BATMAN: LOVERS AND MADMEN

BATMAN: LOVERS AND MADMEN
Written by Michael Green
Art and cover by Denys Cowan and John Floyd

I am such a sucker for Batman. Really. I was intrigued by this book. I like the show Heroes quite a bit and figured that a writer from there could do some interesting things with the Batman/Joker Dynamic.

Holy hell was I wrong. This quite possibly is the worst Batman story I have ever read. At least it is the worst I remember reading, as I am sure I have blocked out many others through the years. I loathe the implications of this story.

The set up is the first meeting of Batman and Joker. I am in no way opposed to seeing this retold if done competently and with a fresh angle. This though is just ridiculous. And as I do not advise anyone go near this atrocity I will spoil away without regard. Within this book a man named Jack sits at a bar flirting with a bartender named Leeny. And it is one of the most blatant attempts to make me slit my wrists that I have ever come across. See, Jack is actually Joker before the makeup and madness and Leeny is a pre Harley Quinn college student toiling away trying to make a buck. And the kicker is that Leeny convinces Jack to do the job where he is transformed into the Joker!!111!!!!

Yes, that really happens. I can almost see the moment of self imposed genius that brought this about: "Wait, Joker's craziness infected Harley Quinn and made her into her zany self, right? But what if, without knowing, she pushed him to become the Joker. Wouldn't that just be amazing!" And here you have a small snap shot of just what is wrong with the comic book industry today. It is far too interested in shoring up the past in retelling stories rather than creating new mythologies. Why bother to do that when they can pander to a diminishing audience?

The art here is about the only thing that redeems this book at all. But this is not Cowan's best Batman work. It is just leaps and bounds better than the high concept story that lacks any redeeming substance. I take that back. The very start of htis book has Batman almost believing that he can lay down his tights, that he is capable of winning his war. It is a nice character moment. One that as a reader you know will only end badly. But never in my wildest dreams did I think it could end this badly.

Avoid this book at all costs, as it is dreadful and discounts the intelligence of the reader.