ASK... THE QUESTION! Column Submission Thread

General Discussion
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davidstevenmcpot asks:

“Anybody got an idea on the three jokers?”

Not really — and that’s by design.

When asked about it last year at New York Comic Con last year, Geoff Johns remarked: “The coolest thing about this story is no one knows anything about it. It’s a pretty mature take. I’ve never gotten to write a Batman and Joker story, and Jay’s never gotten to draw one. We wanted to tell the best Batman story, the best Joker story possible.”

This is to say that the nature of the Three Jokers story has a pretty tight lid over it right now. We know that the central heroes will be Batman, Barbara Gordon, and Jason Todd. We know that the Jokers themselves will correspond to Golden Age, Silver Age, and Modern Age takes on the character. And that’s about it.

We can expect to see more after Doomsday Clock wraps up, which should be roughly ten thousand years from now.

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Flashpoint0909 asks:

“What’s with that dinosaur in the batcave? Is it real, or a robot?”

It’s a robot. One which first appears way back in Batman (1940-) #35, when Batman and Robin are invited to a hunt on Dinosaur Island, which at the time (long before Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park) existed as a park filled with animatronic dinosaurs. Batman ends up taking the T-Rex home as a souvenir.

Not only does the dinosaur function as a memento of one of Batman and Robin’s earliest globetrotting adventures, it’s also a last line of defense for the Batcave itself. You can see it tearing into the Court of Owls’ Talon assassins in Batman: Night of the Owls.

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TheBackbreaker asks:

“How does Kirk Langstrom’s Man-Bat formula work? How does he use it, is it like a pill, or a syringe, or what?” Traditionally, going back to his first appearance in Detective Comics #400, the Man-Bat Formula takes the form of a drinkable serum, derived from the glands of actual bats. “Does he even need the formula at all, or can he do it at will?”

Kirk generally needs a serum to transform into Man-Bat, and an antidote to regain human form — though since first using the serum on himself, his sanity has been rather unstable. (On the other hand, it can be argued that Kirk wasn’t exactly a picture of mental health to begin with.)

“And does he have control over himself as Man-Bat or is he just a crazy animal? Is Man-Bat actually a villain, or is he an anti-hero kind of guy?”

The answer to this is is a little philosophical. But in my opinion, Man-Bat is neither hero nor villain. He’s just the subject of a scientific accident gone horribly wrong. It’s hard to hold Langstrom directly accountable for his actions under the guise of Man-Bat, as his animal instincts take over. But ever since his first change, he’s developed an unhealthy obsession with perfecting the formula to maintain control over his bestial form. Considering the lives he endangers as Man-Bat, this can be considered pretty irresponsible. Does that make him a villain? I leave that up to the reader.

Luckily, after years of experimenting, Langstrom has finally developed a serum which allows him to maintain his cognizance and shift the magnitude of his transformation — one drawback being that he maintains the visage of a furry humanoid with a bat head even at his most docile. This new, stabler incarnation of Man-Bat now works as the scientist in residence for the mystically focused Justice League Dark, providing rational perspectives for the inexplicable. You can follow Man-Bat’s latest adventures in the ongoing Justice League Dark (2018-) series.

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RagdollRebel asks:

“What do you think of pineapple as a pizza toppings? Snack or wack?”

In Detective Comics #698, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake can be seen enjoying a sausage and pineapple pizza. So if it’s good enough for Nightwing, it must be a valid choice.

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TheBackbreaker asks:

“Also, what race is killer croc? I have been searching for weeks on an answer to finish a drawing for my friend, of like a before/after thing, beginning with him as a small child with few scales, then him being the big killer croc”

Since his first appearance in 1983, Waylon Jones, better known as Killer Croc, had typically been depicted as a caucasian born man with a genetic mutation that granted him reptilian features. This changed for the first time in 2008, in Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo’s non-canonical JOKER graphic novel. There, Croc was depicted for the first time as a large black man with a skin condition - though this one off appearance was not acknowledged by mainstream comics for many years.

That changed with the release of the 2016 Suicide Squad film. Heavily influenced in part by Azzarello and Bermejo’s Joker in their depiction of the Clown Prince of Crime, that one-off 2008 vision of Croc became the guiding depiction for their film version as well.

