Daffy Does Gotham
Writer: Scott Lobdell and Joey CavalieriArt Team: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse, and Luciano Vecchio
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 29, 2018
Well, they're back folks, the DC and Looney Tunes crossovers you just can't get enough of. I kid of course. If told me that DC would be going onto their fourth different set of these crossovers a couple years ago I would have likely called you crazier than the Joker himself. Fast forward time and we're looking straight down the barrel of a Joker Daffy Duck crossover now, that actually has me mildly intrigued out of morbid curiosity if nothing else. So let's jump into this and get right to just what happens when crazy meets crazier.
The issue starts off in classic Joker fashion, with him telling a few jokes about Batman to an audience full of Jokerized individuals, as Batman rushes to the scene. Before our hero can do anything, however, Joker and some of his gang slip out the back of the building and into a nearby food truck, slipping Batman's grasp just in time. A fine setup with some good looking art by Brett Booth, who I miss on an ongoing DC title, but where does Daffy fit into all of this?
Daffy pops up next, screaming into the recorded phone system of the world famous ACME company. When Daffy gets nowhere on the phone, and really who does with these 800 numbers, he decides to take matters into his own hands and pays a visit to the scamming culprits personally ... unfortunately for Daffy ACME headquarters is located in Gotham City. As a character, overall Daffy acts like Daffy in any scenes he appears, and if you can get past the 'Daffy speak' dialogue, which can be difficult to interpret at times in this Story, I think you'll find some enjoyment when the character appears on the page.
Our two title characters end up meeting next, as ACME headquarters is ironically also serving as the Joker's hideout currently. Daffy, through clumsiness of his own, ends up being recruited into the Jokers cause after some quick thinking, and then ultimately is hired to whip Joker's henchmen into place, until he sees its headed for a bad bad place. Daffy then decides to take action, using the Joker's plan against himself, eventually leading to his capture by Batman.
Just when you think our boy Daffy might weasel out a happy ending for once in his life, he ends up being own undoing. When overhearing a conversation between Batman and Gordon he loses his cool, winds up revealing too much about his role in Joker's plot, ultimately getting himself sent off to the Asylum, with the very Crown Prince of Crime he just betrayed.
In typical crossover fashion, for the inflated price and page count, you also get a backup story in the book that is 'done in the style of' a Looney Tunes cartoon or comic book. The second story, however, is a little too meta and over the top to be enjoyable if you ask me. While I found the first story to be entertaining and worth my time the second one actually might make me question making the full $4.99 investment this book calls for. I just found no laughs or enjoyment there.
As a whole, I found the Joker/Daffy Duck crossover to be a solid effort, for at least the first story involved, although it was a bit predictable. I enjoyed Brett Booth's art, and the idea of Daffy working for Joker was just ridiculous enough for me to find it enjoyable, even though it doesn't last very long in the big picture of it all. I'm not sure I'd go out on a limb and recommend everyone chase this book down to pick it up, but if your buddy grabs it and wants to share his digital code, or you just read the first story in this title at their house I think you'll find some fun to be had.
Bits and Pieces:
Although the premise of this story is just over the top enough to be enjoyable, it doesn't have a lot of meat on its bones, or even stick around very long, becoming a little to bit predictable by the end. However paired with some good art by Brett Booth, the Joker/Daffy crossover's first story is worth a glance, but the second story is a pass, making the whole package may be not worth it for $4.99.
6.5/10
