Here's another one from the mid-80's team of Mike W. Barr and Alan Davis in which lurks one of my favorite interpretations of The Joker. As the issue opens, Batman and Robin are on the trail of nine burglars wearing identical cat costumes as they're about to steal a fancy catscan machine. Now, logic tells me the gang should clearly be called "The Cat o' Nine Tails Gang" or something like that, but nowhere in the book does it mention that, nor does it mention whether Batman and Robin have faced them before. Anywho, the heroes take most of them down, some with kinky results (see below), all but their leader who gets himself a hostage. Batman acts surprisingly douchey here, even though he knows the thug would be taken down. If I were the security guard hostage, my britches would have been soiled.
Catwoman appears from the shadows and takes down the gang leader, and they all retreat to the roof where Bats and Cats engage in some vigorous flirting while they make Robin watch.
Next, we arrive at the abandoned Jester Novelties building to meet the Joker. As I've mentioned, I love this particular version of him. You can practically hear Mark Hamill exclaiming his opening lines: "Bah! All is wormwood and bitter vetch! My genius has flown...my inspiration is gone!" Who talks like that but a campy comic book supevillain, and I'm all for it. Joker is looking for a perfect scheme to inspire him, and who should help but his trusty sidekick, introduced here for the first time! Nope, not Harley Quinn. Not Punchline. Not even Gaggy the dwarf. Here we have a chubby, middle-aged dude named Straight Line. His main shtick is dressing in various, usually movie inspired, costumes and making occasionally racist stereotypes. Needless to say, I don't think he ever returned after this story line.
Since the word is out that Batman and Robin have been fighting crime alongside Catwoman, the three of them heed the Batsignal and drop in on Commissioner Gordon in a very Adam West-ian scene. You see, the Joker has left a playing card with a baffling clue on the back, which the heroes eventually decipher that he plans to steal a rare joke book from the Gotham Public Library. Upon hearing this, Robin goes full Burt Ward, and promptly receives a smackdown from Batman. While this was 1986, a a few years before Tim Burton's Batman film, the character was getting quite a grim n' gritty makeover elsewhere nowadays via Frank Miller. It probably seemed like a hip and clever wink at the time to bash the 1966 television series. Joel Schumacher of course would use a similar "gag" in 1995's Batman Forever as well.
A fight ensues at the Library, which includes a fun bit which I'm sure has been utlized before, where thugs mistake a shadowy version of DaVinci's flying machine for Batman. Anyway, the Joker kidnaps Catwoman and B & R are ensnared in what are essentially giant Chinese finger traps.
The next scene at the Joker's hideout reveals another reason why I like him so much. He apparently has his very own talk show set. With his thugs in the audience, a still unconscious Catwoman sitting next to him, and Straight Line as Ed MacMahon, he welcomes his guest, Dr. Moon. Joker is tired of Catwoman fighting for the side of virtue and wants to use one of the Doctor's doohickeys to zap her brain and turn her back into the princess of plunder again. Back at the library, Batman uses some meditation to escape the binding trap and then releases Robin, just as Selina is being zapped by the evil inducing catscan machine! All in all, a fun issue from the 80's. Love that Joker! Until next time, catch you by the spinner rack!
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