Batman in the 1960s Issue 12: November/ December 1961

 

The Caped Crusader in the 1960s
by Jack Seabrook
& Peter Enfantino

Moldoff

Detective Comics #297

"The Beast of Koba Bay"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"J'onn J'onzz vs. the Vigilantes"

Story by Jack Miller

Art by Joe Certa

"Aqualad, Stand-In for a Star"

Story by Jack Miller

Art by Sheldon Moldoff

Batman and Robin fly to Koba Island in the Bat-Plane to arrest a mobster named Albey, who is hiding there (we find this information out from some clunky exposition in the first few panels) from the authorities. When they get there, the local gendarme informs them that a legendary creature, "The Beast of Koba Bay," has risen from the nearby ocean and is terrorizing the inhabitants. Coincidentally, as the two men and the pre-teen Boy Wonder discuss the monster, it rises from the water and attacks the port.

Batman uses his detective skills and grabs a handy fish net to slow the creature's advance into the village. After a bit of snorting and harumphing, the giant turns tail and heads back into the water. An excited cry from the town's police chief alerts Batman to the fact that the mob boss he'd come there to arrest has been killed in the sea dragon's attack. Holy coincidence!

The caped crusaders head to the dead thug's house and find a charred note in the fireplace, directing Albey to meet the scribe at the dock where (not so coincidentally) the criminal would later be killed. Suddenly, screaming erupts from the street; the monster has returned! Bats and Robin head down to the beach and manage to ward off the Beast of Koba Bay with torches, but Bats knows that next time the behemoth will be better prepared (asbestos hide?) and they must come up with a plan, pronto.

A clue leads Bats to suspect that another local thug named Spence might be responsible for both the monster and Albey's killing, so the Dynamic Duo tail the criminal while he dives into the bay and enters a secret cave wherein is stored... ta da... the giant robot Beast of Koba Bay! You see, Spence was afraid his name might come up if Albey were arrested and told the names of his criminal accomplices. After the boys make their appearance, Spence gets the drop on Bats with a heater, but our hero has a few tricks up his sleeve and flips his flipper at the gunman. Bats reveals that he saw some oil leaking from the monster the first time they battled and immediately knew the goliath was a fake (but evidently decided not to share that info with his partner), but then brings down the house by informing Spence that the second attack was carried out by the real Beast of Koba Bay!

As they're swimming to the surface, Batman spots the Beast heading for town, so he swims back down into the cave and hops into the Faux-Beast, using his Greatest Detective in the World skills to effortlessly master the controls. He heads to the surface and engages in a brutal, terrifying battle of the Beasts, finally sending the real monster back to the Bay for a final time. The Beast of Koba Bay is dead and the town suddenly realizes they've lost all hope for future tourism revenue.

It's redundant to mention that these 1960s adventures are fun, but they really do require a mighty suspension of disbelief. How could the World's Greatest Detective not know upon first sight that this monster is a gizmo? Does it have fluid movement? And how did Spence create this creature? Did he build it from scratch out of materials found in the local junkyard, or did he visit the Criminal Store and hand them his specs? At least Bill Finger threw a clever curveball at us with the reveal of a second (and gen-u-ine) dinosaur, albeit one that was easily done in by a creaky robot twin.

When "Fangs" Frazer gets off on a technicality, local businessmen are so angry that they form a vigilante group to take Frazer and his ilk off the streets. Despite being a "vigilante" himself, J'onn knows these well-meaning citizens can't take the law into their own hands. Besides, it's a dangerous business and, when it all comes down to it, these guys are all dopes anyway. They'll get themselves killed. So, it's "J'onn J'onzz vs. the Vigilantes," whether he likes it or not. If these guys are pissed about the weak justice system in their town, they should move to Gotham, where psychotics and terrorists are paroled after three months.

