Welcome to Adaptations Done Right, a segment that make comparisons between notable source material for a (in)famous piece of work. People may know about The Adventures of Batman and Robin sequel to the original Batman: The Animated Series. One of its most powerful episodes is actually adapted from a one-shot comic by series creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. But it’s not really a Batman story, Batman: Mad Love is actually about the relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker. It was even made into a motion comics that can be viewed on the YouTube channel Beyond the Lot. Like many adaptations, there need to be changes to fit their medium; here we highlight the differences that play their strengths.
Premise of Batman: Mad Love
The story is essentially Harley contemplating her place with the Joker. But since he shows more attention to Batman, she plans to get rid of the Bat to keep Joker for herself. Recycling one of Joker’s rejected death traps, she almost has Batman down for the count. But Batman outsmarts her by getting her to call the Joker. Joker is less than pleased that Harley tries to steal his glory and badly injures her. Batman manages to free himself and beat the Joker who goes missing after their fight. Tragic part of it is, Harley still wants him after every horrible thing that night.
Batman: Mad Love (Comic vs Motion Comic vs TV)
Most of the compare and contrasting can be summarized in the dentist office sequence of the story; a few scenes play out differently depending on the source that highlights their medium. In the comics after Harley Quinn made a pun, there was the Joker’s shadow looming in the corner. This creates an anticipation for what happens next as well as the tone. Unlike in the TV episode, where this just happens out of the blue. But TV Joker steals the spotlight when his voice actor Mark Hamill improvises a Star Wars pun.
Know Your Mediums
However a few crucial details including Harley’s backstory before she met the Joker are left out. Most fans assume that Harley became her current self because of exposure to Joker. But Batman points out some lore from a file search; while not completely insane, Harley can be just as manipulative and harebrained as Joker is. Meeting the Joker was just Harley reaching her final milestone to her criminal career.
Knowing Limitations
Of course there is also how TV restrictions are at play; some parts however work to their advantage. In the comics Harley’s nightgown is looser and she is covered in dirt when Joker kicks her out. This displays to the audience the general idea on what Harley means to Joker.
Others are not done as well. Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock’s were absent for the rest of the episode after receiving a tape from Harley. This made it look like they left all the work to Batman; that does not fit Bullock’s profile at all. In the comic, Gordon is in radio contact with Batman with strongly implied concern when he doesn’t answer. So In true police fashion, Gordon and Bullock chase a lead on the Joker.
Then there are slight differences like when Harley merely pricked Batman with a drug on TV; unlike the comics where she left the syringe on him. Is that too similar to heroin?
Emotional Payoffs
Then there is how strongly some scenes are compared to others. When Harley lures Batman out and during her reflection when locked up in Arkham Asylum on the TV show; her voice changes to a more serious tone to make Harleen Quinzel more distinct from Harley Quinn. The motion comic however keeps a consistent tone of voice. It doesn’t help that the base comic’s lettering doesn’t suggest this either. Major props to Arleen Sorkin for this performance.
Time For The Big One
The Joker’s shadow looming over a panicked Harley brings back that sense of tone and anticipation. But depending on the medium, the act of Joker pushing Harley out the window is either spontaneous or atmospheric.
The comic features Harley screaming after falling a few plain to see stories. The motion comic displays this sequence in three panels to emphasize the distance and the time. The TV episode meanwhile has Harley’s fall play in slow motion to emphasize Harley’s feeling. Finally, when Harley lands, Harley is only bleeding from the mouth in the episode along with her exhaustion. However Harley is bleeding heavily from her crash and is helped by Renee Montoya in the comics.
Bonus
Finally when Harley is put in Arkham all patched up in the comic, she is visited by her old boss. This makes the ending feel like the cycle of abuse and obsession will continue unlike the TV episode. One part that just keeps going on in the back of my mind was Poison Ivy’s cameo. When Harleen speaks the line: “I’ve always been attracted to extreme personalities”, Ivy is on focus. The comic just had her as a literal background element; but the show puts Ivy in the forefront, foreshadowing their partnership in the first season and eventual relationship; if only it happened to Harley sooner.
Pick Your Poison of Batman: Mad Love
In all of these situations the strength’s and weaknesses of these mediums are apparent. Compared to hodgepodge film adaptations like Batman v Superman that try to copy these existing stories condensed into packets; these adaptations take advantage of the limitations and techniques of their mediums to create compelling stories. While none of these versions are the best; some of the scenes are better in one medium more than others. What matters is how they appeal to the audience. For me, the show felt more streamlined and easier to swallow. Although, I did enjoy the comic for fixing the gaps that were missing on TV.
As always thanks for coming and remember to look between the panels.