Batman in the 1960s Issue 27: May/June 1964

 

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

Moldoff

Batman #163

"Bat-Girl--Batwoman II!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Chic Stone & Charles Paris

"The Joker Jury!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

Alfred takes a break from dusting the Bat-Phone and types out his latest imaginary adventure, "Bat-Girl--Batwoman II!" In the future, the second Batman and Robin team have been fighting crime for a while when Kathy Kane's niece Betty returns from spending several years in Europe, where her father was sent on business. Betty sees Kathy looking at her old Batwoman costume and decides to take over for her aunt.

That evening, while Dick Grayson (Batman II) and Bruce Wayne Jr. (Robin II) are out of town, Bruce Wayne Sr. dons his Bat-Suit and responds to the Bat-Signal for old times' sake. Commissioner Gordon informs him that Milo, the underworld inventor, is out of prison "'and planning to sell gangland bosses some sensational machines for crime!'" Batman tracks down Milo, who captures the Caped Crusader with a flying mechanical hand. Batwoman II appears and helps free Batman, but his cowl gets caught on a roof shingle and he is unmasked before her.

Meanwhile, Batman II and Robin II get back and start searching for Bruce and Betty, who are at an old baseball stadium, observing Milo's sales pitch to the gathered bosses. Batman and Batwoman II are quickly captured and it takes some help from Batman II and Robin II to set things right again. Back at the Batcave, Betty plants a big kiss on the lips of Dick Grayson, now that she knows he used to be Robin and is now Batman II.

I like Alfred's imaginary tales and I like Batwoman and Bat-Girl, but this story is less entertaining than some of the ones we've read previously. There's not as much sighing and romance-comic silliness, for one thing. Chic Stone's pencils don't look much different than those of Sheldon Moldoff, perhaps because they're both inked by Charles Paris.

Out of prison yet again, the Joker successfully eludes the police, after committing a crime, by dumping a load of bricks from a public works department truck in their path. This inspires him to use Gotham City departments as the basis for future misdeeds. First comes the theft of jewels from the Gotham City International Fair by means of a giant vacuum cleaner stolen from the sanitation department; Robin is sucked into the bag and Batman must rescue him, allowing the Joker to escape.

Next comes a payroll robbery at the site where a new highway is being constructed; Batman and Robin manage to foil this one but the Joker escapes. Following a clue, Batman and Robin find the Joker's hideout at a castle outside Gotham City. The Joker catches them and puts Batman on trial before "The Joker Jury!" He's found guilty of interfering with the commission of crimes, but he and Robin quickly escape the Joker's prison.

The Joker tries to rob a charity benefit being held in honor of Batman, but the Dynamic Duo quickly put an end to his plans and soon he's back in jail.

I prefer the old version of the Joker that we see here to the more recent, homicidal version. This Joker is in it for the cash and he's not trying to kill everyone in sight. He also does a lot less philosophizing.-Jack

Peter-While the content of 'tec #327 (discussed below) semi-sorta reflects Julius Schwartz's "New Look" policy, this issue decidedly does not. I was hoping this "New Look" would include the banning of the inane series of "Imaginary Alfred Tales" but, alas, that was not to be. Truthfully, there are so many pairs of heroes and imagi-heroes running around in this strip, I couldn't keep track of whose cousin was whose son. The Joker story, while equally juvenile, at least tickled my funny bone. The highlight had to be when the insane clown promised Batman he could be heard in court and then banged his gavel after four words, insisting that "the jury heard you!" Classic Joker.

Infantino/Giella

Detective Comics #327

"The Mystery of the Menacing Mask!"

Story by John Broome

Art by Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella

What's the problem with Gotham Village that half of the city's politicians want the borough razed? Well, it might be the fact that most of Gotham's tenth-tier villains (the guys who have lame monikers) are hiding out somewhere within the village. 

Batman and Robin are interested in the controversy for two reasons: one, Bruce Wayne is on a committee to explore alternatives to destroying this atmospheric section of Gotham, and two, the two are tracking a deadly new criminal, Frank Fenton, who has tagged the Duo's foreheads with a red "X" that allows the evil mastermind to flip a switch and render them paralyzed. Their search for Fenton led them to the village.

In the end, they discover that Fenton is part of a gang of thieves who have taken advantage of an underground hideaway, built by a baddie known only as "Smiler." This perpetually grinning businessman rents sub-street space as a semi-resort for hoods on the lam. There they can take advantage of pool tables, a movie theater (showing only crime classics!), and an assortment of illegal paraphernalia. Batman and Robin burst into the country club to bust Fenton, wearing lead-lined headgear to ward off the paralyzer ray, and arrest the hideout's manager as well. When unmasked, Smiler is revealed to be politician Roland Meacham, Gotham's most outspoken defender of Gotham Village. Well, now we all know why he didn't want it torn down!

