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The Caped Crusader in the 1960s by Jack Seabrook & Peter Enfantino |
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Anderson |
"The Joker's Original Robberies!"
Story by John Broome
Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella
"Commissioner Gordon's Death-Threat!"
Story by Gardner Fox
Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella
There's a new member of the Joker's gang and his name is Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy, nicknamed Gaggy, a dwarf who is a refugee from a circus and whose new job is to keep the boss laughing. Every time Gaggy makes the Joker guffaw, the Clown Prince of Crime comes up with a new idea for mayhem. "The Joker's Original Robberies!" include robbing an exhibition of original models of famous inventions from the Salon of Spectacles. Though the Dynamic Duo make the scene, the Joker and his gang escape.
Batman and Robin realize that the Joker's next target will be the original city hall of Gotham City. When the Joker uses a helicopter to airlift the building to a secret location, Batman and Robin hang on from below and burst through the door, quickly mopping up the gang and ensuring that Joker and Gaggy share a jail cell.
We are in full Batman TV show mode now and DC is making sure that they sell as many Batman comics as possible. Not only is Murphy Anderson drawing the covers, but the house ads include the latest issue of Jerry Lewis comics, featuring a guest appearance by Batman and Robin! The lead story in this issue is dreadful and Gaggy is an awful sidekick. He tries to make himself the equivalent of the Boy Wonder, but it doesn't work, and the art by Moldoff is worse than usual.
Batman receives an emergency call from Commissioner Gordon, who says that he is in Resort City, hiding out from Fred Purley, a jewel thief he locked up 40 years ago who has just been released. On his way out of the courtroom, Purley issued "Commissioner Gordon's Death-Threat!" to the then-rookie cop and now Batman's pal is afraid the crook will keep his old promise. What Batman doesn't know is that the call really came from Purley, who does a spot-on impression of Gordon's voice and who is holding the Commish hostage.
After racing to Resort City in the Bat-copter, the Caped Crusader barely escapes being blown up by a hidden bomb when he opens the door to what he thinks is Gordon's hotel room. Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Robin is out patrolling in the Batmobile when he happens upon Purley and two goons robbing a jewelry store. Robin is doing well against the goons when he's distracted by Purley's Gordon vocal impression; as a result, he's knocked out and left on the pavement. When the Dynamic Duo reunite at Police HQ, Batman quickly figures out what's going on and they take the Bat-copter to Flame Island, where Gordon has absent-mindedly scraped a Bat-signal in the black paint covering a window in the tower of the building where he's being held. Biff! Pow! Scratch one jewel thief and rescue one commissioner.
Unlike the first story in this issue, which was extra disappointing because it wasted the Joker, this one is just plain dull and features yet another run of the mill gangster. With all of the attention on Batman at this point, you'd think DC could do better, but I guess they could slap his picture on just about anything and it would sell during the heyday of Bat-mania.-Jack
Peter-In "Commissioner Gordon's Death-Threat," the Boy Wonder's inane one-liners had me screaming out "Robin! Stop!" at the same time as Purley! The hippy-cat lingo the kid keeps spouting reminds me we're almost into that Rebellious Robin phase we encountered in the early '70s. Old men writing dialogue for teenagers ("Wonder why Batman sliced air for Resort City?") never worked and probably never will. Hilarious that Purley got a life sentence for a diamond heist and Penguin and Joker are paroled before they're even arrested for multiple slayings. The Joker tale adds fuel to my argument that the 1960s Batman writers had no idea how to pen interesting tales centered on a madman. Take a look around at what DC Comics was selling in their funny books at the time and you can see there was no room for a genuine psychopath among yarns about super dogs and Kid Flashes.
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Infantino/Giella |
"Bruce Wayne Unmasks Batman!"
