By: Rachel Freeman
Batman / Elmer Fudd is published by DC Comics. It is written by Tom King with art by Lee Weeks and Backup Art by Byron Vaughns.
This comic was everything I had hoped for. It maintained this dark and serious Batman feel in the art but was utterly hilarious in it’s dialogue. There were moments of intensity…but then I’d read that famous Elmer Fudd lisp and find myself laughing even though someone was about to die. To me, it was a perfect blend of Looney Tunes humor and the darkness you get from reading a Batman story.
In this story, Elmer Fudd is hunting a notorious gang member, Bugs a.k.a “The Bunny”. Bugs killed a woman and Elmer Fudd’s job is to make him pay for it. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. Elmer finds him at Porky’s bar, a place where the bad guys go. They don’t say their names, but you can tell from the way they talk, what they say, even how they look, who each person represents as a Looney Tune counterpart. It’s amazing, to be honest. Every time someone said a familiar line I literally shouted out loud, “THAT’S SO-AND-SO” to my boyfriend who had no idea what the hell I was talking about. Then I’d just laugh and keep reading. Because why should I worry about boyfriend thinking I’m crazy, right?
Anyway, so Bugs tells Elmer that, if it will spare his life, he’ll tell him who hired him to kill this unnamed woman. That person is Bruce Wayne. Who Elmer hates for personal reasons. Obviously, we as the readers know it isn’t Bruce. But Elmer is so angry that he immediately finds a way in to a party at Wayne Manor and “kills” him. Batman appears in pursuit of Elmer and they have quite a solid fight. Like, kudos to Tom King and Lee Weeks for making Elmer a skilled badass. Through a common interest, Elmer and Batman team-up to find Bugs and figure out who REALLY hired him to kill this woman. I won’t say who the woman is, but you know her when you see her. And if you don’t, you can tell by Elmer’s petname for her. And if you STILL don’t after that, well, eventually they say it. In any case, you figure it out and it’s like “Oh. Ok. I get it now”.
The backup story at the end written by Tom King and drawn by Byron Vaughns is all-too perfect. A ridiculous and goofy rendition of a famous Bugs and Elmer Fudd skit that we all know and love, but with Batman. If you don’t like the main story, you will surely love this one.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.5 / 10
This issue had me cracking up and kept me invested in the story. Batman seemed a little out of character with his one-liners, I could have done without that, but I understand why they did it. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. This is a must-read for comic and/or Looney Tunes fans, so make sure you pick up a copy from your local comic store!
Happy reading!
