When Kyle brought the Joker to Arkham

[thebigapricot.insanejournal.com]

I finally got a chance to play some "Arkham Asylum" this weekend. Very cool. I liked Oracle being in it but I wish they had gotten Dina Meyer to do her voice. Since I am in an Arkham mood, here are two pages from a 6 page story in "Secret Files & Origins, Gotham's Greatest Gangsters" about that time Kyle had to bring the Joker to Arkham Asylum.

The story starts with Bats giving Wally and Kyle orders. Wally calls Bats a "hardcase" and Kyle says Bats has "got his reasons." What can those be, Kyle? "Ever been to Arkham?" he asks Wally.

I am hard pressed to think of a reason as to why Kyle would be bringing the Joker to Arkham but, hey, there he is.


Apparently the Joker's been killing people again.




Yeah lady, where do you think he got that ring, at the LCS as part of a massive cross-over promotion?

Kyle overhears the guards talking about how Killer Croc ate the arm of a Rookie guard. Warned to stay on the center line, Kyle walks Mr. J down the long, green mile. We get a page of cameos by Riddler, Poison Ivy, Harvey, Mr. Freeze and Scarecrow greeting Joker. But at the arrive at last at Mr. J's second home.



Yeah, Kyle you run. And the next time Bats acts likes a hard ass you'll know the "reason".

Comments

[darkblade.insanejournal.com]

Um sure they Arkham gang are some messed up freaks that can cause a lot of trouble they aren't exactly Green Lantern level Kyle really doesn't have that much of a reason to fear them.

[foxhack.insanejournal.com]

He has good reasons to be afraid of a laughing man.

"... Bueno."

[lanternicity.insanejournal.com]

It's not that they could hurt him physically, it's what they represent and what Kyle thinks could happen to him psychologically. Kyle's brought up a couple times that he's worried about what would happen if he went crazy (like Hal, sorta) and that's why he voted for Batman in Tower of Babel, etc.

[aaron_bourque.insanejournal.com]

The reason the bat-foes are a threat isn't because Batman's "on their level" and Green Lantern is above their level or whatever.

They're disturbing. They are scary by almost their very nature. That's what makes them threats.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

I found it odd that this story has newbie Kyle explaining why Batman is scary to Wally, who has known Batman for years and probably been hearing Arkham stories from Dick for years.

[yaseen101.insanejournal.com]

Well, hearing about something is different than actually doing it.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Yeah, but Wally has MET most of the major villains thanks to assorted crossovers. Kyle really is the last person to tell Dick Grayson's best buddy since puberty about scary villains.

[yaseen101.insanejournal.com]

The discussion above is pretty much about Wally thinking Bruce is hard ass and Kyle is explaining the because Bruce deals with people like the Joker, he is a hard ass.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

The story has Kyle in the role of "more experienced hero giving lesson to less experienced hero". Wally knows way better than Kyle what makes Batman a hardass.

[yaseen101.insanejournal.com]

Yeah, we can assume that but I don't really recall Wally and Bruce having such a relationship that he would know what makes him hardass. Dick might have talked to him about the Joker but is there any cannon evidence? For all Wally knows, Bruce is a grouchy, paranoid and sometimes can be an absolute dick.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Bruce is Wally's best friend's Dad, and it's been mentioned that Dick would talk about Batman a LOT to the Titans (After all, he's got the world's coolest dad). Wally had also met, and had the fear of Bat scared into him by Batman during the first incarnation of the Titans.

He would knows about the Gotham bad guys from Dick and he's met a few of them too.

This whole story just "reads" with the two leads having been swapped. Newcomer Kyle lecturing Wally on Batman just reads all kinds of wrong.

[yaseen101.insanejournal.com]

Well you ARE the expert when it comes Dick and the Titans so I wouldn't debate any further. As for the story, I guess it could have been better with Wally and Kyle switching places but I don't see Kyle thinking that way about Bruce, I mean I know he drew pictures of 'Rat-man' but there seems to be a mutual amount of respect between those two (What is with Bruce and dark haired young men?). So in that respect, I think that's why Wally had to be the antagonistic one.

[jlbarnett.insanejournal.com]

perhaps the story is meant to be read as Wally complaining how Batman is a hardass, since his best friend faced the same guys and in not one, and Kyle is explaining how it's justified.

[yaseen101.insanejournal.com]

"And the next time Bats acts likes a hard ass you'll know the "reason"."

