Batman in the 1960s Issue 55: January/February 1969

 

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

Novick

Detective Comics #383

"The Fortune-Cookie Caper!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

Deciding to give the most overworked butler/chef/stuntman in Gotham the night off, Batman and Robin pop into their favorite Chinese restaurant, the famous Tommy Chee's, for some won ton soup, spring rolls, Moo Goo Gai Pan, and Tommy's renowned sweet and sour pork. After scarfing down their food, the boys are presented with the requisite fortune cookies. Batman's has a cryptic "Hang on baby, I'm almost there. Love, Neal" while Robin's has the hilarious "Help! I'm a prisoner in a Chinese bakery!" Robin remarks that he'll be saving this one for Aunt Harriet, who has a particular "yen" for Asian humor.

As the Duo are exiting the establishment, they are both cuffed from behind and knocked out. When they come to, they realize the only thing missing is Robin's fortune. "Ah ha!," exclaims the World's Greatest Detective Brain™.  "This makes me think the thugs wanted that message!" When they return to the restaurant to grill Tommy, the owner explains that the humorous message in the cookie is referred to in the trade as a "Number 25." Batman gets another scrunched-up look on his face and screams, "This means something!"

Eventually, our heroes split up, with Robin visiting the bakery where the cookie was born and Bats heading down to the freight yard to investigate anything that has a "25" on it: telephone poles, manholes, discarded Adele CDs, the works. While investigating the bakery, Robin is attacked by the baker and accidentally stumbles across a pretty young lady stashed in a closet. She tells Robin she is Hu Shi, sister of the bakery's owner, Yin Yan. Unfortunately, his attention is averted by the young lady's legs and he's clobbered from behind by the baker. Unbeknownst to Robin, Hu is in cahoots with her evil brother, who emerges from the shadows to inform his sibling that when Robin wakes up, they'll force him to lure Batman to the bakery and get rid of two of their problems.

Batman finally finds the elusive "25" he's been seeking when he comes across two hoods (the same two who put the boys to sleep back at Tommy's joint) rummaging through a freight car and carefully separating a #25 crate. Bats gets a little revenge by roughing up the criminals and, in the process, accidentally destroys crate #25, which spills its valuable cargo all over the freight car floor: pearls, smuggled from the Orient!

Back at the bakery, Robin has finally come around and is talked into summoning his mentor to the scene. But Bats is three steps ahead and overhears Hu Shi and Yin Yan discussing their smuggling operation. He bursts in through a skylight and, after dressing the thousands of cuts across his body, slaps the cuffs on the pair of Won Ton villains (see what I did there?), and explains the whole scheme to his junior partner. 

How did the Boy Wonder not shout out, "Hang on a sec, Batman, why didn't Yin just slip the two hoods a note that says 'check out crate #25 in the freight yard' instead of an elaborate scheme involving random fortune cookies?" I'm amazed that the racist Asian stereotypes had hung around through 1969 in the funny books. Writer Frank Robbins has the characters spouting dialogue like "Confucius say 'little man with big mouth... get face full egg-rolls!'" while the colorist slaps a bright yellow sheen across all the foreign faces. Can you imagine the multitude of five-year-old Batman readers who went to school expecting their Asian classmates to be bright yellow?  But then, as I'm quickly reminded, the Black characters in funny books of the time were pigeonholed with equally egregious conventions. But pull all this nonsense aside and we're still left with an overly-complicated plot and half-baked (pun intended) action. The graphics are competent (in fact, stacked next to Shelly's dribbles, they're art) but someone needs to motivate Frank to write something... I don't know... maybe original.-Peter

Jack-As I read this story, I was jotting down all the offensive Asian stereotypes, but by the end I thought it was pretty good! The art by Brown and Giella is certainly smooth and one panel (on p. 13) even looks a bit like the work of Gil Kane. The level of story and art has gone up enough that even a tale like this one is enjoyable. By the way, this is the last issue to feature an Elongated Man backup story.

Cardy

Batman #208

"The Women in Batman's Life!"

Story by E. Nelson Bridwell

Art by Gil Kane & Jack Abel

"The Secret Life of the Catwoman"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #62, January 1951)

"Vicki Vale's Secret!"

Story by David Vern

Art by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #73, November 1952) 

"The Menace of the Firefly"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

(Reprinted from Batman #126, September 1959)

"The Dilemma of the Detective's Daughter!"

(Reprinted from Batman #165, August 1964)

Peter-As usual with the reprint volumes, there's some fun stuff here, but I'm not a fan of the scattershot approach utilized, with some stories only getting a few pages here and there. Of the full-lengthers, the one I liked the most was the supremely goofy Firefly yarn and least, of course, was the dreadful Moldoff/Giella "Detective's Daughter" drivel. The Ma Chilton epilogue is a little too much for me to stomach. It's all a bit too coincidental. What ever happened to Uncle Philip, the guy who inherited Bruce and dumped him in the lap of a dead gangster's mother?

Jack-Here's where we differ! I recall that fantastic Cardy cover from childhood, and comics like this were a big part of what made me a Batman/DC Comics fan. The issue starts out with five pages of a framing story drawn by Gil Kane--not his best work, but still dynamic. Next comes a vintage Catwoman story with great, old-style art by Lew Sayre Schwartz, including a terrific splash page. A couple more pages from another old Catwoman story are followed by more framing pages by Kane.

