Much digital ink has been shed on discussing Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker adaptation as a hardboiled, grim-and-gritty character study in the vein of classic 1970s and ‘80s cinema. While that idiosyncratic take more than assures it won’t be a four-quadrant smash in the MCU mold (though its record-shattering box office intake may beg to differ), it’s still important to note that Joker is, at the end of the day, a comic book movie. One that references Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, sure, but a comic book movie nonetheless. And …