The Batman Gave Joker A Surprising Sidekick
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2024
- When people think of Joker sidekicks they most often go to Harley Quinn or perhaps Punchline but the Clown Prince of Crime has had more than them. Introducing Prank a creation for The Batman animated tv series that ran from 2004 to 2008. In a fit of jealousy over Batgirl and Batman's seeming smooth partnership; the Joker recruits some help of his own in the season 3 episode 'The Apprentice'. Did Prank deserve more recognition than he got? Should he return? What about the Flash villain Prank? We discuss it all here on Casually Comics!
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Prank VS Punchline Who Wins?
I'll take Gaggy.
Punch line would gladly killed the kid before he had a chance to tell a bad joke
Jackanapes all day.
the only way to win is not to play
Punchline definitively has the strongest urge to kill, and better fight training. BUT, Prank might win if he can contact the Bat-family, and he might have the more insane gadgets. He, my bet is still on the murderous sociopath.
Liked how the episode addressed the fact that this Joker already has recurring, named, costumed assistants in Punch & Judy, but the Joker hurts their feelings by declaring, "You're not sidekicks - you're goons!"
Plus their a moral to the episode with Joker's sidekick donny it okay to joke around once and a awhile but if you keep doing it all the time people will get fed up or give up on you despite not realizing How it might effect them
@@comicbookreviewer4856 or potentially hurt or kill someone, Joker not included since that's his thing
I thought they were Punch and Julie
@@SapphireKnight675 Plus it clear even Donny teacher gave up on him realizing he fail to see how his pranks is not funny or fail to see why he was being punished
why did the jonkler call them goons? were they horny?
(stale joke, i know)
The episode also gave us my favorite Kevin Michael Richardson delivery, as Prank is dangling over the vat of acid:
“Joker, let the kid go”
“I’m TRYING to!”
Not enough people talk about how well Kevin juggled the comedy and terror of Joker’s voice.
Yeah dude had the huge task of being the next Joker after Mark Hamil and he definitely did the role justice and made it his own
Agreed ❤ the batman was my childhood show and I loved Kevin’s portrayal of the joker 😊
What I love is that you can hear Hamill's influence, but he isn't doing an impression. He understands that there's elements there that are Innately Correct and you need. Like, listen to the line reads at 12:08 or 8:20. You hear the inflections are being used, but it's also absolutely doing his own thing. Like for 8:20, the way he says "see". Or in the 12:08, "I mean, look how I turned out!" They both capture the _vibes_ correctly, which leads to similarities, but it's still unique and different.
Richardson was perfect casting, seeing as how he juggled his delivery for each line.
Kevin is AN UNDERRATED Joker!
He Deserves more Credit!
I guess the reason why The Joker has fewer sidekicks is he doesn't like sharing the spotlight.
Well I mean, just look what happened when he tried to team up with himself eventually in this series… “Metal Face of Comedy”
@@jamesfirecat6652 Oh yeah, the nanomachines thing.
@@venom_spy437 Nanomachines son
My favourite instance of Joker interacting with a member of the Bat-Family was when he took Tim Drake for a joy ride.
In the DCAU canon or...
@@keithharrissuwignjo2460 The comics when Joker kidnapped Tim on a Christmas night and had him tied up in the passenger seat. I'm not referring to Return of the Joker.
@The_Phantasm thank goodness
Its not often Groucho Marx defeats Joker....
@@The_Phantasmyou watch serum lake I know you do I’ve seen your comments
Shoutout to Adam West (former Batman & Grey Ghost) doing the voice of the Mayor, always happy to see him pop up
Didn't Kevin Cornoy voice John Grayson in thsi show?
@@keithharrissuwignjo2460He did! And it was treat hearing him as Dick's initial father. Not to mention also having Mark Hamill playing Tony Zucco made for a fine throwback to BTAS!
@@kimeraclan3135Does that mean Joker actually managed to kill Batman?
@@keithharrissuwignjo2460 I guess he did have the LAST LAUGH after all! So yeah, Joker killed The Bat... More or less!
What do you think of his cousin, Wild West?
Batman, the dark brooding loaner who has 50 flashy kids working for him
And yet Hollywood has never properly adapted any of them in live action
Batman: I work alone.