"Mystery of the Menacing Mask" is the first story to fall under the "New Look" label, but don't expect many startling changes. Outside of the art, that is. Infantino/Giella will never give Neal Adams a run for his money, but it sure beats the hell out of Moldy and Paris. I'll admit the script is a tad more sophisticated (it certainly is more wordy) than the inanity we've become used to in the 1960s, but it's not, by any stretch, groundbreaking. It doesn't include aliens or other-dimensional bat-dwarves, but it does have the usual outlandish gizmos and nattily-dressed hoods. But, hey, it's a start. This issue also kicks off the Gardner Fox/Infantino Elongated Man back-up that will run through #383 (January 1969). We've decided to avoid covering the back-ups here, but I will say that the first installment is certainly more entertaining, well-written, and more eye-pleasing than any of the abysmal Martian Manhunter episodes we covered. Ralph Dibny's continuing search for respect (or at least someone on Earth who recognizes him) is a hilarious change of pace.-Peter

Jack-From the banner on the cover announcing the "New Look" to the last page of the Elongated Man story, this issue is a feast for the eyes and a breath of fresh air. A true landmark, it seems like Batman and Robin have suddenly jumped from the kiddie land of the 1950s right into the fast-changing world of the 1960s; in the background of one panel depicting Gotham Village, a sign advertises "Cafe Weird," where I imagine beatniks are snapping their fingers in time to spoken poetry. Infantino uses the same dynamic layouts he had been using for several years in Flash comics, with long, skinny panels and floating heads accompanying captions. It may not be at the level of O'Neill and Adams quite yet, but it's a great leap forward from what we've been reading. This issue includes a letters page, something missing from prior issues of Detective; perhaps the influence of Marvel can be felt in the new attention to the fans.

Moldoff/Giella

Batman #164

"Two-Way Gem Caper!"

Story by Ed Herron

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

"Batman's Great Face-Saving Feat!"

Story by Ed Herron

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

A folk-singing group called the Hootenanny Hotshots is coming to Gotham, and Dick Grayson is practicing his guitar playing and singing in hopes of joining them onstage! Bruce shows off the new elevator to the Batcave, the new sports car-like Batmobile, and the new tunnel out of the Batcave. Elsewhere, the bus carrying the Hotshots into town is detoured by a crook who has planned a big job near where they are scheduled to appear; he doesn't want a folk-music-loving crowd to spoil his plans.

A strip of nails in the road stops the bus by causing four flat tires. Batman and Robin arrive but are prevented from following the crook when their hands get trapped in a network of wires painted to look like brush in a thicket. That evening, the crook, calling himself Dabblo, visits the Gotham Square Museum, and uses distraction to make off with a million-dollar pearl. He escapes in a bullet-proof car.

Batman shows Robin the Batmobile's new telephone and Commissioner Gordon calls to report Dabblo's last known whereabouts. The Dynamic Duo locate the hood and Batman is nearly killed in a fall. They discover the crook's secret hideout and some quick fisticuffs end the menace and rescue the pearl. In the end, the Hootenanny Hotshots sing a song in honor of Batman and Robin.

Joe Giella's inks sure make a difference with Moldoff's pencils, but the underlying layouts and the characters' faces haven't changed much from when Paris was the inker. Still, "Two-Way Gem Caper!" does continue the New Look in that it introduces various new gizmos and a sleek, sporty Batmobile. Little by little, the comics are getting closer to the world that will be depicted in the TV show, just two years away.

The Mystery Analysts of Gotham City is a club of experts who solve mysteries, including Batman. P.I. Hugh Rankin applies for membership based on his success in uncovering what Batman looks like under his mask! He brings in a dummy in a Batman costume and whips off its mask to reveal a balding man who looks nothing like Bruce Wayne. Batman then removes his own mask to show that he looks just like the dummy! Rankin's admission to the club seems certain, until an anonymous member blackballs him.

Back at Stately Wayne Manor, Bruce tells Dick that he voted no on Rankin's application, since he was wrong about what Batman looked like under his mask. Bruce then tells a long, wordy tale about "Batman's Great Face-Saving Feat!" Batman had been working with Rankin to foil a gang called the Trapeze Ten and he realized that Rankin was doing various sneaky things to try to figure out what the Caped Crusader looked like under his mask. Batman misled Rankin, whose dummy's face looked nothing like Bruce.

Giella can do only so much with another badly-penciled story, and there's very little of the New Look in evidence here. The story itself is terrible and goes on much too long.-Jack

Peter-That Bruce Wayne is a genius, using Dick's caterwauling (folk singing) to mask the sound of construction. Seriously though, how smart can your teen partner be if he never heard any of the drilling, digging, and blasting it took to make the new Batcave exit? And, while we're on the subject, who did Bruce hire to help dig? Superman? The Hootenannys were probably out of a job just a couple months later when the British Invasion overtook the States. "Batman's Great Face-Shaver!" taught me a serious lesson: do not read Ed Herron-scripted Bat adventures when you're tired. I had to start this one several times before I could finish it and I still can't figure out why Bats went to so much trouble to help Rankin.

