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?

Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 146: Atlas/Marvel Science Fiction and Horror Comics!

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 131

December 1956 Part IV

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Uncanny Tales #50

Cover by Bill Everett

"Look Behind You!" (a: Joe Orlando) ★★1/2

"Inside the Room of Shadows" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★

"A Man Destroyed!" (a: Angelo Torres) ★★★

"The Escape of Johnny York" (a: Herb Familton) ★

"Valley of No Return!" (a: Bob Powell) ★

"It Happened to Henry" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★

Brilliant scientist Louis Stark has invented a television screen that allows him to drop in on important events and people of the past. Unlike the usual brilliant scientist, Louis doesn't use his new toy as a tool to rob banks or rule third world countries; Louis just wants to make the world a more peaceful place to live.

To that end, the egghead drops in on well-known 18th-Century dictator, Vincent di Varni, just before he reaches power. With the aid of his gizmo, Louis is able to sway di Varni from making the decisions he made that set him down a wrong path in life. Unfortunately, Louis discovers that di Varni is his ancestor and slowly, but surely, the changes he's made affect the man's lineage. In a panic, the professor attempts to manipulate the machine in order to erase his changes but fate intervenes. "Look Behind You!" is not a bad little science fiction tale; sure, it's very predictable, but it's a nice change of pace to see someone with a big brain who doesn't want to use his assets to rule mankind.

Penny-pinching miser Mr. Bascombe just can't seem to get happy; he's miserable about everything, convinced the world is out to cheat him. The maid spends too much money on butter; the butler stole his cigars; Dish Network raised their rates 35.6%. The list goes on and on. Then one day, while on a walk, Bascombe is compelled to enter a dark doorway. "Inside the Room of Shadows," he is greeted by an old, bearded man who claims that Bascombe's true happiness is attainable if he simply enters a doorway within the house. The old codger quickly talks himself out of it, for fear the stranger is trying to take advantage of him. Convinced he has been hypnotized by his thieving butler (!), Bascombe races home to fire the man, only to learn he gave the dedicated servant the axe the night before. Atlas strips where cold-hearted bastards have a complete 180-degree turn within two panels never cease to cause eye-rolling in this funny book veteran.

In the year 2056, crime has essentially been eliminated, thanks to the "Criminal Selector" machine, which predicts a crime is about to be committed and gives law enforcement the right to arrest the guilty parties before the act takes place. But mob boss Victor Sharkey discovers a way to manipulate the gizmo to his advantage. In the end, we discover that the entire drama is a television show being telecast in 1956. A worried housewife asks her husband if he thinks such a "mechanization age" will come to be and her husband laughs and assures her machines will never become that widespread, all while the couple are surrounded by a plethora of modern electric kitchen devices. 

Yep, the concept of a government-supported initiative to arrest criminals before they break the law sounds verrrrry familiar. PK Dick's "Minority Report" had popped up in Fantastic Universe at the beginning of 1956, which certainly gave Carl Wessler more than enough time to "borrow" some elements from the SF short story. But thievery aside, "A Man Destroyed!" is a decent read with some great Torres work. I swear at times I would not be able to tell Angelo's pencils from those of Al Williamson.

Carl Wessler returns with his script for the nonsensical "The Escape of Johnny York," in which the titular POW drinks some herbal tea provided by a cellmate and escapes prison to visit his dying wife. Predictably, the tea not only transports Johnny to his wife's bedside, but also magically cures her ills. Maudlin hogwash. In the three-page "Valley of No Return!," Burt almost shoots a white eagle but is convinced to leave the bird alone by fellow hunter, Greg. Later, when they become lost, the eagle leads them out of the lost valley safe and sound. The last-panel reveal is immensely predictable.

