Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Joe Chill

Post by Jabroniville »

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JOE CHILL (Joe Chilton)
Created By:
Bill Finger & Bob Kane
First Appearance: Detective Comics #33 (Nov. 1939)
Role: The Origin Story
Group Affiliations: None
PL 7 (67)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7)
Expertise (Criminal) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 5 (+6)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 1 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Pistol +5), Ranged Attack 3

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Gun +8 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (67)

-The history of Joe Chill is long, arduous and pretty complicated, as various writers over the years have screwed around with the backstory of just how Bruce Wayne's parents died. A simple "A random crook did it" storyline just isn't enough sometimes, and of course it's the perfect thing for various writers to just dive in and elaborate upon it.

-The weird thing about all this to me is that my impression was that the story was "An anonymous mugger killed the Waynes, and Batman had devoted his life to stamping out crime IN GENERAL because of this. Like, the killer was never found. Batman: The Animated Series runs on this premise- we never find out more on the guy. So to me, the character is SYMBOLIC. Like a lot of things in the Bat-Mythos, he represents something. Chill is effectively the manifestation of "Crime" itself- a faceless, brutish figure full of thoughtless violence. Maybe brought on by poverty, recklessness, addiction, or whatever- it wasn't quite important. All that needed to happen was for this random chaotic force of evil to luck into finding a lady with a nice necklace.

-So yeah, I was an adult when I heard of this "Joe Chill" and I just took him for a random Pre-Crisis oddity that was later written out. I certainly wasn't expecting a bio THIS involved, even now!

Wrinkle #1:
-Chill's debut itself is "added backstory", regardless- kind of a sign of things to come. Batman had initially debuted with no origin story, so a few months later, Kane & Finger are like "oh, here it is". Turns out that Thomas & Martha Wayne were walking with their young son Bruce, when a thug came out of the shadows and demanded Martha's pearls. Thomas argued with the man, and soon both Waynes were shot dead in front of an unfortunate Bruce, who swears to rid Gotham of such evil. Though in stories up until the '70s, apparently Martha had died of a heart attack brought on by the shock of Thomas's death. The mugger was anonymous at first, but NINE YEARS LATER, we get his name- "Joe Chill". Batman investigates Chill as a small-time crime boss and immediately recognizes him. Accusing Chill of the murders, Batman reveals his identity to the disbelieving villain. A terrified Chill flees and runs to his men to reveal what had happened, and hilariously, the men are so upset that he created Batman that they gun him down. Batman then arrives and knocks them men out, just as they're like "aw shit, we should have asked him who Batman really was", and Chill dies in Batman's arms, acknowledging that the Dark Knight got his revenge after all.

Wrinkle #2:
-In 1956, Batman learns that Chill was no mere mugger, but actually a HITMAN, working for crime boss Lew Moxon, who had a grudge against Thomas. This makes Batman realize why he was spared- to make it look more like a mugging gone wrong than a planned murder.

Wrinkle #3:
-Eventually, it's learned that he has a brother named Max, who was initially thought to have killed Boston Brand, turning him into Deadman. Another man was responsible, however. Max died in a fight involving Batman.

Wrinkle #4:
-We learn in 1969 that both Joe & Max were actually named "Chilton", and that their mother was actually the housekeeper to Bruce's uncle Philip Wayne, who was Bruce's primary guardian upon the deaths of his parents. And Bruce still visits an elderly "Mom Chilton", who actually knows that he is Batman and is proud of him. Bruce is unaware of her lineage, but she knows that both her sons died fighting Batman, and mourns them. Alfred IS aware of this connection, but doesn't share it for whatever reason.

Wrinkle #5:
-Chill appears in a Post-Crisis Retcon Story Batman: Year Two in 1987, as a "button man" working with Gotham's mob bosses to kill the Reaper, a murderous vigilante. And Batman, desperate to also stop the Reaper, actually makes an alliance with the bosses, and at their insistence, HE has to work with Chill! Disgusted, Batman justifies it to himself and vows to murder Chill himself afterwards. Chill has also been hired to kill Batman after the deed is done, as well. However, all the crime bosses & Reaper are later gunned down, so Chill is like "forget it". But then Batman takes Chill down to Crime Alley, where his parents died, and again reveals everything to the crook. Taking off his cowl and pulling a gun, Batman prepares to execute Chill, but then the Reaper turns up, alive, executing Chill himself. It's left ambiguous as to whether or not Batman would have pulled the trigger.