Story by John Broome
Art by Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella
Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are the guests on the William B. Williams TV debate show when they are blind-sided by the appearance of... Batman and Robin! The quartet engage in a feisty debate on criminal rehabilitation, bad childhoods, and the number of jewelry stores located in Gotham, with the masked invitees unaware of the secret identities belonging to the gentlemen across from them.
Watching from home are two members of the Frankie Fargo gang, Boo-Boo and Beefy. Boo-Boo gets the ingenious idea of going down to the studio and kidnapping the Dynamic Duo to impress boss Frankie. They grab a conveniently-placed container of sleeping gas and exit through the apartment door. Later, they pump the studio full of gas and dump the faux crime-fighters in the back of their getaway car. In a secluded wood, they unmask the Caped Crusaders to reveal a pair of college kids. Without ID, they can't place the kids, so they stash the comatose "heroes" and head off to find Frankie Fargo.
Meanwhile, back at the studio, William Williams explains to Bruce and Dick that the Batman and Robin idea was all his; the men behind the masks are a pair of university students who spend their idle time at parties imitating their idols. Bruce and Robin head to the university to look for clues and happen upon Frankie and his gang just as the mobsters are about to rub out the underwear-clad figures whom they believe to be Batman and Robin.
When the real deal emerge from the Batmobile, Frankie is, to be frank, a bit pissed, and he opens up on the Dynamic Duo. It doesn't take much, however, for the Dark Knight and the Teenage Torpedo to take the gang down and deliver them to the authorities (Gordon is on a much-needed vacation). At the studio the next evening, Bruce and Robin are introduced to Tom Wiley and Stewart Hall, the two frat boys who were nabbed, and Wayne congratulates Tom on his mockery of Gotham's Greatest Detective while Dick chuckles in the foreground.
This is another one of those "high-concept" ideas that works much better on the cover than it does on the inside. Much like other plots of this ilk ("Alfred is... The Penguin!" "Robin Shops at the Supermarket!"), a single image (cover) is a fun snapshot that doesn't necessarily translate into 14 pages of action and brilliant storytelling. I was hoping the addition of John Broome to the skimpy writing staff would elicit new ideas, but nope, it's still the same old sophomoric crap.-Peter
Jack-I think you're being generous. The cover is nicely drawn but hardly memorable, and the story inside is terrible. William B. Williams was a real radio personality in NYC for decades but I can't imagine that a kid who would plunk down 12 cents for this issue would care one whit about William B. The script is so bad that even Infantino and Giella's art is uninspired. And who names villains Beefy and Boo Boo? Infantino must have been feeling overwhelmed, because he doesn't draw this issue's Elongated Man story, which has the dubious distinction of using the wrong color for the hero's costume from start to finish.
"Batman's First Case"
Story by Bill Finger
Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris
(Reprinted from Detective Comics #265, March 1959)
"The Phantom Eye of Gotham City"
Story by John Broome (?)
Art by Bob Kane & Charles Paris
(Reprinted from Detective Comics #192, February 1953)
"The Last Days of Batman"
Story by Bill Finger
Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris
(Reprinted from Batman #125, August 1959)
"Gotham's Cleverest Criminal"
Story by Al Schwartz
Art by Jack Burnley & Charles Paris
(Reprinted from Batman Sunday strips 10/28-12/9/45)
"Peril at Playland Isle"
Story by Bill Finger
Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris
(Reprinted from Detective Comics #264, February 1959)
"The Batman of Tomorrow!"
Story by Edmond Hamilton
Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris
(Reprinted from Detective Comics #216, February 1955)
"The Ballad of Batman"
Story by Edmond Hamilton
Story by Edmond Hamilton
Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris
(Reprinted from Batman #95, October 1955)
Peter-I love the constant rearranging of the mythos through the decades. Every so often we discover that a/Batman's first case wasn't really the first case; b/ there are umpteen people in Bruce Wayne's past that he's just lost touch with but reconnects with when a new villain arrives in town; and c/ Bruce Wayne had a myriad of inspirations for his alter ego. Most of these oldies have something that makes me smile, but if I have to pick a favorite it would be the dopiest of the six (I don't count the Sunday strips), "The Last Days of Batman," wherein the main plot is kicked off by the Dark Knight's need to travel back in time to the 17th Century. To save the world? To save Gotham? To save Robin? How about to save a kitten? Nope, it's to clear up a misunderstanding about museum curator John Kirk and an obscure painting. Thank goodness Gotham has its own time machine inventor! Gotta hand it to that Bill Finger; he could make masterpieces out of a sow's ear.
