Last Friday on the occasion of my birthday, I went to an antique store to purchase World War II memorabilia.
Well, I'm 63 years old and that's what I'm supposed to do.
Screw what I'm supposed to do.
I ventured forth to the best comic book store in the world (Acme Comics of Greensboro NC) and bought myself some comic books.
Let's take a look at a couple of them today.
Batman#7 finds Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez kicking off a new story arc and still producing an amazing series.
Matt brings us the Joker.
Which should not be that big of a deal. Talk about overused and overexposed. Anyone who writes the Bat has to take on the Clown Prince of Crime sooner or later.
Except the Joker is in a very unique position at the moment.
The Joker is floating in a vat of liquid, hooked up to tubes and wires, the latest subject of Dr. Zeller's experiments
We really want to like Dr. Zeller, especially after she and Bruce did (and did not) go on a date a few months back.
But her efforts to cure Gotham's criminal class of their psychotic homicidal tendencies while laudable seem too close to eugenics, too lobotomizing these individuals.
Given how much hellish torment Gotham City has endured from these crazed killers, is Dr. Zeller simply doing what needs to be done to save the city from these criminals, to even save them from themselves? Is she a benevolent soul taking extreme measures to achieve her goals? Or does she have a darker intent we've yet to see?
Even though the Joker is floating in a vat of liquid, hooked up to tubes and wires, contained by a crap ton of security protocols, he has somehow gotten a message out: he wants to talk to Batman.
Dr. Zeller reluctantly concedes to letting Batman into her lab under very exacting conditions.
Including Batman needing to take his boots off.
We get to see Bat-tootsies! 😕
And so Batman and the Joker have a conversation.
Or perhaps more to the point, a psychological battle.
Batman is suspicious of this uncharacteristically docile Joker an challenges him: "Is that the gag, Joker? You can't remember all the horrible things you've done anymore?"
The Joker calmly replies, "On the contrary, Batman. I remember. I remember everything."
This exchange leads into an astonishing display, a 4 page fold out, a bold surreal display of the Joker's demented history by Jorge Jimenez with a vibrant palate by colorist Tomeu Morey.
Jimenez and Morey have been consistently amazing bringing Matt Fraction's stories to life.
SIDE BAR: a complaint. The Joker's dialogue is presented in light green lettering in black boxes. It is near impossible to read in normal light. I had to shine a flashlight on those boxes to discern what Joker was saying.
I've complained before about the overly clever use of color to convey text in a comic book to evoke some kind of mood or tone. As much as enjoyed this issue of Batman, it kind of diminshed my good feeling about the issue to endure eye strain to freakin' read part of it.
OK, back to the story.
Joker claims he thinks of Batman as a friend and discerns that Batman is lonely.
Batman thinks Joker is full of shit but does seem a little bit rattled that the Joker is trying is trying to peer into his soul.
The Joker warns Batman that someone is coming to kill him.
Batman dismissed this as an empty threat. He's Batman. Big deal. Someone is always coming to kill him.
Then the Joker delivers a more pointed warning.
"Bruce"?
(Holy podiatry, Batman! Look at those feet! Is Bruce Wayne making his money on OnlyFans?)
Now the idea that the Joker knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne is not the big revelation that you might think. Previous writers like Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson and Chip Zdarsky have played kind of fast and loose with the idea that the Joker knows way too much about Batman NOT to know who he is under that mask.
But Matt Fraction is the first writer to make that knowledge explicit, not just for the readers but for Batman as well.
Whatever this revelation means for Batman will have to wait.
Batman#8 takes on different problems.
Dealing with the problem that Vandal Savage is Gotham's police commissioner, Batman seeks counsel from a long time Gotham resident, Alan Scott.
AKA Green Lantern.
Specifically the Golden Age Green Lantern. Back in the 1940's, the immortal Vandal Savage was a recurring threat for Green Lantern and his fellow members of the Justice Society.
Yeah, it's another issue with another conversation but Matt writes these so well.
Also engaged in dialogue is Vandal Savage with the new mayor of Gotham City, Pamela Isley.
Otherwise known as Poison Ivey.
Issue #8 is the first issue in this run not drawn by Jorge Jiminez but artist Ryan Sook steps up to provide a pretty good looking issue, even if most of it is Batman and Alan Scott drinking coffee in a diner.
Next week from the Spinner Rack: What's up with the Justice League in a post King Omega world?
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