"The "Round-the-World Crimes!", #1

 Let us visit our favorite time-stranded hero,

Yes, in the Golden Age, they called him "THE Green Arrow".  Not just in the logos, but the characters in the story did it, too.  If you think "The Batman" sounds silly, try saying "The Green Arrow" every time.

I say "time-stranded" because we must never forget that current continuity asserts that our modern-day Ollie (and Roy) were stranded in time (the 1940s, specifically).  I forget how and why, because I don't care. What I care about is the fact that THESE Golden Age The Green Arrow stories aren't some Earth-2 version of Ollie; they are actually OUR Ollie.  Meaning that Ollie adapted to the 1940s with GUSTO and appears to have loved it.  No whining about 'fat cats' and 'the little people'.  Just fighting dumb-@$$ villains like The Octopus.  It makes me love The Green Arrow.  Kind of.

Another character I love is The Green Arrow's nemesis, the hilariously unsubtle Joker-manqué, "Bull's-Eye", whom he faces off against in today's tale,

"The 'Round-the-World Crimes"
In the Golden Age, they still remember that it's actually "around-the-world" and accordingly used an apostrophe when dropping the "a".  

I appreciate how the "crime clown" motif was adapted for The Green Arrow.  Bull's-Eye is a former circus clown acrobat.

I can't tell you how much I love the name "Leapo".  
This being the DCU, I bet his real name is Lee Povitch.

He is so agile that the Quivering Duo can't hit him with their arrows.   This angle makes him a perfect foil for The Green Arrow and just different enough from the Joker to be his own man.

This Bull's-Eye story, however, is PARTICULARLY Jokeresque, as you will see.

"That Baleful Buffoon" isn't as awesome a sobriquet as "The Harlequin of Hate", but everything in Star City just hews to a lower standard.

One of the Joker's earliest schticks was announcing his crimes (and the murders that facilitated them) in advance as act of bravado, daring the authorities to stop him.

There's no reason work should be boring, you know.

The Joker does this for giggles.  Bull's-Eye does it out of necessity, because otherwise there is zero change The Green Arrow would ever get near him.

Star City's motto: "We Grade On A Curve."

Bull's-Eye literally places a bull's-eye symbol to mark the place he intends to target, so that The Green Arrow can't miss.  Ollie's a phenomenal archer, but, as previously discussed, he's not really a detective.

Ollie and Roy costume up and head to the Tourism Agency, where, exactly as advertised, Bull's-Eye is pulling a caper.  

So, how long do you think Bull's-Eye & Co. had to kill time at World Tours Inc., waiting for the The Green Arrow to finally show up?
"Mr. Eye, perhaps you'd be interested in bundling a trip with hotel and rental car arrangements? It saves money and maximizes your freedom abroad!"

Note that there's none of that "THE Green Arrow" nonsense for Bull's-Eye. He has zero respect for or fear of Ollie.  I wouldn't be surprised if he already KNOWS Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow and just doesn't want to spoil the fun.  Bull's-Eye is everything the Joker wants to be and doesn't need to kill anybody to prove it.

"For the thrill!" = out of pity

Ollie and Roy do their usual "pin 'em to the wall with arrows" bit.

"It's South America for me!"
"It's <blank> for me!" is classic Golden Age prose. You hear it at least once in every JSA story, even though I don't think any real person has ever used the phrase this way.

Next comes this disturbingly ribald interchange:

"Can I choose... both?"

Bull's-Eye brushes off The Green Arrow's empty threat and leap(o)s off to freedom.

C'mon; you know the Joker is never actually this much fun.

I don't know how The Green Arrow wound up ass-on-floor during that interchange, and I don't care.  It's just the natural result of Leapo, a buffoon by choice, interacting with The Green Arrow, a buffoon by nature.

But now the story gets VERY Joker-y.

"Local yokel"? Yowtch.

Usually, I am inclined to be very sympathetic toward Leapo for his lack of recognition (and a decent challenge). But, realistically... YOU were the one who chose to be The Green Arrow's nemesis, Leapo. Don't be surprised when that doesn't exactly earn you a world of respect.

There's nothing more Jokerish than getting pissy about poor press and then coming up with a scheme to turn that situation around (thematically, if possible).

"Gotham City will rue the day it mentioned the word BONER!"
I think we all rue that day, Joker.

Please stop texting me these pics, Joker. You're no Jared Leto.

So, too, then, Bull's-Eye, who decides to stab back at the idea that he's just a "local" by promising a ROUND-THE-WORLD crime-spree. WITHOUT LEAVING TOWN!

See, the Joker (or even the Penguin) would have just shot that guy on the spot.  But Star City simply doesn't have enough suitable manpower to enable such behavior.

Tomorrow we learn just what Bull's-Eye has in mind (and how he helps The Green Arrow keep up with him).