Jack-I don't think I've read this 80-page giant before, but it's an unusually strong collection. I loved the Sunday strips and now will have to go out and find a book of them so I can read them all. Art and story are great! Also great is the fact that we get three stories in a row penciled by Dick Sprang. My favorite of these is "Peril at Playland Isle," which makes fine use of an amusement park setting. "The Ballad of Batman" is a hokey tale that came out around the height of the Davy Crockett craze.
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Infantino/Giella |
"The Circle of Terror!"
Story by John Broome
Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella
While out on patrol, Batman and Robin stumble upon the latest in a long line of 15th-tier Rogue villains--the Spellbinder! Exiting from the broken window of an antique store (definitely not the safest way to break into a business), Spellbinder and his two nattily-dressed henchmen dive into battle with the Dynamic Duo but the fisticuffs come to a screeching halt when Spellbinder unveils his secret power--hypnotism.
While doing cartwheels, the baddie envelops Batman with a mesmerizing pattern and our hero becomes... clock-eyed!!! Yes, clock-eyed. Suddenly, the Dark Knight believes he's facing the huge clock on the Lifetime Publications building in Gotham. Mobsters emerge from the timepiece and Batman gives wing, landing on the minute hand and delivering off-balance left hooks that seem to leave the criminals unfazed. Batman loses his footing and falls hundreds of feet to his death.
Or so it would seem, but just before he splatters all over the pavement, he awakens and finds a very worried Robin, informing his boss that the bad guys got away. Bats heads to the office of a police doctor, who tells him that the Spellbinder's trick seems to work on the Caped Crusader's inner fears and that it's very common for a frightened dreamer to die in his sleep (1960s medical research at its finest). Batman had better be well-prepared the next time he runs into the Spellbinder.
Ignoring this sage medical advice, Batman grabs Robin and hits the streets running, searching high and low for Spellbinder. He finds the dazzler in an alley (!), mapping out his next heist with his two bozos. Obviously expecting a different outcome, Batman is amazed when the Spellbinder hypnotizes him again and makes him believe he's landing a helicopter atop a speeding train to fight robbers. Unfortunately, the battle does not go our hero's way and he takes a topple from the locomotive into a body of water far below, waking up just before a whirlpool sucks him under. Again, Robin is there to roll his eyes and admonish his mentor for being foolhardy. "Next time," swears the World's Greatest Detective, "I'll be ready for him!"
Later that night, skyrockets in the sky lead the Dynamic Duo to a nearby deserted street, where the Spellbinder and his fiendish employees await. A well-hidden rocket blows up in Batman's face and becomes a pinwheel, once more hypnotizing him and sending him into an eerie dream state. Now, Batman is convinced he's in an amusement park fighting sideshow acts. But third time's the charm as Gotham's defender figures a way to foil the Spellbinder's trick and he delivers that solid left cross to the chin of his arch-enemy. Gotham's jail cells will be full again for at least a couple of months.
