He Said What Now?

A few days ago, Comic Book Resources did a feature on comic book panels that either the passage of time or the absence of context now seem, well, weird.

I wanted to share a few panels from some of the classic DC Comics that CBR featured in it's article.

Let's start with a panel from a Batman vs. Joker story.

The theme of the joker's crime spree?

Boners!

Boners refers to jokes or pranks that backfire; instead of having "fun" at the expense of the target, the instigator is humiliated.

The Joker does not like to be humiliated. This was back in the days when the Joker wouldn't kill you for that. Nope, he just goes for wilder and crazier gags.

What's really funny about this story is the sheer frequency of the word "boner". As you see in the panel above the joker gets two boners in one word balloon.

OK, that last sentence sounded skeevier than I intended.

Here's this panel from Justice League of America.

That 75% of the civilians in danger are our heroes' girlfriends can't help to cast Batman's worried thoughts in a different light. Frederic Wortham would've had a field day with that; he was the psychologist who posited that Batman and Robin were in a gay relationship. And remember that Robin is the BOY Wonder which makes that even more iffy. 

Hey, guys. Somebody's got to set Batman up.

And here's Aquaman, a MAN of the SEA and you know where this is going....

Of course, in those long ago, more innocent days, who would find something naughty about "seaman"? 

Check out this blog post from July 2013 where I imagine one of the creators of Aquaman sparing him a most unfortunate name. 

Remember, the men who chart courses over the sea deserve our respect. So don't pull any boners on seamen. (Blog, what have I done to you?)