Also Batman: has a dozen kids, adopted or otherwise.
I like that, because consciously or not, Bruce is creating (or encouraging the creation of) the kind of family he never had as a child, and could have greatly benefited him.
With three being or have been Batgirl.
I would love to see a longer version of this arc, where perhaps the joker hides the extent of his evil a little longer, and we get to see Donny struggle more with what lines he is isn’t willing to cross. By the time he realizes he can’t keep going, he’s in a bit too deep
I also feel like a version of Prank would hold up well as one of Harley's early defining traits was being maternal, which could feed into the typical Joker v Harley conflicts.
Granted, I also felt like this is another aspect where Baby Doll/Mary Dahl could have make for decent fair weather friends for Harley Quinn in future projects as well.
A chili contest would have been the perfect time to bring in Condiment King. That was a missed opportunity right there. Justice for Condiment King.
I think there's a potential there. Imagine a crime plot where he tries to poison Gotham through spices. Then maybe make buying safe spices has to only through him.
I think Murakami and Co. were trying to not just make BtAS 2.0 (hence omitting Nora from Mr. Freeze's backstory, among other things), which is also why Harley was such a late addition to the series.
@@metrosaurusrex7012 The Condiment King has one of the most powerful on theme weapons at his disposal if he wants: capsaicin. Imagine flooding Gotham with pepper spray. The chaos would be just as powerful and deadly as Joker gas or fear toxin and easier and cheaper to produce/obtain.
I remember this episode! Looking back it feels like it could almost be a commentary on self-insert characters. A lot of fanfiction is just you getting to play along with the characters you love, but a lot of times the edges are sanded off. But here you have a reminded that in the world of the show, Joker is a monster, and will be more than happy to cross the lines you wouldn't.
That's an interesting read on it!
Hold on, you might be on to something...
Since when?
Usually the fanfics with self inserts actually go HARDER then the real ones.
@@RavenCloak13 eh I've seen a few that featured a totally monstrous character being way too kind to the self insert
I think he would be good as the main subject of a story where he's a youtube prankster that's ignorant of how he's hurting people, but after running with the Joker he would realize how he has hurt people and that he could be like the joker if he doesn't change
Like how Livewire started in an attempt to make a Superman show after STAS.
Honestly I would see the exact opposite happening and he'd become worse then Joker if he had the tech but doesn't so he has to steal it.
That’d help further the Punchline parallels a lot more
I can sincerely see a Punchline/Prank story digging into the former's parasocial online space themes, sorta updating Mad Love for the online space. Punchline's messaging has reached people afaik, so why not have Prank be the result of that. A disenfranchised guy who wants to be seen, and is taken in by the manifesto. The bubbling excitement of meeting an "online friend", designing a whole clown OC, and then the burst at what sort of monster he's fallen in with.
I think that would unfortunately lead to him having very little use beyond the one story though. Maybe if he was already an admirer of Super Villains in general and he shows up to help Punchline in her endeavors. Maybe make it so that he is actually really good at making "prank" based non-lethal weapons like joy-buzzers, tiddlywinks caltrops, super slippery grease, glitter bombs, and maybe even having a copy of the Trickster's floating shoes to call back to the Flash version of the character. And, of course, be able to create vehicles from the junkyard that allow him to cause wide-scale vandalism. And he could even be a smooth talker aside from his bad jokes allowing him to be a great distraction so more serious villains can carry out their tasks.
That would make him quite the asset to Punchline-- but ultimately he is a Silver Age Supervillain who just wants to cause chaos and draw attention with no intention of actually seriously hurting anyone. Punchline as a someone who has taken after the modern Joker would simply prove to be too violent and nasty for him to ultimately agree with.
They already did that with Jake Knave, aka "Knavy_Seal" aka A.C.E.S., who becomes a Punchline simp after she experiments on him and gives him cybernetic improvements.
I hope he's going to show up in the current "Gotham Sirens" book, but we're already 3 issues in and it looks like Punchline has a whole new crew... what happened to the remains of her Royal Flush Gang?
The older members where dealt with in "Nightwing" and "Catwoman" solo titles, Bluff got killed, but not Jake and the others... at least I think, I'm a few issues behind on a couple Batfam titles.