I gotta say that John Broome at least changes up the formula this time a bit. Batman is defeated twice before he gets a handle on the spinning trick; usually, there's one defeat and then Bats goes in swinging the second time. You can tell I'm so bored by this by-the-numbers era that I'll grab onto anything of interest. Like Batman's micro-sized crime book he keeps in his utility belt. Really, how much info could be kept in a journal the size of a folded business card? Or how about the questionable science of a helicopter blade that moves so slowly that it offers no harm to someone unlucky enough to get hit in the head by it? Gotham Villain Uniform Company must be running out of ideas; Spellbinder's get-up looks like pieces left over from three or four other 15th-tier rogues.-Peter
Jack-Is this the first op-art villain we've seen? He's described that way in the story and his costume features some go-go checks, so he has to be at DC! At the end of the story, Bruce, Dick, Alfred, and Aunt Harriet take in an op-art exhibit at a museum. Suffice it to say that Sheldon Moldoff's exhibits of op art on the museum wall do not inspire me to search for more. According to Wikipedia, the term op art was coined in '64, so DC is on the cutting edge. Sort of. Just like last issue, Infantino doesn't draw the Elongated Man backup story; this time, it's Sid Greene. From the looks of this one sample, I like him better as an inker over someone else's pencils.
"The Eraser Who Tried to Rub Out Batman!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella
"The Ten Best-Dressed Corpses in Gotham City!"
Story by John Broome
Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Sid Greene
Gazing at a giant eraser on display in a shop window (and ignoring the scantily-clad beauty who is giving him the eye), Bruce Wayne recalls a college classmate named Lenny Fiasco who made so many mistakes that he was always erasing the blackboard. The Dynamic Duo are soon summoned to the Riverside Bank, where Batman can find no evidence of any clue as to who robbed the vault. When he and Robin happen upon a toy store robbery in progress, they find an ad for the Eraser, who promises to remove every clue from a crime scene.
Batman and Robin disguise themselves as an organ grinder and his human monkey; when the organ grinder pretends to rob a safe in a jewelry shop, the Eraser suddenly turns up and reveals himself to be Lenny Fiasco, who quickly identifies Bruce Wayne in disguise due to the particular smell his shaving lotion gives off. Lenny still holds a grudge against Bruce for dating a certain girl in college and he knocks his old rival out by means of gas from one of his pointy, pencil-like shoes. Bruce manages to escape death by freezing (don't ask) before he changes into his Bat-suit and is joined by Robin. The duo make short work of the Eraser and his fellow goons and Lennie ends up in jail.
Bob Kanigher has been writing the most entertaining Bat-tales of late, and "The Eraser Who Tried to Rub Out Batman!" is nutty fun. The villain is a hoot, with a mask that resembles a pencil eraser and shoes that look like sharp pencil points. Women throw themselves at Bruce throughout the story, to Dick's chagrin, and there's even a brief attempt to kill Bruce Wayne by placing him in a non-melting ice sculpture.
Less fun is to be had in John Broome's "The Ten Best-Dressed Corpses in Gotham City!" It's not ideal to be on Squire Magazine's list of the ten best-dressed men in Gotham City, since three of the men have died in tragic accidents in the last week! The fourth name on the list is Bruce Wayne, who barely escapes death when his car loses control. Batman figures that the fifth name on the list is next, but when he and Robin visit Hampden Dennis, the rich realtor is not concerned.
The Dynamic Duo trail Dennis to a seedy part of the city, where the realtor and his beefy chauffeur engage in fisticuffs with the crime fighters. At Police HQ, Commissioner Gordon explains that Dennis was the secret king of the numbers racket, but when Batman and Robin return to Dennis's mansion they discover that the real killer is Matt Whitson, publisher of Squire, who betrayed his country during the last war. A man named Davis blackmailed him and Dennis killed him. The deaths of the best-dressed men were an attempt to cover up the initial murder.
