[8.8/10] I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Anytime you seen Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s names on an episode, you know you’re in for a treat, and this is no exception. One of the recurring strengths of this series is the way it’s content to give new or secondary characters the spotlight for an installment. The titular “Man Who Killed Batman” turns out to be a bumbling, third-rate goon, barely tolerated by the more capable gangsters, who is so dumb, hapless, and lucky as to have seemingly killed The Dark Knight. Only now, this schnook who dreamed of being a bigshot is scared stiff at all the attention his accidental stunt has brought.
That’s a hell of a premise. Seeing “Sid the Squid” bumble his way through encounters with the likes of Batman, The Joker, and Rupert Thorne lends an air of both comedy and danger to the proceedings. The danger comes from the fact that Sid is waaaaay over his skis here, tangling with figures and forces he has neither the fortitude nor the wits to handle. But that also lends to a sense of humor in the proceedings, both because Sid is kind of a pathetic, amusing figure in and of himself (sort of a cross between Rick Moranis and Kermit the Frog), but also because the rest of the criminal world can’t help but mistake him for a new power player.
There’s an inherent irony to the situation, where Sid dreamed of being a bigtime mob boss, only to quiver and quake and want out when he’s facing the likes of Joker and Thorne. His tale of woe makes for a nice frame story, and the fact that Thorne believes this whole thing has to be a ruse to rub him out since no one could be that stupid and lucky is the icing on the cake.
As usual, though, the best part of the episodes comes when The Joker is on-screen. His efforts to prove that Batman’s dead and to memorialize his biggest foe are outstanding, particularly as he drags poor Sid along. He tries to rob a jewelry story in the hopes that his nine-lives adversary will emerge from the shadows, only to lament that without Batman, “crime doesn't have a punchline.”
That follows right into his brilliant eulogy, setting up both Joker’s sense that he and The Bat need one another in a deranged sort of way, and that he’s angry that he wasn’t the one to deliver his revenge on Batman. The speech Dini writes is tremendous, full of amusing references and bits of wordplay and, as always, Mark Hamill delivers it with a sinister joie de vivre that’s captivating. The touches of Harley Quinn here, from her “fun in funeral” line to her rendition of “Amazing Grace” on kazoo, are just as good.
Timm also shines in the visual department. The episode opens with a simple sequence of Sid running through the rain, selling the panic and urgency before we even know what’s up. The images of the yellow acid boring through Sid’s airtight coffin create tension even though we know Sid survives given that he’s the one telling the frame story. And even Joker, who’s a bit cartoony in design here, feels more wild and expressive than usual.
Naturally, Timm does well with The Bat himself, using lighting and shadows better than any other director to help set a mood and fully explore Batman’s most natural ally in the fight against crime. It’s interesting to see how his other allies react though. We only hear bits and pieces of how Commissioner Gordon’s reacted to the news, but seeing Officer Montoya say “madre de dios”, and even regular Batman critic Harvey Bullock seem downtrodden about the news helps sell the impact of a fact we know can’t be true, and to explore the effect it would have on those in Batman’s orbit, even if this is a fingers-crossed adventure.
The ending to that adventure is superb. It turns out that Batman swung away from the propane fire that makes the goons think Sid killed The Bat. Instead, he’s used his supposed death to trail Sid and piece together the drug ring that Sid was a lowest of low level enforcers for. That choice adds a clockwork piece to Sid’s story, again showing Batman’s talents as a detective and enforcer of himself. And the poetry of Sid going to jail but being treated like a hero for almost offing The Bat, losing his freedom but realizing his dream of being a “bigshot”, is fantastic.
Overall, leave it to Dini and Timm to channel such a unique premise and play it to the hilt. This is another of the sort of creative superhero stories you won’t find anywhere else.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-12-07T21:02:46Z
[8.8/10] I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Anytime you seen Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s names on an episode, you know you’re in for a treat, and this is no exception. One of the recurring strengths of this series is the way it’s content to give new or secondary characters the spotlight for an installment. The titular “Man Who Killed Batman” turns out to be a bumbling, third-rate goon, barely tolerated by the more capable gangsters, who is so dumb, hapless, and lucky as to have seemingly killed The Dark Knight. Only now, this schnook who dreamed of being a bigshot is scared stiff at all the attention his accidental stunt has brought.
That’s a hell of a premise. Seeing “Sid the Squid” bumble his way through encounters with the likes of Batman, The Joker, and Rupert Thorne lends an air of both comedy and danger to the proceedings. The danger comes from the fact that Sid is waaaaay over his skis here, tangling with figures and forces he has neither the fortitude nor the wits to handle. But that also lends to a sense of humor in the proceedings, both because Sid is kind of a pathetic, amusing figure in and of himself (sort of a cross between Rick Moranis and Kermit the Frog), but also because the rest of the criminal world can’t help but mistake him for a new power player.
There’s an inherent irony to the situation, where Sid dreamed of being a bigtime mob boss, only to quiver and quake and want out when he’s facing the likes of Joker and Thorne. His tale of woe makes for a nice frame story, and the fact that Thorne believes this whole thing has to be a ruse to rub him out since no one could be that stupid and lucky is the icing on the cake.
As usual, though, the best part of the episodes comes when The Joker is on-screen. His efforts to prove that Batman’s dead and to memorialize his biggest foe are outstanding, particularly as he drags poor Sid along. He tries to rob a jewelry story in the hopes that his nine-lives adversary will emerge from the shadows, only to lament that without Batman, “crime doesn't have a punchline.”
That follows right into his brilliant eulogy, setting up both Joker’s sense that he and The Bat need one another in a deranged sort of way, and that he’s angry that he wasn’t the one to deliver his revenge on Batman. The speech Dini writes is tremendous, full of amusing references and bits of wordplay and, as always, Mark Hamill delivers it with a sinister joie de vivre that’s captivating. The touches of Harley Quinn here, from her “fun in funeral” line to her rendition of “Amazing Grace” on kazoo, are just as good.
Timm also shines in the visual department. The episode opens with a simple sequence of Sid running through the rain, selling the panic and urgency before we even know what’s up. The images of the yellow acid boring through Sid’s airtight coffin create tension even though we know Sid survives given that he’s the one telling the frame story. And even Joker, who’s a bit cartoony in design here, feels more wild and expressive than usual.
Naturally, Timm does well with The Bat himself, using lighting and shadows better than any other director to help set a mood and fully explore Batman’s most natural ally in the fight against crime. It’s interesting to see how his other allies react though. We only hear bits and pieces of how Commissioner Gordon’s reacted to the news, but seeing Officer Montoya say “madre de dios”, and even regular Batman critic Harvey Bullock seem downtrodden about the news helps sell the impact of a fact we know can’t be true, and to explore the effect it would have on those in Batman’s orbit, even if this is a fingers-crossed adventure.
The ending to that adventure is superb. It turns out that Batman swung away from the propane fire that makes the goons think Sid killed The Bat. Instead, he’s used his supposed death to trail Sid and piece together the drug ring that Sid was a lowest of low level enforcers for. That choice adds a clockwork piece to Sid’s story, again showing Batman’s talents as a detective and enforcer of himself. And the poetry of Sid going to jail but being treated like a hero for almost offing The Bat, losing his freedom but realizing his dream of being a “bigshot”, is fantastic.
Overall, leave it to Dini and Timm to channel such a unique premise and play it to the hilt. This is another of the sort of creative superhero stories you won’t find anywhere else.