Wrinkle #6:
-In 1991, it's revealed that Joe has a son, Joe Jr. And Joe Jr. becomes the new "Reaper" in an attempt to drive Batman insane as revenge for Joe's death. He uses illusions and hallucinogens to try and break Bruce's will, but Robin intervenes. Batman thus learns to let go of his hatred of Chill.

Wrinkle #7:
-A Zero Hour crossover sees Batman in an alternate timeline where HE was killed by the mugger, not his parents. Investigating, Batman discovers that Chill is innocent. He returns to the modern one, now deeply unsure whether the same holds true in his reality. Ultimately, he concludes that it makes no difference regarding his crimefighting career.

Wrinkle #8:
-For whatever reason, the Mass of Retcons in Infinite Crisis #6's "Superman Punches Reality" scene includes a bit that says Chill did indeed kill the Waynes, but was arrested on that same night.

Wrinkle #9:
-In a story "recalled" via hallucinations (so it's up in the air whether it happend at all), Grant Morrison reinterprets Chill as a mid-level crime boss who had forged a business through illegal means. Holed up in a warehouse, he is mentally tortured by Batman, who visits and terrifies Chill every night, before ultimately leaving him the gun that killed the Waynes, with a single bullet in the chamber. Chill realizes what this means and who Batman is- it's implied in the story that he uses the gun to commit suicide, fearing what will happen if the rest of the underworld discovers that he's responsible for creating their greatest enemy.

Wrinkle #10:
-In the "New 52" continuity, an 18-year-old Bruce Wayne tracks Chill down and holds him at gunpoint, demanding to know who hired him to kill his parents. Chill responds that he just wanted Martha Wayne's pearls so he could buy alcohol and that he didn't even know who the Waynes were until the next day. Enraged that Chill killed his parents for no good reason, Bruce prepares to kill him, but relents at the last minute when he realizes that his father would not have wanted that. After sparing Chill's life, Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham City and begins training to fight crime, vowing that he will make sure what Chill did never happens to anyone else. Yes I just copied this directly from Wikipedia- it's as good as any summation!

Wrinkle #11:
-In the "Rebirth" continuity, it turns out that Chill has been in jail all this time. Dying of Stage 4 cancer, he is kidnapped by a pair of Jokers (yes this is when there's three of them) and forced to reveal why he killed the Waynes. He confesses that he was poor and hated the rich, blaming people like the Waynes. But when he saw young Bruce, he realized his mistake. The "Criminal" Joker plans on dunking Chill in the Lazarus Pit with Joker Venom in order to make the "Ultimate Joker", but Batman intervenes and forgives him. Chill thus realizes who Batman is, and on his deathbed, the two men shake hands, giving Batman closure.

So, um, Yeah:
-It's kind of funny that they've managed to retcon and alter this story ELEVEN FRIGGIN' TIMES and yet I've never once read a story featuring Joe Chill in it, save for recaps of the origin story.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Sep 05, 2021 7:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
RainOnTheSun
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Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 7:20 am

Re: Jab’s Builds (Batman! Adam West! Alfred! Commissioner Gordon!)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Ares wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:31 am Gordon is one of those characters that is genuinely important to the Batman mythos.

For one thing, he legitimizes Batman's existence, making it clear that he's a hero fighting for the law rather than a vigilante subverting he law. The fact that Gordon works with Batman to solve crimes beyond the police's abilities shows that Batman does value the law and wants to work with it whenever possible, and only strays outside of the law when the law fails to see justice done.
Gordon doesn't just legitimize Batman, he legitimizes the police. In a city as famously and historically corrupt as Gotham, Gordon being in charge is a sign that, as bad as the GCPD was before he and Batman showed up, it's been cleaned up and it's a real force for good now. Not a very competent force for good, or else Batman would have less to do, but still, they try.

