Batman in the 1960s Issue 58: July/August 1969

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

Adams

Detective Comics #389

"Batman's Evil Eye"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

"Batgirl's Bag of Tricks!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson

Assuring Robin that even bad guys can be rehabilitated, Batman shows up at Gotham Prison to wish Jonathan Crane the best as he walks out onto the streets of Gotham for the first time in at least three months (since the last time he was tried and convicted of multiple counts of attempted murder, extortion, terrorism, and armed robbery). The Boy Wonder is doubtful, claiming these bad seeds never learn, but Crane, for his part, seems to be a happy clam, going so far as to shake Batman's hand.

As they drive away, the Dark Knight muses how the times have changed and criminals aren't really scared of his "Bat persona" anymore. Just then, the Duo run across some dastardly fiends stealing parking meters (I ain't making that up!) and jump from the Mobile to apprehend said criminals. The thugs seem to wet their pants and stand in total fear while the Duo apply knuckle sammitches to their kissers. "Odd," muses the Caped Crusader, "for a brief moment there I thought..." Robin sighs and admonishes his mentor, "Enough of the group therapy, let's get a burger."

The next night, the boys are patrolling the streets of Gotham when they see a group of thieves exiting Gems 'R' Us and leap into the mob. Again, like the previous night, these hooligans seem terrified of their own shadow and the boys slap the cuffs without much of a fight. Boring! As the goons are led away into the police precinct, Batman corners Gordo (who hasn't changed out of his Gotham Golf Resort polo yet) with an eye to discussing this new Bat-Phobia craze that's sweeping the underworld, but the Commish receives a call. "It's for you!," exclaims Gordon, and hands Batman the phone. 

On the other end of the phone, a mysterious voice tells Bats if he's interested in the reason why criminals are suddenly terrified at the very sight of him, to meet the voice at a nearby warehouse and... come alone. The World's Greatest Detective™ has no idea who the voice could belong to (um, let's see, 2+2=?), but his curiosity has been piqued. He heads to the warehouse and peeks through the skylight, boasting how his unknown adversary will never guess where Batman will enter. Wrong!

The Scarecrow is ready for his nemesis and has a room of mirrors erected so that when Bats gazes at his own reflection, he'll be just as terrified as the goons! Crane's voice informs our hero that Batman can only look at himself five times in the mirror before he goes mad. Using the Sherlock Holmesian skills God gave him, Batman suddenly realizes his foe must be... The Scarecrow! After several unsuccessful attempts to escape, The Dark Knight tricks Crane into believing he's used up his allotted five trips to the mirror and now he's as crazy as a loon. The Scarecrow sends his henchmen in to finish Bats off, but our wily hero uses his Bat-Phobia powers to agitate the thugs and gain access to the Scarecrow. As he's hauling the 2nd-tier villain off to the pokey, Batman swears he'll never be fooled by a parolee again.

I love the Scarecrow so any visit is welcome, but all through the 1960s, his limited guest appearances have been greeted with below-average scripts, this one included. Robin mocks his boss for giving Crane a job at Wayne Labs and, I gotta tell ya, for the first time ever, I agree with the little twerp. Who thinks it's a good idea to set a psycho (even a so-called rehabilitated nut) loose in a lab full of dangerous stuff? And how is it the Caped Crusader couldn't figure out who was behind the fear factor? He just let the guy out of prison, fercrissakes! Best laugh of the strip goes to Robin for losing his patience and telling Batman to drop the psychobabble already. 

In the conclusion of a two-parter, Batgirl first takes down a faux-JLA and then heads after airline hostess/gem smuggler Darlene, who has headed out to her grandpappy's 85th birthday party. Once Babs arrives, she discovers that the old man is behind the smuggling ring. Despite Gramps pulling a Tommy-gun on our heroine, Batgirl slaps on the cuffs and calls the local cops to haul the smugglers away. Once again, the dessert is much more filling than the main course. The script, the art, hell even the one-liners are snappier. It's a doggone dirty shame Babs was never given her own title.-Peter

Jack-I agree with you about the Batgirl story. The art is fantastic and I loved the jittery old man with the machine gun. As for the Batman story, I liked it better than you did. The Scarecrow is a cool villain, the story was fun, and the fight at the end, where Batman is unable to see but prevails anyway, was neat. Sure, there were some parts that were hard to believe, but I enjoyed it. And that cover! Wow!

Draut/Colletta

Batman #213

"The Origin of Robin!"

Story by E. Nelson Bridwell

Art by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito

"Here Comes Alfred!"

Story by Don C. Cameron

Art by Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson & George Roussos

(Reprinted from Batman #16, May 1943)

"The Game of Death!"

Story by David Vern

Art by Jim Mooney

(Reprinted from Star Spangled Comics #127, April 1952)

"The Man Behind the Red Hood!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #168, February 1951)

"The Challenge of Clay-Face"

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #298, December 1961)

Some covers bring me right back to childhood, and this is one of them. I'm surprised to see it was drawn by Bill Draut and Vince Colletta, two artists I don't think of as Batman regulars.

"The Origin of Robin!" is disappointing, mainly due to the art by Andru and Esposito. The Golden Age version is punchier and the art is primitive, but it's more enjoyable. The new version is rewritten and redrawn but essentially the same story. "Here Comes Alfred!" is the butler's first appearance and opens with a wonderful splash page by Jerry Robinson featuring a giant-sized Alfred about to step on tiny crooks without realizing it. The chubby, Golden Age Alfred of the story is an amateur sleuth and former music hall actor who foists himself on Bruce Wayne as his new butler, explaining that his father was butler to Wayne's father. Alfred quickly figures out the secret identities of the Dynamic Duo so they have to keep him on; a helpful editor's note reports that he lost weight and grew his mustache about eight months later.

"The Game of Death!" is a throwaway Robin story from 1952. I've always loved "The Man Behind the Red Hood!" because it serves as the Joker's origin story. On rereading it, the art is pretty good and the story has flaws, but it still holds a special place for me. I looked back at my comments on "The Challenge of Clay-Face" and I called it excellent when I first read it. I have no reason to change that assessment!-Jack

Peter-The obvious standouts here are the Clay-Face adventure (which SPOILER ALERT! will earn a place on my list of the best Batman stories of the 1960s) and the intro of the Red Hood, a story I read decades ago in this here issue. "The Man Behind the Red Hood!" has an impractical plot (why would the Joker bother coming back as the Red Hood?) and a laughable event (Joker is overpowered and captured by a bumpkin named "Farmerboy" Benson) but a Formula One pace and that killer retro art. The remaining three stories are varying levels of fluff. This will be the final 1960s Giant-Sizer we review and, I must say, I'll miss the format!

Adams

The Brave and the Bold #84

"The Angel, the Rock, and the Cowl"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Neal Adams

Jack and I reviewed this eons ago when we were doing our bi-weekly dissection of DC war comics. You can find that discussion here.-Peter

Jack-Looking back at our writeup from 2017, I see that  neither one of us loved the story, but the art is spectacular. It's interesting to note that Joe Kubert helped out. Seeing Sgt. Rock as an older man was cool.