@@randallflagg3700 I think Prank would be best suited to being an annoyance for Cassandra Cain or Damien Wayne-- the "raised as assassins ultra serious and grim dark kids" being balanced out by a punk vandal who has stumbled backwards into hacking reality so that he has super thick plot armor and can get away with shit without having any supreme abilities or skills, just dumb luck.
Prank would make a great addition to the teen titans. I can imagine him wanting to become part of the Batman family and Bruce rejecting him but pointing instead to the teen titans. And him becoming a sort of Robin like character with less martial arts and more traps and such. Not the leader by any means, but the brains of the branch he ended up in. Even if he’s maybe a little worse for wear mentally after his time with the joker.
Just saw this episode last weekend for the first time. I was impressed, especially as a foil for Joker's impression of himself. Not sure that character would have longevity, unless Joker decided to persue a vendetta.
I don't hate the idea, it would be a different relationship than the average Joker sidekick. I would rather have Prank be introduced as Joker's or Punchlines new sidekick, Joker is getting too stagnant for me and I would honestly like a shake up from his 'insane murder clown that commits inhumane acts of terrorism' because they keep hyping him up as such a big threat but they don't do anything meaningful for him like facing real consequences for his actions.
I just want something different from the standard we have now, either killing him for a really long period of time, making him lose an arm or get a sidekick that isn't an abusive romantic interest. Because we get so much Joker that his murder clown aesthetic isn't cutting out anymore, it just feels boring and the Three Jokers really made me lose interest in the character
I loved the 90s flash Mark Hamill doing a proto Joker as the Trickster he also returned in cw Flash. Hamill ia awesome in all of these
He made me care about the Trickster.
He also played Trickster in his _JLU_ appearance towards the end of the series.
@@nicholasfarrell5981 In DC Action(?) short, he portrayed himself, Trickster, Joker, and Swamp Thing. With Hamill being the kidnap victim using ventriloquism, to cause the villains to turn against each other. It was wild!
I remember this episode, I always wanted to see Prank again, if anything to see how this whole thing change him or if Barbara would try to be closer to him. I imagine seeing someone close to you almost going supervillain would shock you
Just a nod in an episode would be nice, doesn't even have to be a speaking role. It could just be Barbara in a study group or doing a school assignment and Prank could be part of it along with some other students, then Barbara gets called to do some hero work and leaves them after giving them an excuse. Simple as that
You know the fact that the Batman gave Joker and Harley a "healthy" relationship is interesting and something that doesn't get enough attention.
As the Batman Harley Quinn could be seen as the proto Punchline.
I wish they did more of this, just because the modern Harley Quinn is known for her breakup with the Joker it doesn't mean every adaptation needs to be like that. As long as Joker isn't too extremely violent I think it could be a possible relationship especially if Harley is depicted as someone bad herself
modern Harley is just... Tiring at this point, she is considered a hero / antihero despite doing things that go against the heroic standards of the bat family, she also feels like a attempt at being DC'S Deadpool but without any of his interesting factors, plus he can be physically punished to the extreme by the writer thanks to his healing factor. Harley is just allowed to do anything she wants and has a bunch of excuses for those things, not to mention that her relationship with Poison Ivy is more like an inclusivity card than an actually functional relationship because if Harley really wants to be seem and be considered as a hero she needs to stop dating a eco terrorist that wants to end all animal life on the planet (except she won't because her relationship with Harley Quinn is now so important to her character that DC actively avoids depicting Poison Ivy as a monster, like she wants to end all animal life on the planet but she is gay so we can't portray her as a purely evil character. But poison ivy can't achieve her goals without some level of mass terra forming that would kill a large amount of people, she can't function as a villain if we can't even acknowledge that fact. She has her own comic and from what I know she is fighting a fungal threat that wants a similar goal to her own but since she is the main character Ivy has to oppose it)
@@mateushenriquepinheiro3197 personally I just want want something simple.
Poison ivy just being a Criminal with a plant gimmick is more interesting than having her being some sort of plant God.
Heck I Joker would be better if he just DCAU or silver age levels of evil over his more modern versions.
It's like this weird version of power creep seen in Shonen manga but less fun.