Lots of people have observed that Batman wouldn't work in the real world, but we could use some more Gordons.
Thorpocalypse
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Earth-Two Robin & Huntress! Modern Batman!)

Post by Thorpocalypse »

Ares wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:41 pm
Jack of Spades wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 6:54 pm Bonus points for the use of Sue.
I feel like any good Elongated Man story needs to be equally about Ralph and Sue. They're one of the most down to Earth couples in DC and they just enjoy doing everything together. So when they're out doing mystery stuff, Sue would want to be involved with more than just booking the hotels and what not. I figure she does a lot of the research, some of the leg work and probably provides distractions for Ralph to get into places. After all, most people will be paying attention to the superhot short lady when she wants them to . . . unless Ralph needs HER to do something sneaky, in which case he makes sure everyone is paying attention to the stretchy superhero.

Like any good married couple, they're a team.
I completely disagree. I think characters are far better when they are single. If it were me, I'd have Ralph make a deal with Neron and have him sacrifice his marriage to Sue in order to go back to Elongated Man stories where he can have flings with Huntress, Catwoman and Wonder Woman that feel weird and unnecessary. :twisted:

Dante, I told you to keep Didio away from keyboard!!!
Me fail English? That's unpossible. - Ralph Wiggum
Skavenger
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Batman! Adam West! Alfred! Commissioner Gordon!)

Post by Skavenger »

Any attempt to make Joe Chill more than just a "random mugger" almost completely delegitimizes Batman's quest, in my eyes. You could make a very strong case against the existence of Joe Chill in general, but it causes a problem. The moment Bill Finger and Bob Kane put down "someone with a gun killed Bruce Wayne's parents" it sparks the question of "who was it? Did Batman ever solve the original case that drove him to train with ninjas and throw bat-shaped metal knives at people?" That's a question that would have to be addressed at some point between giant typewriters of death and murderous sudoku puzzles, either because "yes, he solved it, he got closure, so now he's just doing all this for the sake of fighting crime and isn't as driven" or "no, he never solved it, so all this is just stuff he does between working on the one ORIGINAL case."

For my money, all the stuff about Batman being raised by Joe Chill's mother, the mob boss who got off for setting up the hit because he had amnesia but didn't forget he was a mob boss, the brothers, even the fact that in the Batman Beyond comic they established that Terry Mcginnis's father was killed by Joe Chill's grandson (lol wut), that can all go in the bin. It's not necessary. The only important relationship is between Bruce Wayne and Joe Chill.

But, of course, comics are designed to never end, so they'll have to revisit that well eventually and build it up because, sigh, "COMICS."

But I will say, as much as I hated the Three Jokers storyline, it had one interesting twist in it. The idea that the Joker, knowing Batman's secret identity, knew that he would never be Batman's greatest "enemy" because the man who caused him to BECOME Batman was out there, set up a whole elaborate plan to a) reveal that Joe Chill wrote Bruce Wayne numerous letters during his time in prison to beg for his forgiveness, and b) get Bruce Wayne to finally forgive the man who killed his parents, giving him a sense of closure, that this would finally push Joker up to the rank of "Batman's greatest enemy."

Not because the Joker needed anything else to make him Batman's most dangerous foe, that's ridiculous. But I think the idea of Joe Chill seeking redemption, being a model prisoner, and finally having a chance to be forgiven by Batman/Bruce Wayne speaks a lot to the very core idea of what Batman is, and that's an eternal optimist who believes anybody can be redeemed. It's why he doesn't kill, it's why he keeps taking people to a hospital for treatment instead of just to prison, and why he keeps reaching out to minor criminals and gives them a chance to either "leave before what you've done crosses the line" (that female carpenter who designs bad guy lairs comes to mind) or helps former criminals find jobs as Bruce Wayne.

If Batman, through all his actions, gets the guy who killed his parents and began this whole mission for justice to turn his life around and be better, it justifies every other attempt he's made to help "criminals" become better people and inspires him to keep doing it not out of justice, but out of compassion. His drive to help the Two-Faces, the Poison Ivys, the Orcas, the Crazy Quilts, the Mad Hatters, it's not pointless, and the system he fights to defend every night does work.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Batman! Adam West! Alfred! Commissioner Gordon!)

