The Joker in love! When the Joker falls for the siren call of the lovely Dinah Lance, it’s up to Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, to come to the rescue!
Released: 8/6/1975
Cover: Ernie Chan
Writers: Elliot Maggin
Pencilers: Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
Inkers: Vince Colletta
From: The Flash vol. 3
From: Justice League vs. Suicide Squad
From: Justice League vs. Suicide Squad
From: Batman: Dawnbreaker #1
From: Wonder Woman Annual #1 (Rebirth) (2017)
Writer – Greg Rucka
Artist – Nicola Scott
Letters – Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters – Jodi Wayne
From: Batman #22, 2017 – “The Button” Part Three
Sometime in late 1987, DC Comics and Batman editor Dennis O’Neil became aware that Jason Todd had become unpopular with readers and decided to remove him from the Robin role. The question was how to do that. Seeking a new way to interact with fans, and perhaps inspired by references to a dead Jason in Frank Miller’s non-canonical future history comic book miniseries, The Dark Knight Returns, the company set up two 1-900 number 50-cent hotlines giving callers the ability to vote for or against Jason’s death. The call-in period started after publication of the issue in which Jason and his mother are trapped in the warehouse.
Over 10,000 votes were cast, with the final vote being 5,343 votes for Jason to die over 5,271 for him to live. DC published A Death in the Family to massive media attention, some of it critical. Over a decade later, in a Newsarama interview conducted alongside writer Judd Winick, O’Neil said: “I heard it was one guy, who programmed his computer to dial the thumbs down number every ninety seconds for eight hours, who made the difference.” If true, that would have amounted to over 200 votes (and 100 dollars), certainly enough to decide the count. There is no way to confirm that rumor, but it adds uncertainty to the question of whether the poll was an accurate measure of what fans wanted to happen to Jason Todd.
The issue of Jason Todd’s death was often raised over the years in the mainstream Batman stories, becoming almost as important a factor in his life as the death of his parents. It intensified Batman’s feud with the Joker, making it even more personal. In the course of the Batman: Knightfall story arc, Batman is exposed to the Scarecrow’s fear toxin, causing him to hallucinate about Jason’s death. However, instead of fear, he reacts in rage, and brutally beats the Joker while screaming Jason’s name. He often visits Jason’s gravesite and raises his death as a factor in his reluctance to take on new sidekicks, such as Tim Drake (the third Robin and current Red Robin), Stephanie Brown (the fourth Robin, and third Batgirl), Cassandra Cain (the second Batgirl), and Damian Wayne (the fifth Robin). Jason is memorialized in the Batcave; his Robin costume is preserved under glass, along with the epitaph “A Good Soldier.”
In the Hush storyline, it was hinted that Todd is alive, as a young man who strongly resembles him is standing on his desecrated grave. However, in the end, Batman finds that it was Clayface mimicking the role. In the “Under the Hood” arc, it is revealed that it was Todd whom Batman had fought, but he then switched places with the shapeshifter in collaboration with the villains Hush, Riddler, and Talia al Ghul. Todd reveals himself to Batman as the murderous vigilante, the Red Hood. Jason cripples Black Mask’s criminal organization in Gotham, and kidnaps the Joker and beats him with a crowbar in an abandoned building. During the ensuing struggle with Batman, Todd detonates the building, but he, Batman and the Joker survive.
The details of Todd’s return are revealed in Batman Annual #25 and Red Hood: The Lost Years #1-6.
From: Batman Vol.1 #427, 1988
It’s been a year since Prince died and i’m still a little bit in shock. I’m in shock because I still can’t really wrap my mind around the fact that he’s gone and because it already been a year! I’ve always been a big fan of Prince since I was a kid. As a kid, back in 1985 (I was 8) I remember going with my mom over to her friends house to play Scrabble every Saturday night. All of her friends had kids my age and we would play around the house while the adults sat in the dining room laughing and blasting music. Invariably it always came down to two choices of music by the end of the night. Prince or Michael? The debate was never answered or won, but it was always a source of lively discussion. The answer didn’t really matter because by the end of the night both Purple Rain and Thriller had both been played in their entirety. Those were two albums that were the soundtrack of my childhood.
A short 4 years later in 1989, Batman was released. Up until then the only live action Batman that I had seen were the old Adam West and Burt Ward serials. But as we all know now, this was NOT the same Batman from the Golden Age of comics. This was a dark and gritty (a phrase that gets thrown around WAY to often nowadays) Batman who patrolled the garbage strewn alleys and the gargoyle laden rooftops of a gruesome Gotham City. It seemed to perpetually dark and had a character all its own.
It seemed only natural that it had a soundtrack to match. The score was composed by Danny Elfman, whose “Batman Theme” is now iconic for anyone who grew up on this movie, it’s sequels and Batman: The Animated Series.
