Batman in the 1960s Issue 25: January/ February 1964

 

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

Moldoff

Detective Comics #323

"The Zodiac Master!"

Story by Dave Wood

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"The Zodiac Master" has been predicting disasters around Gotham (airplanes and ships), attempting to save lives, but is there something sinister up his spandex sleeve? Batman certainly thinks so. He and Robin investigate the case of the Good Samaritan who happens to be in the right place at the right time and discover that he's actually Gotham's new underworld figure, Mr. Z!

Z has been charging other gangs to predict the outcome of their heists and banking pretty good coin at that. Of course, the World's Greatest Detective is on to Z so he digs into his fabulously large bag of make-up tricks and goes undercover to infiltrate the looney's hideout.

The Zodiac Master has a costume that features all the signs of the zodiac and each one of the illustrations can transform into a deadly weapon. ZM throws all his tricks at the Caped Crusaders but, in the end, Batman is able to use the props against the evil genius. Peace is restored to the streets of Gotham.

The idea that a super-villain can use pieces of his uniform as deadly weapons has been used before (see the Polka-Dot Man in 'tec #300 for just one ridiculous example), but Zodiac Master certainly takes the prize for most unique. We're never told how all the little deelybobs hanging from his suit acquire deadly power once detached and thrown. Nor are we told how he manages to flee when those things are jangling around like a fully-ornamented Christmas tree in the back of a pick-up truck. And if he's so powerful, why is he hiring out to other mobs rather than pulling off heists on his own? Imagine the rubber factories this guy could knock off with a giant scorpion at his bidding! These dopey, short-sighted villains need a smart guy like me to organize 'em.-Peter

Jack-Dave Wood's recent stories all seem by the numbers. The Zodiac Master doesn't appear to have returned after this issue, and it's no wonder. There's nothing special about him as a villain. I continue to be amazed that, whenever Batman puts on a disguise, he wears his cape and cowl underneath it. Don't you think it would cause bulges?

Moldoff

Batman #161

"The New Crimes of the Mad Hatter"

Story by Dave Wood

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"The Bat-Mite Hero"

Story by Dave Wood

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

Ha ha! Ho ho ho! Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, is back after escaping from Gotham City's infamous maximum security prison. His first act is to disguise himself as a fire chief and rob a bank; the Dynamic Duo come to the rescue and save the bags of cash. Next, the Mad Hatter dresses up as an archer to steal a $10K prize from an archery contest. That night, Tetch masquerades as a chef and robs a queen's bejeweled crown at a banquet.

Batman deduces that the "The New Crimes of the Mad Hatter" are following a pattern; each of the jurors who convicted him had the jobs he's using as disguises for his robberies, and juror number four was a bowling alley owner! Tetch robs a bowling alley and manages to avoid capture by Batman and Robin yet again. Juror number five had three jobs, which presents a puzzle to the Caped Crusader. Which career will Tetch use for his next crime? Batman figures it out and tries to stop the Mad Hatter from stealing a bank vault in the guise of a magician. Only a well-thrown hat pin stops the villain from escaping by means of a giant balloon.

Only a Bat-villain would go to so much trouble!

The Mad Hatter is a fun adversary for the Dynamic Duo, and writer Dave Wood comes up with a clever way to build a story by having the crimes follow a pattern guided by the occupations of the jury that put Tetch away.

Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson attend a baseball game, unaware that Bat-Mite is also in attendance but invisible. When crooks rob the gate receipts, the Dynamic Duo spring into action and Bat-Mite adds to the silliness. Afterwards, Batman chastises Bat-Mite and tells him to find another hero, so Bat-Mite decides to create one of his own, "The Bat-Mite Hero."

His first choice is jug-eared Jerome Withers, who nearly falls to his death from a tall building the first time he comes face to face with crooks. Next comes musclebound wrestler the Blond Bombshell, but he's too dense to avoid interfering with Batman's plans to trail some hoods to their hideout. Finally, a reporter named Collins tips Bat-Mite off to the perfect subject, a brainy body builder, but this hero turns out to be working with the crooks he catches. Batman and Robin save the day and Bat-Mite realizes there's only one hero for him.

Bat-Mite's attempts to replace Batman are amusing, but that's about it. The stories featuring the imp from another dimension all follow a pattern, and it's wearing thin.-Jack

Peter-I enjoyed the Mad Hatter yarn if for no other reason than it features one of the lesser-used Rogues. Hatter was one of the handful of Bat-villains whose value (IMHO) increased substantially thanks to the 1966 TV show. It's in this adventure that the Hatter deviates from his MO of stealing hats to utilizing them in his heists. As for "The Bat-Mite Hero," it continues an unbroken string of lousy adventures starring the inter-dimensional imp. I have no problem pausing my skepticism concerning two guys who run around in tights and jump from bridges onto speeding fire trucks, but this midget from Dimension-X is truly unbearable. To paraphrase the Batman: "Read a Bat-Mite story? You need a psychiatrist!"

Moldoff

Detective Comics #324

"Menace of the Robot Brain!"