Perhaps the worst was saved for last. Henry is a bully and his latest target is fellow accountant, Porter. After a particularly vicious prank, Porter tells Henry the world would be better off without him. Sure enough, from then on no one sees or hears Henry. What's going on? Who knows? The last panel of "It Happened to Henry" literally reveals that the writer had no idea either. So let's just ignore this one.-Peter

World of Mystery #4

Cover by Carl Burgos

"The Things in the Window" (a: Werner Roth) ★★

"The Forbidden Land" (a: Paul Reinman) ★1/2

"Let the Creature Beware!" (a" Bob Powell) ★★

"The Dreadful Dream" (a: Manny Stallman) ★

"The Man with Yellow Eyes" (a: Dick Ayers) ★★

"What Happened in the Basement?" (a: Mac L. Pakula) ★1/2

Cal buys a deserted house on the edge of town, a well-tended home that has a bad reputation and a hint of... evil! This would normally send Cal running the other way because everyone in the Atlas Universe knows... Cal is a coward! He knows it, has become used to the sensation, almost revels in it. When the real estate salesman lets Cal know that a woman who lived in the house vanished off the face of the earth, the knees of our timid hero shake a bit because, you know... Cal is a coward!

Seeing the new residence as something of a challenge, Cal moves in and, in a cowardly fashion, continuously looks out the front window to make sure no one will bother him. Then, later that night, Cal notices that one of the windows has been blacked out. Cal shivers! Cal quakes! But soon he feels he can't take the mystery anymore and climbs through the darkened sill to find himself in another dimension. There, in the distance, is a beautiful woman held captive by weird shapes. Can Cal dispose of his cowardice and save the woman from a fate worse than death? This being the 1956 Atlas Universe, you can bet on it. About as harmless as a Saturday morning cartoon, "The Things in the Window" just shambles and stumbles to its inevitable, happy ending, saved only by some tasty art by Werner Roth. The other-dimensional voyage is very Ditko-esque and a few panels of cowardly Cal look like Roth was assisted by Johnny Craig. The speed bump is the reminder, in every other panel, that Cal has a problem being brave.

A trio of reporters from World View Magazine arrive in Peru to sniff out the legend of "The Forbidden Land." The three men push their way through, ignoring Incan pleas, and find themselves inside the ancient temple, ready to witness rites never seen by white men. Unfortunately for the three stooges, they soon find out that they are to be the human sacrifices at the ritual. They manage to escape and return to New York but, once their pictures are developed, they discover the secret Incan ritual will remain secret. Back in the early 1950s, at least one of the men would have gunned down a score of Incans and the trio would have been skinned alive.

In the heavy-handed preachy, "Let the Creature Beware!," Judd Kerr stirs up hate in small towns, pointing out residents who may be a bit "different" than their neighbors and dropping hints these "creatures" might be from another world. Once the town is in a stir, Kerr asks for donations so that he can pursue the situation in a "legal" way by hiring a lawyer. Cash in hand, Kerr races out of town. Then he gets to Abbyville and turns the town's attention to an odd old man who lives on the edge of town. Too late, Judd discovers this is the last stop on his hate tour. Some good Bob Powell work can't transform "Creature" into anything other than a mild distraction with a very unsubtle message. Powell seems to hint in his last panel that Kerr might be Hitler.

Frank Beech is involved in a terrible, serious, life-threatening, and really scary train wreck. He dies but then wakes up and relives everything he'd seen in his dream--the damn toys left on the staircase by his rotten little brat, his wife's attempts to make him breakfast despite the fact that she has no cooking skills to speak of, and the innocuous dialogue he engages in with people at the train station. Sure enough, his train crashes and he awakens to the same thing over again. When his wife hands him his mushy pancakes and tells him to hurry up, he'll be late for work, he informs her he's taking the day off. No, I mean it, that's really the end of "The Dreadful Dream"! I had roughly the same feeling as Frank since this plot has been on a loop since 1948.

"The Man with Yellow Eyes" is G.I. Lee Forrest, who fights with the American Tank Corps in Africa. "Yellow Eyes," as he's affectionately known to his comrades, fights with a bestiality akin to a jungle cat. A fellow G.I. saves the life of "Yellow Eyes" and the two men become friends, with the giant brute claiming that no matter how, no matter where, he'll return the favor. "Yellow Eyes" confides in his new friend that he was an orphan, found in a zoo near the wild cat cages, and Africa seems like home to him. A few months later, Forrest is given a discharge, but he stays in Africa and his savior loses track. 