Novick

Detective Comics #390

"If the Coffin Fits--Wear It!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

"Countdown to Chaos!"

Story by Mike Friedrich

Art by Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson

Look out Gotham--there's a new Rogue in town and his handle is the Masquerader! So what's this new villain's M.O.? Well, he does the occasional heist but it seems only a ploy to get the Dark Knight to show up so that the Masquerade thugs can tear bits out of the Bat-uni. Odd, no?

You'd think they would be nothing but a nuisance to our hero but, hey, a hero only keeps a certain number of outfits in the closet and Batman has completely run out. He and Robin ponder the subject, noting that the goons ripped off the piece of uni that contains the name of Batman's tailor. "Gosh, Batman, why would the Masquerader want the name of your tailor?" Why indeed, Boy Blunder? The World's Greatest Detective™ simply shrugs and hold up his hands as he grabs the phone and dials Sam Tweed (yes, Sam Tweed) to order another suit. Sam laughs and reveals to his number one client that he always keeps an extra handy just in case. The uniform will be delivered to Gordo's office within the hour.

Robin races over to the precinct, grabs the clothing box, and heads back to the Batcave, pronto. Just as the junior partner is taking the outfit out of its box, Batman gets a call on the hotline from the Commish: the Masquerader, who always sends a riddle to the police before pulling a heist (wonder where he got that trick from), has left a cryptic message for the Duo. With a little bit of brainwork, the pair work out that the clue is meant to lead them to Charles Finger Moving Company. Robin lets out a girlish squeal once he's emptied the box, for inside, under Batman's new uni, lies the disguise of the Masquerader!

"That could mean one thing and one thing only, Robin. Yes, of course, this devious villain must have a tailor to stitch his get-ups as well and that tailor is... Sam Tweed! Innocent, kind, and courteous Sam could be in danger. I'd better call him!" Tweed admits that the Masquerader forced him to knit one, purl two at gunpoint and he's so embarrassed! Bats insists that Sam tell him the identity of the Masquerader but before he can... Blam! Blam! The Masquerader snickers and goads Batman before hanging up the phone.

Batman sends Robin to the moving company and races to Tweed's shop. "If the Masquerader has harmed one hair on the head of the most courteous, innocent, kind, sin-free resident of Gotham, I'll... well, he'd better not!" Alas, when Bats reaches the shop, Tweed is on the floor, dying from his bullet wounds. His last words before the ambulance crew take him away are the Masquerader's home address! Hang on a sec... how did those EMTs get to the scene so fast? Evidently, the neighbors reported the gunshots. Batman sighs as the ambulance takes the body of Tweed away.

The Dark Knight arrives at the Fashion Art Studios, home of the Masquerader and, rather than pick the lock of the door, crashes through the plate glass display window, where he discovers his new archenemy waiting for him. A tussle ensues but the Masquerader gains the upper hand as he activates a huge heat lamp on the ceiling and Batman's uniform begins to constrict. "I've sewed you into your own shroud!!!" screams the unhinged maniac, as he rips away his mask, revealing... Sam Tweed!!!! NO way!

"Hang on, this can't be real, I just left your bullet-ridden, admittedly bloodless corpse back at your shop. And those ambulance drivers? They had stethoscopes and thermometers! Surely, they couldn't be..." The Masquerader lets out a long giggle and informs Batman that his uniform is made of "Hygroscopic Monofilaments, strong as steel, which absorb moisture from the air..." and a whole lot of other sewing machine lingo. Long story short: Bats is going to be squeezed to death! Quick-thinking Batman pulls out his laser gun and aims it at the sprinklers high above. The resulting deluge wipes out the heat lamp and allows our hero to deliver quite the blow to the chin of Sam Tweed, Future Prison Garment Mender. 

Though "If the Coffin Fits--Wear It" contains no aliens or robots, the script is just as ludicrous as those past triumphs, filled with dopey contrivances and red herrings. In the end, Tweed reveals that this huge, complicated plot, which relied on lots of coincidences and expensive props, was initiated because he had become weary of crafting custom suits for heroes and villains and it was time for him to man up and become Gotham's Number One Crime Lord™. Why bother with such an elaborate setup as the fake killing of the tailor? Why include the Masquerader costume in the garment box? How stupid is our favorite DC hero that he couldn't put two and two together and come up with Tweed? Why the panel where the Masquerader gleefully holds up a piece of Batman's costume and exclaims, "At last, I have the identity of Batman's tailor!" when everyone within earshot knows the dope's real identity anyway? Why do a growing number of bad guys feel it's necessary to clue the Duo in on their next hold-up? If I were a criminal, I'd want to make off with the goods and not have to worry about a fistfight with the Dark Knight. Nothing about this one makes sense except for the art, which is just about the best Brown/Giella work I've laid my eyes on yet. 

During a particularly heated teachers' contract negotiation, Gotham High's cub newspaper reporter, Dick Grayson, asks his editor, the really cute and nicely drawn Sandy, out on a date to the school's football game that evening. After the Gotham Titans beat the Skyline Bulldogs in a tightly contested game, Dick and Sandy are put upon by a group of rabble rousers dressed in Skyline jackets. Realizing this may be the most grueling battle of his short, illustrious career (even more dangerous than the time he pulled Mr. Thomas's Pomeranian out of the Gotham Public Swimming Pool), Dick leaps into the bushes and emerges as... Robin, the Boy Wonder! 

Robin pummels the Skyline fans to a bloody pulp but their (older) leader gets away. The next day, the lead negotiator for the teachers receives a private call in his office, a very stressful call if the sweat on his forehead is to be believed, and the following evening he holds a press conference informing the public that talks between the city and the teachers have broken down. "What?!" screams Dick Grayson, "That means the teachers will go on strike!" Well, if we have to endure the lightweight solo adventures of Robin (which will rotate with the Batgirl back-up), at least the powers that be thought it a good idea to keep the same art team of Kane and Anderson. And to be fair, the plot of "Countdown to Chaos!" is not too bad, with a couple of interesting plot devices inserted to keep our interest. Who is the mystery rabble-rouser who escapes and does he have something to do with the mysterious phone call? Will Sandy drop her cold, hard demeanor long enough to plant one on Dick? To be continued...-Peter

Jack-At first I thought the torn costume was further evidence of the more vulnerable Batman we've been seeing since Frank Robbins took over as writer, but that turned out not to be the case. The Masquerader resembles the Red Skull, does he not? I like the fact that the Batman story is not filled with long captions and instead focuses on action and dialogue. I agree that the art is good, but I think Novick's cover is even better. The letters column has two interesting tidbits: first, the editor writes that Carmine Infantino lays out the cover of every DC comic, which is quite a feat, and second, Martin Pasko writes to ask that Mike Friedrich "quit trying to be 'cool' in the dialogue of his stories," something we've also complained about.

