GK’s Where Are They Now?: Anarky, You must be joking?
So as you will be aware this weekend is Glasgow Comic Con, With that in mind I felt it would be most appropriate to try and dig up a character created by one of the guests. One that imediately jumped to mind is Anarky by Alan Grant. Now it isn’t that this character is that obscure or that faded but simply put has a major plot thread hanging that no one has ever addressed since.
Week 4: Anarky, You must be joking?
Who were they?: Anarky or Lonnie Machin was an adroit teenage Anarchist character introduced during Grant’s run on Detective Comics with artist Norm Breyfogle. The character proved to be a good foil for Batman as both represented left and right takes on vigilantism. Then after his original appearance his background was expanded with him being the son of the Machins or so he thought. Towards the late 90’s Anarky’s original creative team of Breyfogle and Grant returned to the character with a miniseries and an all to brief ongoing series. During this run a very interesting plot thread was created as Lonnie discovers the Machins aren’t his real parents. As he shakes down the leads he finds his real mother who isn’t in full control of her faculties due to her past with the man she claims to be his biological father … The Joker. Anarky then broke into Arkham to face the Joker about the Kyleian paternity claims which goes as well as one would imagine with The Joker attempting to shoot him.
This wouldn’t be the first time someone has been alluded to as the Joker’s offspring look at Duela Dent or the recent character within the New 52 so far simply known as “the Jokers Daughter”. But this would seem like one that should have been resolved and it never was as the Ararky series was cancelled on issue 8 with the very last story being the one that set up the Joker as his father.
What have they done recently?: The character has appeared intermittently since, With no mention whatsoever to his true parentage in spite of 2008’s The Dark Knight directly drawing parallels to Jokers acts of violence and Anarchism that could have been a golden egg to explore on page. But around that time a second character called Anarky showed up in the pages of Red Robin with Lonnie Machin shuffled to the sidelines so yet again the thread dangled.
What can we expect next?: Well DC or rather Warner Bro’s being the way it is and always chasing ‘synergy’ it is highly likely that we will see Anarky featured far more prominently within the New 52 given he is said to be a major player in both Beware The Batman and Arkham Origins. Will they choose to refer to the dangling plot thread?, Who can say but as interesting as it would be it did arise from a now non canon continuity not to mention the New 52’s five year timeline making it seem highly unlikely Joker could father a teenage son. Regardless of this plot thread Anarky is an interesting character who has yet to feature in in the New 52 and it certainly looks as though it is only a matter of time for that to happen.
So for those attending GCC be sure to hassle Alan Grant with those questions about Anarky, feel free to read our interview with Norm Breyfogle. If you would like to see the microscope fall on a character you wish you could see more of hit me up with you suggestions.
The writer of this piece was: 
Gary Kane aka (GK)
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From what I understand, the story was written with the understanding it would be proven false in a later issue that never got made. Personally, I’m more intrigued by Lonnie having been able to use a green lantern ring.