DC has published a number of crossovers between characters and universes over the decades, but few of them are quite like this one. Here we have the brooding and gloomy Dark Knight coming face-to-face with a cartoon character who came to fame for saying “I’m hunting wabbits” to millions of children worldwide. The arch-nemesis of one is a murdering maniacal psychopath who laughs at the pain of the victims, while the other is taunted endlessly by a smug lean rabbit with a love of carrots. The worlds of Gotham City and Looney Tunes aren’t exactly similar; how can such an odd thing be workable? The answer lies with Tom King, the writer of certainly the most original Batman runs from 2016 to 2020. King’s brilliance as a writer comes with its sense of dialogue and capturing the personalities and characters of a title. But it’s often done subtlety (when it’s not done so softly his writing occasionally crumbles, as it did with Heroes in Crisis). If any creator can produce such a bizarre concept and deliver it so fascinatingly, it would be Tom King…
Batman/Elmer Fudd was a one-off special published by DC in August 2017. With little link to King’s mainstream stories in Batman (vol 3), Lee Weeks is the artist for the main story here – there is a back-up drawn by Byron Vaughns.
Similarly with annuals published in the 1990s which were attached to events like Elseworlds, Legends of the Dead Earth, or Pulp Heroes, during 2017-2018, DC published several crossovers between the world’s greatest superheroes and the looniest of cartoon characters. While Batman was to meet Elmer Fudd, the Joker runs into Daffy Duck. Some – like Martian Manhunter and Marvin the Martian – may make a degree of sense, while others like Lobo and Road Runner seem utterly bizarre. I suppose Batman and Elmer Fudd must qualify as one of those. Tom King’s main story, Pway for Me, may have a silly title hinting seemingly to a laugh-filled tale, but really it is anything but.
It begins in a sodden Gotham City, and Elmer Fudd is hunting wabbits. Or to put it more accurately, Elmer Fudd is hunting a gangster calling himself Bugs the Bunny. Elmer heads to Porky’s bar, filled with Gothamite versions of those classic Looney Tunes characters. A stuttering Porky Pig is behind the bar, while sitting there is Bugs eating carrots. All of these characters are human, but they contain physical touches and elements which clearly nod towards their cartoon alternatives. Elmer is on the hunt with his shotgun and his plan is to kill Bugs for a murder. The opening pages of dialogue between Elmer Fudd and Bugs is a good scene of back-and-forth between two enemies, and Elmer makes for a good narrator of the story. His words may include humour with his difficulty in pronouncing words, but under that thin veil is a thick layer of sadness and depression about his life. Elmer Fudd was once in love with Silver St. Cloud, a name known to many Batman readers as one of the main character’s many love interests. After her relationship with Bruce Wayne ended, she met Elmer Fudd, and they lived happily ever after. Well, until she was murdered. Fudd wants revenge and he finds her killer in Bugs, but claims he was hired to kill her by none other than Bruce Wayne! Bugs’s lie pays off as Elmer Fudd goes in search of Bruce Wayne – what a classic storyline. It feels like an old Detective Comics-style plot, and that’s helped by the gritty Gotham with its even grittier – but lovable – characters that King has helped create.
Elmer Fudd, in spontaneous Looney Tunes fashion, gatecrashes Wayne Manor to kill Bruce Wayne. Although he shoots the millionaire, his mission is far from successful. Later in the night, Batman confronts Elmer and after a brief comedic battle – whereby we witness the many creative uses Elmer has with a shotgun – the Dark Knight convinces the hunter that Bruce Wayne is innocent.
From here on out it’s like a Brave and the Bold duo – Batman and Elmer Fudd going after Bugs Bunny. They easily find and confront Bugs, but that’s when the story’s big reveal is unleashed! Not only is Silver St. Cloud alive, but she is behind everything! After she left Bruce Wayne, fearing how dangerous his night-time antics could be, she dated Elmer Fudd but found his danger lie in guns and hunting. She wanted both Elmer Fudd and Bruce Wayne to leave her be, so she went out with Bugs and therefore set this whole scheme in motion. In the end she leaves all three of them alone in the bar. Her motives of wanting to escape danger seem very lame and unbelievable. Sure, money would have been the boring and predictable answer, but it would have made more sense than simply wanting to escape any danger. Either way, the final page of the story depicts Batman, Elmer Fudd, and Bugs all as victims of Silver St. Cloud. They are forever trapped – just like their cartoon alternatives – in this way of life. But the big difference is that this world is grim. “That’s all folks”, are the final words spoken by Porky Pig after finding on a sip of carrot juice left in the bottle.