I wouldn't mind seeing a riff on this Prank in a...Joker sidekick support group run by a (relatively) sane version of Harley
Maybe reference the elseworld White Knight comic and have the 'multiple Harley's', along with Punchline, Prank, Tim Drake etc
Gotta be honest, I think I prefer Prank to Punchline.
Don’t get me wrong punch line isn’t terrible, but it’s hard to get into the character as she really does come across as “Harley Quinn 2”. Prank on the other hand, could serve as a thematic parallel to the Bat-Family. It’s almost like saying “what if Joker had a Robin?”
There’s a lot of unique way you could take that to pay on how you want to write the story:
1. You could betray their relationship as toxic and abusive. It would be different from Harley since their dynamic would be that of a toxic father figure rather than a toxic lover. For all of Batman’s faults, he legitimately cares about his family and wants nothing but the best for them. Joker however, would not be nearly as sentimental. Maybe you could even have Prank die and then Joker immediately just grabs a random kid off the street and forces them to become the replacement (as a twisted mirror Batman has had several Robins.)
2. Alternatively, you could give them a villainous, yet strangely wholesome, father and son dynamic. If the killing joke is to be believed, Joker was going to become a father before his bad day. So, what if whatever tiny fragment of the man he used to be came out by him actually starting to care for his sidekick like a son. of course he still wouldn’t be father of the year as he would actively put his son in danger to play his game with Batman, but I think it would be fascinating to see what would happen if Joker legitimately cared about someone even a little bit (besides Batman, of course.)
3. Of course you could just expand upon what this episode does. You could have Joker take some troubled kid with a bad attitude under his wing and try to push him into a life of crime.
Prank's red and black costume is reminiscent
of Tim Drake's super hero outfit as Red Robin.
I like that Barbara was the first sidekick The Batman got, because he had to learn to work with a partner pretty much against his will. It then means it's more likely he would bring in a sidekick in Robin if he has experience with one.
Thank you, Teen Titans!
prank is peak his design is actualyl good and interestin concept
I love the fact that even if he share a lot of Harley Quinn visuals, he feels completely different, not just boy jr Harley, like even if prank was a girl, it would still feels different
@@KnucklesxReala911 honestly, I would like the next animated Batman adaptation after Caped Crusader to not do Harley Quinn because how saturated she is becoming after the suicide squad. I would love Gaggy, Punchline or an updated Prank to be his sidekick in the cartoons for a while or at least in one adaptation
I feel like Donny could work as a recurring character, but not as Prank long term since his entire point is realizing this is way more than he wanted. Like he could be a supporting character for a Bat Girl or a Robin. If Joker pursues a vendetta, he could be one of the people like Harley in more modern comics or that one guy from Batman the animated series or Jim Gordon that serves as proof the Joker is wrong. It doesn't just take one bad day.
I think Prank could work as a recurring character so long as it was understood that he isn't a real threat and the things he does are mostly silly and annoying.
He was having fun up until the Joker tried to force him to murder someone or throw him into a vat of acid. If his super villain activities were just big vandalism pranks like repainting the art museum in polka-dots or hurling giant cream pies at city hall and so on.
I'm surprised he hasn't became a main DC character
Prank would be interesting to explore through the lense of online pranksters, who use the excuse of "performance art" or "content" to demand attention for their narcissism, which I feel is very Joker. Donny could fit into the role of someone who thinks obnoxious/loud = funny, and Joker appeals to that need for attention that so many youths have online.
I don't know much about Punchline, but maybe that already fits in her characterization, so idk.
Speaking of Joker sidekicks, I think Duela Dent/Joker’s Daughter is a notable character in this list. She is never actually his daughter, barely interacts with him, and has a history of being more heroic. She doesn’t really fit a Joker’s sidekick role outside the look and name but feels like she should be counted
I love this Joker the more i watch him, and i already liked him, but what i love is that this Joker seems to thoroughly wnjoy working on a team with like minded villains. Him and Harley go great, but Prank was a fun sampler of that.
It's nice to see someone bail once they see how nuts he is
You do know you have to talk about the trickster now that you referenced him so much in the video
I always felt like this prank was meant to be a modernized version of gaggy but the world of the series didn't really allow for that to be an ongoing thing so it was essentially a what if this joker had a gaggy type character.