Vicki Vale has never been one of my favorite characters (except when embodied by Kim Basinger), but the panel reproduced here shows that Schwartz could draw cheesecake with the best of them. Things quickly plummet in the art department as Shelly Moldoff wrestles away the pencil and draws the dull story with Firefly, which is included because it features Batwoman. Moldoff is also responsible for the wretched story about the detective's daughter. Things pick up with a selection about Eclipso drawn by Win Mortimer before Moldoff brings us down again with a smattering of Poison Ivy. The issue ends on a high note with a portion of Infantino's classic Batgirl story.

I have place in my heart for these Batman 80-page giants and would happily pay a quarter all over again if I saw one on a newsstand.

Adams

The Brave and the Bold #81

"But Bork Can Hurt You!"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, & Vince Colletta

A big lug named Carl Bork disembarks from a tramp steamer at Gotham Harbor and is shocked to remain unharmed when a truck runs him over. To test his newfound invulnerability, Bork robs a nearby diner and feels no pain when police shoot him as he runs away.

Barry Allen (the Flash) is visiting Gotham City Police Headquarters and hears a call on the police radio about a disturbance at the waterfront. Batman rushes to the scene and sees Milo Manning, an extortionist, being confronted by Bork. When Manning's goons attack Carl, he tells them that nothing can hurt him, "But Bork Can Hurt You!" The goons switch their allegiance to Bork, who gives Batman a walloping when the Dark Knight tries to arrest him. Bork announces that he's taking over Gotham City and no one can stop him!

Within hours, Bork has given an ultimatum to the mayor, so Batman and the Flash team up to figure out the secret to his invulnerability. Using his super speed, Flash runs around the world and learns that the leader of a new African nation is sending a commando unit to Gotham to arrest Bork and bring him back for trial. Bork's mayhem continues while Flash's investigation proceeds. From a ship's captain, the Scarlet Speedster learns that natives on Desolation Island made a life-sized wooden carving of Bork and these carvings are said to possess supernatural powers. The Flash races to the island but is knocked out when a volcano erupts and the carving floats away.

Back in Gotham City, the mayor is pushing to give in to Bork's demands. The Flash recovers and goes looking for the wooden statute while Bork is jailed and easily punches his way through a wall to escape. The Flash finds the carving and sets out to destroy it, but it's no easy task--nothing seems to affect it. The African commandos have reached Gotham City and shoot Bork with a dart that wounds him, suggesting he's no longer invulnerable. Batman challenges Bork to a duel to buy time as Flash runs through outer space and destroys the carving by planting it inside the sun! Batman succeeds in knocking Bork for a loop and the menace is over. The criminal is led to a waiting plane to face justice in Africa.

Twenty-four pages of Neal Adams are a treat and the Flash is an added bonus. The story moves along quickly and doesn't waste too much time with needless fistfights, though it stretches my suspension of disbelief to accept that Flash can run through space and into the sun without having any problems with lack of oxygen or incredible cold. I wonder if Colletta inked the Flash sections and Giordano inked the Batman sections?-Jack

Peter-This one's a total winner. Clever script and knockout graphics. I'll have to do a brush-up on my Flash knowledge. How can the guy run to the sun?  Well, as I said, it was a lot of fun so I didn't let the particulars drag me down. Refreshing that Carl Bork was gifted with invulnerability and yet didn't go shopping at Villains 'R' Us for a costume. He just ran around in his work civvies. Bob Haney's best work so far. Could the good stuff finally be here now that we're near the end?

Novick

Detective Comics #384

"Whatever Will Happen to Heiress Heloise?"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

"Tall, Dark, Handsome--and Missing!"

Story by Mike Friedrich

Art by Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson

While getting ready to head out on a solo patrol (Robin is off with the Titans), Batman happens upon two thugs roughing up "recently found heiress" Heloise Madigan. Bats puts the kibosh on the dastardly duo and then drives Heloise back to her place. Upon entering the huge mansion, Batman and Heloise are both surprised to hear the family lawyer proclaim that this Heloise is a fraud! The real Heloise has just turned up to claim the millions left to her in her father's will.

Slightly astonished, Batman throws Heloise #1 (who keeps spouting newspaper jargon to the Caped Crusader) in the Batmobile and whisks her away to the Gotham precinct house, where she is booked for impersonating an heiress. Batman heads out the door but his Incredible Detective Brain (the World's Greatest™ ) suddenly alerts him to the fact that the real Heloise Madigan might be in danger. Duh! He speeds back to Madigan Manor, where he finds the gorgeous redhead taking a dip in the pool and saves her from death as two criminals leap from the bushes and head for her unprotected flesh.

Batman leaps some would say a wee bit far for a human being and nabs both villains, pulling them into the pool with him. After a minor tussle, both cretins are apprehended and our hero once again hops in the Batmobile to make that long trip to the precinct house. The next day, while Bruce is sitting in his smoking jacket, enjoying a Cuban and a snifter of Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne, his Bat-senses once again alert him. Could Heloise #1 be in danger as well? 

After a little detective work, Batman is able to track Heloise #1 to the Rogers Real Estate Agency, where she is currently extorting money from her crooked boss. In a long and sloppy expository word balloon we discover that the stunning redhead once took dictation (and provided other secretarial functions, no doubt) for Big John Madigan, Heloise's dead father. The knowledge she gained during her employ allowed her to impersonate the heiress (who was long thought to be dead as the result of a car accident when she was six--please.... don't ask me to elucidate any further) in an attempt to lay her wicked fingers on all that dough. Drat that real Heloise showed up just then! Bad timing! Batman busts through the door, revealing he's heard enough of the backstory (well, she goes on for at least an hour) to testify in court to the beauty's bad business practices. 