Novick

Batman #214

"Batman's Marriage Trap!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Irv Novick & Joe Giella

The winner of the annual Gotham Queen of Beauty Awards gets to spend a night on the town with Batman! Crooks watching the pageant on TV are elated, since Batman's every move will be covered and they'll know where he is all evening. Robin announces that he plans to stay home and watch it all on TV, too! The crooks make the most of their opportunity and commit a record number of crimes without any opposition.

The boss, a guy named Strack, decides to set "Batman's Marriage Trap!" and use the women of Gotham City against the Dark Knight. He summons a sexy blonde named Cleo and sends her out as bait. Cleo visits a top ad agency and tells the top man that she represents W.E.B., which stands for Women to End BATchelorhood. Their goal is to force Batman, Gotham's most eligible bachelor, to marry, thus removing the one barrier to happy marriage in the city. She has a million dollars to spend on an ad campaign, so the admen start papering the city with fliers that say "Wanted! For Marriage" and feature a picture of Batman.

Women start flooding the streets, carrying signs and blocking the Batmobile's path. "Down With Singles!" "Batman Unfair to Gotham Gals!" Even Batgirl joins the picket line! What's a crime fighter to do? Batman and Robin get unexpected aid from Cleo, who creates a smokescreen with her sports car and blocks the women's path. Cleo plays hard to get, figuring that will intrigue the Caped Crusader. As Batman and Robin drive up to a robbery in progress, their car is swarmed with more women, who insist that Batman choose a bride. Suddenly, Cleo reappears, tossing ladies hither and yon until they run from her. Batman becomes more intrigued by the blonde savior.

Strack and his gang set a trap for Batman by making it look like someone has stolen Cleo's sports car. A fierce battle ensues between the Dynamic Duo and Strack's gang until Cleo joins in, having fallen for Batman in earnest. Batgirl makes a surprise appearance to keep Batman from being shot and reveals that she was trailing Cleo, who tearfully admits her crush on Batman before she is led off in handcuffs. In the end, Batgirl disguises herself as Cleo and helps Batman and Robin round up the gang boss. Our heroes drive off and see all of the picket signs discarded in a trash pile--they are relieved that women will no longer be throwing themselves at Batman.

I know Peter will mock me, but I enjoyed this silly story, which features an impressive cover by Novick and interior art that is as good as the cover. I liked seeing a guest appearance from Batgirl and I thought the whole plot was so over the top that it was fun.-Jack

Peter-"Batman's Marriage Trap!" simultaneously puts us on alert the Frank Robbins is running out of story ideas and that he really digs ripping his ideas from the headlines. Tired of burning their bras in front of Gotham City Hall, the town's feminists now protest... Batman's bachelorhood? You can tell pretty quickly which side of the line Frank Robbins stood on in 1969. This is just about the most offensive and lunk-headed Bat-script on this journey and barely missed my pick for Worst Bat-Story of the 1960s. What placed first? Stay tuned!

Next Week...
Paul Reinman Shows Us
"Something in the Sea!"

Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 147: Atlas/Marvel Science Fiction & Horror Comics!

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 132

January 1957 Part I

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Adventure Into Mystery #5

Cover by Bill Everett

"The People Who Weren't" (a: Bill Everett) ★★★

(r: Weird Wonder Tales #9)

"Change Your Face, Sir?" (a: Joe Orlando) ★★1/2

"The Death Sentence" (a: George Roussos) ★★

"Foster Was Afraid!" (a: Werner Roth) ★

"The Unseen!" (a: Sol Brodsky) ★★

(r: Vault of Evil #2)

"No Place to Hide!" (a: John Forte) ★★

(r: Vault of Evil #18)

Explorer Evan Moore comes across a beautiful desert village, lorded over by the gracious King Hanim. The King offers kindness, food, and drink (as well as his gorgeous daughter, Princess Nara), but it's the huge chest of gems that catches the adventurer's eye. With the help of Nara's handmaiden, Inez, Moore grabs the jewels and the two head off for a life of luxury and love. Unfortunately, the guards give chase and the pair are forced to split, promising to meet up outside the city. Once in the clear, Moore turns to discover the paradise was a mirage. His gems turn to sand and he mourns the life he might have made with the gorgeous mirage, Inez. Not too far away, Inez thinks exactly the same thing about mirage Evan!

We don't get very many stories illustrated by the great Bill Everett anymore, so I'll grab hold of anything and be happy, but I thought pulpmeister Carl Wessler did a really good job capping what might have been just another "explorer turns thief and gets his in the end" fantasy; I didn't see the final panel twist coming. "The People Who Weren't" might just be one of the most generic titles in the post-code Atlas era. 

In a "small Central European nation," its dictator rules with an iron fist and no conscience, but the rebels are gaining confidence and power. When he orders the five men leading the opposition to be rounded up and executed, Professor Norov uses his incredible machine to change their faces and they lead the army that marches on the palace. The dictator orders Norov to change his face and that of his aide or else the inventor's family will be put to death. With no other option, Norov performs the operation but, as we discover from the final panel, the doc has a bit of a funny bone, even while staring down death. Some decent art and that unexpected finale make "Change Your Face, Sir?" an enjoyable yarn, one that tones down the preach and accents the science fiction.

Seth Beech is on trial for his life, accused of murdering kindly old Dr. Malkin while guiding him through the mountains and caves of Kentucky. If convicted, Beech will receive "The Death Sentence." But Beech argues on the stand that he didn't kill the professor--the egghead slipped and fell in a cavern after the pair had made an incredible discovery: a Martian communicator! The jury finds Beech guilty, laughing at his story, and the condemned man is taken out of the courtroom. That's when the spaceships land!

Mopey Bill Foster walks through the streets of his city, convinced there's no such thing as happiness. He stops in at a tavern and strikes up a conversation with a kindly "fat man" and confides everything: he's just not a happy guy and, when it comes down to it, is anyone? Is there a place where one can go to find a bit of sunshine? The stranger insists there is such a place and it's called Arcady; if Mopey Bill would follow him, he'll take him there. Foster agrees and is led to a cave; in that cave is a metal room, and in that metal room is a group of people looking just as miserable as Bill.

"This must be the place!," exclaims Bill. Without really knowing why, Bill suddenly gets cold feet, believing the fat man was lying, and flees the cave. He heads back to the tavern where (surprise, surprise, surprise!) the bartender tells him there was no fat man. Bill exits the bar, realizing he'll have to look for happiness deep down in the recesses of his soul. For it's only there that man can find... the truth! Just about as sappy as a Cowsills tune, "Foster Was Afraid!" is a patchwork of several Atlas fantasy tropes: the aliens, the kindly scientist, the kindly hick, and, especially, the bathetic message fade-out. We're never told why Foster is feeling depressed, but I sure wanted to reach into the panel and, rather than offer my hand in support, slap the guy a few times and tell him to snap out of it. Of course, the man's deep melancholia may come from the fact that he's drawn so lazily by Werner Roth.

In the three-pager, "The Unseen!," Mason has a hard time convincing his townsfolk he witnessed the crash of a UFO in the woods. After a search party turns up nothing, the villagers mock Mason and send him on his way. Sitting at home, he tries to ponder what it all means as his dog (who's been possessed by the invisible alien) smiles and gives a wink to the audience. 

