitized beat 'em ups have suffered this fate on a whole, but it makes me wonder further what the future might hold for Arkham Asylum, and if, and how, future generations can improve on the mould.

Preferably with a version that doesn't give the obnoxious emo kids a cypher to channel their whiney teen angst and rebellion through. Buncha chumps!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club is updated with varying consistency, promising a feature fight for every Friday on the calendar (even if sometimes they're late). The site acts as an information resource, discussion site, review blog, and a Generation Y-hating good time.

<< Hero of the Week 09/05: Scarecrow       [Home]       Hero of the Week 08/17: Aquaman >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9002297

BATMAN versus JOKER
(DC/Warner Brothers)
Where: The Dark Knight When: July 2008
Why: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, & David Goyer How: Christian Bale & Heath Ledger

The Story So Far...
In a city gripped by crime, the emergence of a symbol to rattle the cages of the corrupt and greedy is a welcome rallying point for citzens besieged. The Batman is the dark knight the city requires, launching himself across the Gotham skyline in an incorruptable crusade against crime.

As he prunes away at the powers-that-be, things inevitably get worse before they get better.
A new breed of criminal, and insanity, coincides with his debut, beginning with the mad psychologist, Dr. Jonathan Crane, and his associations with the far reaching clan of eco-terrorists, the League of Shadows, led by legendary Eastern figure - Ra's Al Ghul. Their attack on Gotham City using a fear enducing toxin is a baptism for Batman, whose own past is linked with that of the League.

Though Dr. Crane escapes his reach, the Batman turns his attentions to the escalating dangers that grip a Gotham City in a vital process of change.
The Police Department begins a natural process of detoxification, struggling against a vaccum of power seized by organized crime boss, Sal Maroni, in the wake of Carmine Falcone's mental collapse. In response, a new Districty Attorney, Harvey Dent, joins the cause as a brighter counterpart to Batman, acting within the confines of a justice system in repair.

There are other personalities, however, that have come to Gotham City.
Other figures analagous to the Dark Knight himself, but dedicated to something much less specific. With a flair for theatricality, and an uncanny knack for mayhem -- the Joker has ushered in a responsive new era to the unstoppable vigilante -- equally as incorruptable, if not as purposeful.
It is an ideology destined for collision course...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Power: Batman 4 (Arsenal)


- After witnessing the street murder of his parents, the young Bruce Wayne's destiny was forever shaped to be one dedicated to an ideal. Having spent his formative years studying the various sciences, martial arts, and crime fighting techniques, Bruce is ultimately inspired to become the one-man war on the criminal element in Gotham City: Batman.

Perhaps Batman's greatest power is the millions inherited from his industrialist parents, and the various facilities that came with that. They prove crucial in the design and construction of his many weapons, which are typically non-lethal, and have a variety of uses.

Complimented by his keenly strategic mind is Batman's expertise in the martial arts. He is extensively trained in multiple fighting styles, and commonly regarded to be one of the greatest hand-to-hand fighters in the world.
He is also extremely proficient in general urban warfare.

- It has been claimed that he was the victim of one very bad day, which ended with a fall into a vat of chemicals that bleached his skin, dyed his hair, and twisted his face into a permanent grin. The truth of his name and origins remain unknown, but as the Joker, he is one of the most feared killers in Gotham City.

Joker is known to have an aptitude for creating and working with toxins and other chemicals, favouring trademark concoctions that induce uncontrolled laughter, facial distortion, and often, death. Joker is also a proficient strategist, who is said to regularly reinvent his identity as a part of his vendetta against Batman.
The Joker, though not a skilled fighter, is shown to have an inhuman capacity for pain tolerance and recovery.

Additional: The rivalry between Batman and Joker is one of the most famous feuds in comics. Beginning in Batman #1 (1940), there hasn't been a decade that didn't feature an epic confrontation of these two vivid personalities. In many instances, their collision is one of philosophy, as depicted in 2008's feature film adaptation, The Dark Knight. In the film, Heath Ledger's Joker describes their meeting as that of an "unstoppable force meeting an immovable object."