Batdance was one of two songs that made it on to the Batman soundtrack. The other being “Partyman” which was played during Joker’s parade of hot air balloons with Smilex gas canisters attached. Batdance is pretty much two different songs mixed together. The first part of the song is a crazy mix of electric guitar solos, soundbytes from the movie and and electro-synth piano/drumbeat mix. The middle of the song, the “Vicky Vale” section, features more drum beats, soundbytes and Prince adding signature vocals. The third act of the song is similar to the beginning with more craziness added in.
The video for the song, features Prince in one half Batman costume and one half Joker costume complete with white face paint and green hair.
The video also features one Vicki Vale wearing a black dress with the words “All this and brains too”, a reference to The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, in which a female news presenter wears a top with the same slogan.
Gemini is Prince’s astrological sign, and is a reference to the duality in his music. “Gemini” would also make an appearance in the “Partyman” video, but with the “Batman” half replaced by Prince’s face without makeup.
The Batman and Jokers alternate dance sections, while Prince (as both himself and Gemini) sings the lyrics. The video ends with Gemini hitting a detonator, exploding an electric chair (referenced in the song), and Prince (actually Michael Keaton’s voice) saying “Stop” as the video abruptly ends.
The video earned Prince a 1990 Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best R&B/Soul Music Video, and nomination for Best Video From a Film from the MTV Video Music Awards of the same year.
What do you think about the song? Have you heard it? Do you love it? What is your favorite Prince song? Let’s discuss below.
From: Nightwing #19 (2017)
Batman #21 (2017) ~ The Button pt. 1
Script: Tom King
Pencils & Inks: Jason Fabok
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Deron Bennett
Associate Editor: Rebecca Taylor
Editor: Mark Doyle
From Deathstroke #5, 2015 “Battle Royale”
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Artist: Tony S. Daniel
Inker: Sandu Florea
From: Superman/Wonder Woman Part #7; Part 7 Fire Line (2016)
Writer – Peter J. Tomasi
Artist – Jorge Jimenez
Colorist – Alejandro Sanchez
Jo
From: The Final Days of Superman #8
From: DC Rebirth #1 (2016)
From: Batman & The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
From: Batman #52 (2016)
From: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5
From: Batman/Superman #31
Suicide Squad is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics antihero team of the same name. It is intended to be the third installment in the DC Extended Universe. The film is written and directed by David Ayer and stars an ensemble cast featuring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, and Scott Eastwood.
By February 2009, a Suicide Squad film was in development at Warner Bros. Pictures. Ayer signed on to write and direct in September 2014 and by October the casting process had begun. Principal photography began on April 13, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with additional filming in Chicago, Illinois, and ended in August that year. The film is scheduled to be released on August 5, 2016.
After being shot multiple times by Talia Al Ghul, Batman has to make the difficult decision to save The Jokers life. The Dark Knight has to save his life in order to find where Ra’s Al Ghul and Talia have gone….
The Lazarus Pit has restorative capabilites, such has bringing the nearly dead back to life and restoring youth, vigor and vitality to the aged. However to some, after emerging from The Pit, undergo a brief period of insanity.
Has The Joker ever been sane before? Click here to find out!
A Lazarus Pit is a natural phenomenon that possesses restorative properties that instantly heal injuries and even grant immortality. The origins of the Lazarus Pit were accidentally discovered by Ra’s al Ghul while digging a pit. There he discovered the restorative chemical pools while searching for a cure for a dying prince. Although the Lazarus Pit saved the prince’s life, it also drove him mad and caused him to kill Ra’s al Ghul’s wife, Sora. This incident led to a series of cruel circumstances for Ra’s al Ghul, eventually turning him into the feared “Demon’s Head”. For several centuries, the Lazarus Pits were used by Ra’s al Ghul to prolong his life.
The substance that fills each pit is a chemical blend of unknown composition, seemingly originating from somewhere within the Earth’s crust. For an unknown reason, it bubbles to the surface only at certain key points around the globe, typically at the junction of ley lines. The chemicals can rejuvenate the sick and the dying (and even the technically deceased as long as they have not yet truly died), but will typically kill a healthy user. In addition, it appears to act as a youth restorative sometimes, decreasing the age of a user depending how long they were in the pit, and in many cases, resurrect the dead.
For maximum efficiency however, someone must be placed in the Lazarus pit within a relatively short period of time following their death. Although older bodies may be resurrected, there is no guarantee that they will return in perfect condition. On one occasion, Ra’s exhumed the bodies of Thomas and Martha Wayne, threatening to immerse them in the pit, thus transforming them into undead zombies.
When used to heal or to bring someone back to life, that person is also rendered temporarily insane — although in one instance when it was used for the Joker, the reverse effect occurred, i.e. it temporarily rendered him sane).
Who’s coming with me to see this day one?!?!?!?
EDIT: I was screen capping the trailer for a separate post and lo and behold on one of the caps what do I see? The Greek symbol or Omega on the cap where Batman is standing on the mountainside. We know that Darkseid shoots his Omega beams out of his eyes, so is Bats on Apokolips? Or is this still the Knightmare dream sequence? Take a look at all the screen caps and tell me what you think!
The Dark Knight on Apokolips?
From: Batman Europa #4 (2016)
Just doing some light reading on a late Thursday night!
