Batman in the 1960s Issue 46: July/August 1967

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

Various

Batman #193

"Ride, Bat-Hombre, Ride!"

Story by David Vern

Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #56, January 1950)

"The Armored Batman"

Story by Edmond Hamilton

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Stan Kaye

(Reprinted from Batman #111, October 1957)

"His Majesty, King Batman"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #96, December 1955)

"Holy Smoke"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Jack Burnley & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from the Sunday strips, 1/7/45-2/18/45)

"Batman and the Vikings!" 

Story Uncredited

Art by Bob Kane and Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Batman #52, May 1949)

"Mayor Bruce Wayne!" 

Story by David Vern

Art by Dick Sprang & Charles Paris

(Reprinted from Detective Comics #179, January 1952)

"The Flying Batman"

Story by David Vern

Art by Bob Kane & Stan Kaye

(Reprinted from Batman #82, March 1954)

Definitely pre-code!

Jack-A mixed bag this time out, with the highlights being the two stories penciled by Dick Sprang: "Ride, Bat-Hombre, Ride!" from late 1949 and "Mayor Bruce Wayne!" from about two years later. Both feature clever, funny scripts by David Vern, especially "Bat-Hombre," where the Caped Crusader travels to Latin America to train a local hero to be Bat-Hombre and defeat a notorious criminal. Sprang's panel and page designs are always fun to look at and he is equally good at action and comedy.

The Sunday newspaper serial this time out has art that recalls the interior art in pulp magazines of the '40s, though Bill Finger's story isn't terribly interesting. The rest of the tales either have Bob Kane's primitive art or Sheldon Moldoff's imitation of Kane's work--"The Flying Batman" from 1954 is credited to Kane in the GCD but I think it may well be Moldoff.

Peter- The best thing about these 1940s and 1950s adventures is that Batman is usually put into some goofy situations (as opposed, you say, to fighting three-eyed Martians in Gotham Square) and there are some beauts here--the mustachioed Bat-Amigo or the full-armor-wearing Dark Knight (good trick swinging through the air in that get-up) are, to say the least, unique. The art, even the stuff delivered by Moldy, easily tops the work we're being subjected to in the 1960s titles. The revelation here is "Holy Smoke," which blew my doors wide open in art if not in prose. The syndicate pages have a style, choreography, and excitement to them (see left) that's completely missing in contemporary comics. My favorite sequence in this issue would have to be in "Batman and the Vikings," where Dick and Bruce, as if in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, discuss Bruce's look-alike Viking ancestor, capped off by that "This is the disgraced coward who..." reveal. Best chuckle I've had in years.

Infantino/Anderson

Detective Comics #365

"The House the Joker Built!"

Story by John Broome

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

The Joker unfurls his most dastardly and evil plot in Bat-history: undercutting Bat-Merchandise at Gracey's Department Store. No, seriously... I'm not pulling your leg... read on if you dare. Selling his Joker Tees at five for ninety-nine cents sends the burgeoning Bat-Marketplace into a spin. Who wants Bat-Tees at a buck a pop when you can wear the Master of Mirth across your chest for a fifth of the price?

Gracey's manager shoos off the Joker, but the damage is done and soon after we find the Dynamic Duo in Gordon's office (he's wearing one of the cheap Joker Tees by the way--no fool him) pondering the villain's ploy. It takes them four panels to come up with nothing (World's Greatest Detective, my foot) and the Caped Crusaders hit the streets to patrol.

That's where they see a Joker-Signal lighting up the skies. Proving that (despite what the critics say) he is the World's Greatest Detective, Batman surmises that the signal is either being sent from the Joker or to the Joker! The boys follow the signal to the Gotham Rare Metals Factory, where they interrupt a heist being perpetrated by Joker and some nattily-dressed goons. Our heroes engage in fisticuffs but are thrown off their game when Joker ejects an exploding button onto Batman's head. He then gasses them and escapes.

The next morning, Bruce and Dick discuss their botched attempt at catching their arch-enemy (forgetting that they always let him escape once or twice before slapping the cuffs on) and the conversation naturally turns once again to the cut-rate Joker clothing. Bruce slaps himself in the head and declares that their insane adversary must have a retail clothing outlet hidden somewhere. "Holy Men's Wearhouse, Batman, you're right!," exclaims Dick and the pair head out to grill one of their tipsters.

The rat informs Bats that the Joker is hiding his gear in the basement of the Old Gotham Hotel. The boys arrive just in time for the two for one Joker boxer shorts sale. They once again engage in fisticuffs but are blindsided by the Clown Prince of Crime's paper snakes, which wrap themselves around the heroes. Joker hoofs it into the next room, where we discover an elaborate TV camera and stage, including a huge Joker head. Turns out the insane trickster is running his own cable company, with mobsters paying big bucks to watch the Caped Crusaders get beaten up. The boys finally get loose from their snake entrapment and head into the Joker head for a battle royale. They emerge victorious and criminals around Gotham file a class action lawsuit against Joker, claiming bait and switch. 

