“The Funniest Thing Happened...”
Creative Team:
Chuck Dixon – Writer
Tom Lyle- Penciller
Bob Smith – Inker
It was a no-brainer for DC Comics to follow-up their successful Robin miniseries. Considering the first one was a hit, they milked this cow for all its worth, in the form of variant covers, with holograms to boot. The quality of these so-called 'enhancements' leave a lot to be desired though, since the holographic image was processed from a 2-D drawing instead of a sculpted image. The result is a flat, boring image. The artists they chose to do the variants are also very hit-and-miss. However, the regular, un-enhanced covers are brilliantly done by Kevin Maguire, ably stepping in for Brian Bolland. Okay, enough marketing talk. What about the story? I gotta admit, the concept is very cool: Tim's first encounter with the Joker, who, remember, murdered Tim's predecessor Jason Todd. For the umpteenth time, the Joker escapes Arkham Asylum and kidnapped Osgood Pellinger, a computer genius, in order to plunge Gotham into a technological-induced Chaos. The story takes place during the “Idiot Root” storyline in which Batman went to South America. So, Robin's alone. This issue also introduced us to Ives and Hudson, Tim's nerdy high-school buddies, along with Karl Ranck, the residentjock. You can't tell from their appearance here, but all three would play a huge part in later stories. Anyway, Tim investigates Dr. Pellinger, and his first meeting with the Joker is unsettling indeed. The issue ends with Tim wondering what would happen if the Joker realize that Batman is not in Gotham...
A solid effort for a first issue. In fact, with an interesting premise and better production values, i'd say its better than the previous mini. Once again, it's always good to see Tim interacting with Batman's supporting cast, and remember, he was still a newbie, so Commisisoner Gordon's 'disappointment' to see Robin without his mentor is understandable, especially since there's a Grade-A wacko on the loose. Tim's banter with Alfred never fails to amuse. Tim's a reasonable enough fella to realize that he's not prepared to deal with a heavyweight like the Joker. (It's good, now and again, to see a hero readily admitting he's way over his head) And this is probably the first time we see a psychoanalysis of the Tim/Robin identity (which Dixon would explore more fully in the ongoing series) Yeah! The Dixon/Lyle/Smith team returns! Great story, great art. The only complaint I have is the shameless marketing strategy.
Classic Moments:
that Joker…. What a crazy guy
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