Post by Jabroniville »

GUYS IDINA MENZEL IS DOING A MUSIC VIDEO WEARING LEATHER PANTS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MkWIpk ... aMusicVEVO

AND HIGH HEELS.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Lew Moxon

Post by Jabroniville »

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LEWIS MOXON
Created By:
Bill Finger & Sheldon Moldoff
First Appearance: Detective Comics #235 (Nov. 1956)
Role: Crime Boss
Group Affiliations: None

-Lew Moxon is a recurring "Crimeboss" character going back to around the beginning of the Silver Age, and actually debuted as a massive revelation to the very origins of Batman. It seems that years ago, Thomas Wayne was abducted at gunpoint from a costume party (naturally, dressed as a giant bat) to perform surgery on an injured Moxon, at this point a bankrobber. Wayne does as he's told, but overpowers his abductors and escapes- Moxon is then arrested for armed robbery, swearing vengeance. And as soon as he's released, ten years later, he makes good on his threat- he friggin' hires Joe Chill to murder the Waynes! So HE'S actually responsible for Batman's origin! Naturally, in this 1956 story, Batman discovers Moxon's culpability in the crime and attempst to have him arrested. However, the aging Moxon suffers from amnesia and thus passes a lie detector test- Batman eventually dresses in his father's costume, shocking Moxon into remembering. Moxon, terrified at what he thinks is Thomas Wayne's ghost coming for revenge, panics and runs into the street, where he is hit and killed by a truck. A fitting end, as was common in those days.

-This story is treated as canon for Earth-Two (the Golden Age Earth), but is not mentioned for Earth-One stories. However, Len Wein introduced the Moxon story exactly as it was originally told in a 1980 The Untold Legend of Batman story.

-Post-Zero Hour, Moxon is reintroduced as a different sort- an aging mob boss whose daughter was Bruce Wayne's childhood sweetheart- he had been on friendly terms with the Waynes, despite his criminal leanings. Batman manages to save Moxon from assassination at the hands of Deadshot, but learns of a similar possible cuplpability in the Waynes' deaths- Moxon's nephew was now the man who'd been injured and saved by Thomas, but a subordinate present had promised Thomas would be allowed to depart safely, and kept his word. It's left ambiguous as to whether or not Moxon had reneged on his man's promise- when Batman questions the mook, who promises that Moxon wasn't responsible, he mutters an ambiguous "oh, thank God" to himself when Batman believes him. Moxon is later murdered by a former bodyguard of his (who had failed to protect him from Deadshot). With Infinite Crisis, Joe Chill had worked alone, and was caught. In the modern "Three Jokers" story, Moxon's culpability is mentioned once more.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Vicki Vale

Post by Jabroniville »

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VICKI VALE
Created By:
Bill Finger & Bob Kane
Role: Girl Reporter, Love Interest
First Appearance: Batman #49 (Oct. 1948)
Mental Problems: Obsession With Getting The Story
PL 1 (39), PL 3 (39) Saves
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 3 (+6)
Insight 5 (+6)
Investigation 8 (+11)
Expertise (Reporter) 9 (+10)
Perception 5 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+5)

Advantages:
None

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +1 (DC 11), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +0, Fortitude +0, Will +6

Complications:
Reputation/Obsession (Snoopy Reporter)- Vicki will do anything to get the scoop.
Relationship (Bruce Wayne)- Vicki and Bruce are routinely an item, though she often suspects his secret identity.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (39)

-The most famous of Batman's love interests aside from Catwoman (which is why Vale often disappears, even in adaptations), Vicki Vale debuted nine years after Batman did, making him a late bloomer as far as getting a "Steady Girl" went for Golden Age heroes. "Girl Reporter" had long since already been a cliche, but I guess Kane & Finger gave it the ol' college try, with Vale frequently trying to prove her theory that Batman & Bruce Wayne were the same person, while still being a steady girlfriend for Bruce. Batman would usually throw her off the trail by the end of each story, but shortly thereafter, there she was again. She actually maintains a VERY long run in the books, lasting from 1948 to 1963, effectively crossing the Golden Age and Silver Age, but in 1964, new Bat-Editor Julius Schwartz removed her, along with most of the sillier aspects of the books, like Bat-Mite & Batwoman.