At the same time that Suicide Squad was in development, DC was also working on the DC Rebirth relaunch of the Suicide Squad comic book, which in a bout of synergy would feature a line-up similar to the one seen in the movie. For this new comic portrayal of Killer Croc as a Squad member, flashbacks to Waylon’s childhood would show the Crocodilian Waylon Jones as a black boy growing up in the south.

In summary: before 2016, Waylon Jones was typically depicted as white. But for the past 3 years, he’s been a mutated black man across all media.

For the clearest current look at young Croc, see Suicide Squad (2016-) #6.

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MisfitH asks:

“How is your Jeffrey Combs impersonation?”

Not too remarkable… but if I wanted to brush up, I could watch him as Jimmy Swain in the 90s The Flash episode “Captain Cold,” Scarecrow in The New Batman Adventures, Kite Man in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, “Chief” Niles Caulder in the DC Nation Doom Patrol shorts, and of course The Question in Justice League Unlimited.

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JLWWSM asks:

“What’s the deal with Etrigan and rhyming? Is there a backstory there? Thanks!”

Etrigan’s rhyming is first explained in Alan Moore’s The Saga of the Swamp Thing #26, which establishes the class of “Rhyming Demons.” All depictions of Hell in the DC Universe are as a place heavily reliant on intricate class and caste systems among demons, who often rise and fall based on the souls they traffic in. At a certain level of status, some demons speak in rhyme as a way of demonstrating their rank above others.

This is to say that Etrigan isn’t forced to talk in rhyme, he just does it as a way of putting on airs. Which also explains why sometimes you’ll only see him rhyme for emphasis, as Shakespearean characters often do, or drop the act altogether.

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And that does it for this week’s batch! I’ll see you all next week — and until then, make sure to catch me on this week’s episodes of DC Daily!

And remember: for any strange mystery you need solved, and gnarled problem or piquant curiosity about the DC Universe you might have… you can always ask The Question.

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Thanks my guy, your a legend

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@HubCityQuestion
Mystery solved =) We’re reading Alan Moore’s The Saga of the Swamp Thing in Book Club and I totally missed that the Rhyming Demon’s class was established in #26 - and the concept that he’s putting on airs when he speaks in rhyme.
Thanks so much!

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Any time, my friends. Well, specifically this time on Tuesdays. But you can ask any time you like.

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Can scarecrow fight and is he somewhat acrobatic. Ive seen something that says he has a dance fighting thing, and Lego DC Super Villains, it says he’s an acrobat
Some information on his Scarebeast form would also be appreciated since it is scarce across the internet

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And what is the “newest official” look of scarecrow. I like to stay with more current looks (for example for me Blue Beetle is Jaime instead of Ted or Dan) and with all the looks I want to know his most current “official one”

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Time to get into this week’s case list! Thanks to YourWorstNightmare (formerly TheBackbreaker) for providing such thought provoking questions. Here we go!

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YourWorstNightmare asks:

“Can scarecrow fight and is he somewhat acrobatic. Ive seen something that says he has a dance fighting thing, and Lego DC Super Villains, it says he’s an acrobat” An encounter with Scarecrow in Batman: Knightfall introduces the concept of Scarecrow’s unique style of “violent dancing”, purportedly based on Crane-style kung fu — a play on the character’s own name. The style is designed specifically to use Jonathan Crane’s gangly arms and legs to their full advantage. However, most modern takes on Scarecrow de-emphasize his fighting abilities to focus on the use of his fear toxin.

As for the acrobatic element, that comes from a source you may not expect. LEGO DC Super Villains, like all LEGO media, is written with a parodical sense of style, often intentionally exaggerating or fudging details for comedic effect. In this case, Scarecrow’s acrobatic abilities are most likely a knowing nod to the more obscure Scarecrow character in Marvel comics, an Iron Man villain with an acrobatic background.

Fun fact: in 1996’s DC vs. Marvel crossover, the DC and Marvel versions of Scarecrow appear together to kidnap Lois Lane, and are thwarted by Scarlet Spider!

