Frank Miller's Holy Terror

[Drz]

Yeah, but nothing has ever come close to TDKR, Batman: Year One & Daredevil with me, still didn't stop me from enjoying his other Batman work nor Sin City nor Holy Terror.

 

[PB210]

"I do not like the homosexual (and perhaps homophobic) way that both Miller and Alan Davis portray The Joker".

As I recall in Amazing Heroes#189 interivew with Miller, actually a reprint from a book whose title I do not recall, but which seems to have come out around 1990 or 1991), Miller indicates that the wrote the scoundrel with this in mind or at least to evoke it.


Regarding testifying in court, mentioned upthread, Robert Ingersoll writes up another instance.
http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/law/back19990713.shtml
Ingersoll indicates that he feels this would require some at least tacit official recognition.

The Batman is on patrol and finds Anton Knight, the Night-Thief, committing a burglary. No one else sees the event, only the Batman........... Eventually, the Batman does capture Knight, but again no one else sees it. Finally, in Detective # 530, Knight stands trial for his malefactions.

Now, as the Batman was the only person who saw Knight committing any crime, the Batman's testimony would be needed in order to convict Knight. Needed? Try essential. Without the Batman, there would literally be no case against Knight. And sure enough, in Detective # 530, the Batman-in full cape and cowl-testifies against Knight.

Anyone out there care to explain to me exactly how the Batman accomplished this little feat?

He couldn't just swing into the courtroom and testify, you know.

I mean, how did the Batman prove he was the Batman?

If I were Anton Knight facing trial and I knew the only witness who could convict me was a man dressed in a gray and blue costume complete with mask and earpieces suitable for playing ring toss on; I'd want to keep that person from testifying. And, unless the witness could prove that he was the same man dressed in a gray and blue costume complete with mask and earpieces suitable for playing ring toss on who caught me, that person would never testify against me.

Before super-heroes whose real identities were unknown could testify in a court, they would have to prove they were really the hero they claimed to be and not some imposter in a costume. For all the judge knows the costumed witness could be a flunky hired by the defendant to lie and get the defendant acquitted.


...................................................................

Bernie Goetz came up on this issue. Someone pointed out that they had considered having him testify. Goetz, however, appeared as himself, not in some alternate identity, and had to answer for illegal gun ownership charges. He did not just testify to a crime he saw in progress.

 

[PB210]

"Batman in Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns is shown being allies with Gordon, and they have the Bat-Signal on the roof of police headquarters, the Bat-Phone, and Batman is a vigilante".
_____________________________________________________________________________

I would not rely on Frank Miller as a legal scholar. If he thinks police departments may brazenly summon vigilantes, I would not trust him on any other legal matter. The defense would have an easy time at a trial, pointing to the police having enlisted a self-avowed vigilante. People might as well hire a convicted sex offender with a poster at the local police station as a governess and/or nanny.

Miller once either incurred amnesia, insinuated incorrectly, or dissembled on the '60's television show deputizing the hero for the first time.

Further Corrections/Updates to Various Articles

Circa the 1970's:

A displaying of the badge to demonstrate deputy status occurs in Brave and the Bold#102, with a mention in #148.

Batman Vol 1 295 | DC Database | Fandom

Refer to the dialogue in the following scan:

CollectedEditions.com-Bat Tales: Collected Tales

 

[PB210]

The Justice League was not a government-sanctioned organization until Justice League International #7 (1987) "Justice League... International!," by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, when the Justice League became a U.N. sanctioned international peace-keeping force, and Batman immediately removed himself from command at that moment. Mike W. Barr, the Detective Comics writer at the time, said in Amazing Heroes #102 (1986), "As far as I'm concerned, he never had police authority. He's not approved by the establishment."

I found JLA I#192, so with a primary source verification occurs of the following:

Comics Reviews: JLA 192, Legion of Super-Heroes 277, New Teen Titans 9 - The Eruditegorilla

Justice League of America #192 - “Quest for Genesis” - Gerry Conway/George Perez/John Beatty This one starts with a meeting of the JLA on the Satellite. They’re discussing their United Nations mandate and whether they might get in trouble for having too many members (currently, they have 14)...

eruditegorilla.com

This one starts with a meeting of the JLA on the Satellite. They’re discussing their United Nations mandate and whether they might get in trouble for having too many members (currently, they have 14),