Aqualad is recruited as stuntman for young superstar Barry Blaine, who's making his debut as "Sea-Boy" in a new summer tentpole. The dough the Aqua-boys make will go to charity, so the Lad knows he'll have to grin and bear it, even when spoiled brat Blaine starts hogging the limelight. In the end, though, Blaine proves he's a solid kid when he saves Aquasquirt from a random, floating war mine. The Aquaboys strip is childish rubbish, but at least we were graced with some great Nick Cardy art. This issue's "Aqualad, Stand In For a Star" sees the mediocre Moldoff take over chores. Not a good combination.-Peter

Jack-"The Beast of Koba Bay" could have been titled "Batman Meets Godzilla," or perhaps Mecha-Godzilla. It's a weak story, and the big battle between the real beast and the robot doesn't fit the Batman strip at all. The J'onn J'onzz story is better than the lead story for a change, and that's saying something. The Martian Manhunter finds himself in the rare position of helping crooks, but it all works out in the end. I groaned when I saw that Moldoff drew the Aquaman story, but it's not as bad as I expected. At least they keep the helpful fish to a minimum this time out.

Moldoff

Batman #144

"The Alien Feud on Earth"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"The Man Who Played Batman"

Story by Arnold Drake

Art by Sheldon Moldoff

"Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

Batman and Robin happen upon a couple of aliens who seem to be feuding because they are shooting blasts from their ray guns at each other. Batman tries to intervene but is first sent floating into the air and then imprisoned in a prism-shaped force screen. The World's Greatest Detective deduces that the aliens are dueling, so he dresses up as one of them and is able to get close enough to the other to sock him in the jaw. Just as Batman is about to switch disguises and wait for the other alien, a female alien in a mini skirt arrives and chastises the alien duo for dueling for her honor on a faraway planet to avoid being found out. She tells them to cut it out and says she won't marry either of the louts; the trio head back into outer space.

Batman alien story #400 of 1961, "The Alien Feud on Earth" is thin on plot but turns humorous in the final pages when Rilla, the alien gal, shows up. She sports a very Earth-like hairdo and mini skirt with a cool belt that cinches her outfit at the waist and shows off her out of this world curves. Just what every alien chick should have been wearing in 1961! No wonder Hylk and Zorb were fighting over her.

The Joker is back, and he's determined to build a Batman-proof gang! He dresses up as Batman and uses a mockup of Gotham City to see if his goons can outwit the Caped Crusader, but they fail as usual. Elsewhere, Batman and Robin capture a criminal known as Gum-Ball Burke. Batman deduces that the Joker is planning a big job, so he disguises himself as Burke and is taken to the Joker's secret hideout.

Disguised as Burke, Batman helps the Joker's goons outwit every trap set for them by the Joker, who is dressed as Batman. Batman/Burke does so well that Joker/Batman tells him to put on the Batman suit and Joker will see if he can lead the goons with equal success. Eventually, Joker figures out that Batman/Burke/Batman must be the real Batman and says, "'Grab him, boys!'" Robin arrives just in the nick of time with the cops, having located Batman by means of a radio transmitter hidden in a gumball that  Batman/Burke was chewing, and Batman socks Joker in the jaw, ending the efforts of "The Man Who Played Batman."

Scripter Arnold Drake sets up enough double- and triple-takes in this story to keep it fun and interesting. I'm always happy for an appearance by the Joker! My favorite line is uttered by Gum-Ball Burke when Batman catches him as he tries to escape on a train: "'Ooof! Blast you, Batman--you not only trapped me, but you made me swallow my gum!'"

When Commissioner Gordon tells Batman and Batwoman to go to Washington to testify before a Senate crime committee, he asks Bat-Girl to help Robin patrol Gotham City. Outside City Hall, Batgirl leaps on Robin and tells him he's adorable, but the embarrassed lad confesses that he's devoted to another woman. Bat-Girl retires to her aunt's underground lair to weep, when she's suddenly joined by Bat-Mite, who is delighted at the prospect of playing Cupid.

That night, Bat-Mite remains invisible while he helps Bat-Girl apprehend two bandits at the Gotham Playground Equipment Company, but Robin seems unimpressed. The following evening, a tiger gets loose at an outdoor circus, and Bat-Mite helps Bat-Girl capture the beast. As a reward, she receives a peck on the cheek from young movie idol, Chip Danton, which makes Robin jealous.