Batman's unwavering dedication to justice as an incorruptable symbol is off-set by Joker's contrasting pledge to anarchic destruction, and the a murderous bent toward all things anti-social, and anti-establishment. In most cases, Joker is rarely without a motivation, even if it remains difficult to understand, even for the legendary Dark Knight detective.

Due to his stern position on lethality and corporal punishment, Batman is often forced to remain reactionary to Joker's twisting plots and reinventions of personality. Only when clues are present can he follow to a physical confrontation, which almost always favours the well trained Batman.

Examples include; Batman #614, Detective Comics #781, Batman #663, Justice League of America #15, Dark Knight Returns #3, & Batman Ep.2.

History: Batman (6-0-0)
Math: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
Foiled in his attempts to kill an incarcerated DA Harvey Dent -- the Joker collides with Batman in the streets of Gotham, only to be captured himself by Lt. James Gordon, who had been working undercover under the veil of his faked death.

Promoted to Commissioner, Gordon enters a darkened interrogation room, now forced to probe the Joker for information on the now abducted District Attorney.
Joker casts doubt on a GPD already heavily under investigation, suggesting Gordon's own people are puppets of Boss Maroni. He taunts Gordon and asks him what it feels like to be alone. The Commissioner shows him just how alone he is.

Turning the lights on, on his way out to 'get coffee', Gordon unleashes the beast.
The Joker's face collides with the metal table in front of him as Batman steps out of the darkness. He's not the bad cop. He's not part of the system. He is the shadow-self of every law abiding civil servant in Gotham, and he's unrestrained.

Joker resists the Batman's physical influence, making light of his decision to "go for the head" first. Batman obliges, bringing his fist down like a sledge hammer on the criminal's printless fingers. Joker shows incredible restraint.

Joker's counter-attack strikes deeper, turning the spotlight on Batman's will to let the cost of his war spill onto civilian casualties. It is a strategy that will pay dividends by the end of the night, but for now, is easily ignored by the focused Dark Knight, concerned only with recovering the abducted Harvey Dent.

Unwilling to concede, the Joker splashes his philosophy around the cell, rejecting the Batman's tempered retort as borrowed phrases from the "normal" world. He professes a joy - a completion - provided only by the escalation of acceptability ushered in by the Batman himself. Joker declares his torture - his disinterest in ever killing the Batman. The Dark Knight's hollow assumptions amuse him.

The clown prince of crime further indulges himself in a philosophy built on everything low and disgusting about humanity. He forecasts the downfall of Gotham's protector, putting their tall poppy syndrome down to a basic human barbarism that would have them feeding on each other, under the right conditions. Under the Joker's conditions. Batman sees fit to disagree.

With the face-to-face revealing more of the Joker to him, the Batman resumes his narrow objective -- uncover the path to Harvey Dent.

Showing further his skill in combat, Joker remains unaffected by the strong-arming of the undeniably stronger of the two. Yanked off his feet and across the desk, Joker is shaken around and pinned to a wall, by the Batman.

The Dark Knight collides physically and verbally with the Joker, professing only one rule in his approach - never kill. Not surprisingly, this becomes the key to ending their opposition. Joker reveals a forced hand - a second hostage!

As if peering behind the mask, the Joker recalls their encounter at a charity ball for Harvey Dent. A scene where he left the Batman to retrieve Rachel Dawes from the window-borne descent he tossed her two. A task Bruce Wayne took up with gusto, driven by emotions attached to his childhood sweetheart.

Endangering Rachel Dawes a second time provokes a strong response.

Batman peels the Joker from the tiled wall of the room and slams him onto the nearby table. Pushed, Batman jams the interrogation room door shut with a chair, knowing his physicality will prove distasteful to the law enforcement watching through mirrored glass. It is the difference between him and them. The chance to go further than society allows. To be one man, incorruptable.

Batman introduces Joker's head to the mirrored glass, with force.
He fills the room with the roar of his one question -- where are there?

Physically out matched, the Joker continues to take the punishment, fighting back with delight, cackling, and juvenile taunts about Rachel Dawes. Batman growls his question, as if it were a demand, between the clubbing blows of his fist.

The Joker laughs.