Broome's story is overly complicated and poorly illustrated by Moldoff and Greene, whose inks are particularly heavy this time. The only brief moments of excitement occur near the end, when Robin and Batman both face danger from the magazine publisher at his mansion before they unmask him.-Jack
Peter-I'd like to think the Human Eraser was created as an answer to the camp that was being shown two nights a week on ABC. I love that--"Holy Coincidence!"--Bruce Wayne is just relating the story of Lennie Fiasco (with a surname like that, how could you fail?) to Dick when he gets word that a living eraser is wiping out all traces of criminal activity. What are the odds? And what are the odds a guy would run around with a giant eraser on top of his head? Owing also to the big hit show, we see our first wall walk and a "Zap! Pow!" nod as well. The best thing in this issue is Batman's lengthy expository detailing Matt Whitson's history in "Best-Dressed...". Deeming Whitson a "coward" for divulging government secrets while a POW, however, hasn't aged well.
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Sekowsky/Giella/Anderson |
"Alias the Bat-Hulk"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Mike Sekowsky & Mike Esposito
While patrolling Gotham City in the Batmobile, Batman is surprised when the Riddler appears on his dashboard closed circuit TV screen with a riddle that leads the Caped Crusader to the Diamond Exchange. The Riddler is robbing the store and gets away after distracting Batman with a phony diamond that emits gas. Batman next encounters the Penguin, who flies over Gotham using an umbrella; he is located at the museum stealing a rare bird, but like the Riddler, he escapes.
In the Batmobile again, Batman sees that his gear shift knob has been replaced by a talking Joker head! Batman is knocked out by gas and the car crashes; when he awakens, he transforms into the Bat-Hulk, a giant figure who lumbers through the streets of Gotham and can melt anything he touches. After wandering into a park, Bat-Hulk changes back into Batman and thinks of someone who can help him. Batman visits Stagg Mansion, where Metamorpho and his crew hang out, and Stagg, the scientist, runs tests that reveal what's wrong with Batman. Unfortunately, he has no cure, so Batman asks Metamorpho to control him when he transforms into Bat-Hulk.
That happens right away, but Metamorpho can't control Bat-Hulk, who escapes. Meanwhile, the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler are toasting their success when Bat-Hulk bursts into their hideout to announce that he plans a super crime wave with them as helpers. Bat-Hulk quickly reverts to Batman but, as the trio advance on him, he changes back into Bat-Hulk. The crime wave begins and the inevitable showdown with Metamorpho ends when a bolt of lightning changes Bat-Hulk back into Batman for good.
I've never been a fan of Mike Sekowsky's pencils, and Mike Esposito's heavy black inks emphasize everything I don't like about this style. Unfortunately, Sekowsky drew Justice League of America for years, making the series hard to enjoy. This story is clearly influenced by the TV show and the movie (which gets a full page ad in this issue) and, while I've always liked the three villains, they are wasted here. I can't imagine that Marvel's Hulk was very popular or well-known at this point, being half of the Tales to Astonish lineup, so perhaps Bob Haney was just having a bit of fun with "Alias the Bat-Hulk."-Jack
Peter-Pretty awful stuff, from the hip-lingo script by Haney ("Stop abusing that crazy, mixed-up TV antenna!") to the barely-professional art (the work reminds me of the truly dreadful stuff Tony Tallarico pumped out for Warren in the late 1960s). The plot is hard to follow (the Joker, Penguin, and Riddler spray Bats with something and he gets porky), as is the logic behind stealing the name off of one of the biggest characters in your number one competitor's barn. I assume (there's that word again) that Bob Haney was practicing a bit of parody but, unfortunately, there's nothing funny going on. I have no history with Metamorpho, so any powers he possesses and supporting characters he interacts with are lost on me. Give me a good old-fashioned Batman/Deadman team-up over this junk any day. The villainous trio team up, doubtless, because of the TV show's popularity and to remind any reader out there that a movie is being released as well. Which begs the question: where the heck is funny book Catwoman?
BATMANIA!
Imagine scanning a newsstand in September or October 1966, just as the first full season of TV's Batman premiered! In addition to all of the comics discussed above, DC released these, all of which featured the Caped Crusader prominently on the cover:
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Next Week... Jack Finally Snaps and Questions Whether Reading So Much Bad Science Fiction is Healthy for a Man His Age! |