SYNOPSIS: After a chance meeting with billionaire Bruce Wayne, Elmer Fudd’s obsession quickly escalates into stalking Batman through the dark alleys and high-class social settings of Gotham City. Welcome to Bat Season! And the bonus Looney Tunes backup story features DC characters written by Tom King and artwork by Byron Vaughns.
When I heard that a DC Universe/Looney Toons crossover was in the works, I thought “That’s dumb as hell! No way I’ll be reading that!” But, with one of the issues involving Batman, I couldn’t help myself in the end – mostly out of plain ‘ol curiosity. Thus, below you’ll find my review of BATMAN/ELMER FUDD #1.
Yes, the premise of a story featuring Elmer Fudd and Batman sounds beyond ridiculous – on par with Batman teaming up with Scooby-Doo and the Gang back in the early 1970s…maybe even goofier.
There are actually two Batman/Elmer Fudd stories (both written by BATMAN’s Tom King) in this issue: a main story and a backup.
The main story is actually fairly “dark and serious” – which I wasn’t expecting at all. It revolves around Elmer Fudd, portrayed as a shotgun-using hitman, who is on a mission to take out of his “colleagues” – a fellow assassin called Bugs “The Bunny.” Fudd isn’t getting paid for this job either – this is personal.
Just as Bugs plays Elmer Fudd in all those Looney Tune cartoons, the “realistic” version of the character does the same. As a result, Fudd lets Bugs off the hook because he’s got a new target in the sights of his shotgun: Gotham’s billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne.
Of course, if you try to kill Bruce Wayne, you’re going to end up with a BIG problem you probably didn’t realize you are going to get: The Batman.
I won’t reveal how all this thing plays out, but I will say that someone is playing the four of them: Elmer, Bugs, Bruce Wayne, and even The Batman. What a twist! But sometimes, men do things they wouldn’t usually do. Take that for what you will.
Got to say, I loved this story! Writer Tom King does a fantastic job giving readers these realistic versions of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, but many other Looney Toons characters. And while they are all “human,” they remain true to their animated incarnations.
In addition, the artwork by Lee Weeks is top-notch. It’s got a bit of a YEAR ONE vibe (Batman’s suit in particular), but the human depictions of the Looney Toons characters were very cool.
I’m very glad that I decided to give BATMAN/ELMER FUDD a read. In fact, I would mind seeing more stuff like this from DC Entertainment. Hmm…
I wonder what a “serious and realistic take on Batman/Scooby Doo” would look like? – Bill “Jett” Ramey