Mocking Batman's strength, finally Joker agrees to reveal the location of Dent and Dawes, both. Held feebily beneath Batman's gloves fists, Joker has already won, having earnt his escape through the almost unnoticable broken glass dislodged by his head earlier. There is then the matter of the addresses given...

Though legitimate in location, Batman's hasty efforts to rescue Rachel Dawes from the gallons of feul and explosives she's strapped to, will soon learn each path leaves him to play the Joker's game again. Though dedicated to rescuing the woman he loves, his dedication will be his undoing, and mark the creation of a new foe who sees things... both ways...

The Hammer...
For the purposes of satisfying the "comic book fight club," we can declare without any doubt that Batman is the physical victory in this multi-layered confrontation. As we've seen six times in the past, the Joker, though willing to engage in physicality, is a cerebral combatant, no matter his capacity for accepting harm.

While this post is marked December, I'm catching up on the Holiday backlog. Tomorrow marks the Sixty-Sixth Annual Golden Globes, where, Heath Ledger is a red hot favourite to take the post-humous award for best supporting actor in a feature film. It's just one piece of a puzzle that started in July, where many people began forecasting their suspicions of an Oscar nomination.

After writing a lukewarm review of Iron Man, I'm somewhat reticent to admit my doubt over the validity of a Ledger win. I don't want to be that guy, but the more I ponder, the more honesty gets the better of me.

While I've come to believe nomination is a fitting must for the late actor, I remain unconvinced about the immortality of his portrayal. There can be no doubt that he inhabited the role quite well and probably brought a lot to the creation process, but I'm not sure if that was elaborate enough to warrant such lofty, pretentious acclaim. Let those of us of the right persuasion regard him forever as "the best Joker ever," but in the realm that has so long resisted acknowledging superheroes, caution the pretense of popularity.

To further sour my regard, I have to admit, I wasn't quite as taken as it seems much of the world was. Perhaps it was simply a matter of expectation. Batman Begins so specifically revealed the intentions of this generation of the brand that, coupled with familarity with the source material, it became a fairly predictable exercise. Predictable should not be mistaken for bad. In the realm of adaptation, predictable has long been sought after as the epitomy of accuracy. In this respect, The Dark Knight pays dividends, very specifically representing the comics at their best. To that end, I can only hope all involved can be persuaded to continue into a third instalment in a series, and maybe even more.

Regarding the representation of the comics, I have to say the unsung hero of the piece seems to be David Goyer.
[Christopher] Nolan has freely admitted the fanboy-cum-writer-cum-director has been his guide through the largely unfamiliar landscape of Bat-fiction. Coupled with the support of DC themselves, I don't doubt Goyer has been vital to ever creative triumph the films have provided, acting as a crucial facilitator throughout the process. Tales of the Goyer/Nolan garage think-tank seem to support this on many levels of the creation process, including design.

In fact, when I think The Dark Knight and Academy Awards, I'm inclined to think of Christopher Nolan. There are few examples of other films enhanced throughout by the presence of a director as Dark Knight. His familiar, obsessive restrain is felt throughout the picture, acting as almost as strong a presence as any of the actors or characters they portray. He was vital to Batman Begins, but it's in The Dark Knight that I think Nolan reached a new comfort with his vision and the ideas he was channeling. His influence was a triumph that deserves that level of acknowledgment, perhaps in ways rarely reflected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Both Nolan and the film felt somewhat absent from, what I would regard, as the more grounded Golden Globe awards. It was here I felt it more likely to see the film recognised in Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Director formats, where the common indulgence in action might've been more likely than the Oscars.

I now hope the directorial travesty, at least, can be corrected by the Academy Awards. I also feel a Best Picture nomination might well be warranted, even if the film that defined 2008 (and set innumerable records) isn't the critical winner.

Still, in all of this would-ing and should-ing, I suppose it might be nice to communicate my feelings on the film.

If I can frame my reference through reaction, I turn to yet more common place inflections that I despise. One I've mentioned before; the misconception that making the leap from page to film is somehow conceptually restricted; jumps immediately to mind. It is in response to that that I am reluctant to refer to the Joker as a "complex" character, or a difficult character to realise on screen.

