The Joker / Daffy Duck Special #1 is one of the latest Warner Bros. / DC Comics mashups and it's definitely as "Looney" as the title would suggest. As is usual with all the pairings between WB properties, each issue features two stories - one aimed at teens and adults and another tailormade for the kiddos. The combination makes for an interesting read and attempts to capture two different audiences. Aside from some of the jokes falling flat for me, both adventures work for the most part.
When Daffy Duck pays a call to the Acme corporate headquarters in Gotham City, he finds the company long gone and their abandoned building now occupied by The Joker. With a hit in progress, Daffy tries to sneak away, only to find himself in the clutches of the Clown Prince of Crime. But Joker decides that there’s some potential in this manic bird and forces Daffy to join his gang. Will he find a way to escape… or will he become The Joker’s new right-hand duck in The Joker / Daffy Duck Special #1?
The "mature" tale, "Why Tho Theriouth?," has Daffy drawn like a real duck. Honestly, he could be DC's version of Howard the Duck, if they ever wanted to go that route. I could totally see this incarnation of Daffy getting his own ongoing title and writers doing the whole meta / "break-the-4th wall" thing with him.
"Silence of the Lame," the kid-targeted story, isn't so much easier to wrap your head around. It's the art style that will appeal to children more than anything. The illustrations literally look like Looney Tunes and The New Batman Adventures were thrown in a blender together and this is what came out.
The Joker / Daffy Duck Special #1 will please fans who love both DC Comics and Looney Tunes. The two stories here aren't the greatest. However, seeing "real-life" and cartoon depictions of Daffy hanging out with The Dark Knight's most deadly foes in the same comic book panels will no doubt be enough to thrill folks who grew up on both these franchises.
Scott Lobdell (Teen Titans) wrote "Why Tho Theriouth?" and Brett Booth (The Flash) provided art. "Silence of the Lame" was written by Joey Cavalieri (Looney Tunes) with artwork by Luciano Vecchio (Beware The Batman). The Joker / Daffy Duck Special #1 came out on August 29th and is 49 pages long. It's rated T for Teen and contains violence and some frightening and intense scenes.