Just when you thought the Batman scripts had brushed the bottom of the barrel, John Broome says "Hold my beer!" If not for the fact that Broome's script writing had never contained wit or irony, I would say this was the scribe's subtle way of poking his finger into the side of the Bat-merchandise armada that had swept the nation by Summer of '67. Nope, this is just a dumb plot with some truly rank art. If we still ranked our Best and Worst of the Year, this would be a shoo-in for top dog. The sooner we get through this camp phase, the better.-Peter

Jack-Wow! That cover! And then the disappointment of opening up to see that Moldoff drew yet another average Joker tale. The Joker's branded merchandise reminded me of a certain current U.S. president who slaps his face on everything and sells it at inflated prices. At least Joker T-shirts are cheap! The idea of a Joker TV show broadcast to crooks is a good one but the execution was lacking.

Batman #194

"The Blockbuster Goes Bat-Mad!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Chic Stone (?) Sheldon Moldoff (?) & Joe Giella

"The Problem of the Proxy Paintings!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

Who is the new employee at the Wayne Foundation? Why it's Mark "Blockbuster" Desmond, who's been cuddly as a kitten ever since a fistfight with Solomon Grundy knocked all the hate out of him. He takes some of his salary and goes to the toy section of a department store to buy a present for Dr. Sloane, a new member of the foundation's staff, but when the big guy sees a standee of Batman, "The Blockbuster Goes Bat-Mad!" and tears it to bits. He calms down when a pair of friendly policemen show up.

At Police HQ, a Wayne Foundation scientist questions BB and makes the mistake of mentioning Batman, with predictable results. BB bursts through a brick wall and goes looking for his enemy! Batman and Robin find him back in the toy department, where Batman tries to calm Blockbuster by taking off his mask, recalling that BB likes Bruce Wayne, who pulled him out of quicksand years ago. The move fails and fisticuffs follow. After knocking out both Batman and Robin, Blockbuster makes his way back to the quicksand bog, where he grows angry that Bruce Wayne/Batman isn't there to save him again. He manages to pull himself out. Batman rushes to the island and finds BB, who grabs his enemy and throws him in the quicksand. Batman emerges wearing a Solomon Grundy mask and Blockbuster pulls him out of the muck. Batman then throws BB into the quicksand and saves him again, thus associating Batman with happy times and curing BB's mental problem.

Once again, a stunning cover gives way to a terrible story. The GCD posits that either Moldoff or Chic Stone did the pencils and I'll admit they look a bit different than the usual Moldy panels. The character of Blockbuster is so silly and one-note that the stories generate little interest. The whole premise is a bit of pop psychology, and the sight of Batman bobbing up out of the quicksand wearing a Solomon Grundy mask is one I'd rather forget.

During a friendly bridge game at the home of armchair detective Martin Tellman, art expert Haverford Mimms tells Tellman that the paintings on his walls that he thinks are copies are really valuable originals! Only the Mystery Analysts can solve "The Problem of the Proxy Paintings!" Batman heads over to Tellman's house to examine the paintings and surprises a trio of crooks who are stealing them. Reginald Stonefellow admits that he secretly bought the originals for his friend Martin and replaced the copies without telling him; this was a secret reward for Tellman's having saved the life of Stonefellow's son over a decade before. But how did the crooks find out about the paintings?

Batman figures out that the owner of the Gotham Curio Shop noticed that the copies were sold to him right after the originals had been purchased, and he put two and two together. Batman disguises himself and two of the Analysts as the three crooks; they meet the curio shop owner in a park at midnight, ostensibly to give him the stolen paintings. The owner knows right away that these are not the crooks, however, and only some quick thinking by Batman prevents them all from being shot. In the end, Tellman donates the paintings to the Gotham City Museum of Art.

The best thing about this story is that Blockbuster is nowhere to be seen. The Mystery Analysts series is puzzling because it never seems to feature any particular analysis by anyone but Batman. The other members of the club are all stereotypes, including the annoying Kaye Daye, a mystery novelist who dresses like it's about 1948. Come to think of it, much of Moldoff's work looks stuck in an earlier decade. It sure doesn't look like 1967 America.-Jack

Peter- It could be argued that most of the 1960s Batman adventures follow a rote pattern, but the "Blockbuster" series never strays from its inane course: Blockbuster returns to beat Bats to death but, by strip's end, is converted to Bat-lover again. Why bother? To add the dismal graphics is like adding pigeon droppings to a plate of bat guano. The highlight, for me, is Batman emerging from the quicksand (not very efficient quicksand at that) with a note-perfect Grundy mask. Not much better is the second story, which at least has a mystery to hang its hat on. A bonus is that the exposition-heavy word balloons cover up most of the Moldoff/Giella scribbles. I would say you've reached a nadir when alien invasions and talking gorillas seem like good ideas right now.

Infantino/Anderson

Detective Comics #366

"The Round-Robin Death Threats"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Carmine Infantino & Sid Greene

Bruce Wayne receives an eerie letter in the mail; once he reads the contents, the missive bursts into flames. When Alfred queries his boss as to the thrust of said correspondence, Bruce can only mumble like an idiot. What sort of dastardly device has been implanted in the brain of the alter ego of the guy whose name is splashed across the cover of this here funny book?