The Dark Knight presents one of the most effective versions of the character, revelling in the faith necessary to indulge the concept. It is indeed faith that this character requires, as I believe there is little to nothing that "cannot" be realised in modern cinema [something Watchmen will hopefully display to the majority].

Almost unnoticed were the changes made to this version of the Joker, the most obvious, his now definitive grin-replacing scars. Ledger physically represents little of what we know as Joker iconography. He's not especially slim, svelte, and certainly doesn't possess the exaggerated nose, chin, and grin. While some are not inclined to place weight in physical appearances, I personally feel, as is a trope of cartooning, that much of Joker's character is conveyed through those traits. That said -- we quite reasonably forego those superficial details for a depiction that captures the spirit of the Joker, as much as it innovates.

Particularly to my liking, the internal motivation of the Joker.

To go back to the common misconceptions of the unwashed (fanboy) masses, I turn my scowling brow to the use "random" in contemporary language. This is both a disagreement of semantics and philosophy, because there are indeed those who believe the Joker should act almost without motivation, but I disagree. As in The Dark Knight, I feel the Joker is at his best when he is quite specifically grounded in intentions. Intentions that, more often than not, are indeed influence by reaction, or his own thought processes.

Throughout the film the Joker exists as a reactionary force to Batman, to law, to crime, and to organization of most kinds. Continuing explorations from the comics, the film Joker is almost super-sane, more than he is crazy.
As a writer and fan, I believe Joker should never be without reasons, even if they aren't necessarily obvious to you, or I, or the characters within a story.

Bale, Oldman, and Freeman were back to do more of what they did very well in the first film. Michael Caine still isn't my ideal Alfred, which probably made his reduction to over-sized cameo all the more palatable.

Harvey Dent's role in the film surprised me, somewhat.
Aaron Eckhart (and Maggie Gyllenhall as replacement Rachel Dawes) played quite well in the film, but I was surprised to see Two-Face eventuate so abruptly. I couldn't really complain, except to say that it felt a little abbreviated by the end, undercutting the more traditional climactic conclusion of the Joker/SWAT fight.
Also, I'm not sure if I would've burnt away quite as much flesh as they did in the CG make-up process. That said, artistic choice aside, it was quite good! Eckhart and the script certainly more than made up for '95's Tommy Lee Jones-Schumacher directed farce, but let's not go there.

Keeping me from this review was the necessary meditation to reach a comfortable opinion of the film. I've watched the DVD several times since Christmas to give it as much chance as Batman Begins had to grow on me.
Ultimately, while The Dark Knight sent a message to the world of what a superhero film can be, I still see imperfections. Conceptually and functionally the film is rock-solid, but like Iron Man, it lacked a little bit of oomph to make it unforgettable. Additionally, there were moments that just felt downright beneath the film, like robotic attempts by Nolan to engage the common man (American) that felt clunky and unnecessary. The biggest, the cell phone sonar, which felt a bit overblown for my tastes, like a god awful time-based obstacle in a video game tie-in [which, incidentally, has been allegedly delayed for quality assurance, assuming it will actually happen].

Of course, for every nit-picking negative, there's a multitude of glorious nuggets of joyous subtlty. Among my favourites, Joker's burning fire engine roadblock, and graffiti "slaughter" is the best medicine. In truth, there's just so much to discuss about this film, we couldn't possibly touch upon it all in any coherrent fashion. That is why I by no means consider my score an insult, but acknowledge there's still so much more to come from superhero films - and Batman - on the screen.

Oh, and to voice one more arrogant frustration: the people who told me, before I'd seen it, that the film was close-ended with no clue to a sequel: Damn your peasant eyes! A giant playing card might not have flashed across the screen, but Jim Gordon's closing monologue and the Dark Knight's self-sacrifice more than frame a film with a spine of Batman versus the Cops action-drama.

In particular, I think of scenes from popular inspiration materials, Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, which both pit Batman in exciting struggles with the police. If those Catwoman rumors are anything to go by, maybe we'll get to see the animal-lover in Batman two-fold, as a second driving plot with Selina Kyle, and as a portion of the 'Hunt the Dark Knight' drama, in the form of punching an armored gunman through a brick wall for trying to shoot a cat.

