BUTTMAN FERSHLUGGINER

BATMAN FOREVER (1995)
dir: Joel Schumacher

BUTTMAN FERSHLUGGINER
MAD #337, July 1995
w: Dick DeBartolo
a: Mort Drucker

The third film in this franchise, with a different director and cast.

“Fershlugginer” was a word MAD used often from Harvey Kurtzman's tenure as the original Mad editor. In the earliest days, he'd sprinkle various words and phrases he'd heard through his upbringing and “fershlugginer” was one that was made up.

This double-page spread eliminates Two Face's attack on Gotham City and goes straight to Bruce (Val Kilmer) at the circus he's sponsoring. The Flying Graysons are performing there when Two Face (Tommy Lee Jones) shows up again with a bomb, in the hopes Batman is there and will reveal himself. The Grayson family attempts to diffuse the bomb and Dick (Chris O'Donnell) dies trying to save them.

Now an orphan, Dick is taken in.

Bruce wonders if he should keep being Batman and confides in his butler Alfred (Michael Gough).

Batman responds to a signal call and finds out it's a false alarm from Chase (Nicole Kidman), a psychologist who has a crush on him. Batman is also getting mysterious riddles from the Riddler (Jim Carrey). Chase gives a doll to Batman representing dual identities (she gives it to Bruce in the movie).

Dick discovers Bruce is Batman and steals the Batmobile. He wants to join him to fight crime so he can avenge Two Face, while Bruce has decided to give up fighting crime. While Dick is trying to be cool emulating Batman, he gets in over his head and has to be bailed out.

Chase is dating both Batman and Bruce and realizes they're the same person from his kiss. Riddler and Two Face team up (Why else? Because of their hatred for Batman).
Riddler (under his real identity of Ed Nygma) has a party for his new invention, which he really made so he can get into Bruce's mind. They find out his secret and invade his home.

Batman chases Two Face and the Riddler with the help of Robin (named Robin in this as well) and eventually finish them off. (Not shown: Chase also in peril) It ends with Batman and Robin becoming a team.

Drucker and the editors must have been in a rush when they did this since there aren't the usual background sight gags or labels.


And this was Cracked's take.

BATTY, MAN, FOREVER
Cracked #301, September 1995
w: Lou Silverstone
a: Walter Brogan

I'm not sure of the play on Edward Nygma's name here. My only guess is that from the press material Cracked had as their source he had a different name. I think the Jerry Lewis appearance has something to do with Jim Carrey always being compared to him. Two Face's real name is Harvey Dent.

As with many supervillains, origins start with a grudge. Nygma became the Riddler because he was a disgruntled inventor who worked at Bruce Wayne's science lab and idolized him, until Bruce turned him down for a grant.

Two Face robs a bank posing as a construction worker but Batman stops him, and Nygma puts the finishing touches on his invention, making the Riddler's origin complete.

Bruce starts going to a psychiatrist and starts seeing her, then takes her to the circus.

Where Dick is orphaned and Bruce takes him in. Two Face and Riddler team up.

Nygma/Riddler has charity ball to premiere his new invention.
Two-Face attends. He and Batman fight and he escapes.

Riddler tries to kidnap Chase but is convicted and committed. Now that's wrapped up, Bruce goes back to the outside world, but everyone there is schizophrenic as well.

A fourth film was made with George Clooney as Batman that was panned by everyone and after that they decided to throw in the towel with Batman movies and reboot him twenty-five years later.

UPDATES: From Cracked #303. November 1995. Is the joke that her suit is all exclamation points?

From Cracked #302, October 1995. The Joker (Jack Nicholson), The Penguin (Danny DeVito), and Catwoman (Michele Pfeiffer) are also in this, though this was meant to tie in with this third one.

John McLane (Bruce Willis) from the Die Hard series is also in this. There is a trailer for Pocahontas and the feature takes off on Indian in the Cupboard.

The other theaters are showing Free Willy 2 and Crimson Tide. Those are supposed to be caricatures of Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington.

There was a season-ending cliffhanger “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” on The Simpsons, parodying Dallas' “Who shot J.R?”. The submarine is the submarine from Yellow Submarine.

Cover to the Mexican edition.

And the British one.

Maybe the American one wasn't good enough for them.