Tom King’s writing is far darker and of a more realistic nature that anything you’d watch or read from Looney Tunes. King’s dialogue can range from comedic to tragic, and his sense of writing different characters adds weight to the story. Elmer Fudd is clearly the star of the piece. Silver St. Cloud and her plan is certainly the story’s Achillies heel – it lacks any kind of emotional depth or logic, making her a pretty dull villain. Yet, despite it’s a deep detective plot and dimly depressive mood, it has all the trappings and natural feel of a Looney Tunes plot. Consistent use of Looney Tunes quotes throughout are placed naturally and entertainingly, while even the fact that the three main characters have been fooled at the end carries irony. Naturally this story is laced with moments of humour, but on a deeper level there is just as much joviality as misery. This is why Tom King is such a great writer – he understands the importance of a story’s tone, but he also considers pacing extremely well. This is, by no means, a long story. But it flies along at such a pace – like an old Looney Tunes cartoon – and its dialogue makes it a quality read.
Lee Weeks briefly had a stint drawing Detective Comics during the mid-1990s, but since then he hasn’t much graced the Dark Knight’s array of titles. Tom King’s run brought him back into the fray, and his dramatic storytelling and downtrodden style of art makes for a grim Gotham City. It looks gritty, but due in part to the inking and to the great colouring, it has the look of a classic nineties title. Weeks’s versions of Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny are nicely done – they are recognisable in human form, but the exaggerated features don’t overwhelm the artwork. While it does have those wonderful moments and scenes of animation in a nod to the cartoon-style of art, more often it has a drab and depressing look which does fit at home with a story like this one.
Pway for Me may be a full-length story, but it isn’t the only one in the Batman/Elmer Fudd special. Rabbit Season is perhaps the kind of tale many readers would have been expecting in the first place. After all, it is set in the world of Looney Tunes during rabbit season! Byron Vaughns captures Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in their classic appearances faultlessly as the hunter hunts the rabbit! Bugs Bunny tricks Elmer Fudd by changing nearby signs from ‘Rabbit Season’ to ‘Bat Season.’ With a bat-signal, Bugs Bunny summons Batman, himself translated so fantastically into cartoon form. Elmer keeps firing his puny shotgun at the Dark Knight, who even enlists the help of Calendar Man to try and prove to Elmer Fudd that it’s actually rabbit season. In the end, Batman escapes the fate of a shotgun as Bugs once again changes the signs to show ‘Robin Season.’ With Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne all on the scene, they retreat in fear of Elmer Fudd.
In contrast with the previous and darker story, this one is hilarious and is so faithful to the original Looney Tunes cartoons. It’s surrealist style and daft dialogue make Rabbit Season a lovely back-up – any longer then such a concept would exhaust itself out.
VERDICT
Overall, Batman/Elmer Fudd may surprise readers. It isn’t an obsessively light-hearted or comedic story, but nor is it tiresomely dark and miserable. It strikes a balance – its detective plot sits right at home in Gotham City, and King’s translation of classic characters is done gracefully and even powerfully with Elmer Fudd. It may not be as near-light-hearted as a Looney Tunes cartoon, but it does have the trappings of the animated show. The only flaw of value is a plain and dull villainess. But alongside such a charming supplementary tale, Tom King’s one-off is a great little one-off tale, but hardly a part of his monolithic Batman run…
Next Week: Justice League of America: Second Coming (Justice League of America (vol 2) 22-26). Written by Alan Burnett and Dwayne McDuffie with art by Ed Benes, Prentis Rollins, Rodney Ramos, and Derek Fridolfs.
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