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YourWorstNightmare continues:

“Some information on his Scarebeast form would also be appreciated since it is scarce across the internet”

The Scarebeast’s first and most significant appearance is in Judd Winick and Dustin Nguyen’s Batman: As the Crow Flies, collected in Batman (1940-) #626-630. This arc introduces Linda Friitawa, a new fear-based villain working for The Penguin who called herself “Fright.” As a way of distracting Batman while he got his house in order, Penguin ordered Fright to help The Scarecrow develop a new toxin that would transform him into a nightmarish version of himself under duress. As the Scarebeast, Crane possessed a monstrous, hulking appearance. He was apparently impervious to bullets, possessed the strength to burst through walls and kill people with ease, moved with frightening speed and agility, and could breathe clouds of an anti-toxin resistant version of his own fear gas.

Scarecrow reverts back to his original form after a protracted battle with Batman and Robin, when the Batplane rams directly into him and Alfred pumps him full of tranquilizer darts. After that, he only appears as Scarebeast once more, in the “War Games” storyline. There, under the employ of Black Mask, Scarebeast takes on the combined forces of Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Onyx, Tarantula and Catwoman in the Gotham Clock Tower, and is defeated when caught in the destruction of the tower itself. We haven’t seen the Scarebeast transformation since.

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YourWorstNightmare asks once more, regarding The Scarecrow:

“And what is the “newest official” look of scarecrow. I like to stay with more current looks (for example for me Blue Beetle is Jaime instead of Ted or Dan) and with all the looks I want to know his most current “official one”

Scarecrow is currently playing a significant role in “Knightmares,” the ongoing story arc in Tom King’s current Batman series. He has yet to really appear on panel during this arc, as it’s mainly taken place in Batman’s own trapped mind, but that will likely change soon… perhaps in tomorrow’s new issue!

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Finally, here’s a question I was asked by a Facebook friend this week, which I’ll share here (hi, Hunter!):

“What are your top 10 favorite red kryptonite mutations?”
#10. In the Season 3 Super Friends episode “Terror from the Phantom Zone”, exposure to Red Kryptonite gives Superman 2 extra arms. Not the most inspired effect, but the first really notable wacky Red K mutation in animation.

#9. In Action Comics #316, exposure to Red Kryptonite gave Superman “Rainbow Face,” an effect which caused his face to change color with his mood. This one’s really only on the list because I like to say “Rainbow Face.”
#8. In Superman (1939-) #40, red kryptonite gives Superman uncontrollable hair growth, most prominently an unsightly beard that Lois is NOT into. This sets an early precedent for Red K not just affecting Superman’s abilities, but also his social life.

#7. In Action Comics #296, Red K gives Superman the head of a giant ant, and control over a giant ant army. Wild stuff.

#6. In Action Comics #284, Red K reverts Superman to the physical body of a toddler, but with his adult human brain. Classic.

#5. In Superman (1939-) #226, Red K makes Superman grow to the size and adopts the manner of King Kong, climbing skyscrapers and swatting at planes. Because why not?

#4. In Action Comics #283, one of my personal favorite wacky Silver Age stories, exposure to Red K causes Superman to uncontrollably breathe fire from his mouth, forcing him to stay mute at all times until it wears off. Later, he gets the ability to grant wishes. Naturally.

#3. Here’s the only one on the list which doesn’t affect Superman himself: in the Krypto the Superdog animated series episode “The Living End,” Red Kryptonite exposure grants independent sentience to Krypto’s own tail.

#2. The single most common effect of Red Kryptonite through the ages is not a physical transformation, but a change in personality — notably, it turns kind hearted Kryptonians like Clark and Kara into big ol’ jerks. The greatest expression of this phenomenon in my opinion is in “Battle of the Superheroes!”, a Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode which pays tribute to a series of classically inexplicable Silver Age Superman stories in rapid succession. If you’d like to read or watch one story on this list yourself, this is the one I’d recommend.

#1. This one just makes me laugh every time I think about it. In Action Comics #290, Red Kryptonite strips Superman of all his powers… but only on the left side of his body. The right continues to operate as normal. I’ll be honest, having a superhero who worked like this full-time would be pretty hilarious. Get on it, DC!

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And that’s this week’s lot answered! I’ll see you all next Tuesday for more. From the deepest mysteries of the DC Universe, its characters, and continuity which plague your thoughts and keep you up at night to your tiniest, pettiest curiosities: you can always ASK… THE QUESTION!

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I jusr finished reading The New 52’s Justice League of America. Were there other books I suppose to reading in addition to that?

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