I love how when the Madigan family lawyer lays out exactly how they discovered that Heloise #1 was a fraud: that morning (yes, that morning!) they had discovered a "long-lost baby rattle" and had the FBI run the fingerprints, which matched those of a "local government clerk"!!! All that in just a few hours (yes, just a few hours!) from a city that can't even keep its most wanted criminals behind bars for more than a few months at a time. "Whatever Will Happen..." is dumb as dirt and extra hard to follow but I won't deny that it's at least a wee bit entertaining as well. I do have one more nit to pick with funny book writers in general: why put dialogue in a character's mouth that must then be followed constantly by an asterisk and explanation of said dialogue?

Every Friday at exactly 1:30, Mark Hanner, a very handsome man, attracts the attention of a very special librarian. That would be, of course, Babs Gordon, daughter of Gotham's police chief (and 10-handicap golfer) and a/k/a the beautiful Batgirl. Anyway, this guy comes into the library every week and requests a copy of the Gotham Gazette until one day... he doesn't. Becoming alarmed, Babs visits the man's apartment and sees a pretty girl fleeing, leaving the door open. Immediately heading for Hanner's bathroom (!) our curvaceous crusader notices the medicine cabinet open and fears her Romeo might be in danger.

As Batgirl, Babs follows the girl to a seedy part of town and up into a very nasty apartment, where she's attacked by a gang of gunsels. She fights them off, they flee, and she turns her attention to a locked door. With one kick of her boot, she's in. It's there she finds Hanner. But is he alive? To Be Continued! It's only a small part of a bigger piece but "Tall, Dark..." beats any of the regular Bat-adventures this month in both script and art. Where can I vote for this to be the lead strip? Gil's art is gorgeous; his Batgirl is babe-alicious (a dead ringer for Gil's Mary Jane Watson) and the fight scenes are well-choreographed! Please let this strip stay good!-Peter

Jack-"Heloise" was a quick, enjoyable read, marked by a lot of large panels and not a ton of dialogue. Bob Brown continues to impress me with his art on the Batman strip. It pales in comparison to the art by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson on the new Batgirl backup strip, which replaces the long-running strip featuring Elongated Man. Not only does Kane draw a gorgeous Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, his fight scenes are bursting out of the panels!

Novick

Batman #209

"Jungle Jeopardy"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Irv Novick & Joe Giella

Batman and Robin return to the Batcave and feel compelled to take the elevator upstairs before changing out of their costumes. Halfway up, they realize it's a bad idea and descend to the Batcave, but when the elevator door opens they see that the Batcave has been transformed into a jungle, where a tiger and an elephant rush toward them!

The night before, the Dynamic Duo had foiled a robbery in progress, after which some crooks who escaped met with a clever bad guy who called himself Brainwash and who had a plan to eliminate Batman and Robin. Brainwash paid a visit to the office of Commissioner Gordon and planted a small device under his desk that broadcast subliminal messages to the Commish. That night, Gordon was compelled to call Batman and Robin to dispatch them to the scene of a bank robbery. The Batmobile was parked over a manhole cover, so Brainwash popped up and planted another device on the car's undercarriage.

As Batman and Robin chased the robbers, they felt compelled to rush home to the Batcave and take the elevator upstairs. After their jungle vision, they went upstairs and saw another angry tiger in the place of Alfred the butler. Meanwhile, Brainwash and the gang are robbing the bank. The Master Detective figures out what's going on, realizing that he and Robin have been brainwashed. He removes the device from under the Batmobile and surmises that old nemesis Mr. Esper is behind this.

The Dynamic Duo head to the bank and quickly dispatch Brainwash and his gang, plugging their ears so they can't be subjected to any more subliminal suggestions. Batman pulls off Brainwash's amazingly lifelike mask to reveal Mr. Esper, who is handcuffed and headed for jail.

Another fun, full-length story with nice art by Irv Novick, "Jungle Jeopardy" is fast-moving. Robin makes an offhand remark about the elephant being African (due to its big ears) and that leads Batman to realize the jungle is an illusion, since there are no tigers in the African jungle. It's nice to learn a little something every once in a while. Oh, and that cover would definitely have made me want to buy this comic!-Jack

Peter-This one wasn't too bad at all and the Novick/Giella art is easy on the eye. But, yeah, I have some questions. The Batmobile seems to be a pretty easy target since Esper is able to plant his brainwashing device without setting off any alarms. You'd think a super sophisticated piece of weaponry like the Batmobile would have some safety measures built in, no? And I just love when our heroes are so easily fooled by the instant jungle that grows out of the Batcave. "I've never been so scared in my life, Batman! It was so real!" How could it be, Boy Blunder? It's the Batcave!!!  I'm not sure I understand why Esper was disguising himself as "Brainwash." Does he have a split personality? Is he so egotistical he wants to be two super-villains?

Next Week...
Angelo Torres Leads an
All-Star Monday!

Batman in the 1960s Issue 52: July/August 1968

 

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

Infantino/Adams

Batman #203

"The 1,000 Secrets of the Batcave!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Jim Mooney & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #48, September 1948)

"The Birth of Batplane II!"

Story by David Vern

Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #61, November 1950)

"The Secret of Batman's Utility Belt!"

Story Uncredited

Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #185, July 1952)

"The 100 Batarangs of Batman"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #244, June 1957)

"Secret of the Batmobile"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #98, March 1956)

"The Flying Bat-Cave!"

Story Uncredited

Art by Lew Sayre Schwartz & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #186, August 1952)

Peter-One of the rare DC comic books I had as a kid (most of them were the "Giants" as, even as a pre-teen, I hated the contemporary "Jimmy Olsen: Werewolf" nonsense) and I remember with fondness cutting out the "Secrets of the Batcave" spread and hanging it up on my bedroom wall not far from the Famous Monsters of Filmland covers and Creedence 45s. As usual, this bunch is full of kinetic energy and bursting at the seams with goofiness. I would say, though, that, aside from that aforementioned spread, these stories don't dwell much on the fabulous secrets found within the Cave. I enjoyed them despite the bait-and-switch.