Finally, Bat-Mite plans to make it appear that Bat-Girl has been abducted by gangsters, but real gangsters come along and kidnap her before Bat-Mite arrives! Robin shows up and he and Bat-Mite locate and free Bat-Girl. In the end, Robin admits that the other woman is the statue of justice outside City Hall. Batman and Bat-Woman return from D.C., Bat-Girl plants another smack on Robin's cheek, and Bat-Mite pops back to his dimension.

My delight at seeing another story featuring Bat-Girl is slightly dampened by the appearance of the ever-annoying Bat-Mite, but that imp is less troublesome this time around, perhaps because he's trying to help Bat-Girl get through to the stone cold Boy Wonder. In the end, Robin confesses that Batman told him his own crime-fighting career precludes romance, and Robin has decided that he must also sacrifice the joys of young ladies in order to battle the Joker, etc. Eventually, he'll get over this concern and start playing the field heavily, but that's a few years off.-Jack

Peter-This issue elicited several chuckles and guffaws, so it succeeded in its mission. Robin exclaims "Golly, am I seeing things?!" when confronted by the sight of an alien, as if the kid hadn't encountered dozens of them in the last few months in Galactic Gotham City, battleground of the Solar System. Batman's transistorized bubble gum was a hoot but thank goodness he invented new technology that prevented rot from his Bat-saliva. As usual, a baddie (in this case, Joker) spends millions on props he'll never use again to accomplish a goal he could just as easily have reached in an abandoned barn.

But my deepest laugh this time out was reserved for little Larry Fenstermaster of Stockton, CA, who wrote in to scold Bill Finger (?) for including a 1901 Lincoln Head Penny in a previous story. "Any good coin collector knows that Lincoln Pennies weren't minted until 1909!" Jack Schiff does what any responsible editor would do--he blames the fictional villain who created the coin! This issue sees the cover price of DC Comics skyrocketing 20% to the ungodly price of twelve cents. No wonder circulation declined!

Moldoff

Detective Comics #298

"The Challenge of Clay-Face"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"The Man Who Impersonated J'Onn J'Onzz

Story by Jack Miller (?)

Art by Joe Certa

"The Secret Sentry of the Sea"

Story Uncredited

Art by Nick Cardy

Batman and Robin arrive at the estate of a noted philanthropist to pick up a hefty donation to the Police Benefit Fund, but the gaiety is short lived when a man made of clay steps from the shadows and grabs the bag. Acting as one titanic fighting force, the Dynamic Duo go into action, attempting to corral this new foe. But "The Challenge of Clay-Face" is that he can become whatever his heart desires, and he displays that very quickly, changing from a giant snake to a buzz-saw to, finally, a huge eagle. He grasps the money bag in his talons and flies away, leaving mud on the faces of our heroes.

When he arrives back at his flat, Matt Hagen goes through his origin story in his brain, kindly orating the events out loud for the reading audience to hear. Seems Matt was a lazy skin-diver, hoping to find sunken treasure so that he would never have to work an honest day in his life, when he stumbled on a hidden grotto and accidentally plunged into a pool of chemicals. His entire body became liquid mud, enabling him to take on any shape his mind would imagine. A Clay-Face was born! But back to our story--

Clay-Face's next heist occurs at an art gallery, where he yearns to become a part of high society by stealing priceless paintings. Batman and Robin arrive at the gallery just as Mudman is pocketing a Warhol but, through some advanced trickery (impersonating a Gallery guard!), the fiend escapes once again. With his powers dwindling, Hagen heads back to the pool and takes a dip in its rejuvenating fluids. He then swears to hire some henchmen so he never has to get his hands dirty fighting superheroes. 

The next day, with his new goon squad, Clay-Face rips off a Chinese museum, nabbing a very expensive jade statue but, at the same time, leaving a very valuable clue for the World's Greatest Detective, who arrives later that day. It seems that Clay-Face should have vetted his new employees a little more intensely, since the dopes have tracked rare mud into the museum on the bottom of their shoes. Batman takes those bits back to the Bat-Cave for analysis. Ah-hah! The glop leads our boys right to Henchman #1's abode. There, Batman and Robin follow the trio of dopes to the Natural History Museum, where a heist has been planned.