This episode feels like the other side of the coin for The Joker's Favor
We're back talking about the GOATed series, The Batman. If Punchline was a thing around the time of the show, she'd be a recurring character, because she'd keep causing trouble, without Joker's assistance especially with this Joker who wouldn't exactly appreciate it the upstaging.
Yeah! More from The Batman!!
Prank was interesting. I was waiting to see him team up with the series's take on Toyman, Cosmo Krank.
I mean the actual Toyman appeared in the second to last episode
That would have been interesting, and tied the character closer to a version of The Prankster, Oswald Loomis.
I doubt the writers considered that, Krank was _wildly_ unpopular at the time even among the viewers who weren't just hate-watching to avenge Bruce Timm.
@@CasuallyComics He needs more play! Loomis as the professional distraction-for-hire is such a cool idea.
@@anthonysmith3415Genuinely forgot that! Probably because I blanked that last season from my brain...
they should do an anti bat-fam with all of Joker's old sidekicks
Gaggy, Prank, Punchline, you could even bring in a version of Harley based on the Marriane Drews version
"Revenge is a dish best served...chilli."
Don't know how well he's remembered, but there was the Year of the villain Joker special. Which was co written by John Carpenter and is told from the perspective of a new Joker Protege. Who gets it by the end. It does contain a great scene where condiment king walks in on them in the middle of a robbery and regrets it. This was a one and done story, but it was good.
You mean *the* John Carpenter?? I gotta check that out
@@TitularHeroine It was. Full title is Year of the Villain: The Joker. The cover says Brought to you by the legendary John Carpenter, so it's definitely that one
Thats boy was lucky to not ended like Tim Drake in Batman Beyond the Return of Joker.
Now 'The Batman' also introduced two other named goons for the Joker in this series; Punch and Judy. They are more henchman than sidekicks, though, but they did appear in every single season of the show (they first appeared in the Joker Putty episode that made Clayface in Season 1). They kind of remind me of the Larry, Curly, and Mo henchman who we'd see more often with Joker in BTAS.
Joker wasn't the only one who got upgraded henchmen either, Penguin has his own pair of henchwomen named the Kabuki Twins.
Would be neat to maybe have a video talking about some of Joker's most recognizable henchmen, the ones that show up more than once.
I now think they could do something interesting if they ever bring the idea of Prank into the comics or another iteration like a cartoon or something.
Batman and Robin have this dynamic of balancing each other out, with batman being the dark, cold, calculating one and Robin the light hearted beam of color to the dark knight that stops him from becoming ruthless and emotional dead
So why not parallel this with Prank and Joker? But it's more in the sense that Prank restrains the Joker from becoming the dark murderous and irredeemable monster he is in comics like the Death In The Family or The Killing Joke, Prank keeps things lighthearted, fun and theatrical, appealing to Joker ego and his need to stand out by being the center of attention. Acting as a Jimmy cricket like figure who doesn't stop Joker from being evil but prevents him from becoming a true monster
An example: Prank suggests a silly idea for a scheme and the Joker in turn, twists that into something that can cause a lot of chaos and mayhem but would be a lot less dangerous than a scheme Joker would come up with because it uses less dark humor.
The idea of Joker being less murderous and deranged by having someone that keeps things silly and in turn fun fascinates me and I see that as one of the best ways of bringing back Prank or of creating a new sidekick for the joker
Congratulations on hitting 200k subs Sasha. Well deserved.
She should have more.
I loved this episode for so many reasons.
Like, 1, its peak Joker characterization with him blending reigns of terror with his wanting stuff to be comedically themed, he's an "Artist" about this stuff even in the times he's seeking a profit in other periods.
But 2, while he does get a sidekick in response to Batman, its not a case of "I am doing this to mess with Batman's head" its, "He has something cool and I want it too" its still self motivated.
Then 3, Prank is legitimately a great idea for a sidekick, a wanna-be class clown who doesn't get why people don't find him funny, taken advantage of by an adult who 'sympathizes' with his 'tragedies' and appeals to him by targeting other adults who cause him problems while demonstrating a degree of skill in the thing said kid wants to do to make himself more appealing. Its brilliantly done grooming in a very short period of time, and serves as a twisted mirror to the Batman's own trajectory with usually having kids yeet themselves into these situations to one degree or another, but then also messily enabling them.