Bloody hell! If that run-on sentence wasn't clue enough, I could just be here all day talking about the Batman films! I didn't even remember to mention that I chose this interrogation scene - of all the fist fights in the movie - because I felt it encompassed so much of what we know from the comics. It was delightful, but also leaves plenty to discuss in the future. Now shut up, I have to go. Hehahaha!

The Fight: 5.5 The Film: 6.5

"The Dark Knight" set all manner of feature film records with it's cinematic release, and continues to redefine the boundaries on home video. If for some reason you don't already have the DVD, then you simply must purchase immediately through the Amazon links provided. It is also available in a two-disc Special Edition which includes thoroughly enjoyable "Gotham Tonight" episodes with Anthony Michael Hall reprising his role from the film. Admittedly, the extras leave a bit to be desired, but do yourself a favour, and just buy one of them. Heck, you'll be doing me a favour as well, by using the purchase links provided! Yummm, themes of corruption!

QUICK FIX: JOKER vs BATMAN
Christmas with the Joker (DC)
Where: Batman Ep.2 When: September 1992
Why: Eddie Gorodetsky & Kent Butterworth How: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, & Loren Lester

THE TAPE...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Arts)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)

Math: Batman
Ranking: Batman (#1)

THE FIX...
It was the night before Christmas, and Joker was free,
Having escaped Arkham Asylum, he hijacked the TV!
He kidnapped some guests, for his broadcast event,
A commissioner, detective, and reporter, were present.

In a sprint across the city, the dynamic duo came,
to protect the innocent, and foil Joker's evil game.
A train and cannon, they nearly caused disaster,
but Batman prevailed, fighting toward their master!

The Joker was waiting, when the heroes arrived,
pulling at levers, to unleash his grand surprise.
Giggling, he spun a record, from Nutcracker Suite,
leaving robotic toy soldiers, for Batman to defeat.

His goons beaten, Joker pulled back the curtain,
revealing hostages dangling, whose peril was certain!
With scissor to rope, the clown prince did leer,
and a gift in hand, to spread Christmas cheer.

He tossed the package, into Batman's waiting hand,
with an order to open it, to conclude his nasty plan.
Object and discourage, though Robin did try,
the Dark Knight detective, got a face full of pie!

The Joker burst out laughing, to see such fun,
but he still cut the rope, and proceeded to run!
Batman lept into action, to save the falling few,
intercepting their path, right above a boiling stew!

Batman made pursuit, to prevent further harm,
but with Joker in custody, he fell for false arms!
The villain made haste, as he fled for the stairs,
running toward certain doom, blissfully unawares!

Taunting all the way, Joker made for an escape,
never stopping to notice, a stray rollerskate.
Joker slipped over the rail, in a scene of familiarity,
rescued from his fall, by an act of Bat-charity.
What is it about the Joker and Christmas that seems so fitting?
I figure if we're going to be running this far behind, we might as well make it worthwhile. Hence, not skipping over Christmas, which was my initial intention.

These initial episodes of the much revered animated series really don't do it justice, but there's something undeniably fun about the Joker causing mayhem during the holidays. Live on television, no less! It's this subtlety that I would pick up on in the lead-up toward our (obvious) Dark Knight review.

A commandeered television signal seems like a staple of the Joker's arsenal, and like so much in the two Nolan Bat-films, it gets a suitably logical update in the recent film as hostage tapes. It's a little detail that hadn't really dawned on me until sitting down to think about this instalment, and it's much appreciated.
We are, unfortunately, all too familiar with hostage/terrorist tapes in this era, and it makes for an elegant solution to maintaining a sense of reality within the context of familiar Joker strategums.

Thus, we leave you with this cheery thought on our late Christmas entry! Stay tuned as we continue to astound you with feats of time travel!

Fight: 4 Episode: 4
Winner: Batman

Need to catch-up on your Bat-history? Missed those early episodes? Why not treat yourself to a late Christmas gift by picking up the first DVD set, or the complete collection, via Amazon? Not only do you benefit from the convenience of their low prices and shipping, but also help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars. Hussah!