Batman is a lonely, brooding hero, and yet he's had the most team-ups of any DC hero, including with the Looney Tunes character Elmer Fudd. I almost didn't take this laughable comic seriously, but when I read it, my jaw dropped. It's silly in its seriousness, and yet, it's almost impossible for me to not come to the conclusion that this version of Elmer Fudd is a certified badass.

In Batman is on the case, and after a scuffle, the two characters end up having a common goal in hunting down the killer of Silver St. Cloud.

From just that synopsis, I know that if I didn't already know Elmer Fudd, I would have thought this was just another Batman character - and not a famous cartoon icon. And yet, Batman / Elmer Fudd Special #1 makes an anti-hero out of a Looney Tunes character, against my wildest expectations, and pairs him with Batman of all the characters.

Looney Tunes Gets Its Dark Batman Treatment Thanks to an Elmer Fudd Team Up

Elmer Fudd Becomes Batman's Newest Partner

Truthfully, I'm not only a lifelong Batman fan, but I'm a Tom King evangelist, ever since his series The Sheriff of Babylon with artist Mitch Gerads. His run as the Batman writer from 2016 to 2019 is one of my favorites and does a fantastic job of delving into the psychological depths of what it takes to become someone like Batman. It also has the most famous contemporary relationship stories between Batman and Catwoman, as well as the horrible fate of Alfred and Bane. All in all, King's Batman is one of my favorite DC runs, and so it's no wonder that he gives that same gravity, albeit on a much more comical scale, to Elmer Fudd.

Elmer Fudd even has the brooding interior dialogue like Batman would have, albeit in his own particular voice.

With all the character elements that fans have come to expect from a character like Elmer Fudd, including his speech impediment and his catchphrase of hunting rabbits, the Bugs Bunny hunter switches modes and takes on a Batman-worthy tone. Right from the beginning, he arrives at the bar Porky's to kill Bugs with his shotgun, making him a Gotham character through-and-through. He even has the brooding interior dialogue like Batman would have, albeit in his own particular voice.

Batman Meets His Match in Elmer Fudd

Elmer Fudd's Specialty Is the Dark Knight's Blind Spot

Batman has been up against all manner of villains, considering his list of Gotham rogues is extensive, but one of his most surprising fights involves a simple shotgun. In his first encounter with the Bat, Elmer Fudd more than holds his own, showing me more than just a cartoonish fight. Elmer Fudd and Batman battle in a very gritty style that tests Batman's fighting limits, considering he doesn't use guns. The Dark Knight may have mastered all sorts of martial arts, but he had never encountered a hunter with a shotgun before, which is Elmer Fudd's specialty.

Looking for more unexpected Batman team ups? Check out Batman / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by James Tynion IV and Freddie E. Williams II, available now in an omnibus and other collected editions from DC Comics and IDW Publishing.

At this moment, I realized that Elmer Fudd was a much more serious character than I had supposed. Due to his origin, I was assuming he would only have a comedic role, but it was that very assumption that allowed him to nearly beat Batman single-handedly. Turns out, too, that Elmer Fudd makes a very good Robin. As both Elmer and Batman track down Silver St. Cloud's killer, they work in such a way that I had almost completely forgotten how silly I thought the comic was supposed to be in the beginning.

Elmer Fudd Levels a Bar Full of Crooks - With Batman's Help

His Classic Comedic Quips Make Him a Perfect Gotham Fit

I wouldn't have expected Batman to pair so well with a character whose main personality trait is a shotgun. More than that, Elmer Fudd really seems to fit into the madness of Gotham. With characters like the Joker, the Riddler, and the Mad Hatter, Gotham often slips into the world of fairy tales, with fantastical villains who love quipping at the proper time. I think Elmer Fudd fits perfectly in this kind of world, as he delivers a perfect punchline with a shotgun in a mercenary's mouth.

In one of the silliest comics to come out of DC, I found a story that was actually cooler than I was expecting. The star of the comic that shines for me isn't even Batman at all, but Elmer Fudd himself, one of DC's newest characters, with his fighting skills, his comedic banter and timing, and his captivating story. Elmer Fudd might just belong more in Gotham than he does in the Looney Tunes world. I, for one, as a fan who grew up with both worlds, loved seeing them collide. Of course Batman could make such a badass out of someone like Elmer Fudd.

Batman / Elmer Fudd Special #1 is available now from DC Comics.