Eager to please the woman he loves, simple-minded thief Ernst steals the King's crown and informs Berta he has to make tracks as he's got "No Place to Hide!"--the royal guardsman saw his face. They agree to meet up at a later date and Ernst flees, taking refuge in the home of an old man who informs his guest that he has three bottles sitting on his fireplace. A drink from bottle #1 will send Ernst 100 years into the future; #2 will send him back into the past; and #3 will give him eternal life. Ernst tries to buy the "future" bottle from his host but the man is unwilling, so the ungracious thief grabs a bottle and takes a swig. Unfortunately, it sends him into the past! Calamity ensues. There are a couple more twists to "No Place to Hide!" but the story gets way too complicated by the climax. The panel where the old man explains he just happens to have these magical bottles sitting up on his shelf is hilarious and almost makes wading through the rest worth it.-Peter

Astonishing #57

Cover by Bill Everett & Carl Burgos

"Inside the Furnace!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★

(r: Crypt of Shadows #17)

"The Black Boxes!" (a: Dick Ayers) ★

"The Unknown Ones!" (a: Al Williamson & Roy Krenkel) ★★1/2

"They Lurk in the Cave!" (a: Werner Roth) ★1/2

(r: Crypt of Shadows #17)

"He Can't Lose!" (a: Vic Carrabotta) ★

"The Strange Power of Mr. Dunn!" (a: John Romita) ★1/2

(r: Tomb of Darkness #14)

Astonishing #57 opens with two complete and utter disasters. The first, "Inside the Furnace!," stars an old miser who socks away fifty grand in a black bag beneath his basement floor and, while counting his money one day, discovers a doorway to another time and place. There he finds a young man holding a bag containing fifty grand and decides to steal the satchel. Even as he races from the scene of the crime, he scratches his head and tries to remember where he's seen the victim before (hmmm... fifty thousand in a black bag...). The police are on to him, so he has to burn the money in a furnace and then race back to his present-day basement, where he discovers his own dough is now reduced to ashes. "I knew I recognized that guy! He was me in the past!" Though Robert Sale's splash is nicely reminiscent of the pre-code days, the rest is a scratchy mess.

Which is exactly the state in which we find "The Black Boxes!," about Dr. Entrick, a scientist who's trying to invent a rocket that can bring down enemy ICBMs but just can't get the tech right. Suddenly, little black boxes appear in the sky all over the world, objects that destroy flying weapons from any country. Without means to destroy the rest of the world, the Russkies have to settle for (BORING!) peace with their adversaries. Our final panel has kindly Dr. Emrick pondering what those magical boxes could be and realizing he'll probably never know. I guess a mystical conclusion is better than a dopey explanation, but the rest of this preachy is somnambulant and horribly rendered. 

After his gal unceremoniously dumps him, Space Captain Ken Hastings is royally pissed and volunteers to lead a group of ships to conquer Mars (Earth has become too crowded). There he finds that the War Planet is actually filled with humble, loving souls who resemble Earthlings. Hastings falls in love with the Princess of Mars but her Pop refuses to allow the two to marry, so Princess Muhna renounces her claim to the whole princess thing and accompanies Ken back to Earth. "The Unknown Ones!" is cheesy but charming, and if you have to run a Buck Rogers rip-off, then Al Williamson is your man. You can try but you can't resist.

His name is Jim Dana, but he doesn't fool me. This miserable, whiny excuse for a male acts and talks just like Mopey Bill Foster, carrying on how he's the world's biggest failure and kicking rocks into the water. Then, while fishing, Mopey Jim witnesses a tall, half-nekkid man entering a cave and follows. Turns out the big guy is a Galactic League cop sent to Earth to capture the "Outlaws of Sirius II," who are about to conquer our planet. With Mopey Jim's help, the bandits are defeated and the Earth is saved! See, Mopey Jim, you're not a complete failure. Sure, you got no job, no girl, the mortgage is due, your dad just drank himself to death, the Yankees lost the World Series...

In the not-too-distant future, wars will no longer exist... but there will be... the International Games! Yep, it's not Rollerball but something much more boring. The East and West each send an athlete to compete in various sports; whoever wins the competition becomes the BMOC. But, of course, the stinkin' commies cheat and send a robot! "He Can't Lose!," but with this ultra-preachy script and stiff, amateurish art, we sure can! Last up this time out is "The Strange Power of Mr. Dunn!," a routine science fiction yarn about the titular scientist who hits rock bottom and is taken in by a carnival owner. When the carny is held up, Mr. Dunn drinks a potion and grows to twenty feet, nabbing the criminals and saving the carnival in the process. Mr. Dunn stays on as an attraction until he can figure out an antidote for his freakish growth. Meh plot and weak Romita. An issue to be skipped.-Peter

Journey Into Mystery #42

Cover by Bill Everett

"Farley's Other Face!" (a: John Forte) ★★

"Life Sentence!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★

"The Curse of Ojiir!" (a: Pete Morisi) ★1/2

"Humans... Keep Out!" (a: George Roussos & John Giunta) ★

"The Savages" (a: Angelo Torres) ★★★

"The Disappearing Man!" (a: Gray Morrow) ★★1/2

Ted Farley is a creep! He cons pretty Gladys Murray into falling in love with him and he convinces an old recluse named Barney Rupert into thinking he can trust the young couple. What Ted really wants is the thousand bucks Rupert keeps tucked under the cushion of his easy chair and, once Ted discovers the money's location, he grabs it and runs off, leaving Barney and Gladys disappointed.

A week later, a private eye tracks Ted to his furnished room and Ted does what any self-respecting crook in a Carl Wessler yarn would do--he pays a shady plastic surgeon to create "Farley's Other Face!" Once the bandages come off, Ted looks a bit stockier and no one recognizes him. This becomes a problem after he sees a personal ad suggesting that Rupert may have left him money in his will. Ted visits the detective agency and confirms that he's owed $47K, but the detective won't accept that he is who he says he is. Ted offers the surgeon ten grand to back him up, but the man says no dice. Even Gladys doesn't recognize him any longer! Poor Ted's bad deeds mean he can't cash in.

John Forte's art usually falls on the "pretty good" end of the scale for me, and this story is no exception. The biggest problem is that Ted doesn't look all that different post facial surgery, so everyone's insistence that he can't be Ted is hard to accept.

Leo Sampson has served twenty years of a "Life Sentence!" for a robbery that was his fourth offense. A man named Murdoch visits him in prison and offers to sell him two pills in exchange for details of where he hid the $10K he stole. The pills will take Leo back twenty years, making him young again and resetting his life to a day before he went to the slammer. Leo tells Murdoch where the money is hidden, swallows the pills, and finds himself back on the night of the robbery. He commits it again and discovers that you can't change the past.

The ending is no surprise, and neither is the mediocre quality of Sale's art. I know Peter thinks he drew horror comics well, but he doesn't seem to have the same skill with crime stories.