A terrifying fistfight ensues, and Clay's goons hoof it, leaving their boss to fend for himself. Batman, seeing Clay has escaped, gives chase, leaving Robin on the museum's lawn, apparently unconscious. Clay-Face comes out of hiding (he was cleverly impersonating a tree) and races back to his place, unaware that Robin was playing possum and followed. Robin alerts Batman to his whereabouts and breaks into the house, confronting Clay, who transforms into a horned beast. He tries to run the Boy Wonder through, but his powers begin to fade again. Batman arrives just in time to put the cuffs on Hagen. Later, in his cell, Matt Hagen swears that Clay-Face will return!

Way back when we were writing the Marvel University blog (all three million words are still there for all to enjoy, by the way), we came up with a "Landmark Issue" designation (Captain America's Golden Age shield was the icon) to mark what we thought were important stops along the journey. If Jack and I still applied that icon, it would go on this issue, since Clay-Face is definitely a member of the Rogues Gallery and we're afforded an honest-to-goodness origin (brief though it may be) to boot. The character design is solid and one might say it resembles that of Ben Grimm, the new hero introduced a few months before over at the competition, but I think coincidence is all it is. The fact that our heroes had faced a similar villain named Clay-Face two decades before (Detective Comics #40, June 1940) must have slipped the minds of Bill Finger and the World's Greatest Detective himself. How do you forget a guy like that?

From start to finish, this is one solid fantasy, without the usual traces of inanity. Sure, we have to swallow some strange science (I think the toxicity of the mixed chemicals Hagen falls into probably would have melted his skin down to the bone), but I can live with that. It's odd that, with the incredible power Hagen has, Clay-Face pulls such lightweight heists. He steals one painting, one jade figurine, even a hundred k's seems like chump change to a man who can alter his features and get out of just about any jam. While we're discussing the nuances of super-villain motives, what's this guy's end game? Will he steal just enough to retire to the country? Why does he need all this money? How do you buy a house when you're on the Gotham's Most Wanted List? Do your goons do the grocery shopping? If I were Bill Finger and grew tired of all the alien-visitor yarns, I'd pen a script about Clay-Face's trip to the car dealership.

After Barry Clark, "The Man Who Impersonated J'Onn J'Onzz," sprains his ankle before his big debut on stage, the real Martian Manhunter (swell guy that he is) agrees to appear in the man's place without the audience's knowledge. The act is a success and Barry's even offered a gig on TV, but the merriment is short-lived when hoodlums rob the box office. In a hilarious case of mistaken identity, the hoods run into J'Onn and think he's the impersonator! In the end, the Martian Manhunter is able to round up the guilty parties with the aid of his twin. Again, I laugh out loud as J'Onn scrambles to find some way to mask his powers while someone is staring down the barrel of a .44. "Never mind his death, I can't ruin Barry's career before it gets started. Let me think of what I can do...!" 

The ambassadors to two warring countries are set to meet on a yacht in a secluded spot far off land to sign a historic peace treaty. With Aquaman and Aqualad providing security, all parties involved are confident they can quickly come to an agreement. But there appears to be a spy on board; how else to explain that the yacht comes under attack no matter where it goes? Thankfully, Aquaman solves the riddle (electronically-controlled swordfish beaming the location back to the stinkin' Commies, no doubt) and the treaty is signed. The world is a much safer place to live, thanks to the Aquasquad. Welcome back, Nick Cardy. Oh boy, did we miss you! The script for "The Secret Sentry of the Sea," brief as it is, is pretty good for a change, but I could have told Aquaman that that ever-present swordfish was the culprit almost from the first panel. This guy is definitely not the Atlantic's Greatest Detective.-Peter

Jack-I love when we happen across an unexpectedly good issue like this one! I had the same thought about Clay-Face resembling the Thing, even down to the blue trunks. The story is excellent from start to finish and I'm thrilled to see a new super-villain. The Joker can only do so much! The Martian Manhunter story was better than usual, as was the Aquaman story, thanks in large part to the welcome return of Nick Cardy. Still, haven't we had other stories recently featuring duplicate Martian Manhunters and robot fish? 

Next Week...
We're on Vacation!
But in Two Weeks...
Could this be the best
"End of the World" story 
of the post-code Atlas era?