Jack-My favorite was "The 1,000 Secrets of the Batcave!," which features a villain named Brando and which reveals that Bruce Wayne lives in a modest suburban house! The two stories pencilled by Dick Sprang are not bad, but the Moldoff entries are snoozers. Like you, I remember this comic from early childhood!

Novick

Detective Comics #377

"The Riddler's Prison-Puzzle Problem!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Frank Springer & Sid Greene

Batman is summoned to the Gotham Library, where he finds a book waiting for him. The pretty librarian informs the Caped Crusader that her office did not send for him, but the book has magically appeared on her desk. Sensing a deadly trap, the World's Greatest Detective uses a yardstick to detonate the book. Luckily, the pretty librarian was snapping a photo of her hero when the book exploded. The instant photo reveals a cryptic message: "Why is a diamond like a stew?" Yep, the Riddler is out on bail again!

The clue leads our heroes to the estate of Mr. Morland, collector of gold coins, and the boys interrupt the Riddler in the middle of his heist. Fisticuffs ensue, but Batman and Robin are triumphant and E. Nigma is hauled off to the 23rd Precinct building where he is booked for fifteen different crimes and thrown in a cell. Like clockwork, the Riddler's bail arrives five minutes later and he is released but, before heading out the door to freedom after his long nightmare of incarceration, he gives the Batman a cryptic message about his cell.

Using his computer-like brain, Batman has himself arrested and thrown into the cell once used by Nigma (instead of, I don't know, just checking the cell out after the Rogue leaves). Batman had noticed one of the question marks on Riddler's costume was missing, so he checks the cell for invisible writing. Sure enough, a message is written on the mirror--"Why is a room filled only with married people like an empty room?" That clue leads the Dynamic Duo to the Museum of India, which is displaying the priceless "Bachelor Diamond," and the boys again arrive mid-heist. A whale of a brawl kicks up but, once again, law and order reign supreme and the Riddler is slapped in cuffs. The villain sits in a cell, awaiting his obligatory release in four issues.

Unlike most adventures, the Riddler doesn't seem to have a goal this time out. It's just rob, puzzle, rob, puzzle, rob. What's with the new-look Riddler? This version looks nothing like the guy we've become so familiar with. He's demented, with scraggly hair. Perhaps Frank Springer took inspiration from the TV show, when John Astin took over for Frank Gorshin? While this event is hardly as disastrous as that TV debacle, the villain's new look is quite startling. I will say, though that, Astin look aside,  the Springer/Greene art is not bad at all. The fight scenes have choreography and dynamics that we never saw in the Shelly/Giella age. Hilarious, in our opening scene, that Batman suspects the book at the library is booby-trapped but doesn't think to ask the pretty librarian to step outside while he checks it out.-Peter

Jack-It's a decent Riddler story; better than some, worse than others. I agree that the art is a notch above Moldoff's work; in some spots, it resembles Infantino's style, while in others, it features the dynamic poses of Kane. The Novick cover is a classic and bodes well for the new artist who will soon take over the interior art too.

Brown/Esposito

The Brave and the Bold #78

"In the Coils of Copperhead!"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Bob Brown & Mike Esposito

After Batman barely escapes being run over by an armored truck driven by crooks, a king and queen visiting Gotham City are shocked when a beggar steals the queen's tiara and reveals himself to be the Copperhead, a villain dressed like a snake who escapes by slithering up the side of a building, using suction cups on his fingertips. Batman gives chase but Copperhead escapes, which really bums out the Dark Knight.

No worries, though, since two days later Wonder Woman and Batgirl begin leaving smoke messages in the sky expressing their love for Batman! The gals fight over who is more devoted to Batman and Copperhead watches the TV news and wonders if it's all a trick. Batgirl and Wonder Woman try so hard to win Batman's love with gifts and displays of affection that he doesn't notice when a hoodlum tries to commit a robbery.

Thinking that Batman is too distracted by the hotties, Copperhead attempts to steal the priceless Casque of Montezuma, only to have Batman reveal that the whole lovefest was a ruse. Copperhead gets away again and this time the gals seem to have really fallen for Bat Guy. He's so bothered by smooches that Copperhead makes off with the Casque. Batman gives chase, only to learn that WW and BG have hidden messages revealing their secret identities for him to find. Copperhead learns of this by means of a listening device and is about to discover that WW is Diana Prince and BG is Babs Gordon when Wonder Woman intervenes.

She follows the reptilian rascal to his cave, where he knocks her out with gas. Batgirl follows and takes a kick to the head. Finally, Batman locates Copperhead's hideout and beats the living daylights out of the baddie, but not before one of Copperhead's fangs manages to inject deadly poison into the Bat bod. Fortunately, Batgirl brought along some anti-venom serum and saves the day. Copperhead is captured, the Casque is recovered, and Batman tells Wonder Woman and Batgirl, "Don't call me, I'll call you!"