Once the war ends, our narrator also decides to stay in Africa and attempt a search for "Yellow Eyes." One day, while out in the jungle, a lion leaps but is stopped (mid-air!) from chowing down on our hero by a mysterious whistle. The lion runs off with a man and we come to learn exactly where "Yellow Eyes" has made his home. Right off the bat, I gotta admit that a Tarzan rip-off with Dick Ayers art would usually get a one-star rating from me sight unseen, but "Yellow Eyes" has a real kooky atmosphere that must be experienced to be believed. A couple chuckles translate to a couple stars any day!

John Winters is a would-be inventor who actually doesn't work on anything in his basement. He simply goes down there to see if his family cares enough about him to head down the stairs now and then to check up on him despite his warnings to never ever ever bother him. Confused yet? Keep up. John gets zapped by lightning in his basement and is transported into the future, where he's tried and convicted as a spy. The judge listens to John's fantastic story and then tells the convicted man that his only hope is that his family will come to his rescue. Magically, John is zapped back into the present, where wife Ethel and forty-something, useless, sycophantic son, Melvin, grill him as to where he went. After he tells his utterly ludicrous tale, his wife reminds him that she couldn't check up on him because she was making him his birthday cake like any loving wife would. Holy crap, what connived rubbish this be! So, the answer to the question, "What Happened in the Basement?" is a very resounding, "Nothing!"-Peter

World of Suspense #5

Cover by Carl Burgos

"While Simon Slept...!" (a: Bill Everett) ★★1/2

"By the Dark of the Moon" (a: John Giunta) ★1/2

"Menace Below!" (a: John Romita) ★★

"The Men in Glass!" (a: Don Heck) ★★1/2

"The Lead-Lined Box!" (a: Chuck Miller) ★★

"The Brain Trap!" (a: George Roussos) ★

Simon Miller is an inventor who shows up at the police station with a wild story. He claims to have invented a matter duplicator in his basement. He mistakenly left the machine on and dozed off on the floor under its ray. "While Simon Slept...!" an exact duplicate of him was created, and he met his mirror image upstairs! Simon brings a policeman home to show him the man, but the duplicate claims to be Simon's twin brother. The cop chases the duplicate into the cellar and, when the machine is switched on, a duplicate policeman is created. Now the cop believes Simon's story!

It's not often that I wish an Atlas story were longer, but this one, nicely drawn by Bill Everett, would have benefited from more pages. The story is interesting but ends abruptly. Is there a way to get rid of the duplicates, or would that be murder? Are they good or evil? More pages drawn by Everett would be welcome.

A strange creature haunts the outskirts of Grenhorst! Local farmers believe that it's one of the town's residents who doesn't realize that "By the Dark of the Moon," he changes into the green-skinned descendant of space creatures who landed nearby 200 years ago. Over time, they took on human characteristics that only disappeared under the full moon. One of the townsfolk, Luther Krohler, decides to take revenge on Charles Reuse, a town father, for marrying the woman Luther loved. Luther creates fake movies that show the green-skinned creatures landing and eventually demonstrates that Freda Reuse was one of them. But just as the townspeople are about to grab Charles, the full moon rises, and it's revealed that the real descendent of the creatures is Luther. The next day, he apologizes to everyone for his behavior.

I do not want to read more pages of this story! It's too complicated and not worth the effort it takes to unravel. The art, by John Giunta, reminds me of the type of art I used to see in children's books or issues of Classics Illustrated.

Two men from a foreign country (Russia?) are given a tour of a U.S. Naval station, but they are not allowed to inspect the dock. Karlin, one of the foreigners, deduces that there must be some important secret under the water by the dock, so he waits for a dark, calm night, dons scuba gear, and dives down to inspect. He sees a large metal ball that has studs all around it and he swims toward it. Unfortunately for Karlin, he has discovered a new anti-frogman device that will explode at the slightest touch!