Captain Marvel #1
Just finished this Captain Marvel. It’s good to see that we are getting back to old school Captain Carol Danvers. No more silly faux hawks (she even references the change in hairstyle by saying, ” I’m not high maintenance any more” which is a nice touch) or time traveling capers. It’s good ol alien busting action replete with cameo appearances and the return of Alpha Flight!
Wonder Woman # 48
Wonder Woman is on the hunt for Dr. Maru who may or may not hold the cure to a deadly poison. Maru makes it into the city with Dub Dubs in close pursuit. Maru releases more gas into a crowd of pedestrians to make them attack Wonder Woman. Get this, the gas is laced with PCP. Is this 1973?
Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis #6
Jason Todd, the Arkham Knight is pissed the hell off at Batman. Having come face to face with The Joker, the two square off over control of Jason’s soul.
While investigate the strange appearance of a giant space explorer who crashed on the moon, Bruce somehow notices a minuscule spy drone watching them. Notice that he ‘feels’ its presence through the vacuum of space and beyond his space suit before he actually sees it.
From: Batman & Superman #28 (2015)
Trapped in a world where they can scarcely tell friend from foe, the Turtles’ first encounter with the Dark Knight puts their fighting skills to the ultimate test. And while Batman and scientist Lucius Fox search for any clue as to where these strange ninjas come from, Shredder strikes a deal with The Penguin!
From: Batman -Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 (2015)
From: Batman: Arkham Knight: Batgirl & Harley Quinn Special #1
It’s Billy Club vs. Batarang when DD meets the Dark Knight. When you think about it, Daredevil and Batman have a lot in common. Both lost their parents at a young age, both prowl urban jungles, and both strike fear in the hearts of superstitious and cowardly criminals. So why are they at each other’s throats? Maybe it’s because Batman has chased Two-Face and Mr Hyde into the Big Apple and is soon to learn that he’s not in Gotham City anymore.
DC vs. Marvel Comics (issues #2–3 titled Marvel Comics vs. DC) was a comic book limited series crossover published by DC Comics (Detective Comics) and Marvel Comics from April to May 1996. The series was written by Ron Marz and Peter David, with art by Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini.
Two godly brothers who personify the DC and Marvel Universes become aware of the other’s existence, and challenge one another to a series of duels involving each universe’s respective superheroes. The losing universe would cease to exist. The story had an “out of universe” component in that, although there were eleven primary battles, five outcomes were determined by fan vote.
The six preliminary battles were:
There were five battles in which the outcomes were determined by the votes of fans:
Each side attained three victories in the preliminary battles and five battles were decided by fan vote, of which Marvel came out ahead with 3 wins to DC’s 2.
However, the storyline does not show one side as being victorious. As part of a last-ditch effort to save their worlds, the Spectre and the Living Tribunal were able to briefly force the “brothers” to resolve the situation by temporarily creating a new universe, called the Amalgam Universe, which is occupied by merged versions of many of the heroes (such as Dark Claw, a merging of the characters Batman and Wolverine).
An inter-dimensional character called Access eventually managed to restore the universes to their normal state with the aid of Batman and Captain America. The presence of the two heroes (essentially serving as the brothers in miniature, each being unique among their peers) forced the brothers to recognize how petty their disagreement truly was.
From: Harley Quinn #23
It’s all-out action on two fronts as the Gang of Harleys must split up to tackle two missions at the same time! Zena Bendemova’s vendetta against Harley has to be stopped before innocents are caught in the crossfire…and they have to bust Mason Macabre out of prison before he gets killed! There’s no way Harley will be ready for this shocking twist ending, though…
From: Batman: Europa #2
From: Detective Comics #474
I was cruising YouTube and came across this awesome re-cut/re-edit of the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer. It combines all of the teasers and trailers that have been released so far and manages to keep some secrets.
It seems that this trailer has divided the internet once again. Some folks don’t like Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, saying that his attitude is a little to flippant and voice a little too annoying. I totally get that, I don’t really care for his voice too much either. Especially after growing up on Gene Hackman as Lex in the 70’s/early/late 80’s and Clancy Brown III in the 90’s-2000’s.
Others are saying that they gave away the entire movie by showing Doomsday and B,S & W becoming the Super-Friends to do battle together.
On one hand I can agree that WB may have blown their wad just a tiny bit, especially after the stellar trailers of Captain America: Civil War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens last week. It’s kind of true, this trailer does reek of desperation, however keep in mind my fellow fanboys and fangirls that this is only 170 seconds of disjointed images set to music. You want to see a trailer that gave away the whole movie? Take a look here.
We still need to see more of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex. We don’t know why or how he becomes bald yet or if he is bald from the beginning and that is just one bad merkin stuck to the top of his dome. Perhaps he will have a character altering moment that will add a sinister layer to his character. We just don’t know yet.
In the few seconds we see of Doomsday, he does look like a little like a Ninja Turtle. I think he looks more like The Abomination from The Incredible Hulk.
See for yourself.
Please, Zack Snyder.