4, Just the whole sequence with them actually managing to get one up on Batman and Batgirl and then Prank not being a murderer nearly leading to him ending up in the acid like Joker. Damn that whole segment is so good and has really strong "But what if? vibes. Let alone the fact they still worked in some absurdism which fits the Joker so well. "Let the kid go Joker!" - "I'm trying too!"
5: Low key, I kind of long since felt that a great way to revitalize the Joker in comics would be to introduce Prank once Harley Quinn left him.
He have such a clean design
8:06 Yes, it would often be subtle, but then there was the Scarface episode that reenacted the Green Lantern refrigerator comic.
Yes, with the children's puppet!
Sheesh, they'd make a SatAM cartoon out of any film those days.
Donnie is Someone I wouldn't Mind Seeing his Own Journey Explored.
Sort Of Be There For The Goons or Something,
And That's Why Joker has So Many Loyal Goons.
Donnie's There For them.
was one of the first Batman tv shows I watched but don't remember that much only that the clayface origin was damn disturbing
The melting face in the mirror goes hard.
I’m in my mid 20s, so I definitely have fond childhood memories of this show. I can understand why Batman purists would have some issues with it, I think it’s a very interesting alternative take on Batman and his mythos
Gaggy: "I was there first, darn it!"
Thanks for giving the first Joker sidekick his due, BTBATB
Joker tried to Prank-enstein him. And he took that personally.🃏
Imagine Prank as Jason Todd/Red Hood sidekick? 😱😱😱
He already got the Joker's Daughter, Duela Dent, as a sidekick and he badly muffed that one.
(at least "Joker War" got him to look back on that failure and try to save Duela again, that was a cool part of that long, way too long crossover event).
Off-topic but your dress/top is awesome!
This was a good one. Quite enjoyed it, especially the reminder, that you shouldn't like the Joker as a person. He's a monster.
If Prank came back, he could be a hero on Teen Titans/Young Justice. A young heros team would be perfect for him.
Or He could become a member of the Batfamily. Is the codname Flamebird being used? Dick Grayson could use a partner. 🔥🐦
I feel like he could still be a vandal who is out to get attention, but one that is understood not to really be a serious threat and that Cassandra or Damien could stop but also sort of try to talk reason into. "I'm out here trying to deal with terrorists and serial killers, but I have to take time out to stop you from toilet-papering the city bridge?"
I dig this incarnation; just could never get into the art style, distinctive as it is
I love this episode ! So nostalgic Prank needs a comeback
Crazy that we're celebrating 20 years of this Emmy award winning underrated gem 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
A really interesting video and I must admit I'm curious to see a video on the Trickster and Prank from the flash live-action series.
Donny isn't too bad of a kid, especially compared to how Poison Ivy quickly resorted to destruction and murder when she gained powers. Also, I can never hate Batwheels. Not really something I'd watch regularly, but it actually gave us Cassandra Cain as Batgirl on TV.
Lol, I don't hate Batwheels, but I do dislike how blatantly it's marketing is baked in and how often my kids ask me for the toys.
@@CasuallyComics Ah, that's fair! I couldn't stand Batman Unlimited for that reason.
Although I’m happy for the producers that they got more creative control as a series one on, I feel like you could make an argument. The series was at its best when it was trying to work around the limitations of the bat-embargo.
Limitations inspire creativity after all, so the unique changes to this version, Batman, even if they were made out of necessity rather than purely creative intent, the series its own flare.
I still like the later seasons, even season five (though I still hate that wonder woman was excluded from this version of the justice league) But I do think the first two seasons with some elements from three and four was when the series was at its peak
I like the idea of a Punchline/Prank story, but with Prank turning out to be fiendishly smart while leading everyone on the entire time with childish tricks and jokes, turning Punchline into exactly that at the end. Then scampering off.
I didn't know Prank was already a sidekick to Trickster. I always assumed he was supposed to be a redesign of Joker's original sidekick, Gaggy, from the comics.