I've always liked John Romita's art, and he does a nice job with what are essentially four pages of people talking to each other. Fortunately, there are some underwater panels that allow him to draw some shadowy scenes. The story ends on a note of suspense, with Karlin about to whack the ball with a wrench and a Naval officer explaining what will happen if he connects, unaware that there's about to be a big boom right off the dock.

Joe is a recent immigrant to the U.S. who is working as a waiter at a banquet where the president is going to speak. Suddenly the lights go out! When they come back on, an alien named Zarki and several of his cohorts have appeared in the room. Zarki announces that they have been sent to colonize Earth and resistance is futile! The aliens have glass helmets around their heads and Zarki demands that the people in the room cooperate and give him information. Everyone refuses but Joe, who volunteers to cooperate, drawing jeers from the patriots around him. Joe asks if he can display his skills as an opera singer and, when Zarki agrees, Joe breaks into a loud version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." The Americans in the room are horrified until Joe hits a high note that shatters the aliens' glass helmets! Now everyone realizes that the immigrant waiter saved the day.

"The Men in Glass" is corny as heck, but artist Don Heck knocks it out of the park and his dynamic depictions not only make it bearable but also prefigure the work he would do in a few years on The Avengers and other Marvel comics of the '60s.

Professor Hugo Steiner believes that babies are born with the memories of mankind's collective history already implanted on their brains and he plans to prove it with his new Memory Visualizer! His assistant Hans brings him a newborn in "The Lead-Lined Box!" and Hugo zaps the box with a ray from his gizmo, but what he sees as the newborn's memories show that its immediate ancestors were mute slaves, dependent on others and thrown scraps and bones for food. Hugo is so upset by what he sees that he destroys the machine, unaware that his kindly assistant couldn't bear to put a human baby in the box, so he put a puppy dog in there instead!

I like Chuck Miller's art on this three-pager, and I did not see the twist ending coming in advance, so it was worth a read. I had a feeling that there was something going on with the newborn in the box, but the uncredited writer did a decent job of  suggesting that it was a human baby until we were told otherwise.

Harry Hoyt is a chemist who accidentally invents a cure for baldness and decides that he needs a partner to develop his new product into one that he can sell worldwide. His wife warns him that his partner might take advantage of Harry's good nature. Harry puts an ad in the paper and Earle Bolton responds. Earle is impressed by the invention and signs on as partner, but Harry suddenly finds himself able to read Earle's thoughts and discovers that Earle plans to kill him and take all the money for himself. Harry avoids Earle's clumsy attempt to brain him with a wooden stool, calls the police, and burns his formula.

An unexpectedly enjoyable issue of World of Suspense ends with a dud in "The Brain Trap!;" George Roussos's illustrations are as pedestrian as the script. Both Peter and I are working on a time machine to return to 1956 and question Harry about his miracle cure for baldness.-Jack

Next Week...
With-it, Hip, New Writer Mike Friedrich
Decides That What the World Needs Now Is a Hip, With-It
Reboot of the Very First Batman Adventure For the
Dark Knight's 30th Anniversary. Do the Boys Agree?

Batman in the 1960s Issue 56: March/April 1969

  

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

Adams

Detective Comics #385

"Die Small--Die Big!"

Story by Robert Kanigher

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

"Hunt for the Helpless Hostage!"

Story by Mike Friedrich

Art by Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson

Batman is the number one idol of mailman Herbert Small. Herbert's pastimes include make-up, making realistic dummies, and keeping track of the Dark Knight's adventures. When seriously bad news is delivered to Herbert from his blasé medic ("Yep, the heightened sounds inside your head signal that you're maybe a month away from dying. Please make sure your account is paid up and don't bother with a hospital!"), Herbert makes it his life work to protect his hero from harm. How will he do that? Well...

