“Why aren’t you laughing?” Joker
Directed by: Sam Liu
Written by: Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Alan Moore
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Maury Sterling
Swift shot: I heard about this graphic novel a few years ago, and it is considered one of the must read stories for Joker freaks. Basically, to be considered a real Batman buff, you have to have some kind of opinion on this tale. But for some reason, I never got around to reading it. Then I heard about the subject matter due to some controversy with an artist posting a variant cover of a very beaten Batgirl that got everyone’s knickers in a polka-dotted kink. I couldn’t evade this one any longer, I had to see what all the fuss was about for myself.
In 1992, the Batman: The Animated Series debuted, and my friends were all instantly hooked. I thought it was cool and all, but I wasn’t super into it, to be honest, until I heard who would be voicing Joker. Being a huge Star Wars fan, I was intrigued to see what Hamill would bring to the character. I, along with most of the geek community, was blown away! Not only did he breathe a twisted soul into Joker, he made the character his own. So, it was never “Luke Skywalker is the Joker,” far from it, in fact. It was something special, and Hamill’s Joker stands alone and apart from the others. But, the show was still basically for the kids.
While this film is certainly not for children, it is not as graphic as I was hoping. I’d say it warranted a solid PG-13 rating . . . not an R.
Barbara Gordon (Strong) is Commissioner Gordon’s daughter and Batman’s protege in leather. Batgirl is a fierce, feisty female who enjoys spending her evenings fighting crime. She’s always wanted to be like her father and help people in need. But, while she is the narrator of the story, this isn’t her origin story – granted it is an origin story, of sorts, for her.
Batgirl is hot on the heels of Paris Franz (Sterling) a young punk whose uncle is a crime syndicate boss. Paris is tired of always dealing with his anachronistic agnate. He’s ready to step things up to the twenty-first century, but during his big heist, he encounters the comely crusader and he instantly becomes obsessed with her.
Batman has seen what a criminal’s obsession can do to a crime fighter, so he orders Batgirl to keep her distance from Paris. It’s been a few years since he threw Joker (Hamill) in Arkham Asylum. And seeing how Batgirl is dealing with her new fan has led Batman to a realization that it’s time to reach out to the insane clown.
Meanwhile, Batgirl isn’t hearing that shit!
She not only openly defies Batman, she screws him, that’s right, Batman and Batgirl do it – SEX! Sorry, that’s not a real spoiler here, there’s plenty more to spoil with this story. And considering I went twenty-eight years without one of my geek friends ruining the ending, I won’t do that here either. But, yes, they have relations and things get . . . awkward!
Here’s where I am sure people will wince, but Batgirl acts like a, wait for it, girl. That’s right, she pines for more of that sweet bat backside. She even asks some other winged rats for advice on whether or not she should reach out to her new friend with some incredibly flexible benefits. Sadly, we, the adults only audience don’t get to see what kinds of sexual acrobatics these two get up to, we just have to use our imaginations. “Where does he get such wonderful toys?” comes to mind. Moving on though, this isn’t really a Batgirl story, it’s a Joker origin story.
Yes, there have been many Joker origin stories, but this one actually makes the most sense to me, so I am calling this the official origin story. There, it is now law, but Joker’s origin is flecked throughout the film, with flashbacks that tease how he met Batman and how he went criminally insane. It isn’t a pretty story, and he wants to share that despair with the world and particularly the holier-than-thou, self righteous hooded freak in a black cowl who created him.
Joker escapes – AGAIN (because in the annals of institutional efficiency, Arkham ranks at just below a box with a pull-string at keeping criminals inside). I mean, Jesus Christ, shut that shit-show down already! And again, not a spoiler, because how else is Batman going to chase him down and confront him? And that’s what happens, ultimately Joker’s plan is to prove to Commissioner Gordon and Batman that if anyone has just one bad day they too can snap into a million pieces.
Joker goes through some elaborate machinations to pull this off, unlike Heath Ledger’s Joker who just looks at Harvey and says, essentially, hey why aren’t you insane like me? And he’s like, oh, yeah, now that you mention it. But, I digress. This Joker puts a lot of thought and planning into his big final hand with his knightly nemesis. He pushes Batman and Batgirl to the abyss from which there may be no turning back.
This is an Alan Moore story, a story with dark and twisted tones, but ultimately I was left wanting a lot more. Having devoured Watchmen, and enjoying the film’s ending much more than the graphic novel, I was expecting to be really disturbed by this “controversial” film. But, I am a child of the ’80s. This wasn’t shit, folks. Sure, I enjoyed seeing Joker’s origin, an origin that made us all sympathize with the struggling soul. But, this was not as raw and visceral as I was led to believe. Perhaps the biggest joke is on me, all my geeky friends who kept this “terrible secret” all these years, had me building up to a punchline that never really came.
SPOILER ALERT – STOP READING – YES, THIS MEANS YOU!!!!
Given the circumstances of Joker’s state at the end of the film, I don’t think he can be legally classified as insane, in fact he’s never been insane, he’s always been playing the part of the insane clown, but he’s very much aware that what he’s doing is wrong and he relishes that. No insane person would be able to suss that out, they’d live and breath their insanity, not wear it like a mask. He is a fraud!
Also, here is the problem I will always have with Batman never using lethal force. EVERY single time, Joker (and other villains) escape from these prisons and more people die. You know who can’t kill you? The dead. I’m just saying… Maybe there are some evil twisted seeds that deserve to be put down? We put down sick dogs, don’t we? If you assume Joker is actually mentally ill and can never be reformed, isn’t it humane to all involved to put him out of his (and everyone else’s) misery?
Let’s discuss!