This episodes reminds me a lot of this old BTAS picture book called “The Joker’s Apprentice”, also about a kid who pulls annoying pranks until Joker pics him up and makes him his sidekick, until the kid realizes he’s not cut out for it when trying to commit a real crime haha. I wonder if the writers knew about this one
ngl next time i see someone who wants to join the joker against “society”, i’m showin’ ‘em this vid
Magnum P.I. (the 80's run) always reminded of a real world version of Batman... And in one episode Magnum goes to the "Zebra club" which was an off brand Playboy "bunny club" and the girl he questions talks & looks a lot like 'Harley Quinn' I always wonder if someone saw that episode and were also pulling from that idea (I know how Bruce Tim says he came up with it from an episode of 'Days of Our Lives')
It also had the sickest intro music for the first season
This is my favorite animated Joker 🎭
I would love to see an episode set in the future where Prank becomes Anarky
I'd like to see Flash's Prank vs. Punchline
Prank in the Batfamily one day? XD
I could see it. Especially if he was someone who recovered from joker gas exposure and decided to fight to protect others from Joker. Could bring back similar vibes of the 'playful sidekick' vibes that Dick brought with his Robin that Damien doesn't bring.
For a chili contest I would have had my money on Mr. Freeze coming in with “I’ll show you something… chilly”
I actually like talking about Batwheels. For the target audience, it pays a lot more respect to Batman history than it needs to, much like Krypto The Superdog did for Superman. That gives older Batfans some nostalgia in a way that doesn't come off as pandering or damage the story for the young newcomers to Bat-lore, so they can watch with their kids and still get something out of it.
I have always loved this character and thought the idea of Prank as a teenage fan of silver age villains who just wants to create wild chaos and vandalism as opposed to actually hurting anyone despite admiring super villains like Tricker, Joker, Riddler, etc. would make for a very fun villain for some of the younger Bat family characters like Cassandra Cain, Damien Wayne, Bluebird, etc. Especially since they usually have such very dark origins that making what amounts to a bad joke telling vandal who dressed up as a clown and is using non-lethal weapons against them while doing wild vandalism and is nonetheless inexplicably a real challenge for them would be very funny. Like-- what if he somehow realized he lived in a comic book world and "got" the rules of the world-- like he would be way more successful if he had a colorful costume, the more dramatic things he does the more screen-time he'd get and trying to kill the hero is pointless because he would fail, but if he tries to just humiliate them then he will be way more successful.
It's been a while since i saw your vids. You're still doing Shipping guide to the galaxy. XD
Please make a video about why Prank (Trickster's sidekick) didn't work but Harley Quinn did, that sounds interesting to me.
I’d love to see you cover beware the Batman or parts of the Arrowverse
4:23 I mean obviously it was the Condiment King
Prank could work in the Comic. IDK if DC would be bold enough to do a teenager villain but I can see him as a Harley Quinn Sidekick. It would make an interesting Joker Family of Joker, HarleyQ, Punchline, and Prank.
I always like dramatic parallels in comic book media. Some of my favorite supervillains are ones who are just the hero's powers but darker in some way. Abomination to Hulk, Vengeance to Ghost Rider, Venom to Spider-man (kinda, anyway)
So the Joker wanting a sidekick because Batman has one is an interesting idea to me. Especially because I always saw Harley as more of a partner than a sidekick, even if she isn't Joker's equal (in his eyes)
I don't know what went severely wrong in my life to want this, but I kinda want to see Prank, Jackanapes, Gaggy and Punchline teaming up.
It's still kinda crazy to me that of all if the animated batman shows out there
This show is the one that had joker cripple Barbara which implies that it goes full killing joke it's kinda crazy
But i do agree it really adds to the divide of this joker where he flips between that comical saturday morning villian of the golden age
To this horrifying madman laughing at causing pain
Like him of all jokers being the only one in a animated tv show to cripple barbara is so shocking it works on showing how terrifying he is
He idea of Alfred writing fan fiction of batman is surprisingly adorable
I'd like to point out that the red and the beak -like nose makes him look way more like a bird than a certain other sidekick who's named after one.
7:25 Specifically The Gang that fought the Super Sons, not The Gang that fought Supergirl.