-Vicki does not reappear until 1977, showing up married, but takes another five-year break- they REALLY didn't want her around. A 1982 appearance doesn't mention her marriage at all, as they probably forgot by this point. She becomes Bruce Wayne's romantic partner yet again, drawing the attention of the jealous Catwoman. She disappeared again following the Crisis, but she's briefly in Batman: Year One and is chosen as a major character in the 1989 Batman feature film- the comics briefly take advantage of this by featuring her again, but she soon vanishes once more- Bruce breaking up with her after nearly confessing about his double life when she's hospitalized, but ultimately choosing not to.

-When Batman is thought dead, Vicki reappears, trying to find out why nobody has seen Bruce Wayne in ages- she gets a brief book called Gotham Gazette as she investigates this, and eventually she uncovers the truth about the entire Bat-Family upon finding them at a part and noticing certain things on each of them. She threatens to expose them, but when Ra's al-Ghul sends the League of Assassins after her, Bruce has to save her and she decides that his mission is bigger than "the truth I'm seeking".

-Vicki Vale is an elite reporter but a very normal woman otherwise.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Ace the Bat-Hound

Post by Jabroniville »

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ACE THE BAT-HOUND
Created By:
Bill Finger & Sheldon Moldoff
First Appearance: Batman #92 (June 1955)
Role: Helper Dog
Mental Problems: None
PL 6 (57)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 7 (+5)
Perception 5 (+7)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Ultra & Extended Hearing, Tracking) [6]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Natural Weapons +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dogs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (Owner)- Domestic dogs are intensely loyal to their masters, and will fight to the death to protect them.
Weakness- Dogs are utterly incapable of lying. Their entire body reflects their current mood. Just watch them if you notice your lamp is broken, and you will know who did it.
Disabled (Hip Dysplasia)- German Shepherds are prone to hip problems thanks to their lower back half.

Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 9 / Defenses: 12 (57)

-Ace the Bat-Hound is a semi-iconic example of "Early Silver Age Batman"- the "Silly Years" before things got grim- the idea of heroic canine allies was nothing new (Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin go back to the black & white era), but Ace in particular followed very closely on the heels of Krypto the Super-Dog, who'd debuted only three or so months before. Ace belonged to an engraver who had been kidnapped by a gang of counterfeiters- Batman found the dog, but because he'd been placing Lost Dog announcements all over Gotham while as Bruce Wayne, he was concerned someone might put two and two together if he was seen with the dog. And so he covered Ace's star-shaped foreheard mark with an improvised hood. The "Bat-Hound" then helped Batman round up the gang. The engraver then took a new job that left him unable to care for Ace, and so he was left to Bruce Wayne.

-Ace, along with Batwoman, Bat-Girl & Bat-Mite, was retired from the book in 1964, when Julius Schwartz took over as editor. It seems like the character just stopped appearing at some point, though apparently his appearances had been off-and-on by then anyhow.

-Ace was erased from continuity by the Crisis, but reappeared only six years later in 1991, showing up a mastiff breed owned by a blind Native American. The man died, and so Batman adopted Ace- he was never referred to as the "Bat-Hound", nor did he ever wear a mask. Very shortly thereafter, after helping on a few cases, Ace is exiled from the Batcave by Azrael, the new Batman- he lives in a hidden part of the caverns along with a guy named Harold, but disappears without mention by No Man's Land, and has never appeared again. Begging the point of WHY THEY USED HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE, but this is probably the result of one writer or editor getting an idea and the next one hating it. A great dane named "Ace" appears in Batman Beyond, getting an episode of focus but mostly being window-dressing at Wayne Manor, and this version (named "Titus") appears in the New 52 as a pet Bruce gives Damian, his son- Damian at first rejects the dog, but comes to bond with it. Then of course in "DC Rebirth" a different Ace shows up, being adopted by Alfred.