First of all, Bob Brown's cover is a knockout and it looks like he and Mike Esposito put a bit more care into it than they did on the interior art, which is a bit scratchy in spots. The whole idea of Batgirl and Wonder Woman fighting over Batman is silly, and Copperhead is a wacky villain. None of this bothered me at age five, however, and I vividly recall reading this comic on the sidewalk in front of my grandmother's house in Texas. It's the first comic I remember reading.-Jack

Peter-I'd love to see the uncut version of Bob Haney's "Copperhead" script, wherein we get to view Bats as he convinces Wonder Woman and Batgirl that a large-scale public display of affection is the only thing that might work ("the toughest, most baffling foe I ever faced!"--Bruce Wayne mutters while having a lapse of reason). "No, seriously, you two laying smooches on me and generally doing things that might be construed as a public hazard will be the only way to lure this devious, treacherous rogue out of hiding!" Almost as hilarious is Gordo claiming that Batman is letting down the citizens of Gotham by not slapping the cuffs on the dopily-dressed, Grade-D villain: "If you don't catch him by the time I'm on the 18th hole, we're done!"

Say this: Bob Haney's script is no more coherent nor logical than Frank Robbins's stack of papers that became "Batman! Drop Dead... Twice!" in 'tec #378, but it's a whole lot more fun and Bob doesn't pepper his dialogue with "groovy"s or "far out"s. That's gotta be worth something, no? Fun extra: just in case none of the target eight-year-old readers know what a copperhead is, the editors provide a full-page guide to the world of serpents. Perhaps the powers that be should have noticed and provided a glossary of hippie terms over in 'tec.

Novick

Batman #204

"Operation: Blindfold!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Irv Novick & Joe Giella

It's midnight in Gotham City and a blind man is chased down by a car and shot to death in an alley. With his dying breath, he scratches a message with his cane on a wall" "Commissioner Gordon...they found out I'm Batman!" The killers report to their boss, who is named Schemer, that Batman is dead. They then call the police, and soon Commissioner Gordon is at the scene.

The next step in Schemer's plan is to station blind men along the possible route of a truck carrying gold bullion. In the alley, Gordon and the cops try to figure out if the dead man is really Batman. At the waterfront, the real Batman happens to be in disguise as a blind man in order to uncover a ring of smugglers. Just as he seems to be surrounded, Robin arrives and the Dynamic Duo wrap up the bad guys before placing a call to police headquarters and hearing that Batman has been reported dead.

Batman and Robin race to meet Commissioner Gordon, but he arrests the Caped Crusader, convinced that he's a fake. Robin escapes! Riding in the back of a police car with Gordon, Batman discovers that the dead blind man in the alley had a radio receiver and a radio transmitter, and he uses them to listen in to a conversation between the schemer and his goons concerning "Operation: Blindfold!" The crooks see the truck carrying gold pass by and try to stop it, but Robin gets involved to try to prevent the hijacking. The police car carrying Batman nearly crashes into the truck carrying gold; Batman is ejected and seems to be at the mercy of one of Schemer's blind crooks. As Robin rides on the back of the truck carrying the gold and Schemer plans to rob it when it reaches the bank, Batman faces death!

This is the first issue of Batman or Detective to feature credits for someone other than Bob Kane! Think of that! For a while now, the editor in the letters column has admitted at times that other writers were involved, and any reader with a pair of eyes could see when Carmine Infantino was doing the pencils, but up till now the facade that Bob Kane was the creative mind behind these stories has been continuing unabated since 1939. Almost 30 years! This issue is credited to writer Frank Robbins, penciller Irv Novick, and inker Joe Giella, and it's about time. The story is a bit scattered, but it's also exciting and the art is Novick at the top of his game. The narrative doesn't feel padded, even at 23 pages, unlike so many stories that feature page after page of fighting. And it's continued, to boot! I think this may be the real transition to the Batman of the 1970s that we've been waiting for.-Jack

Peter-Hard to believe this turkey was advertised as "a daringly different Batman" when it's the same ol', same ol', desperate attention-grabber. Batman dies. Robin dies. Batman quits crime-fighting. Robin quits crime-fighting. Whoever believes this rot? How did DC get away with ripping off Marvel's the Owl (->) for their reboot of the Schemer in this issue? I mean, the guy's even got an owl! Is this parody, homage, or lack of imagination?

Novick

Detective Comics #378

"Batman! Drop Dead... Twice!"

Story by Frank Robbins

Art by Bob Brown & Joe Giella

Well, he's gone and done it again! Robin has thrown a hissy and quit the team, obviously upset that a reporter didn't write about all the nifty moves he put on the Riddler the month before. While watching an interview with Yoko Ono, the Boy Wonder decides that the Duo should be billed as Robin and Batman from here on out and, when Bruce challenges the idea, Dick is out the door, baby.

Meanwhile, running parallel is the story of Chino, the ward of a local mobster, who similarly wants more credit for the amount of mayhem done in Gotham. When his boss, Salvo, tries to put the kid in line, Chino cold cocks him and trucks out the door.

Dick and Chino meet at a local dumpy hotel, where they pool their resources, rent a room, and become quick palsies, baby! That is, until Chino's piece falls out of his suitcase and Dick becomes alarmed. A bit of a tussle occurs and Chino grabs the gun, pointing it right at Dick. Grayson wisely plays it ice cool and Chino reveals what's on his mind: he's going to dress Dick up like Robin, dangle him as bait until Batman shows up, and then off the Dark Knight to impress Salvo. Ironic, no? Cuz Dick is really Robin! And vice versa!

Meanwhile, on the other side of this groovy yet convoluted yapper, Salvo dresses up one of his goons as Robin to... well, essentially do the same thing as Chino. Holy coincidence, Batman! It's about this time that Bruce Wayne decides he's done a bad deed watching Dick walk out the door. After all, whiny teens should be coddled and given everything they want, right? The groovy thing to do is to go out and apologize to the kid and beg him to come home, so that's just what the big feller proposes be done (and Alfred doesn't help one bit, putting all the blame on the boss's shoulders).