Infantino/Giella

Detective Comics #328

"Gotham Gang Line-Up!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

While the Dynamic Duo are elsewhere, on another mission with Superman, Butler Supreme Alfred takes a call from Commissioner Gordon, notifying him that the Tri-State Gang is holding a meeting somewhere in Gotham. Knowing that this signals a very big event on the horizon, Alfred combs the Bat-Computer for clues and up pops the name of Paul Pardee. Alfred hops on the Butler-Bike and heads to Pardee's home, arriving just in time to see the crook pulling out of his driveway. The manservant gives chase on his moped.

Later that day, with another Earth-saving episode behind them, Batman and Robin arrive home at Stately Wayne Manor to discover both Gordon's urgent plea and Alfred's detailed case notes. They hop in the Batmobile and arrive swiftly at Pardee's swanky pad, only to find it empty, with no butler in sight. Knowing Alfred is possibly the second-best detective in the world, Batman puts on his infra-red headlights and picks up Alfred's trail (his moped's tires are treated with a special "infra-red chemical"). That trail leads them to the deserted Gotham Prison.

Inside, the hoods are watching the approach of the Batmobile and the Caped Crusaders walk right into their trap. Later, our wobbly heroes stand in a line-up while each of the gang's decorated hoods explains why he should be the party responsible for the execution of Batman and Robin. Nattily-dressed Duke wins the contest by explaining how his own brother was sent up the river by the Caped Creep and Dunder-Boy. Duke rubs his hands together, tells his friends how much he'll enjoy this, and gets ready to kill DC's cash cows.

One of his colleagues reminds Duke that their big heist is about to go down and they're on a time schedule. The costumed clowns will have to wait until later. As the gang is heading for the exit, Batman reminds them that a condemned man is always granted a final wish. His would be to learn what the big heist is all about. "Sure! No way you can stop us now!" exclaims the world's stupidest criminal, as he relates the details of the plot: the gang has discovered a secret pirate map that leads its owner to a buried treasure on the outskirts of Colonial City. 

Batman and Robin are then locked in a cell and told they're not the first prisoners taken today (hint, hint: that must be Alfred he's talking about!) and, once the gang gets back, all three will die a slow death. Using Houdini's "famous handcuff-escape trick," Batman frees himself and Robin and they ponder how to get out of the cell. Robin looks to the sky and fondly remembers a previous adventure where Batman turned one of his socks into a kite and flew it out their prison window until help came along. Lacking a window, the Dark Knight decides to run a variation on that great escape.

Unraveling one of his (obviously sturdy) wool socks, he fashions a lasso and throws it over a radiator on the other side of the room. When their guard comes in to check his prisoners, the dope trips over the thread and cracks his head open. Batman grabs the cell keys from the man's pockets and opens the door. Meanwhile, in another room, Alfred manages to overpower his guard with a snazzy flick of his boot. Both parties head to each other's cells to find the doors open. Holy jump to conclusion! Alfred, Batman, and Robin all believe the worst and head out to Colonial City to avenge the death of their friend(s).

This has got to be real, no?

The boys meet up and are so happy to see each other that they almost forget they're there on a mission! While fighting the gang, Alfred has a boulder dropped on him and is seemingly killed! A frenzied and emotional Dynamic Duo kick gangster ass and then carry their deceased butler to the Batmobile. The next day, Dick and Bruce plan Alfred's funeral when the doorbell rings. Dick opens the door to find his Aunt Harriet, here to move in and take care of the boys after hearing of Alfred's death. Harriet gets to work on the dishes Alfred left in the sink while our heroes ponder how they'll keep their side job a secret from the new intruder.

After a semi-serious adventure last issue, Julius Schwartz obviously said "Screw it!" and tried to reach the same levels of idiocy as that of his predecessor. Everything about "Gotham Gang Line-Up!" screams camp, from the line-up scene to the prison escapes. There's actually a panel detailing how Alfred just missed seeing the Batmobile heading right by him, on its way to Colonial City. I mean, it's a simple mistake, right? Batmobiles were like VWs in 1964; everybody had one. Only time will tell how long Al will remain buried, but I can't wait to see how Julie and the boys write themselves out of this corner.

According to this site, Aunt Harriet was added by Schwartz because he felt there were "too many men living in Wayne Manor." One way to take that is that the editor didn't want another Wertham swooping in and crying "homosexual!" at the top of his voice; the other is that there simply needed to be a female point of view. Knowing comic book brass in the 1960s, I know which way I lean in this theory.-Peter

Jack-So much for the New Look! The only thing new about the people responsible for this dud is Joe Giella, and his inks can't make this worthwhile. I was happy to see Alfred get more involved but sad to see him seemingly killed. Most surprising of all was the appearance of Aunt Harriet, another piece of the puzzle being put together in anticipation of the TV show.

Next Week...
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These 24 Fables?