Two men steal the legendary Luxor Diamond from the forehead of a statute called the Ojiir Idol in a Hindu temple and suddenly find that everything is spinning. Replacing the diamond cures their disorientation, but when they exit the temple, the pair discover that they've suffered "The Curse of Ojiir!" and suddenly turned into old men. Pete Morisi does a decent job with this throwaway three-pager, but when things started spinning and changing colors, I wished Steve Ditko were at the drawing board. He really knew how to draw a spaced-out environment!

Men are living on the moon under a giant glass dome that keeps oxygen inside. The creatures outside the dome have a motto: "Humans...Keep Out!" They show their displeasure with the dome dwellers by throwing boulders at the top that create big holes that require patches. Those inside the dome plan to leave the moon, but Lewis insists on knowing why those outside the dome have such a bad attitude toward those inside the dome. Bender explains that the creatures outside the dome are humans who were trained to live without oxygen so they could colonize the moon.

This story demonstrates the sad fact that Jack Oleck could write stories just as meandering and meaningless as Carl Wessler. Add scratchy, ugly drawings by George Roussos and John Giunta and the result is a tale better left in the dustbin of history.

How did modern man evolve so quickly from "The Savages" of prehistoric times? Well, see, there were these people in a spaceship from another planet and their spaceship crashed on Earth amidst the dinosaurs and woolly mammoths...yep, it's "In Search of Ancient Astronauts" time here at Atlas once again. Thank goodness Angelo Torres was selected to draw this story because his panels are gorgeous. So nice, in fact, that they make the story much more interesting than it has any right to be.

When fight promoter Fritz Luder discovers a fighter named Lon Novi who packs a wallop and can disappear and reappear at will, he thinks he's found a gold mine. Fritz uses his wife Edna's charms to seduce Lon into becoming a fighter and Lon explains that his disappearing trick comes from the fact that he's from the planet Venus. In the end, Lon refuses to throw a fight and flies off to Venus with Edna, after she falls in love with him and they get married. Poor Fritz is left alone without cash, a fighter, or a woman.

I must admit that I was not expecting this issue to conclude with eight pages by Angelo Torres and Gray Morrow! Morrow's art is excellent but not quite as strong as that of Torres. The story has the usual overly complicated Wesslerian plot, but I'd be happy to see more early work from Gray Morrow.-Jack

Journey Into Unknown Worlds #53

Cover by Bill Everett

"Lost... One World" (a: Bob Powell) ★★

(r: Worlds Unknown #4)

"The Invisible Thieves!" (a: Reed Crandall) ★★

"The Victim!" (a: John Forte) ★1/2

"A Voice from Nowhere!" (a: Ed Winiarski) 1/2

"When We Awake!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★

"When the Eggs Hatch!" (a: Tony DiPreta) ★1/2

(r: Creatures on the Loose #25)

A young man named James Blaine is shocked to find himself in a place that looks like the future! He rushes to his home, only to find the neighborhood run down and falling apart. Instead of his Mom, a cranky old woman answers the door and says she's been renting the dump for a decade. Shaken, James returns to the room where he first found himself in the future and finds notes about someone building a time machine and looking for a human guinea pig. He starts smashing things and a woman arrives with the police. To no reader's surprise, it turns out that Blaine was staying there as an old man a day ago and used his time machine to make himself young again, which isn't the worst result.

Bob Powell's attractive art is the only good thing about this mess of a story, which riffs for the umpteenth time on the time machine theme. At this point in our Atlas journey, I think we've seen just about every variation.

While trying to create a new insecticide, Dr. Howard Downer accidentally creates a spray that makes his two fellow scientists disappear! It wears off after a few hours. Crooks read about the stuff in the paper and steal it, leading Downer and the cops to dread the exploits of "The Invisible Thieves!" The hoods rob a bank and disappear, but their escape plans are foiled by cops who also use the invisible spray and join them on their flight.

Reed Crandall had it pretty easy with this one since there are several panels where people are invisible and he didn't have to draw them! His art continues to be solid, but the story is lightweight.

Policemen witness Luke Mundy shoving another man off a bridge into swift current and are certain the man could not have survived. They interrogate Luke and learn that "The Victim!" was Morton Ruggles, who Luke proudly admits has been helping him test various inventions. Morton had to swim two miles back to shore when Luke's flying submarine was a flop, the jet-powered racing car crashed and Morton broke his leg, and don't even ask about the missile. When Morton was pushed off the bridge, he was testing a new parachute. The cops find Morton's body in the river and bring him to the station house, where everyone sees that he's just a robot.

Was anyone surprised that Morton was a robot? I wasn't. The disastrous tests of Luke's experiments are funny but his confident demeanor at the police station guaranteed the denouement.

After a cataclysm destroys all but one colony on a planet, there are only thirty people left, and twenty-nine of them don't like it when Martin takes more than his share of food. His punishment is that he is banished to the switchboard, where he must place telephone calls to every number in a stack of phone directories in the off chance someone will answer. After a woman's voice answers a call to a colony 200 miles away, Martin sets out on foot to meet her. He arrives to discover that what he heard was a recorded message on an answering machine!

I'm not sure if I've given a story a half star before, but I awarded that dubious distinction to "A Voice from Nowhere!," which is confusing, pointless, and badly drawn. It's not clear exactly what Martin did to rile up the other colonists at the start (I think it had to do with food) or why telephone lines would still work after a cataclysm. Worst of all is the punishment of having to sit and dial numbers all day. Oh, and Martin manages to walk 200 miles alone in a suit and dress shoes. Ed Winiarski phoned this one in, which was appropriate.

In 2156, scientists decide to send a nuclear-powered spaceship, traveling at the speed of light and carrying astronauts in suspended animation, to travel to the next solar system in search of life. After a thousand years, the sleepers awake and arrive at a planet populated by humans who have found peace and tranquility. The astronauts take note, get back on the ship, and return to suspended animation for the journey home. Another thousand years later, they land on Earth, only to be jailed by humans who have evolved into angry little bald men who treat them like savages. They escape prison and hop back onto the ship for another thousand-year trip to the planet with the nice people.

It just gets worse and worse! At least "When We Awake!" looks better than the story that preceded it, though Sale is hardly on the level of Crandall.

Bob Fry is out fishing one day when a sudden storm comes up and he seeks shelter in a cave. He finds a glass jar with notes inside that were written a few years ago by Dr. Amos Milton, a scientist who disappeared while collecting samples from a meteor. Milton found a large egg and, when it hatched, out came a big green creature that looked kind of like a T Rex. Milton assumed the creatures were aliens bent on conquering Earth! As Fry reads the notes, he sees a nest of huge eggs, and one is hatching! He runs out of the cave, determined to alert the authorities and set off a great Easter egg hunt!

What a dumb ending! People are going to return to the cave to destroy the alien creatures and eggs and Bob thinks of it as an Easter egg hunt? Good thing they didn't waste good art on this story. "When the Eggs Hatch!" concludes a disappointing issue, where three poor stories illustrated by three decent artists gave way to three examples of dreck.-Jack

Next Week...
Kane and Anderson
Continue to Deliver!

