Given the sorts of criminals and situations they deal with, that sort of punnage would have to be their version of M*A*S*H style gallows humour. And I, for one, usually enjoy it at least a little bit. Of course, I also get a kick out of Xanth novels.
Excessive gimmick-related punnage is a part of the DC Universe. The real problem is the severe lack of lamp-shading and/or self-awareness about it. Too often, they just do it or don’t do it nonchalantly, and a lot of potential storytelling polish is wasted.
Maybe he is flipping off the audience. Maybe he decided Batman’s joke was too subtle to convey the hatred they feel for their viewers and that a more blunt gesture was in order.
I don’t flip my hand around when I give the middle finger over my shoulder. It’s really awkard to do so, and it’s not like Batman’s wondering, “huh, I wonder what he means by that” just because it’s facing the other way.
But….But the back of your hand facing behind you when you hold it up is the -relaxed- position. It literally takes less effort to flip someone off over your shoulder. When you flip off someone in front of you, you actually have to twist your arm around to point at them.
I just spent several minutes and I still don’t know what you want him to do to flip someone off over their shoulder w/o turning his hand that is less work then merely raising hand and extending finger.
Also that’s the way I flip off someone behind me. well that or I drop my hands to my side and flip ‘em off.
When your arms are at rest dangling at your sides, the palms are typically facing at least partially behind you. When you raise your hand from that position without taking the effort to pivot your forearm – such as one raises one’s hand to answer a question in school, or to wave at someone – your palm is facing forward and the back of your hand is facing behind you.
Thus the more relaxed position of the arm to flip someone off behind you is arguably with the palm forward. However, it seems to me that when you do that with the arm only partially raised that it places slightly more tension on the tendons to make a fist with the palm forward. When fully extended upwards, though, there does seem to be more effort involved with having the palm facing behind you.
I loved the Clock King. Felt so bad for him that I actually hope he succeeded in his plan to kill the mayor. Felt the same way about the Mad Hatter too. Maybe deep down I’m a sociopath/psychopath.
I always loved AND hated the end of this episode. that pun was so creepy and telling… but you know that batman was having some fun with a bit of gallows humor.
i mean hell, you’re looking at a destroyed building – completely crushed – after saving the freaking mayor from being killed in really a horrible way. everyone around you is creeped out because this guy seemingly appeared out of nowhere and caused trouble and then vanished because of some control over time itself….
and then batman puns. EVERYONE would stop what their doing, look at him, look at the building, crap their pants, and then maybe whimpers. this time god will be back, and batman notified them with a goddamn pun.
Thanks to the pervasiveness of cartoon/comic characters with only four digits per hand, I really thought he was just pointing his index finger up the first several times I looked at this. Maybe using it to motion Batman to come towards him. …Then finally it registered in my brain that the finger on the left was not his thumb.
ΣB| YEAHHHHHHHH!
Ultimate fakeout… I thought Batman was going to get the shades out, there.
And for that fakeout and the thousands of nerds going: “awwwwwwww” in disappointment… Damn you Willis!
( •_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)
“Your pun was bad and you should fee bad!”
ΣB| YEAHHHHHHH!
damnit site lag! [sorry for the dupe, you can delete it Dave]
Okay, ya,lame pun, but is there anything else that he could have said to end the episode on? I await the puns!
Lemme think…..
“I don’t know, commissioner. I think he may have…clocked out.”
“Only time will tell.”
“We really cleaned his clock.”
“He may get a second chance.”
“There is a minute probability.”
“I’m sure he’ll give the mayor a nervous tick.”
“He’s probably smoking a BONG as we speak.”
“I’m gonna clean your clock” was earlier in the episode.
On the one hand, he might be gone for good, but on the SECOND HAND he might come back TIME and TIME again.
Bird to the bat.
Robin’s True origin story.
Not seeing his parents killed by Tony Zucco?
*insert snippets from The Who song here* There with that obligatory gag out of the way, Gordon looked like he’s giving the pointer finger.
May the Quartz be with you.
Batman trained for years to you know the end of this joke.
I wonder how often Gordon has been sorely tempted to do this in canon. It has to be pretty often.
I like to imagine that every time Bats disappears on Gordon, Gordon disgruntledly flips the bird to the open window after the scene ends.
The real reason Bruce Wayne has a secret identity is so that no one can link these terrible puns back to him.
Winner winner chicken dinner.
Yeah, not his best moment
They should totally hire you to bring back the DCAU. Your art is spot on.
Batman’s the best at being drawn properly.
That art is scary good.
Ditto. Especially Gordon.
Not shown: The Joker in the background just shaking his head.
The Schwarzenegger Mr. Freeze, however, is diligently taking notes.
Joker: “I may be smiling now, but I’m dying on the inside.”
“Oh, I am serious. Look… this is my serious face.”
This is the only time when Batman has it coming
I’M BATMAN
Gordon’s actually pissed because we don’t see Clock King again until JLU.
Ehhh…. “Time Out of Joint?”