One day, while delivering mail, Herbert overhears a group of bad guys plotting the demise of the Caped Crusader and witnesses the men leaving their hideout. Coincidentally, at that moment, Batman tangles with another group of thugs and Herbert watches in amazement while the hero dispatches them in no time flat. But... Herbert theorizes... if the underworld should ever learn the secret identity of Batman, they would kill him just like that. So, rather than working on a way to deliver mail faster and more efficiently, Herbert goes home, whips up a mannikin with his own face, and sends it to Wayne Manor, where he knows there is a big dinner going on. Herbie assumes that if Commissioner Gordon (in a rare appearance outside of the Gotham Golf Club) sees the dummy, he'll alert Batman and the hero will race over to Herbert's apartment and nab the would-be killers.

Forgetting all the flaws in this logic, Herbie runs home and applies make-up to resemble one of the mobsters he saw during the big secret meeting and heads over to their lair, where he informs his "colleagues" that Batman is really... Herbert Small! After writing down his apartment address for his new buddies, Herbert races home to await his fate. Back at Wayne Manor, the dummy has been found at the front door and brought in for examination. After the mannikin  has been unmasked (and Bruce breathes fresh air that it's not carrying the face of a billionaire), the Commish and the rest of the guests leave the party. Bruce searches his computer-like brain and suddenly screams out, "Ah hah, I have it, the face belongs to the nobody who delivers our mail!"

Racing to Herbert's mangy apartment, Batman arrives just before the hapless letter carrier is about to be ventilated. Crashing through the skylight (what would Gotham be without its plethora of overhead windows?), Bats rescues Herbert only to watch in horror as one of the criminals puts a bullet in the mailman. With the bad guys out of commission, Batman asks if there's anything he can do to make Herbert's last moments tolerable. Though Herbert clearly says "Take me to the hospital, you idiot!," Batman mistakenly interprets the man's final words as "Take your mask off!" and does so. Herbert's parrot begins to sing, the sun rises in Gotham, and Batman sighs.

There's nothing salvageable from the wreck of Big Bob Kanigher's meandering and sappy script nor from the ghastly Brown/Giella graphics found in "Die Small-Die Big!" I know Herbert was dying from some unknown malady (I'd have gotten a second opinion), but why would he think this elaborate scheme (which would net him possibly a half-dozen bad guys) would work and, had he lived, would he do it all over again for the next batch of underworld thugs? It's amazing how many otherwise-normal Gothamites have hidden skills.

In the much-better second installment of the new Batgirl series, our heroine finds the missing Mark Hanner (y'know, the handsome hunk that Babs Gordon has been stalking?) and puts the cuffs on bad guy Web Foote. But, hang on, the best news is that the chick Babs has seen Mark with is actually... his sister (yeah, never mind those too-cosy panels of Mark and his "sister" in an un-sibling-esque clutch!). Babs returns to work the next day and Mark comes in to ask her out on a date. A happy ending! This little eight-pager has so much more life and sensibility than its bigger stepbrother. The plot is disposable (and half the strip seems to be made up of flashbacks to the first chapter) but it's readable and the art is fabulous, detailed, and exciting; give me more!-Peter

Jack-The Batman story is pretty good, but why would Commissioner Gordon think that a replica Batman would have his real, secret face under the mask? The real highlight of the issue is the Batgirl story, which boasts fabulous art by Kane and Anderson. This is even better than last issue's art and it gives the Neal Adams cover a run for its money. The art is so good that it makes the story more enjoyable than it should be.

Adams/Infantino

Batman #210

"The Case of the Purr-loined Pearl!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Irv Novick & Joe Giella

Catwoman is out of prison and instead of starting a crime wave, she opens a Slenderizing Salon! Certain that she's up to something, Batman and Robin think she's behind a robbery where the getaway car is the Kitty-Car, but the crooks admit that they bought the vehicle at a used car lot!