Batman in the 1960s Issue 57: May/June 1969

  

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

Novick

Detective Comics #387

"The Cry of Night is--'Sudden Death!'"

Story by Mike Friedrich

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

"The Case of the Chemical Syndicate"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Bob Kane

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #27, May 1939)

A noted atomic chemist has been murdered and his son found at the scene of the crime. Commissioner Gordon is convinced that the egghead's son, Mel Lambert, is the killer. The fact that Lambert can't keep from quoting Donovan lyrics and wears clothes any hippie in good standing would walk a mile from helps the Commish form his opinion. As far as he's concerned, young Lambert will fry in the electric chair while Gordo tees off at Gotham Resort. 

Luckily, cooler heads arrive in the form of Gotham's Guardian, Batman, and the Boy Wonder. The Dark Knight hears Gordon out, turns to Lambert for his side, then does some quick CSI work on the murder weapon. According to his keen eye and the World's Greatest Detective Brain™, Lambert is no more the killer than Gordon himself. The psychedelic scapegoat says "Sayonara, suckers!" and grabs a hunk of the highway while Bats and Robin head back to the Batcave.

There, Robin chastises his mentor for letting the rude, anarchistic beatnik loose and swears he's "our man" (this despite clear evidence that Dick Grayson can talk just as funny sometimes as Lambert). The boys head out to interview the dead man's colleagues. First up is Professor Crane, who doubles down on the theory that the younger Lambert is the killer and offers, as evidence, an argument the two Lamberts had in the lab just a few days before. Lambert Jr. was concerned that his old man's new invention would be used as a weapon by the warmongers running the U.S. military. Now, Crane demands protection. Bats promises around-the-clock surveillance and the Duo head out.

    

As they leave the building, shots ring out and they race back into Crane's lab, only to find the Egghead leaking blood from multiple gunshot wounds. A figure races for the window (one who looks a heck of a lot like a certain hippy suspect) and manages to get away. Meanwhile, across town, Professor Paul Rogers knocks at the door of his colleague, Professor Stryker, and is granted admittance. Once in, he is conked on the head by a mysterious hippie-looking figure in the shadows! When Rogers comes to, he's greeted by a gun barrel aimed right at his head and held by a mysterious, long-haired freak with a mask hiding half his face. Professor Stryker emerges from the shadows just as the Dynamic Duo burst through the weak front door.

Robin heads for "Lambert," berating him and his generation's music, lack of moral values, and ignorance of personal hygiene, while knocking him out. Batman pulls aside the mask to reveal... a complete stranger with really long hair and hippie clothes! Just then, Rogers hears an ominous sound behind him and turns to find Stryker holding the gun on him. Batman takes advantage of Stryker's ignorance of sneaky superheroes and delivers a left-handed karate chop to the villain's gun hand. Once apprehended, Stryker admits to having Lambert and Crane murdered by his employee, Paul Kantner, in order to claim all the credit for the team's super top-secret new invention. The next day, Robin realizes he can't judge a book by its cover and Mel Lambert muses that maybe Batman isn't such a drag after all. But doesn't he work for the man. A trip!

Right off the bat, I gotta say me and Detective Comics #387 go way back. I think I still have the original (now coverless) copy my seven-year-old self bought at Rexall's in Santa Clara, CA. I loved this funny book and must have read it fifty times that year. Now? Well, it's quite dated in a Mike Friedrich dialogue sort of way, yet it still races along at an entertaining clip and the graphics (if you squint just the right way) aren't all that bad, either. The idea was to update the very first Batman mystery (which appeared in Detective Comics #27 and appears as a backup in this issue) for the hep young cats of 1969. Only problem is, 98% of the target audience didn't wear love beads or smoke reefer. 

The plot doesn't make much sense, nor does bothering to dress the killer as a double for Lambert. To what end? If the guy does his job right, there are no witnesses. That half-mask is for us, the Blunderin' Boy Wonder, and the Commish, who inexplicably takes his leave of absence fairly early. It's a whodunnit with a whole lot of red herrings. Still, I'll take "The Cry of Night is--Sudden Death!" over most of the other late '60s 'tec strips. As for the (edited) reprinting of the original strip, I found it to be charming in a primitive way. Of course, I have to wonder if, even at this early date, Bob Kane actually drew this or had the kid who mowed his lawn whip it up.-Peter

Jack-That cover brings back memories, doesn't it? I saw the GCD comment that the backup story was redrawn, but when I compared the original to this version they looked the same to me, except for some lettering right at the start. It was a thrill for any young comics fan to be able to read the first Batman story, since reprints weren't widely available in 1969. As for the first story, I knew we were in trouble when Batman made reference to Janis Joplin. The art looks phoned in.

Novick

Batman #211

"Batman's Big Blow-Off!

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Irv Novick & Joe Giella

A new, weekly Gotham City newspaper called It's Your Bag publishes a shocking story that claims the secret of identity of Batman is one of four people, including Bruce Wayne! The paper promises to identify which one is the Caped Crusader in next week's issue. In order to protect the other three innocent bystanders from becoming underworld targets, Bruce tells Dick Grayson that he'll announce his secret identity before the week is up. It might even be for the best since he won't have to hide anymore.

Two nights later, Batman pulls his mask off on TV to reveal himself to be the reclusive Howard Hayes, richest man in the world! Underworld figures agree to leave Batman alone till they can figure out how to handle the new situation, while Hayes jealously watches the adulation Batman receives. The world's richest man decides to eliminate Batman and take over his role, happily anticipating being the idol of everyone. Hayes spends a few days brushing up on his martial arts before being flown in his private jet to Gotham City, where he sets up a meeting at the airport with Batman.

Elon Musk in 1969

Hayes ambushes the Dark Knight and, after a fight, knocks him unconscious and loads him on the jet. Hayes parachutes out, dressed as Batman, and leaves the real Batman on the jet, which will run out of fuel in an hour and crash in the ocean. Fortunately, Robin and Alfred are following in the Bat-Copter and rescue Batman at the last minute. Batman returns to Gotham City and exposes Hayes as a fraud, leaving everyone to believe that his real secret identity remains unknown.

"Batman's Big Blow-Off!" is yet another story that revolves around the possibility of revealing Batman's secret identity. His decision to tell everyone that he's the richest man on Earth makes little sense and the decision by Hayes to kill Batman just so people will like him makes less. It seems like criminals are not having much trouble walloping Batman of late. Hayes trains with a martial arts master (a large, bald, Asian man who spouts the usual Frank Robbins Asian dialogue--"Aiee! Master Hayes--you too fast!") for a few days and is suddenly able to defeat Batman in a fight. I think the Caped Crusader may have been laying off the gym time and perhaps starting to resemble the flabby TV Batman.-Jack

Peter-Another Bat-Adventure that makes no sense whatsoever, the script for "Batman's Big Blow-Off!" is nothing short of stupid. How is it in character for Batman to debate (with Dick) the merits of the public knowing his alter ego ("After all, Dick, I don't get the accolades that Batman gets!")? I've never read such drivel. How is it in character for Batman to put someone else's life in danger by masquerading as Howard Hughes Hayes without even checking with the fellow billionaire first? I've never read such nonsense. Why does the editor of It's Your Bag look like he just stepped off the cover of Sgt. Pepper? I've never seen such faux-hippie silliness. Why would an otherwise-respectable reclusive billionaire (who craves privacy) decide to chuck it all and defeat the Batman because he's not getting enough attention? I've never... never mind, it's Frank Robbins.

