BATMAN-71-The Zodiac Crimes

 

BATMAN-71-The Zodiac Crimes

 

Joker uses, “Boy Blunder” again (I think Mad Hatter might have also in the last two parter) and one of the henchmen disguised as one of the Twins pop stars uses, “Wonder Boy.”

 

The jewel store manager doesn’t recognize Joker under the cowboy hat? Love the Jumping Beans. Penguin has real presence this time…well, he always does, but here his menace seems almost murderous and love his getaway on a high wire from Joker’s distracting Boom Bug (?).

 

Venus (Terry Moore of the great original MIGHTY JOE YOUNG) is a good henchwoman who turns too easily but whatever. Love the opening with Joker invading Gordon’s office with a floating wand stick that can burn and does to Gordon and O’Hara’s hands.

 

The BatCave makes a new sound…or I haven’t been noticing that but it sounds like a computer sound and may have been used in LOST IN SPACE and the other Irwin Allen shows here and there.

 

Burt doesn’t seem to have that problem in this episode until that is he starts (expertly I might add) swinging to the Twins’ music and then the problem starts! And depending on your POV or prudishness, when he and West throw the spears to wrangle the Penguin at the opera house, look away or check …it out?

 

Alfred almost yells Bat Phone as Dick is practicing the tuba (didn’t he already join the band or was that the choir?).

In any case, a really fun episode with a great idea behind it.

 

Bruce Wayne and Harry of Harry’s Hair Lair belong to the same golf club. Though we’re sickly treated to the same footage of the Batmobile taking off (and seat belts put on) and arriving at Gordon’s office (and the same pedestrians are there from the first episode! Over and over again) at least the Bat Fight in this episode is unique in that…the Bat music doesn’t play but the fight and captions occur over an opera singer’s singing! Funny! The audience looks like a clip from the 1950s or 40s!  The singer, for his continuing to sing through the fight, is kidnapped. At one point it looks like both Batman and Robin are holding Joker’s wrists and someone he gets free of both of them!

 

The photo Batman shows Gordon of the statue Virgin Bereaved is clearly a made up Venus.

 

The cliffhanger: With Penguin back in prison under Crighton, Batman and Robin find themselves under an 8 ton meteorite which is about to fall. This after another Bat Fight (and another good one as Joker, seems more murderous than usual, uses a spear against them both and then has a one on one spear fight with Batman---and it’s odd that Joker praises his “fencing” when Batman just punches the Joker to end it). The cliffhanger music sounds like a new variation of the cliffhanger music first used in the CatWoman episode where she put them under magnifying lenses and it’s far too short but also very, very good. The duo were apprehended by Venus’ sprinkling

 

This episode is very fun and having Joker and Penguin together is wonderful. Good plot, good humor, some danger and TWO good Bat fights.