-Ace is a German Shepherd like Rin-Tin-Tin and Ace the Super-Hound, so is quite physically fit and capable of hauling down a criminal. He's even a better fighter than most other dogs. He had a specialized radio collar that would allow him to don his own mask via a hands-free device. Overall, he's PL 5.5- a good helper, but not overwhelming, nor even as good as Robin.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Alfred! Commissioner Gordon! Joe Chill! Vicki Vale!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

I still really like the implication that Batman Beyond's Ace was named after the Royal Flush Gang Ace by Bruce to remember her.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Alfred! Commissioner Gordon! Joe Chill! Vicki Vale!)

Post by Jabroniville »

KorokoMystia wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 2:23 am I still really like the implication that Batman Beyond's Ace was named after the Royal Flush Gang Ace by Bruce to remember her.
aw, that's neat. I never thought about that one.
Skavenger
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Alfred! Commissioner Gordon! Joe Chill! Vicki Vale!)

Post by Skavenger »

Man, do I have stuff to say about Harold.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Batman! Adam West! Alfred! Commissioner Gordon!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Skavenger wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:48 pm Any attempt to make Joe Chill more than just a "random mugger" almost completely delegitimizes Batman's quest, in my eyes. You could make a very strong case against the existence of Joe Chill in general, but it causes a problem. The moment Bill Finger and Bob Kane put down "someone with a gun killed Bruce Wayne's parents" it sparks the question of "who was it? Did Batman ever solve the original case that drove him to train with ninjas and throw bat-shaped metal knives at people?" That's a question that would have to be addressed at some point between giant typewriters of death and murderous sudoku puzzles, either because "yes, he solved it, he got closure, so now he's just doing all this for the sake of fighting crime and isn't as driven" or "no, he never solved it, so all this is just stuff he does between working on the one ORIGINAL case."
The weird thing about all this to me is that my impression was that the story was "An anonymous mugger killed the Waynes, and Batman had devoted his life to stamping out crime IN GENERAL because of this. Like, the killer was never found. Batman: The Animated Series runs on this premise- we never find out more on the guy.

So to me, the character is SYMBOLIC. Like a lot of things in the Bat-Mythos, he represents something. Chill is effectively the manifestation of "Crime" itself- a faceless, brutish figure full of thoughtless violence. Maybe brought on by poverty, recklessness, addiction, or whatever- it wasn't quite important. All that needed to happen was for this random chaotic force of evil to luck into finding a lady with a nice necklace.

So yeah, I was an adult when I heard of this "Joe Chill" and I just took him for a random Pre-Crisis oddity that was later written out. I certainly wasn't expecting a bio THAT involved, even now!

(hm, I should add some of that to my Chill bio. Which I had only written right before I posted it, because I was suddenly like "Oh yeah, I might as well actually write about the guy, and OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT WIKIPEDIA PAGE!")
Arcae
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Alfred! Commissioner Gordon! Joe Chill! Vicki Vale!)

Post by Arcae »

Poor, poor Vicky Vale. Nowaday everybody knows and love Catwoman more than the 'discount Lois Lane'. Hell, I think her last major appearance was in a video game
Spoiler
where she was made into a villain
.
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Ken
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Alfred! Commissioner Gordon! Joe Chill! Vicki Vale!)

Post by Ken »

Superman had Lois Lane; Batman got Vicki Vale.
Superman got Krypto; Batman got Ace.

Jack Schiff didn't mind borrowing from Whitney and Mort.
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
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Jack of Spades
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Batman! Adam West! Alfred! Commissioner Gordon!)

Post by Jack of Spades »

Jabroniville wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 7:36 am So to me, the character is SYMBOLIC. Like a lot of things in the Bat-Mythos, he represents something. Chill is effectively the manifestation of "Crime" itself- a faceless, brutish figure full of thoughtless violence. Maybe brought on by poverty, recklessness, addiction, or whatever- it wasn't quite important. All that needed to happen was for this random chaotic force of evil to luck into finding a lady with a nice necklace.
Absolutely this. If it were mine to decide, Joe Chill would never have been brought to justice. Bruce should never have closure on his parents death–because that's the thing that, IMO, distinguishes him most from Dick. Batman and Robin got the Graysons' killer, so Dick can put it behind him in a way Bruce never can.
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