The feline criminal is not going straight, however, and mails letters to eight female prisoners, all of whom are about to be released. When they get out, they are chauffeured to Catwoman's lair in a new and improved Kitty-Car. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne learns that the Nizam of  Nepal is coming to Gotham City for a visit and will display the priceless Potala Pearl in his turban. Bruce calls Commissioner Gordon and offers to let the Nizam stay at Wayne Manor, which is a step up from the Motel 6 that the city had planned.

At the Slenderizing Salon, Catwoman tells the eight former prisoners that she wants to start an all-girl gang to strike back at men, but the ladies aren't taken by the idea and put up a fight. Catwoman easily bests them all and tells them that their training is underway. Nine days later, the gals are slender and all are dressed in identical Catwoman costumes. They pile into the Kitty-Car and head for Wayne Manor, where the Nizam has bedded down for the night.

Batman and Robin are waiting for the attack and, despite taking some good hits, Batman manages to interrupt Catwoman as she attempts to steal the pearl. He tricks her into getting tangled up in a web of sticky yarn and the Nizam and his pearl are safe.

Needless to say, the cover is the highlight of this issue, with Infantino's cool layout and Adams's gorgeous pencils and inks. It's a shame that Novick and Giella's art inside can't compare to the cover--Novick seems incapable of drawing a sexy woman. There are a surfeit of Cat puns, none of which are funny, and the names of the eight female prisoners are just goofy--Florid Flo and Big Barbara are plus-sized, Timid Trixie is reticent, and Sultry Sarah is Novick's attempt at pulchritude. The old and new Kitty-Cars are pretty cool, as is Catwoman's retro-costume, but this story doesn't add up to much in the end.-Jack

Peter- Once again, we are in agreement, Jack. I'm not sure why Catwoman went to the trouble of trying eight cons rather than just heading down to Thug*Mart and renting a batch down there. It's strange that no reasoning is given for Catwoman's costume, which looks nothing like we've seen before. The cover is the highlight here.

Novick

Detective Comics #386

"Stand-In for Murder"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

"The Teen-Age Gap!"

Story by Mike Friedrich

Art by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito

On a Gotham airstrip, a top-secret Air Force rocket known as the VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) is about to be test-flown by none other than... millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne! After receiving the necessary cautions, the jet takes off and accomplishes an astounding feat above the clouds... the vehicle can land in exactly the same spot it launched from. Wow! But when one of the techs pulls back the cockpit canopy he notices something odd... there's no Bruce Wayne!

The military brass immediately order that Commissioner Gordon be alerted (rather than, I don't know, the Pentagon) and that Batman be called in to investigate. Gordon gets on the Hot-Line to Bats but there's no answer. Is Batman/Bruce Wayne really dead? Well, to get to the bottom of this elaborate farce plot, we have to travel back in time to earlier that morning, where we see an ascot-laden Bruce Wayne preparing to head to the airstrip when he stops to look through the Batman mail he picked up at Gordon's office the night before. After tossing the usual nude photos from adoring fans and requests for autographs, Master Bruce comes upon a strangely written note informing the Caped Crusader that a big heist will be happening at Gotham First National in about half an hour. Bruce Wayne/Batman can't be in two places at once. Or can he?

Telling Alfred that the heist takes precedence over a photo op in a really snazzy plane, Bruce orders the world's most over-worked butler to call "Mr. Morse," Bruce Wayne's stand-in! Morse is given his assignment--to sit in a test jet and risk his life--and he heads for the airstrip while the Batmobile races to Gotham First National. Bats foils the criminal activity but is trapped in an armored car full of tear gas while, miles away, Mr. Morse is run off the road by a cement mixer and kidnapped by its shady, obviously non-union, driver. The man tosses Morse into the truck and drives it off a pier into Gotham Harbor. The driver then exits the truck, revealing a third Bruce Wayne, hops into Morse's convertible, and heads to the airfield.