Chino grabs the suited-up Dick and hangs him high above the concrete streets, knowing that Bats will get the word somehow. At the same time, Salvo has staked out his Faux-Robin on a rooftop and we see Bats swing in for the rescue. Alas, the World's Greatest Detective doesn't notice the sniper atop a nearby roof and gets one right in the back. But hang on, all you flower children: next panel, we see Batman ride up in his funky Bat-ride at the docks where his ex-partner is hanging. As he exits the vehicle, Chino takes aim and... TO BE CONTINUED

How many times in a two-year span will we see Robin lie on the floor and throw a tantrum? I searched my thesaurus for a stronger word for convoluted and all I could come up with is "stupid." That about sums up this dopey script by Far-Out Frank Robbins, a guy Jack and I "loved to death" (sarcasm) during our investigation of 1970s Dark Knight literature and who was, at this time, fifty-two years old and, therefore, not the best guy to be writing dialogue best reserved for a Buffalo Springfield single. I've no doubt worn out my welcome whining about Gardner Fox's complex and/or inane plots and dialogue but, truly, Robbins takes the cake with this abomination ("Throbbin' palpitation, Alfred!"). It's no wonder the new kid on the block, "Nefarious" Neal Adams, took a look at this crap, remembered what an iconic character this was once upon a time, and said, "Hold my beer!" Alas, that won't come our way for a bit. Till then, we're stuck with this pap. We've still got about sixteen months left in the '60s (God help us), but "Drop Dead... Twice!" is a shoo-in for Worst Story of the Decade.-Peter

Jack-Hang on, daddy-o--I dug this story the most! I got a kick out of the hood dressing up as Robin and I thought the art and storytelling were much more entertaining than what we've been getting from Fox and Moldoff. I don't like Brown's pencils as much as I do Novick's, but they're still a great leap forward from what they replaced. I like the continued stories, which is probably a sign of Marvel's influence, and I enjoy the groovy lingo.

Next Week...
More Fabulous Doodlings from
Gentleman Gene!

Batman in the 1960s Issue 48: November/December 1967

 

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

Infantino/Anderson

Batman #196

"The Psychic Super-Sleuth!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

"The Purloined Parchment Puzzle"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

Batman and Robin are summoned to the site of a jewelry store robbery, only to meet Hungarian psychic sleuth Petru Dubrov, who uses his mental powers to lead the Dynamic Duo to the home of some reformed jewel thieves who claim that they've been playing cards all night. "The Psychic Super-Sleuth!" finds the stolen jewels in a tool chest and the men claim that they were set up; a quick fistfight with Batman and Robin doesn't end well for the hoods.

The next evening, Batman and Robin see a suspicious milk truck outside a mansion whose owners are away on vacation. A pair of masked crooks, dressed as mods, run out of the back of the truck and manage to escape, despite taking a few hits from the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. Petru Dubrov holds a button torn from the jacket of one of the mods and leads Batman and Robin to a pool room, where three mods claim no knowledge of the theft. Dubrov finds the stolen loot in the trunk of their car, but Batman realizes they were not the thieves, since none was missing a button from his jacket. Dubrov is a fake!

Batman tracks the real Dubrov to a barn outside of Gotham City and fights a muscleman, who tosses the Dark Knight to the floor; he is saved by quick action by the Boy Wonder, who was given a telepathic warning about Batman's fall by the real Dubrov, who was trapped in a wooden crate in the barn. He leads the Dynamic Duo to intercept the real mods and, after they've been caught, he admits to Robin that it wasn't all ESP--he overheard the crooks discussing their destination!

I think we're getting near the end of Moldoff's exceedingly long run on the Batman comics, and none too soon! The art is the usual mix of awkward poses and dull page layouts that we've come to associate with Sheldon. The story is a throwaway; Dubrov is not a particularly interesting character. The best thing about this one is the appearance of the mods, who aren't particularly mod but who do serve as an example of DC's often cringe-worthy and late depiction of trends among the young and hip.

A pretrial hearing at Gotham City Courthouse examines "The Purloined Parchment Puzzle," where a rare, Ancient Roman document was stolen from a seemingly locked room. Batman is the star witness and he explains how security guard named Frost pulled off the theft.

It's odd that the entire story is told in flashback through snippets of court testimony, but that doesn't make it interesting. My favorite panel shows Batman relaxing on the witness stand, with one leg crossed over the other.-Jack

Peter- Neither one of these is a classic but I found both to be entertaining (albeit "Parchment" is a bit text-heavy). That might be just me dying for some good Batman comics rather than a reflection of their true quality. The Moldoff art just seems to run together. I wouldn't be surprised if, by 1967, the guy wasn't even reading the scripts. All the heavies are dressed the same and the Caped Crusaders continually strike the same poses. Were there any good DC comics at this time?

Kane/Anderson

Detective Comics #369

"Batgirl Breaks Up the Dynamic Duo!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Carmine Infantino & Sid Greene

While assisting Batgirl in taking down some thugs in a remote swamp, Batman manages to come down with a bad dose of "swamp fever" but only Batgirl recognizes the symptoms. Assuming (correctly) that the Dark Knight is not one for resting during illness, Babs begins to shadow Batman and Robin while they are out on their patrols.

Thanks to her new "Multi-Color Light Tracer Beam," Batgirl can even anticipate where a heist will go down before the Caped Crusaders do and takes care of business before the Big Guy can arrive and endanger himself. Realizing that Bats won't slow down no matter what, our heroine takes a left turn and offers Robin a place on her Batbike as her new sidekick!

