| Review This episode had stink written all over it. It was yet another
Joker-centric episode, this time taking Batman’s place as Gotham’s vigilante? I
could only imagine how this was going to turn out: a half hour of Batman chasing
the Joker, ducking Bat-whoopie cushions and Bat-fart machines. Remarkably, this was yet
another solid episode of The Batman. "The Laughing Bat" opens with Batman chasing down and eventually capturing a
thug. As The Batman wraps him up, we see a pair of headlights in the background,
causing Batman to bolt. Out from the car jumps….Batman? Wait – wasn’t he just
there to capture a thug? And wait, why is the apprehended crook…Joker-fied? he
camera pans up and we see a twisted distortion of the Dark Knight, with that
obvious white chin and voice. "I’m…The Batman!" says Joker. Now that…was cool! To my surprise, the brisk pace of the episode allows for some of the glaring
plot oversights, but allows for maximum enjoyment of the episode’s predicament.
Once The Batman is injected with the Joker’s laughing venom, the episode speeds
along, but does get a bit sidetracked. The Penguin is introduced in the third
act to provide more problems for an already complicated night. He’s an
unnecessary addition that’s given a quick, rushed conclusion to his storyline.
The main focus remains on The Batman and The Joker. What really impressed me about the episode was the design for The Joker’s Batman
costume. It costume was clearly inspired by comic artists Tim Sale and Vince
Giaranno. The way the mask looks, the emblem, the overall looks just seems like
a perfect coming together of those two artists. It’s a great design and it
provides a sharp contrast to the Matsuda-designed Batman costume. The episode even pokes fun at their obviously bad puns that we are usually
saddled with every episode. Even the final duel between Joker and The Batman
centers around a classic "Man walks into a bar…" joke. Overall, the second season continues to roll out enjoyable episodes, making me
wonder just what show I was watching in season one. A fun premise, some great
design work on Joker’s "Batman" costume, a nice cameo by Adam West, and a fun,
fast-paced chase through Gotham, this episode does deliver. With beautiful
animation and an excellent final battle, the punch line is delivered flawlessly.
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