Unlike ongoing comic series Batman '89 (serving as an alternative continuation to Batman and Batman Returns), John Jackson Miller's direct sequel takes place six months after Tim Burton's original film.
Summary
The Joker is dead, but his legacy lives on.
Lawrence, a former boombox-carrying henchman of the Joker has formed his own gang, the Last Laughs (secretly funded by Max Shreck), and commit random arson attacks across Gotham.
Adding to the chaos is mysterious scientist Dr. Hugh Auslander and shapeshifting criminal, dubbed 'Clayface' by the press.
When Batman and James Gordon discover the Joker's body missing, they start to believe he may have survived.
Riveting read
Not everything works and some sections are excessively wordy, but still does a great job of capturing the Burtonverse's gothic atmosphere, with dialogue and behaviour representative of their live-action counterparts.
Thumbs up to Karlo Babić (Clayface) becoming the victim and Hugo Strange (initially Auslander) being the primary antagonist, (cleverly revealed to be the Axis Chemicals scientist overseeing the manufacturing of Smylex).
Batman having PTSD flashbacks of the night at the cathedral and Strange's life's work Project Hegemon (resulting in Monster Men) are also highlights.
Hulking mutants of low intelligence are recycled from numerous story arcs.
There's a string of cameos to enjoy, including Selina Kyle, Chip Shreck and The Red Triangle Circus Gang Strongman.
Ending sets up Batman: Revolution (set to be released in October 2025), and it's no secret that Norman Pinkus (The Riddler) will be the primary villain.
Plot holes
(From the film) are addressed.
Cathedral
Lawrence and co already on the rooftop was impossible, as they didn't have enough time and had no idea Joker was heading there.
For shiggles, comic adaptation shows henchmen enter with Joker and Miss Vale.
Lawrence's confession reveals (as Joker told Batman in his vision), that goons were stationed at the top of the belfry as lookouts, anticipating the police breaking up the Joker's attack on Gotham.
But how Lawrence 'conveniently' survived is just stupid.
After comically jumping from a high platform trying to attack Batman, it's revealed another level beneath the floorboards saved his life.
So after spending six months in traction, the first thing he did was assemble a gang?
BULLSHIT!
Sensibly though, Gordon claiming the police had rounded up all the Joker's men is contradicted.
Parents
Batman confronts Joker about killing his parents, to which he replies "I was a kid when I killed your parents".
That line never made any sense, because Jack Napier had no idea who he'd killed, or who Bruce Wayne was.
Near the end, (before Vicki leaves Gotham for good), he tells her that during a vision, his comments was 'empty bluster'.
"He didn't know I was Batman when he said it. It was just blather on his part. He babbled constantly. The fact that is was accurate was a coincidence.
A stopped clock is right twice a day.
Or a broken one. My mistake was taking any of it seriously."
Wannabe poet didn't 'babble' and even quotes Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven.
"Take thy beak from out of my heart."
Miscellany
Joker's body was taken to an unmarked grave at Castle Hill Cemetery, but because he wasn't an inmate, the GCPD couldn't legally bury him at Blackgate Penitentitary.
Dr. Arthur Davis (the surgeon who treated Joker's face) was the body found and Strange made him look like the Joker to gaslight Batman.
Ahead of the parade, Joker killed Davis to avenge his botched surgery.
Lawrence took Joker's corpse and stored in the basement of the Last Laughs' local tavern, before the GCPD put it under lock and key.
No comments:
Post a Comment