There we pick up the beginning of the story and find out all the juicy behind-the-scenes details. The latest Wayne clone is actually disgraced businessman Carlyle Crane, who has rigged this impossibly complex ruse in order to kill Bruce Wayne (instead of, you know, putting a bullet in him) for ruining his reputation. Crane has built a complete replica of the top-secret VTOL, flown it up above the clouds, and killed a fake Bruce... or something like that. 

Once Batman gets out of his tear-gas-armored car mess, he answers Gordo's plea for help and heads to the airstrip, where he sorts out the entire mystery thanks to a very evident clue overlooked by Crane (Morse's helmet was left in the back of the convertible). Knowing his unknown adversary will come looking for the helmet, Batman hangs out for a few hours in the nearby bushes and puts the whammy on Crane when he arrives. Later, at the dock, Batman sighs as a perfectly good cement mixer (with Morse's corpse in the front seat) is hauled out of the water. Someone will pay for this destruction of fine equipment!

Despite (or possibly because of) the fact that this may very well be the most confusing, complex, coincidence-laden, confounding Batman adventure we've ever read, I enjoyed the heck out of it. I struggled to put into words what the hell was going on in the climax since there are so many threads being sewn together at one time. Though we've witnessed some pretty big villainous plots in these 1960s funny books, Carlyle Crane's has to take first price. The number of events that had to happen at just the right time for Crane's plate of revenge to be served is mind-boggling. 

I wish we could see the excised panels of Crane sitting at his desk, trying to figure out exactly when he should hire the cement mixer (and how would he know the exact moment Morse would come along?) and begin building his exact replica of VTOL. Not to mention the retractable roof on his mansion that hides the plane! Can someone tell me who this mysterious Mr. Morse is? It's hinted that he's been used before, but I assume he knows nothing of Bruce's alter ego. I couldn't find any reference to the character appearing before or after. The Brown/Giella art is still about as pedestrian as you'll find but, for this installment at least, the words are goofy enough to keep the pages turning.

In the back-up, Robin gets help from a nerdy college kid when he's jumped by a trio of good ol' boys tired of the Boy Wonder stealing their chicks from them. Dick thanks the awkward bookworm for saving his bacon and then ponders all the important friends and characters that come into his life and then never reappear. With "The Teen-Age Gap!," Mike Friedrich adds fuel to the argument that it's Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson who are responsible for making "Batgirl" the best Bat-strip recently. The only smile that crossed my face was when Dick is persuaded to pick up a guitar during a campfire to sing a few tunes, the lyrics of which confirmed my suspicion that Fred Wertham was not paying attention to funny books by 1969: Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine/I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine.-Peter

Jack-I can't recall a Batman story with so little Batman in it as "Stand-In for Murder." Where did poor Morse come from? Bruce Wayne has a double who is available at a moment's notice to take his place--and the guy gets killed? Only in a Frank Robbins script would a crook call Batman "B-Man." And I'm starting to think that my childhood belief in rubber masks that were undetectable came from some of these DC comics!

As for "The Teen-Age Gap!," the less said the better. I'm not surprised that, after two issues with fabulous art by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson on the Batgirl backup stories, we'd have to plummet back to Earth with a Robin story drawn by Andru and Esposito. When I was a kid, their art on Spider-Man didn't bother me, but as a much older man, I really cringe when I see their pages from the late '60s and early '70s. The groovy, hip lingo spouted by the characters is hard to take.

Adams

The Brave and the Bold #82

"The Sleepwalker from the Sea!"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Neal Adams

Night at the Gotham City waterfront, and the Caped Crusader witnesses a strange series of events: a man stalks a beautiful woman who suddenly jumps into a speeding car. Another man, dressed in a scuba suit, shoots the stalker in the back with a harpoon and kills him. The killer removes an item of jewelry from the dead man and tosses it to the car's driver. Batman leaps onto the car, causing it to crash into a pole, but as he removes the driver he is grabbed from behind by Aquaman! The frogman takes aim and shoots Batman with a harpoon, causing him to fall into the water. Aquaman socks the frogman and dives into the drink, pulling Batman to safety before disappearing.