Clearly I’ve been watching too much Batman: The Brave and the Bold because that pun didn’t even phase me.
They’re talking about my avatar.
Yes, yes they are.
Well dang, that’s a really good resemblance to TAS Batman.
I don’t think we’ll see the Clock King again, but of course, we have to watch it.
You basically just pulled a “Twitter: The Comic” on yourself.
http://twitterthecomic.tumblr.com/
Your wit knows no bounds.
HEY! Flip him off, not us! Jerk…
I see I’m not the only one that noticed this.
Indeed you were not… ^^
Not a fan of puns I see…
Considering what Gotham snipers will do for ice puns…
Given the sorts of criminals and situations they deal with, that sort of punnage would have to be their version of M*A*S*H style gallows humour. And I, for one, usually enjoy it at least a little bit. Of course, I also get a kick out of Xanth novels.
Excessive gimmick-related punnage is a part of the DC Universe. The real problem is the severe lack of lamp-shading and/or self-awareness about it. Too often, they just do it or don’t do it nonchalantly, and a lot of potential storytelling polish is wasted.
I saw this episode just a week or two again randomly on TV and…well, that was my reaction too.
I always loved how Kevin Conroy turned those horrible puns into thriller-y, suspenseful episode closers.
His hand should be facing the other way. The way it’s drawn, it looks like he’s flipping off the audience.
This.
Would *YOU* dare to flip off the Batman?
NO.
The whole joke is about flipping Batman off. Also, it’s Commissioner Gordon, Batman won’t hurt him.
Maybe he is flipping off the audience. Maybe he decided Batman’s joke was too subtle to convey the hatred they feel for their viewers and that a more blunt gesture was in order.
That’s stupid. If you clicked the link in the description (It goes here: https://twitter.com/damnyouwillis/status/306188442826575872 ), you’d know he’s specifically supposed to flip off Batman.
I don’t flip my hand around when I give the middle finger over my shoulder. It’s really awkard to do so, and it’s not like Batman’s wondering, “huh, I wonder what he means by that” just because it’s facing the other way.
But….But the back of your hand facing behind you when you hold it up is the -relaxed- position. It literally takes less effort to flip someone off over your shoulder. When you flip off someone in front of you, you actually have to twist your arm around to point at them.
My point is you’re weird.
I just spent several minutes and I still don’t know what you want him to do to flip someone off over their shoulder w/o turning his hand that is less work then merely raising hand and extending finger.
Also that’s the way I flip off someone behind me. well that or I drop my hands to my side and flip ‘em off.
When your arms are at rest dangling at your sides, the palms are typically facing at least partially behind you. When you raise your hand from that position without taking the effort to pivot your forearm – such as one raises one’s hand to answer a question in school, or to wave at someone – your palm is facing forward and the back of your hand is facing behind you.
Thus the more relaxed position of the arm to flip someone off behind you is arguably with the palm forward. However, it seems to me that when you do that with the arm only partially raised that it places slightly more tension on the tendons to make a fist with the palm forward. When fully extended upwards, though, there does seem to be more effort involved with having the palm facing behind you.
Flipping off someone behind you is friggin’ easy, and if I was Batman in the fourth panel I would be a bit confused.
Yeah, I was wondering why Gordon was flipping me off when it was Batman who’d made the soul-decaying pun.
“… Also, I’m Batman.”
I loved the Clock King. Felt so bad for him that I actually hope he succeeded in his plan to kill the mayor. Felt the same way about the Mad Hatter too. Maybe deep down I’m a sociopath/psychopath.
I agree with some of the above comments, this one was drawn amazingly well, dead-on for both characters. Especially the close-up at the end.
I won’t lie, I was totally waiting for him to say “I’m batman” in response to Gordon’s bird…
Why is Gordon flipping me off? I didn’t say it! Batman did!
Gorgeous art.
Flipping people off for bad puns? Eh.
I guess it’s just not my comedy.
Also, why are we getting the finger?
This was my favorite episode next to the Mr. Freeze one, because it took a total joke of a character and made him into something amazing.
I always loved AND hated the end of this episode. that pun was so creepy and telling… but you know that batman was having some fun with a bit of gallows humor.
i mean hell, you’re looking at a destroyed building – completely crushed – after saving the freaking mayor from being killed in really a horrible way. everyone around you is creeped out because this guy seemingly appeared out of nowhere and caused trouble and then vanished because of some control over time itself….
and then batman puns. EVERYONE would stop what their doing, look at him, look at the building, crap their pants, and then maybe whimpers. this time god will be back, and batman notified them with a goddamn pun.
If you give The Batman a straight line like that, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Willis, is there a site where I can submit fanfics?
Thanks to the pervasiveness of cartoon/comic characters with only four digits per hand, I really thought he was just pointing his index finger up the first several times I looked at this. Maybe using it to motion Batman to come towards him. …Then finally it registered in my brain that the finger on the left was not his thumb.
All right, all right…. that’s a really good one.
Gordon must have been really annoyed by all the puns Batman made. Especially as he never got to make any himself.