Novick

The Brave and the Bold #83

"Punish Not My Evil Son"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Neal Adams

Someone is stealing oil from the Zenith Oil Corp. and its board chairman, Bruce Wayne, promises to find out what's going on. That night, as Batman, he and Robin visit the refinery. Batman follows a suspicious character through a secret hatchway and is caught in an on-rushing torrent of oil that dumps him in the tank of a large vessel in the harbor. A crook brains Batman with a wrench and he falls into the water, where he is rescued by Robin in the Bat-Copter.

Back at Wayne Manor, a bratty teen named Lance Bruner is driving Alfred crazy. Bruce and Dick return to read a letter that says Lance was the son of Bruce Wayne's father's closest friend and, since Lance's father recently died in an accident, Lance is now Bruce's ward. In the days that follow, Batman continues to investigate the missing oil while Lance demonstrates that he's a creep by stealing cash from the house funds, painting graffiti on a policeman's motorcycle, and getting into a fender bender with one of Bruce's sports cars. Dick covers for Lance by pretending that he's responsible for the misdeeds. At a meeting of the Teen Titans, Robin tells the others about Lance and they all agree to "swing with him...like any regular teenagers" in hopes that this will help straighten him out.

They take the troubled teen to "a flipped-out, rock-and-rolling little den called 'The Glass Onion,'" but he doesn't dig the scene and proclaims it's "strictly from cubesville, baby!" Later that evening, Bruce receives a note saying that Lance has been kidnapped and demanding $50,000 for his return. Bruce promptly delivers a valise with $50K and Lance is back in no time. The next day, Kid Flash sees Lance heading into a bank and, that evening, Bruce confronts him about the $25K deposit he made. Lance claims it's a legacy from his father, but Bruce demands proof, while the Teen Titans argue about whether Lance can be trusted. A man from the state correctional department arrives to tell Bruce that Lance has a history of juvenile delinquency, but Lance blames his late father and begs Bruce to help him go straight.

Bruce agrees to give the lad a chance, while the Titans, listening through an air duct in the basement, argue about whether he deserves one. Lance seems to clean up his act and Batman returns to investigating the missing oil with help from the Teen Titans. While Batman and Robin are off fighting crime, Lance discovers the secret entrance to the Batcave and vows to make Bruce and Dick pay for humiliating him. The next day, the young criminal visits the private yacht of Grantland Stark, having correctly identified him as the man behind the missing oil. Lance demands $100K for the secret identities of the Dynamic Duo and gives him information that lets him capture the Bat-Submarine when it begins poking around the spot where the oil is being stored.

With help from the Teen Titans, Batman rounds up Stark and his goons, but not before Stark shoots Robin point blank. Batman holds the dying young hero and pulls off his mask to reveal that he's Lance, who took Robin's place to help out and try to make up for his misdeeds. Lance dies in Batman's arms and a bust of the young man is erected in his memory outside Wayne Manor.

A mighty quick turnaround for Lance, right? "Punish Not My Evil Son" is pretentious but, once again, the art by Neal Adams makes it more bearable than it should be. The Teen Titans don't play much of a role in the story, other than hanging out in the basement of Wayne Manor, taking Lance to a disco, and helping out in the final battle with crooks who shouldn't require so many super-heroes to be defeated. One question--why does an issue drawn by Neal Adams have a cover by Irv Novick?-Jack

Peter-I mentioned it last time out but I'll bring it up again: I haven't a clue who any of these Super-Tykes are! Wonder Doll!? Fersure! Bob Haney once again winks at his audience and lets them know he's a hep cat, reading White Album lyrics while relaxing with a glass of Boones Strawberry Hill and the latest Lawrence Welk on the tube. Haney's ding-dong-daddy-o dialogue is a stomach-churner ("Strictly from Cubesville, baby! And, frankly, I dig chicks with more zing too!"), but his script, for the most part, is a page-turner. That finale is a cop-out clunker though.

Novick

Detective Comics #388

"Public Luna-tic Number One!"
Story by John Broome

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

"Surprise! This'll Kill You!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson

A wave of crimes committed during the full moon signals the arrival of a new criminal, a villain the press has dubbed Public Luna-Tic Number One! But is there such a criminal? Batman and Robin suspect that their Number One Lunatic Rogue, the Joker, is behind this series of heists. As they are patrolling Gotham one night, they notice a light on in the Gotham Planetarium and investigate. Guess who's hauling away the building's expensive equipment? None other than the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker. After stopping to congratulate each other for seeing through the "new menace" facade, the boys engage in some fisticuffs with the Joker's henchmen. Unfortunately, the Menace of Mirth makes his getaway and the Duo are left with empty hands.

The next day, Bruce Wayne (who seems to have time to be at every public ceremony in Gotham despite his long hours of crime fighting) is at the lab of Dr. Doomer (no, not the guy from Latveria) for a super-secret demonstration of the egghead's new invention. This is an important day for Doomer since the military brass are present and the previous 325 demonstrations all failed. "But this one, I just got a real good feeling about!," exclaims the mad scientist. Obviously, Wayne Enterprises is funding the loon's research, thus the presence of the millionaire playboy.

Doomer places his mysterious black box in front of his small audience and instructs them to (literally) fasten their seat belts. The professor mouths some arcane nonsense about Cthulhu Fhtagn and flips the switch. The four seated men are thrilled and amazed by... a lack of anything special. Nothing happens. Zip. Nada. The men in suits rise from their seats, grumble about wasted time, and head for Gotham Golf Resort, where the Commish awaits them at the first hole. The ever-patient Bruce Wayne approaches the small gizmo on the table and discovers a wire attached inside its chassis. Doomer suddenly shouts out, "This ain't my box!" as Bruce pulls the wire (obviously not worried about, y'know, booby traps and stuff), launching a never-ending stream of the Joker's laugh. "I'd recognize that laugh anywhere!," exclaims the World's Greatest Detective™! 

The next night, at Gotham Central Station, the Joker and his men use Doomer's machine to make the occupants of the building float. The security guards are as helpless as children; when they fire their weapons, the recoil sends them further upwards. Miles away, the Dynamic Duo receive the call and head for the station, where they once again engage in a life-threatening battle with the Joker's thugs, but this time gravity is working against them. The Joker is too clever for our heroes and the Duo are overpowered and knocked unconscious. 

