Batman #424: Is It Really That Bad?

Perspective-defying cover art!

If Jason Todd's tenure as Robin was controversial, issue #424 of Batman probably did little to ease the fury that was starting to boil in the hearts of fans. The issue itself has become a bit infamous amongst the comic community, specifically the Batman community, and I can see why that would be the case. There's a lot of interesting, dark, and unforgiving subject matter to be found in these few pages and more than one of them I can see not settling well with readers, even amidst the dark-and-decrepit 80's comic culture.

I purchased a copy of this issue within the last few days because my ever-growing curiosity and love for retro comics is still going strong, and because I also wanted to see the entire story for what it was, in context, rather than just looking at scans of the controversial last two pages and then reading a synopsis.

The story itself centers around the playboy son of a diplomat, Felipe Garzonas, who sexually assaults a woman named Gloria Stanson. Twice. Batman and Robin arrest him after his second assault (the other one is not part of the story but is mentioned to the cops by Gloria), but because his father is a diplomat, Felipe possess diplomatic immunity and can't be held in custody. Evidence for the assault was also limited to Gloria's testimony and a black eye, both of which are discredited by Garzonas. The rest of the story focuses on Batman and Robin's plan to bust Garzonas on drug charges--in particular cocaine--which will be enough to have him deported back to his home country.

I'll discuss the infamous final two pages in a minute, but I first want to look at the rest of the comic, as there's a lot in here that is really good.

Batman: The Animated Series Review

Let's be real: The 90’s were a terrible time for comics.

After achieving the incredible surge in popularity in the 80’s with works like Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's Watchmen, it seemed inevitable that the high would come crashing down. Between the fiasco with Hal Jordan and his Emerald Action Team, Rob Leifeld’s artistic abominations that made him one of the most popular comic book artists of the decade, the drowning of the market in variant and limited edition comics in an attempt to boost value and sales, and the overall grudge-saturated anti-hero violence from Image Comics, the decade managed to paint itself with one hell of a nasty brush. I can’t look at most 90’s comics without getting a headache.

But out of all the muck and mire that swirled around in that cesspool, there were bright spots. Comic book artists, after the split of many of the industry’s most popular that led to the creation of Image Comics, began to gain more creative control over their work. Tim Drake, regarded as the best Robin by many fans, got a solid ten-year-plus tenure and his own comic (yes, I consider this a bright spot) after Jason Todd was...removed from the role.

And of course, 1992 introduced the world to Batman: The Animated Series.

Often ranked one of the greatest animated series of all time by various news outlets (second, in many cases, only to The Simpsons), the show has been praised for its adult tone, clever and intelligent writing, voice acting, and impressive design work. The impact of the show’s story lines and characters have been seen in everything from films to other television shows to even the comics themselves. For many people, this version of Batman is the definitive. The sound of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker still plays in their head whenever they read the comics. The show continues to be loved and cherished by the fans that grew up with it and even newcomers that are looking for something good to sink their teeth into.

I was not one of the lucky souls to be able to experience this show first-hand. By the time I was old enough to comprehend any kind of television other than Sesame Street and The Muppets, it was closer to the 2000’s and I only caught glimpses of the show on Cartoon Network before changing the channel to Spongebob or Rugrats because apparently I was a very shallow child. That being said, I consider myself the ideal candidate to look at this show objectively. I have no nostalgia attached to it and up until this past spring I couldn’t have cared less about how great everyone made it out to be. So with my unabashed love of superheroes and comics now flying through my veins like a potent virus, I spent the last four months--FOUR MONTHS--tackling this show from episode one.

I would love to do an in-depth look at this show, but given the sheer size of it and the fact that this post is already massive, I can only start with a general overview. Maybe one day I will take on a more narrowed and focused review, but this is as detailed as I can get at the moment. Sigh.