Story by Dave Wood

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

One of Bruce Wayne's best buddies, Daniel Williams, is arrested for the theft of diamonds from the Cravat Jewelry Co., the firm he worked for. Williams claims he blacked out and has no memory of the theft but, since he was the only one who held a key to the safe, he must be responsible! Since no friend of Bruce Wayne could be a thief, the millionaire playboy posts Williams's bail and promises to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The very next day, an armored car driver overpowers his partner and commandeers the vehicle filled with cash. Batman and Robin, on the way to Daniel Williams's house to question him, catch the call and give chase to the tank. A raised bridge proves to be a bit of an obstacle to the Dynamic Duo (and the death-knell to Batmobile #238) and the truck gets away but, fortunately, the pair of men who raised the bridge are taken into custody and questioned at Gordon's precinct.

One of the nattily-dressed thugs claims a "guy with a waxed mustache and horn-rimmed glasses" hired them to raise the bridge after the truck crossed. At that moment, Batman is informed that the armored car guard is idly wandering the streets of Gotham, perhaps looking for pedestrians in the empty panels. The guard is picked up and echoes the "man with a waxed mustache" claims already put forth, adding that the man had a camera and offered to take his picture just outside the company office. Bats and Robin finally head to Daniel Williams's place to question him and Williams confirms the description of the man, adding that he too was photographed. Using his lightning-fast brain muscle, Robin synopsizes that both men were photographed and both men blacked out and committed felonies! Brilliant!

Using a police artist named Moldoff, Batman gets a better portrait of the man responsible for hypnotizing the men. Ignoring the fact that the pencil drawing looks like Alfred with a goofy mustache, the World's Greatest Detective proclaims that all they have to do is wait for another picture to be taken in Gotham and they'll have their man! Meanwhile, the wizard behind the curtain, Ernst Larue, stands outside the Gotham Rare Coin Store and snaps a photo of a shop clerk. It's only a matter of time before the information makes its way to the Batman!

The Dynamic Duo stake out the coin shop and observe the clerk exiting the store with a couple of heavy bags. They follow the man into a remote wooded area outside Gotham and come across... well, the most inconspicuous villain hideout ever built: the lair of the Robot Brain! The boys follow the clerk into the structure and stumble into several deadly booby-traps until ace sidekick Robin uses Larue's incredible inventions against him in a thrilling climax.

"Menace of the Robot Brain!" might possess an insipid script and barely-professional "artwork," but it does entertain and finally answers the question of why these evil geniuses must turn to a life of crime. Larue's Robot Brain hideout, complete with giant robot brain second story and harmful booby-traps, carries a 2.5 million dollar mortgage. On 4% monthly compound interest (1964 rates), with 10% down payment, that would add up to a $7500 bank payment, each month for thirty years. The Cravat Jewelry heist barely garnered enough to pay two installments! But, on the positive side, you've got a refuge no one can find, right?-Peter

Jack-Gosh (I say, smacking gloved fist into other gloved hand), you must be right! I never thought of the amounts of money it must have taken Gotham villains to put their plans into action. No wonder they spend their days and nights trying to rob bowling alleys and shoe stores! "Menace of the Robot Brain!" didn't make a whole lot of sense, but it was certainly fun and action-packed, even if Batman was pretty cavalier about losing yet another Batmobile in a useless stunt.

Batman Annual #6

"Murder at Mystery Castle"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #246, August 1957)

"The Gotham City Safari"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #111, October 1957)

"Mystery of the Sky Museum!"

Story by Edmond Hamilton

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #94, September 1955)

"The Mystery of the Four Batmen!"

Story by Edmond Hamilton

Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #88, December 1954)

"The Creature from the Green Lagoon"

Story by Dave Wood

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #252, February 1958)

"The Map of Mystery!"

Story by Edmond Hamilton

Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #91, April, 1955)

"The Danger Club"

Story by Edmond Hamilton

Art by Bob Kane & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #76, May 1953)

"Doom in Dinosaur Hall!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #255, May 1958)

Peter-Reading 80 pages of Bat-material in one sitting can become a chore; we're lucky that, for the most part, these quarterly Batman Annuals feature some entertaining trips down nostalgia lane. "Murder at Mystery Castle," for instance, is a good example of the Bat-whodunits that were so popular in the '50s (before aliens took over). What amazes me the most is that Moldoff was equally mediocre in both the '50s and '60s, but at least in the 50s he seemed to pay a little more attention to backgrounds. His characters not so much... James Barham is the spitting image of Gordon. 

"The Gotham City Safari" begs the question: "just how big is Gotham?" We have cliffside European castles in "Mystery Castle," and in "Safari" we're introduced to Alec Judson's sprawling big game reserve, all within Gotham city limits. Most of these mysteries are pretty humdrum. The most fun I had was with "The Creature From the Green Lagoon," a rip-off of King Kong rather than Black Lagoon. I felt almost cheated by the cop-out "it was a robot all the time" reveal, but there's still enough goofiness to put a big smile on this old man's face.

Jack-I find Moldoff's art better in the mid-1950s than in the early 1960s. My favorite stories in this issue are the ones drawn by Dick Sprang. "The Danger Club," from 1953, is credited to Bob Kane, but to me it looks like early Moldoff ghosting. I continue to be amazed by inker Charles Paris--he's the only person who worked on all eight stories! The cover is pretty neat, too.

Next Week...
Krigstein Keeps the
Pages Turning!