Batman/Elmer Fudd #1

Writer: Tom King

Artists: Lee Weeks and Byron Vaughns

Colourists: Lovern Kindzierski and Carrie Strachan

Publisher: DC Comics

Out of all the DC/Looney Tunes crossover comics coming out, this was the only one I was actively anticipating. This is mostly due to Tom King, who is a fantastic writer known for his masterpieces Sheriff of Babylon and The Vision, as well as other excellent comics such as The Omega Men. My anticipation for this mostly stemmed from King's Twitter feed, where he tweeted some lines of dialogue that he was going to have Elmer Fudd say. I was laughing at the very notion of taking Fudd seriously as a character, and King does this by infusing the character with just the right level of noir and maturity that made me laugh at most of what he says, while also viewing him as a genuine character. All I know is that I now want King to start a creator-owned 1940s noir book. With Lee Weeks on art.

Weeks might be the star of the show here. I've loved Weeks' art for a long time but this is something else entirely. The book wouldn't work without his great lighting and eerie mood that he conveys really well. There are little stretches of wordless panels which I always love, and Weeks expertly executes his vision. I don't recall him doing much Batman work, and I loved his rendition of the character. It felt very Year One/David Mazzucchelli, which is probably the highest of compliments I can give Weeks.

There's even a femme fatale, the identity of whom I won't spoil since long-time Batman fans will love it.

In terms of story, it follows the noir theme that I keep mentioning. Fudd is on the hunt for Bruce Wayne for some complicated reasons, and Batman hence plays a part in the story. King wisely focuses less on Batman and more on Fudd, really investigating what he's doing with his life, which is contract killing, and how he got to this point. There's an air of tiredness or fatigue surrounding Fudd.

If a comic can make me laugh and think at the same time, then it's a comic worth buying. Rush out, get this, and read it. It plays up to King's strengths and I wholeheartedly recommend it. Ignore the back-up, the Fudd/Batman story is worth the price of admission.