Batman's first side-effects of "swamp fewer," it seems, are hurt feelings, and he watches in awe and pain as Robin heads off into the sunset with Batgirl. At every robbery, the crestfallen hero arrives too late. That is, until he gets smart and changes his patrol route the next night. Batman attempts to halt a warehouse heist but collapses in mid-punch. Luckily, Batgirl and Robin arrive just in time to save him and put the cuffs on the thugs.

A few days later, Commissioner Gordon and daughter Babs visit Bruce Wayne at his hospital bed. Gordon hands over some Chinese oranges and wishes him the best. As his friends leave his room, Bruce wonders out loud to Dick Grayson if perhaps the Gordons know he's really Gotham's Guardian since Chinese oranges are "beneficial in helping one recuperate from 'swamp fever'!" Meanwhile, across town, Catwoman dons her claws and prepares to battle Batgirl for the affection of Batman!

The hokum continues. I'm no doctor, but I do believe the best course of action here might have been to alert "The World's Greatest Detective" that he may have a debilitating virus, whether it's assumed that he'll be stubborn or not. And how about the quick incubation period for Gotham "swamp fever" (leptospirosis usually takes one to two weeks after infection to show effects according to... um, my medical training)? Bats comes down with it literally minutes after he arrives at the scene! 

I'd love for Babs to explain in greater detail that incredible Multi-Color Lava Lamp Crime Detector she's affixed to her Moped. Its colors detect crime? Seems a pretty good tool to share with your crime-fighting colleagues, no? Bruce and Dick seem pretty calm in the final panels considering that, all evidence considered, Gordo and Babs have to have put two and two together (hmmmm... Batman and Bruce Wayne are stricken with "swamp fever" at exactly the same time?!) by now; after all, they're not idiots. The highlight of the story, of course, is the Catwoman tease. Other than Golden Age reprints, this will be our first look at one of Batman's most popular Rogues.-Peter

Jack-That dynamite cover by Kane and Anderson made the interior art by Infantino and Greene seem a little bit mannered to me. There are more than the usual shots of bodies leaning back or faces tilted to one side, all Infantino hallmarks. I didn't really understand why Batgirl thought she had to hide Batman's diagnosis of swamp fever from him. The highlight for me was the last page, where we see Catwoman in prison in a preview of the next issue of Batman.

Andru/Esposito

The Brave and the Bold #74

"Rampant Run the Robots!"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito

A quiet night in Gotham City is shattered by a string of robot robberies! Could it have something to do with the First International Robot Exposition, where robots from all over the world, including the Metal Man, have gathered? Batman stops by and Doc Magnus introduces the Caped Crusader to Dr. Daedalus, who wonders aloud if crime-fighting robots will ever replace Batman. In his efforts to combat the sudden, robot crime wave, Batman crashes the Batmobile into a robot roadblock and passes out.

He awakens to find the Metal Men leaning over him. Batman, the Metal Men, Doc Magnus, and Commissioner Gordon meet with Dr. Daedalus, who explains that someone messed with all of the robots except the Metal Men and Icarus, Daedalus's robot. The good robots are deputized to help and everyone fans out to try to figure out what's going on. After a few odd incidents, Batman accuses Doc Magnus and the Metal Men of being part of the crime wave. They are locked away and Batman continues battling robot mayhem.

Eventually, the Dark Knight realizes that the Metal Men are not crooks after all. For their part, the Metal Men have little trouble busting out of their prison once Doc Magnus begins to suffer from lack of oxygen. They defeat some rogue robots and rush off right before Batman arrives to reconcile. He meets Icarus, immediately realizes that he's lying, and secretly follows the robot to discover that all of the stolen loot has been stashed in the City Hall basement, right under Commissioner Gordon's office! Of course, Dr. Daedalus was behind the whole thing, and the Metal Men arrive in the nick of time to help Batman end the menace of the rampaging robots.

On page two of the story, Batman is killing time, patrolling Gotham City on a slow night and swinging from rooftop to rooftop, when he spins around a flagpole and remarks, "Here's one I did before anybody, including a certain web-spinning Peter-come-lately!" It's a cute reference to Spider-Man, whose popularity by 1967 must have been making the DC crew sit up and take notice. The rest of the story is simple, and I had no doubt from the first time Dr. Daedalus was introduced that he was behind the robot rampage. The art by Andru and Esposito isn't as annoying as it would later become.-Jack

Peter-I like the Metal Men; their title was goofy fun for quite a while during the 1960s. The concept was so out there that you could readily accept the inanities; I'm not sure Batman meshes with that goofiness. There was a phrase we coined way back during the Marvel University blog days, the MARMIS™, a convoluted situation lazy writers would use (usually while scripting Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One) wherein one superhero believes another superhero has perpetrated a crime, even though said hero knows the other hero is not a villain. Obviously, as evidenced by "Rampant Run the Robots!," DC writers actually created the trope. None of the dialogue Bob Haney has written here for the Dark Knight sounds like words that would come out of the brooding hero ("So let's go where the action is, Brucey boy!") although the swipe at Spider-Man is fun. This is just a hectic, frazzled mess.

Infantino/Esposito

Batman #197

"Catwoman Sets Her Claws for Batman!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Frank Springer & Sid Greene

There's a new crime fighter patrolling the streets of Gotham City by night in her Kitty Car--Catwoman! She foils an attempt to rob the payroll at Gotham Winery by the Parker Brothers, using her cat-o'-nine-tails to knock them out. Catwoman encounters Batman and Robin, who are also patrolling and who wonder what she's up to. The next night, the Dynamic Duo attempt to stop a robbery at a silk handkerchief factory; when the musclebound thugs begin to get the upper hand, Catwoman appears and helps to overcome them.