Rex Luthor also founded the Injustice Army which featured Grundette, Bane Jr. , Kid Weather Wizard and Doomsdame, among other unnamed villains. Both groups were comprised of aliens inspired by Earth's villains. Apparently Braniac 6 isn't even a Coluan but a different species who used cybernetic enhancements to mimic Coulan physiology. Grundette is apparently in fact a zombie though.
I'd like to see both Pranks return.
Prankster kind of reminds me of harley quinn in the dc superhero girls TV show.
In that show harley is a young teen girl also a classmate of Barbara's (her best friend even.) Who gets indoctrinated by joker.
Ohhhh so excited to hear what you have to say about Prank! I'd love to see him enter mainline comics
There's a few villains from _The Batman_ who should be added to the mainline continuity. Temblor, Everywhere Man, and D.A.V.E. could all work if DC was ever willing to let them be canonized.
I mean, what's Sewer King got that they don't?
I like this episode abd prank was a interesting take though from his mask I kind of was wanting him to be called gaggy as gaggy had a similar nose cone thing plus the prank name I remember more from the trickster episode.
Could see him be a like the dc version of jack in the box from astro city if done as a take in the comics
Finally, someone else remembers this episode lol… I’ve always liked Prank, and it would be cool if they bring him back. It could help facilitate more goofy and clownish schemes from the Joker, who I feel like has been too “edgy and dark” over the last decade or so
It would be interesting having a Punchline/Prank encounter that would kinda mirror a Tim Drake and Damian Wayne conflict. Have Punchline really show of her mental skills and be out-thinking Prank, but give Prank superior physical skills and an oppositional personality.
Then just add to the pile-up by having Harley show up as the Dick Grayson, the most experienced with the strongest sense of self as well as Clownhunter as the Jason Todd who just wants everyone to f*** off.
Getting all four of these characters into an established relationship as the horrifyingly dysfunctional family in contrast with the Batfam who have issues but ultimately care for each other.
I am not sure Prank should be physically superior to Punchline since while he showed some acrobatics here, his real skill seems to be engineering. So Punchline could be better at manipulation but Prank would be better as creating gadgets and vehicles but ultimately a bit short-sighted and socially inept.
I always thought pranks mask was inspired from the ancient greek theatre character/mask "Rediculosis".
I feel like this episode takes some of its creative DNA from the BTAS episode Be A Clown
Prank could be a fun character like he could go through this character arc and maybe become a good guy later like a good joker maybe even a comedic screw up not being a good vigilante but at least trying
Fun fact: My AU Tim Drake was based off this character
It’d be interesting to see Prank show back up as the target of Punchline. And possibly defended by Harley. Sidekick story!
I don't know, I almost feel like if you brought him into modern comics, you could probably do something fun with him. Maybe have him introed as 14-19 year old, with the backstory that basically matches the episode, Joker had recruited him as Prank years prior to be the Robin to his Batman, but he didn't take to it well when the Joker asked him to take it a step too far. Batman got him out of the situation (and probably into witness protection), but now years later, he's getting dragged kicking and screaming back into the world of capes and costumes for some reason, possibly leading to him dawning the costume again (maybe Punchline wanted to prove she's better than him in this instance and forced him to put it on for a fight, I don't know), and now he's gotta call on all that old training to keep himself alive, possibly leading him to becoming a hero or villain in his own right after escaping by the skin of his teeth.
This Prank is fun, but I do prefer the Flash Prank more.
I’d love a joker Harley son that uses the prank moniker but becomes obsessed with the idea of being the perfect successor to joker bc he knows Damian is Batman’s son. Ultimately being Damian’s villain not Bruce’s.
I need more of Mark Hamill Trickster, he’s hot.
This is one of my favorite episodes
3:26 -
Sasha: "[...]. Barbara was -keen- Keane..."
Me: I thought this Barbara was Gordon? ;)
Prank did the right thing in the end, and maybe should of been taken in by batman instead of being an one-off bully.
Loving more of The Batman appreciation. If I might make a request, I'd love to hear your retrospective on the Riddler's origins, particularly since he seemed to be one of the most surprisingly well-received adaptations in this show from what I remember
By far my favourite version of the joker, I love his gadgets and behaviour.. also will you be doing a video on beware the batman??