Later, Batman awakens to find a doctor tending to him and Commissioner Gordon standing nearby. Batman looks at the piece of jewelry that the driver held and observes that it's a talisman of a kraken--a giant squid! Just then, Batman recalls that he has a hot date and races home, where Alfred patches him up. Bruce Wayne is going out with Ailsa Dubois, model of the year, and rudely dismisses Honor, a gorgeous redhead about whom he had forgotten. Soon, Bruce and Ailsa dine on a terrace in the moonlight; he writes a check for $100,000 to invest in New Marine City at her behest but learns that money will not buy her affections. In fact, when he makes a move, she pulls a gun on him and then flips him over the side of the terrace! Bruce hangs onto a ledge and sees Ailsa leave the building; he realizes that she is heading to see Marius, a rich guy who owns a fleet of ships and who is somehow involved in the New Marine City project.

Bruce follows Ailsa to the offices of Marius Enterprises and overhears Marius boast of his plans to loot and then destroy the new project. Ailsa pulls back a curtain to reveal a painting of Maris in his super-villain garb as Ocean Master, Aquaman's half-brother and evil nemesis, and Bruce enters the room, only to be knocked out by Aquaman, who seems to be under some sort of spell. Aquaman carries Bruce to the site of the New Marine City development and admits that he was just pretending to be in a stupor to trick Marius. Suddenly, Marius and Ailsa appear and Marius starts shooting, but Bruce and Aquaman escape.

An hour later, at Police HQ, Aquaman tells Batman and Commissioner Gordon the origin story of Ocean Master, also known as his half-brother, Orm. Aquaman refuses to harm him. Aquaman also explains that his super-hot wife Mera was abducted by humanoids and, while he was searching for her, he accidentally killed a marine biologist when he thought the man was about to kill a narwhal. Ever since killing the man, Aquaman has been concerned that he is as evil as his brother. Gordon suspects there's something fishy going on and he and Batman give Aquaman some sort of drug that clears his mind and makes him feel better about things. They are helped by Honor, the gal  Bruce ditched, who dresses up as Mera.

Gordon pulls a gun and insists that Batman and Aquaman capture Orm, who is boasting to Ailsa that he is about to hijack all of the treasures in New Marine City. Not so fast, say Batman and Aquaman, but a trap door opens and drops the heroes into a giant aquarium, where they confront sharks and a kraken! Aquaman's mental fish-controlling powers fail to work very well, so it's a good thing Gordon shows up with some cops who blast a hole in the side of the massive fish tank. A cop accidentally shoots Ailsa and Orm escapes in a submarine. Aquaman swims off and Ailsa tells Batman that she was in love with Orm and is ready to face the music.

The fact that it took me so long to summarize the story in this issue demonstrates that it's a tad complicated, but this is the best full issue of Neal Adams's art that we've seen to date, in my opinion. Everything he draws is stunning. I always thought that Aquaman was a cool character and I particularly like Ocean Master's outfit. There's some pathos in the character of Honor and Ailsa has more depth than the usual beautiful women we see in the Batman comics. This is one of the best issues we've read in our journey through the '60s.-Jack

Peter-Adams's art, as usual, is fabulous but Bob Haney's dialogue and plot swim with the fishes. I never feel Haney gets the Batman vibe (in his scripts, his Dark Knight spouts dopey one-liners and behaves very un-heroically) nor any of the Gotham mythos, for that matter. Why, when Aquaman pleads with Bats to spare his brother's life, does the Commish draw his gun and act all silly/threatening? My other big problem, one not caused by Bob Haney, is that since I was always a Marvel Zombie I never read any of the second-tier hero funny books and that includes Aquaman. I had no idea if Haney was making up Orm and his nefarious deeds out of whole cloth or there was a history here until I did a Wiki dive and discovered that the character debuted only a few years prior to Brave and the Bold #82. This is still the best of the three titles, but that's due entirely to Neal Adams.

Next Week...
Avert Your Eyes When
Peter Asks Jack to Write Faster!