Review #1 - "Laughter After Midnight" - The Batman Adventures, Annual #1

[lovedatjoker]

Writer: Paul Dini
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Rick Burchett
Colourist: Bruce Timm

Click images to see them full size. My scanner is busted at the moment so mad props to gladrial for providing the fabulous scans!I wanted to start these off with a real kicker of a story, something to make your eyes pop, something that is quite unique and I felt this story

Comments

[thehefner]

I never would have thought there could be so much said and analyzed from this short story. Indeed, I imagine anyone else would have read it and enjoyed the story as a fun trifle. But I think you're dead-on with all your analysis, especially the donut boy. His death does serve a creative purpose to the Joker's chaotic nature, but that might have worked even better if he killed the innocent, but let one of the "deserving" people live (perhaps just getting terrorized, or clownishly pranked with a pie in the face or marbles underfoot).

Like we've discussed, the nature of Joker's "chaos" is not as pointlessly random as some have thought. There's ideally always a method to his madness, which is there the "humor" comes in. Violence for the sake of violence isn't funny if of itself; that's Carnage material. Yawn.

On the art, Byrne did a pretty great Bruce Timm impression, didn't he? Having Burchett on inks certainly helped, I'm sure.

[lovedatjoker]

At first I didn't dig that scene, but now I think it's fabulous. It's just so chilling. So random. And I think, in doing it after 'punishing' people who've offended him, Joker is illustrating life's essential meaninglessness. Be rude and someone might kill you. Be polite and someone might kill you. No rules, no rhyme, no reason. It could come for you at any time no matter how good you are.

Indeed, Joker isn't trying just to be EBOL, he's doing things he thinks are funny and I think on some level he believes he's really doing the world a favour or that people will appreciate it somehow.

[beans_etc]

*Gleeful squeak* :B

I love this one, it's one of the first random comics I found when I began expanding my Joker reading material. Besides the fact that I love that opening shot of him climbing out of the lake -- I can't explain why, I just think it's an incredibly amusing and adorable image of him all soaked to the bone and his usually well-kept hair all tussled~ -- I love that this is more or less a story about... nothing. There's no climactic battle, no scheme. Like you say, it's just the Joker heading home for the night. I love seeing characters like Mister J in those just mundane (well as mundane as you can get with the Joker) day-to-day situations that no one ever bothers to spotlight.

I'd love if one day someone released a short comic that just shows the Joker at home, on a day off if you will. Waking up, eating breakfast, maybe reading the newspaper; just wandering around his headquarters and keeping himself busy -- I would probably shit rainbows.