Because the Joker never sang him show tunes when he transported him to prison?

[damar148.insanejournal.com]

Kyle running away like a scared child is contrived, unless this takes place at the start of his superhero career.

[omgwtflolbbqbye.insanejournal.com]

Yea, I can imagine a hero of his rank being disgusted and going "jesus, I'm not dealing with that shit again", but not scared, and defiantly not making an ass of himself by running out of Arkham like a little kid which should have haunted his rep to this day with that many witnesses.

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

DC should do an "Acts of Vengeance" were heroes get to deal with each others rouges for a bit.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Which would instantly have the same obvious problem as the Marvel one did;

"The heroes won't know how to defeat villains they've never met befer" also means, alas; "The villains won't know how to defeat villains they've never met before either"

[jlbarnett.insanejournal.com]

villains have the advantage of knowing they're going to attack. They can study their potential opponents.

[mcity.insanejournal.com]

Reminds me of the time Spidey came across Stilt-Man, who said he specifically designed his armour so Daredevil couldn't hit him in the face with his stick. Pete hung him from a light pole.

[omgwtflolbbqbye.insanejournal.com]

That would be interesting if not a bit reckless.

"Ok Green Arrow, while Hal goes to Star City to capture Merlyn, you'll be headed to OA to defeat the combined might of the intergalactic Yellow, Black, and Red Lantern Corps."

"Apparently Ares is trying to overthrow the Pantheon of the Greek Gods again, so obviously Wally should handle that while Diana deals with Trickster's fake dog vomit death trap."

"Meanwhile I, Superman, will travel to Atlantis to stop Black Manta from shooting his pointy needles at some fish people while Aquaman travels to Apokolips to duke it out with Darkseid and his army before they invade Earth."

"Oh yea, and Jon'n will head to Gotham to stop Scarface from robbing that bank while Bats repeals that global White Martian invasion."

[timemonkey.insanejournal.com]

Most fo those would be an awsome read, plus most of them could pull it off.

[bariman1987.insanejournal.com]

Bats repeals that global White Martian invasion

He's done that, actually, at the beginning of Morrison's JLA run.

[ninjapeps.insanejournal.com]

Arkham Asylum was a blast. I especially loved the more stealth-oriented stages because it was so much fun seeing and hearing the mooks slowly get reduced to near pants-shitting terror.

[mullon.insanejournal.com]

They give Joker a window? Are they insane!?

[bariman1987.insanejournal.com]

Are they insane!?

Well this is Arkham we're talking about.

[rollingthunder.insanejournal.com]

Oh I couldn't disagree more! Getting Dina Meyer to do it would have ruined everything. The idea of bringing back the BtAS voice actors? I thought that was brilliant! I absolutely adored that cartoon! Kevin Conroy, Luke Skywalker (yeah yea Mark Hamil) and Tara Strong? I think they MADE the game.

[filthysize.insanejournal.com]

Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but that wasn't Tara Strong in the game.

[bariman1987.insanejournal.com]

It wasn't Dina Meyer or Tara Strong, though either would have been a good choice. However, we did get Kimberly Brooks (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2003743/), aka Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, which is awesome.

[bluefall.insanejournal.com]

WAIT WHAT!?

[bariman1987.insanejournal.com]

Yup! Ms. Brooks was also Kathy Dusquesne back in "Mystery of the Batwoman," as well as Firestar in MUA2.

Have you gotten to play Arkham Asylum yet?

[tacobob.insanejournal.com]

Joker vs the cast of "Cats", why isn't this a comic book? I wants it!

[mysteryfan.insanejournal.com]

I'd read the heck out of that.

[jedd_the_jedi.insanejournal.com]

I'd like Joker vs the cast of The Phantom of the Opera too!

[bariman1987.insanejournal.com]

I just read the Discworld novel Maskerade, which is heavily based on theatre, especially "Phantom of the Opera." So now I'm imagining an Ultimate Showdown between the Joker and Granny Weatherwax.

[bluefall.insanejournal.com]

Joker has some kind of serious thing against Cats, it's a running gag with him. It may only be a matter of time.

[jlbarnett.insanejournal.com]

It's jealousy of Catwoman of course.

"Joker, does it ever bother you... really bother you... that Batman will always like Catwoman better? Blow up his city all you want, he'll never take you to the prom!"

[unknownscribler.insanejournal.com]

A Lantern had Joker and didn't dump him in the SciCels?