Batman 80-Page Giant 2010

[superfangirl1]

Comments

[thehefner]

You not only saved me the trouble of posting this one myself, but you included the very same pages I would have! Would you mind me using these scans for an about_faces post next week?

I'd post it sooner, but I'm genuinely not sure what to make of this story just yet. I think the story has an excellent hook (when I saw the "something that needs repair," panel, I thought, "Oh shit, Joker!"), and it gives all three characters something to do as they play off each other in a very short period of time.

Really, the question it raises about Two-Face's "true" nature (depending on how much you believe the Joker) is one worth asking, even if it brings up troubling implications. I'm gonna be pondering this one for awhile yet.

[superfangirl1]

"You not only saved me the trouble of posting this one myself, but you included the very same pages I would have! Would you mind me using these scans for an about_faces post next week?"

Sure you can use them for your post. :)

[thehefner]

Thanks! I'm already wasting too much time as it is on other Two-Face and Hugo Strange posts, so anything that can save twenty minutes (precious minutes which I shall likely find another way to waste rather than do actual work) is greatly appreciated!

[badficwriter]

Never a good idea to take psychiatric advice from Joker.

[cricharddavies]

"I'm here to fix the world"

... does anyone else think that the Joker bears a disturbing resemblance to David Tennant in that panel?

[lonewolf23k]

Dear Lord, now I'm picturing David Tennant as the next Joker.


...And Gallifrey help me, I think the idea works. The guy's good enough to pull off the Joker's mannerisms, from the wacky side to the grim menacing side.

[icon_uk]

I'm not a fan of such.... trite, "DUM DUM DUM dramatic reveal!" stories that contradict things seen before, "Oh noes, Harvey's been in control all along", it rarely works, and in this case, definitely doesn't. If Harvey is in control, why the coin?

[cainofdreaming]

If Harvey is in control, why the coin?

Not going into canon, but in basic psychological frame that's just the point. To make it possible for him to deny it to himself that he is in control. That he, not fate or chance or anything on the outside, is responsible.

Dunno, I've seen both kind of stories with Harvey. Bad and good. Guess that kind of dualism is to be expected, yes?

[icon_uk]

True, and a fair point on the coin bit, though I find this take on it very unconvincing.

[mullon]

Like Joker is someone who can psychoanalyze others.

[icon_uk]

As has been shown many times, the Joker is actually a pretty good assessor of character and personality. He's VERY astute when it comes to finding the best psychological route to manipulate a target.

Besides, he's probably spent more time in psychoanalysis than anyone else in the DCU...

[crinos]

Did.... did they just fridge Humpty Dumpty?

Fuck. you. DC.

[shanejayell]

Assuming they didn't kill him on panel, he'll be back.

[sherkahn]

No, but I think we are going to get a "cracked" version of Humpty Dumpty. All the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put him back together after the Joker was through with him kind of thing.

And oh. My. God. That dialogue between the Joker and Two-Face.... my jaw dropped. That was GOOD.

[frostedone]

Is anyone else protective of Humpty Dumpty? Out of all the Arkham villains he is the only one who is not evil. He genuinely needs mental help, but is not malicious. He did some bad things in Living Hell, but that could just be because he is slow and actually thought thought he was doing some good.

It seems like Arkham would be the worst possible place for him considering the track record.

[rordulum]

I am, especially after the Streets of Gotham issue with the poor sap collecting the dead children he found and hoped that he could "put them back together again".

I think he had me in that issue from the moment where, instead of attacking or running, or doing anything much, he simply greeted Batman with, "Hello, Batman. Merry Christmas."

[psychopathicus_rex]

OK, I'm a liiiiiiittle bit confused here. Joker brings Two-Face to Humpty to be 'fixed' with the blowtorch - which, I'm guessing, means getting the other side of his face all scarrified as well - and Two-Face weasels out of it by telling Humpty to use 'the tools Joker gave you' on himself, which, I presume, means the blowtorch. But then next we see Humpty, he remains untorched, and Harvey has, evidently, been freed by Joker. I know there are pages missing here, but just what's going on?
Either way, I hope poor Humpty makes it out of this in one piece (er - as it were). Of all the current Arkham crew, he's one of the most sympathetic. He's not even a villain, really - he's just a simpleminded soul in need of some treatment.

[thehefner]

Yeah, not really sure either. The missing pages don't really fill you in on anything else, I don't think.

Best I can guess is that the Joker was counting on Harvey convincing Humpty to be receptive to the idea of being "fixed" himself, rather than just always trying to "fix" others. At the same time, it gives the Joker a chance to force Harvey to act without the coin to further his own theory.

Yeah, I'm surprised with the occasional ideas that Humpty's supposed to be a villain or something. He's far from it. He's an innocent, in his way, just an occasionally dangerous one who needs help. The story, I should add, did start with showing some stray cats that Humpty killed and stuffed because "they were lonely."

[psychopathicus_rex]

So the blowtorch didn't actually enter into things - it was just an excuse for the Joker to get Harvey to persuade Humpty to let him 'fix' him. I guess I can see that.
Yeah, I think Humpty is more along the lines of 'innocent antagonist'. He's not a bad person, he's an innocent who does bad things with the best of intentions.