When they awaken, they are understandably amazed to find themselves standing in the Sea of Tranquility on the moon. The hovering face of the Joker informs them that they have been transported and will become the moon's first fatalities. Further, the archenemy of justice reveals that the entire series of lunar-themed crimes were done to set the Joker up as the first villain on the moon. Of course, Batman sees right through the charade and instructs the Boy Wonder to follow him, no matter what. They head into the oncoming Dark Side of the Moon and enter the Joker's sound stage. They were never on the moon! A particularly peeved Batman and Robin wipe the faux lunar landscape with the bad guys, slap the cuffs on, and drop their burden off at police headquarters where, doubtless, the scoundrels will spend the night before being released in the morning for good behavior. The Dynamic Duo deliver the filched anti-gravity device back to Dr. Doomer and deliver some sage advice to the professor: "Give it a test run next time before inviting the brass for tea!"

I would proclaim "Public Luna-tic Number One!" just about the most inane adventure we've read on this journey, but then I suddenly remember a multitude of talking gorillas and inter-dimensional aliens and think better of the label. But, seriously, why would the Joker bother committing these crimes under the cloak of anonymity? And what's the grand design of stealing this incredible invention? Was the gizmo to play a part in a series of candy shop robberies, with the proprietors floating to the ceiling and therefore unable to stop the pilfering of their cash register? Why go to all the trouble of creating a sound stage that resembles the surface of the moon when you could just put a bullet into the brain of your number one adversary while he lies comatose on the station floor? It's the kind of camp, dopey plot the TV Joker would roll out. Maybe that's the point.

Bored, Barbara Gordon heads for the address given in a want ad searching for "a friendly red-haired girl to  share apartment rent-free..." When she gets there, the owner of the apartment answers the door dressed as Batgirl. What are the chances? Darlene Davison explains that she's an airline stewardess and has won a major award from her company. She's expected to attend a prestigious costume ball that evening but it coincides with her great granddad's birthday party. The old man is a priority, so she needs a doppelgänger to fill in at the ball. Momentarily forgetting that a stunt double could not possibly pass for the real thing when that double knows nothing about the real McCoy other than a name, Babs happily agrees.

Davison explains that an escort is on his way to pick up Batgirl and then heads out the door. Moments later, Batman comes knocking and, after realizing he's the most obvious date for Batgirl, Babs opens the door and is surprised when the faux hero pulls a gun and takes a shot at her. While tussling with "Batman," Babs susses out that Darlene is into some bad business, so she plays dead and then follows the costumed villain to the ball. There, she's amazed to find dupes of the Flash, Superman, and Green Lantern huddled together with the Bogus Bats. Eavesdropping, Babs overhears the quartet explain that Darlene is smuggling gems from foreign countries for an underworld organization. Obviously, the stewardess was setting Babs up to take a bullet. Our favorite heroine heads into battle with the four fiends but is quickly overcome and reaches for her utility bag, only to realize she's got Darlene's purse! To be continued!

Frank Robbins's script for "Surprise! This'll Kill You!" is, as usual, straight-up bonkers, and makes no sense. Let's forget the villainy aspect of Darlene's plot to fool her employees for one moment; how could Babs ever pull the wool over anyone's eyes at the ball if she knows nothing about Darlene? Can you imagine the Flash sidling up and whispering in Babs's ear, "How about another roll in the hay like last night, Darlene?!" As usual though, the words take a back seat to the art, which doesn't disappoint. The Kane/Anderson Batgirl could almost be labeled GGA if not for that little symbol on the cover. Check out the cheese tease when Darlene doffs her outfit and gives the eight-year-old target audience something to think about.-Peter

Jack-Detective #388 went on sale at the end of April 1969 and Apollo 11 landed on the moon less than three months later, so kids across America were primed for this story. Too bad John Broome's return as writer after some time off is a dud. At least Bob Brown draws the Joker better than Sheldon Moldoff ever did. This issue's letters column features missives from Tony Isabella and Don McGregor, who would soon show up as writers for Marvel. The Batgirl story is silly, sure, but who cares when you have the Kane/Anderson art to ogle? By the way, the cover price goes up to 15 cents with this issue, which includes the usual half-page explanation about inflation.

Novick & Giordano(?)

Batman #212

"Baffling Deaths of the Crime-Czar!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

Why aren't Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson at a dinner honoring Dr. Jennings, an eminent research surgeon? It's because they're masquerading as waiters at a welcome home dinner being held for underworld kingpin, L'il Studs, and they are concerned that one of his colleagues wants to rub him out. Their suspicions are correct, since a crook named Quirk hired three assassins--the Silencer, the Dart, and Big Jolt--to wipe out Studs. Thinking all is well, Bruce leaves Dick in charge for a while and heads to the hospital, where he happens to see two orderlies entering a room they shouldn't.

One quick costume change later, Batman bursts in and interrupts the men, who are trying to steal radioactive isotopes! In what's becoming a worrisome pattern, they knock Batman out cold and lay him down on a table, where they plan to fry him with radiation from an x-ray scanner. Meanwhile, at the crooks' banquet, Dick interrupts Big Jolt as he booby-traps a cake. Dick knocks out Big Jolt but lets the cake be wheeled in, unaware that when it is cut it will send 20,000 volts up the arm of L'il Studs. Just as Batman escapes his predicament, L'il Studs cuts the cake and appears to get fried. At the same moment, the Silencer shoots him with a bullet and the Dart shoots him with guess what.

Batman's battle with the men in the radiology department caused the power at both dinners to go out for a short while, and Dr. Jennings explains that L'il Studs, his patient, died of natural causes! It seems that Jennings implanted a remote-controlled pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat, and when the power went out, it failed, and he had a massive heart attack. That means that he wasn't killed by a bullet, a dart, or 20,000 volts! When Quirk hears the news, he tells the three assassins that he won't pay them. Instead of getting mad, the trio decide to rub out Batman for ruining their plans. Batman quickly deduces that Quirk must have been behind the attempted hit and heads for the crook's home, unaware that the trio of hitmen have rigged a deadly trap. 

The Silencer, the Dart, and Big Jolt await the arrival of the Batmobile and Batman is shocked by an electrical current, but he and Robin manage to escape death by any of the three deadly weapons. They beat up the trio of assassins and prevent Quirk from being electrocuted--Batman wants him to stand trial for attempted murder.

"Baffling Deaths of the Crime-Czar!" is a bit confusing, a bit silly, and a bit fun. Novick is hardly in his serious artist mode here, especially in the way he draws Big Jolt, who resembles Jimmy Durante. I didn't understand how knocking out the power at the hospital also knocked out the power at the crooks' banquet, and it seems coincidental that Dr. Jennings and his patient would both be honored at dinners at the same time in different places. Still, the sheer nuttiness of Robbins's script and the jumping back and forth between locations made the story fun to read.-Jack

Peter-A few unintended bits of hilarity this time out to go with the usual inanity. Famous last words delivered by dish-drying Dick: "Don't worry, Batman, go to your other appointment. I'm on watch and nothing gets by me!" I'm sure we've heard those words before, just before the guano hits the fan. Even funnier: Dick not remembering that electrocution is Big Jolt's M.O. despite a "D'Oh!" moniker. Having these super-secret underworld assassins answer to their favorite weapon is genius. It's also a lot less stress for the scripter.

Next Week...
Surely, 1957 Must Have Been a
Better Year Than 1956?