Catwoman tells Batman that she's a better catch than Batgirl and it becomes apparent that "Catwoman Sets Her Claws for Batman!" in a romantic way. The next day, Barbara Gordon is passing the time in the library and thinking about Catwoman's strange turn from criminal to crimefighter. Figuring out the location of a crime in progress, Barbara puts on her Batgirl costume and rushes to the scene on her Batbike, only to find that Catwoman is already there. The two women battle the evil doers, but Batgirl is knocked for a loop while Catwoman prevails. At Police Headquarters, Batgirl is forced to admit to Batman that she blew it.

Soon, Selina Kyle (Catwoman) is autographing her new book for her adoring fans and turning down an invitation from Bruce Wayne to attend a charity dinner, unaware of his other self. Catwoman continues to fight crime, hoping that it will attract Batman. Finally, she confronts him and asks him to propose to her, but he declines. The next night, Batman and Robin, Batgirl, and Catwoman all arrive at a rare coin shop where crooks are trying to make off with the goods. During the melee, Catwoman knocks out Batman while crooks handle Batgirl and Robin. Batgirl realizes that all of the crooks that Catwoman has defeated were really working for her and Catwoman takes the Caped Crusader to her catacombs, where she unmasks him, only to find that he painted a mask on his face!

Catwoman discovers the same thing when she unmasks Robin and Batgirl. When Batman refuses to propose to her, she resumes her life of crime and robs five wealthy people as they play cards at a private club. Back at the Catacombs, she thinks that she has the trio of heroes under control until Batgirl surprises her by knocking her out. In the end, Batgirl tells Catwoman that she is not romantically interested in Batman, something Catwoman has a hard time believing.

Frank Springer's art is a hair better than Sheldon Moldoff's, but not nearly as good as Carmine Infantino's. The story is absurd and is yet another in the line of tales involving Batgirl that demonstrate how different things were for women in the 1960s. I presume Catwoman returned due to her frequent appearances on the TV show, but Julie Newmar was way better than this lovesick feline. At least the cover is a knockout.-Jack

Peter- Absurd it might be, silly as well, but this was the most fun I'd had reading a Batman comic in months. I'm glad to see Catwoman back; the continual carousel of Joker/Penguin/Riddler was getting tired. We need more villains! Hopefully, this hero version of Selina won't last long. One more thing I'd politely disagree with Jack on is the art. Springer's work here is energetic, resembling the 1950s style we've come to appreciate in the reprints.

Infantino/Adams

Detective Comics #370

"The Nemesis from Batman's Boyhood!"

Story by John Broome

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

While fighting the Blitzkrieg Bandit, a new nemesis plaguing Gotham, Batman realizes the villain is, in fact, Bart Lambert, a kid who used to pick on pre-teen Bruce Wayne. Lambert would terrorize the poor little rich kid (who evidently went to public school for some reason) until little Brucie wised up and hit the gym, putting on several pounds of muscle. The problem is, by the time Wayne had bulked up, Lambert had already left school.

But now, he's back, and grown-up Bruce/Batman seems just as terrified of Lambert/Blitzy as ever before. The two tangle on a couple of occasions and both times Batman can't seem to land a killing blow. How can this hurdle be overcome?

After looting Wayne Manor, stealing a priceless painting by Borot, and beating the crap out of Batman in his own driveway, Lambert is frightened away by the headlights of an oncoming car. That would be Alfred and Aunt Harriet returning from the picture show. Alfred hustles Harriet away before she can see the cloaked pile of beaten flesh in the drive. Robin, having been told to stay out of the fight, disobeys orders and hops in the Batmobile to chase Lambert.

Alfred revives his boss and lets him know that Robin has been calling for him on the com. Batman answers and receives a disturbing message: Robin has been shot and left for dead by Lambert! Bats grabs the 'copter and takes to the skies to rescue his youthful ward. He arrives at the scene, takes no pulse, and decides that, yep, Robin is dead!

His heart full of vengeance, Batman heads into a nearby house, searching for his old tormentor. Sure enough, Lambert is hiding out there and ready to give the big guy another whuppin'. But, no, Robin's "death" has ramped up the Dark Knight's temper and he beats the living crap out of Lambert. Later, while standing triumphant over the bleeding, broken carcass of the bully he never beat, Batman is astonished to see Robin emerge from the shadows, clearly not dead. The kid's been taking psych class at Gotham Elementary and knew his idol needed a bit of motivation in order to put Lambert in his rear-view forever. "This kid!," Batman sighs, as he watches the vultures descend upon Bart's corpse.

Well, that's the ending I'd have preferred. At least that image might have provided a bit of surprise to this tepid "adventure." Every couple of years, we're invited to witness yet another "lost episode" from Bruce Wayne's past. Here, we discover that maybe it wasn't Pop's death that got little Bruce to train, but a big bully at school! 

I really have to question how Lambert got back up after Batman threw him head-first into a tree. Most human beings don't get up from that kind of trauma. This guy really must have been a Super-Bully! The biggest laugh of the year has to go to Batman, coming across the "dead body" of Robin and deciding that checking for vitals would be a waste of time. He needs to pound Lambert right now! "World's Greatest Detective!"-Peter

Jack-It's embarrassing that Batman, who has battled every sort of crook, can't bring himself to knock out the bully who pummeled him when he was a boy without some psychological trickery by the Boy Wonder. How about that cover, though? It's hard to see much evidence of Infantino's pencils--maybe in Robin's face?

Next Week...
Can Anyone Survive the
Onslaught of The Insects??!!