Review

Curious though it might be, the most interesting and most explored interpersonal relationship in Batman’s corner of the DCAU may not be Batman and Robin. Or Batman and Alfred. Or Batman and Batgirl, or Batman and Gordon, or Batman and his parents. No, the most deeply-probed bond between two people would have to be the one shared by the Joker and Harley Quinn. That’s not an assertion I really feel the need to support. The many episodes and comics exploring that connection, from the Eisner Award-winning “Mad Love” to even “The Joker’s Millions” would appear to substantiate the claim. The more interesting question is whether or not there’s anything new to be brought to the table when it comes to Harley and her “puddin’”. Ty Templeton and Rick Burchett give it a shot in Batman Adventures #3’s “My Boyfriend’s Back”. We learned in Batman Adventures #1 that a mixture of Arkham’s more extreme treatments had finally cured the Joker. He’s a now a shell of his former self: docile, caring, thoughtful, and completely harmless. Harley, obviously, is enraged, and embarks on a quest to return the object of her affection to his previous state. Her attempts to deprogram him through violence and crime bear no fruit. Ultimately, it takes a chaotic attack from the League of Assassins, and a little bit of Batman’s help, to restore the status quo. The issue works, primarily because it takes the typical Harley/Joker dynamic, and, just for laughs, turn it upside down and sets it firmly on its own head. This relationship hits new, and unique, notes of hilarity. It’s not the Joker repulsed by Harley’s advances, but Harley, fending off the love of a formerly murderous madman now rendered toothless, and, subsequently, rather boring. Her attempts to restore the Clown Prince of Crime are particularly entertaining, and it’s telling that the one thing it takes to lure him back to insanity is the insinuation that Harley has found someone else… particularly if that someone else is Batman. It’s a satisfying resolution that clicks for all the right reasons. Ty skillfully works in the continuing subplots from previous issues and hits the needed balance between comedy and suspense necessary for all Joker or Harley stories. He deserves special credit for combining the longer storyarc with the standalone story, writing an issue which reads just fine on its own but feels like an indispensable part of a larger whole. Thankfully, Rick Burchett’s pencils sell the story’s peculiar brand of inspired lunacy, with well-staged action sequences and plenty of comedic expressions. Just as inspired is Dan Slott’s backup, “Breathing Room”, which tackles the similarly complicated friendship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. This is a relationship characterized by a seeming one-sidedness which actually disguises a great deal of mutual affection. Dan Slott sells the idea well. Batman Adventures #1 established that Ivy was becoming increasingly plant-like, and this issue carries that trend further. Ivy’s body begins to react violently to her environment, and Slott establishes a nice feeling of tension where the reader is genuinely concerned about her. The solution to Ivy’s problem lies in her changing biology, and involves Harley in a way that ties the pair together in the most physical fashion imaginable. Slott cleverly establishes a tether in which each needs the other to survive, adding a novel dimension to their relationship. One can’t help but wonder where the dynamic goes from here, and that’s exactly the kind of hook that makes the backup so effective. All told, a strong issue, making three for three thus far. Just one more to go before the conclusion to this storyarc…