An experimental fighter craft crew cuts their test flight short after
Mission Control warns them that their reported fuel temperature readings are in the danger zone. Unfortunately, their emergency landing site happens to be near a gang of Jokerz who are
initiating a new member. The flight crew are caught off-guard when they abandon the craft, and the Jokerz take it for themselves and go on a dangerous rampage.
Tropes:
- Being Evil Sucks: Lee, the would-be Jokerz initiate, is increasingly disillusioned with Scab and the gang as they gangup on Batman (admittedly still poor odds for the gang) and use the fighter craft to attack a rival gang which has no way to fight back against such firepower. The last straw comes when he hears Scab disdainfully refer to the gang as "a crutch" which he no longer needs now that he has "real power", meaning the Jokerz are not as closely knit as he was lead to believe. Lee then clobbers Scab from behind (freeing Batman to shut down the reactor before it overloads) and abandons the Jokerz.
- Book Dumb: When Scab sees the controls labelled in English, Coe, one of the other Jokerz, is surprised that that former can read while at the same time indicating that the latter can't.
- Dragon-in-Chief: J-Man might be the leader of the Jokerz but Scab is the most competent, dangerous and ambitious of the group in this episode.
- Dude Magnet: Dr. Price's attractiveness is pretty apparent. Scab, upon hearing her voice, says "she sounds hot" and Terry's initially perky tone when meeting her indicates he was immediately struck by her beauty.
- Falling into the Cockpit: Scab shows no difficulty figuring out how to fly the military fighter craft and fire its weapons.
- Improbable Piloting Skills: Scab easily figures out how to fly the craft and use the weapons. It helps that the controls are clearly labelled, and Scab (unlike at least one of his followers) can read.
- Incompetence, Inc.: Subverted. The malfunctions in the vehicle's engine are a result of low funding from the government.
- Initiation Ceremony: The "disturbingly horrific" variety (what else would you expect from the Jokerz)? The newcomer is taken out into the boondocks, and told that it's so nobody will hear the screams. He's led to an old mine shaft, which contains a skeleton in a purple suit and boutonniere (implied to be the remains of the original Joker). At this point, the arrival of the fighter craft interrupts the ceremony.
- Insignia Rip-Off Ritual: At the end, Lee, the Jokerz-initiate who has been dragged along with the gang, takes off his red rubber nose after he realizes just how insane the situation is.
- Likes Older Women: Terry's enthusiastically friendly grin when first setting his sights on the lovely Dr. Price hints at this.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Lee shows some Evil Virtues and guilt about the others actions even before leaving the gang.
- Mistaken for Aliens: The Jokerz initially think that the fighter craft is a Flying Saucer. Scab realizes otherwise when he sees the controls labelled in English.
- Not What I Signed on For: A Jokerz-initiation is interrupted when the gang steals a military prototype combat vehicle. Throughout the episode the initiate, Lee, is dragged along as the Jokerz commit bigger and bigger crimes, but at the end of the episode he knocks Scab out and takes off his red rubber nose when it becomes obvious that the situation is going to keep escalating into pure insanity.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Dr. Price. She orders her crew to bail out when the ship shows signs of being in danger, personally goes to retrieve it and fights the Jokerz to do so, and is willing to work along with Batman to retrieve the plane, while being candid about how its her design that is risking the explosion.
- The Unreveal: We never do find out what the Jokerz' initiation entails...
- Villainous Breakdown: Scab breaks down screaming in helpless rage when the craft will not start anymore because Batman deactivated its power source.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Coe loses his lunch offscreen because of Scab's piloting skills.