A few panels later, we discover that the letter ordered Bruce (as Batman) to visit Commissioner Gordon at his plush Gotham condo and instruct him to turn on his short-wave radio at exactly nine o'clock. Batman (rightly) suspects that there might be something sinister afoot so he purposely heads out to find some criminals to beat on in order to miss the 9 PM deadline. 

Our hero stumbles into a heist and engages in slow-motion fisticuffs, but some inside deadly force takes over and escalates the battle. Like the Flash, Batman delivers blow after blow at lightning speed and then hops in the Batmobile to get to Gordon's for his 9 PM mission. He makes it just in time and orders Gordon to crank up the old short-wave and tune the dial to 1207. Gordon scoffs but ultimately heads for the box, where he...

Suddenly, we are thrust one hour into the past! Dick Grayson finishes his Introduction to Math assignment and is looking for trouble when Alfred, who didn't want to disturb the tyke, details the strange events that had just occurred (the burning letter, Bruce heading out the door with a glazed look in his eyes, etc.) and opines that perhaps they should investigate. Dick uses some tricks that his boss once taught him and reassembles the smoldering letter. "Holy zombie, Alfred! This might be the most dangerous mission I've ever been assigned!," exclaims the hyper toddler, as he bolts for the Batcave.

From there, he pilots the Bat-copter and arrives at Gordon's apartment just in time to intervene in the short-wave operation. A well-aimed Batarang triggers a concealed dart, which flies harmlessly from the machine. Batman has a lick and determines the weapon is treated with a rare poison. Just then, Gordon gets a glazed look in his eyes and begins mumbling like an idiot. "Where have I seen this behavior before?," queries the World's Greatest Detective. With no time to answer his own mystifying question, Batman grabs Robin and they both tail Gordon to a "shabby tenement house" (not in the neighborhood of Wayne Manor) owned by John Kobler. 

Gordon knocks on the door and then walks away. Using his brilliant brain, Batman surmises something dangerous in the action and breaks the door down before Kobler can answer. Sure enough, the shabby tenement doorknob is wired to deliver deadly electrical shocks. Had Kobler opened the door, he'd have been fried! As Batman is questioning Kobler, the man suddenly gets a glazed look in his eyes and mumbles like an idiot. "Hmmmm," says our hero as he scratches his chin. Kobler reaches for his phone; Robin allows the dazed man to dial but not to complete his call. Once Batman calls his connection down at Gotham Pac-Bell and traces the number, he discovers that it belongs to famed sports writer Fred Tinney!

The Dynamic Duo hop in the Batmobile and head to Tinney's "plush apartment" (evidently, sportswriting paid well in 1967), where Batman grabs the man's phone and dumps it in the bathtub. He deduces (somehow) that a deadly "intense sound-wave" would emanate from the device once it was answered, killing all within earshot. Suddenly, Tinney gets a glazed look in his eyes and starts mumbling like an idiot... Suspecting they've seen these symptoms before, Batman and Robin hop in their ride and follow the zombie-like figure of Tinney as he makes his way down the street.

Tinney suddenly ducks into a jewelry shop and finds a heist a-happenin. The Caped Crusaders put the KO on the criminals but discover that Tinney has disappeared. Where could his destination be? Back at Wayne Manor, Batman thought balloons that he's sure that Tinney will find himself drawn to the estate; the Dark Knight is positive that the next target is his alter ego, Bruce Wayne! Unable to alert Dick Grayson (due to the gas he inhaled that controls all his emotions... or something like that), Batman turns to us, the loyal reader, to share what he suspects is going on.

Years before, Batman arrested scientist-turned-criminal "Doc" Hastings for a robbery at Gotham Laboratories. The witnesses to the theft were Commissioner Gordon, Fred Tinney, John Kobler, and Bruce Wayne. Now, after serving seven years of hard labor in the dungeons of Gotham Prison, Hastings is out and seeking revenge. Unable to tell Robin exactly what's going on, Batman pens a last will and testament, leaving a clue for Robin should Hastings somehow get the better of the Caped Crusader. 

TO BE CONTINUED!

A two-parter was extremely rare in 1960s DC so "The Round-Robin Death Threats" gets a little more of my attention than the usual Bat-adventure. Of course, the fact that Carmine is at the helm of the graphics also adds a star to my rating (although Infantino has a bad habit of aping Andru/Esposito in those "bulging eyes" panels). So, how's the plot? It's okay, nothing special, but when compared with the previous issue's dross, it's elevated into near-Miller/Englehart territory. It is nice to see the Batman (and Robin, who almost steals the spotlight from the boss with his burnt letter trick) employ detective skills to rustle up clues. I love how Alfred waits until Dick is done with his homework to alert the kid that Bruce may be in mortal danger. Priorities!-Peter

Jack-Easily the best new story of the month, "The Round-Robin Death Threats" has dynamic art by Infantino and Greene, a grabber of a cover, and a cliffhanger ending! I'm sure we've had continued stories in the Batman comics before, but off the top of my head I can't recall the last one. The Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder work well in tandem here, making me wonder how Fox's scripts can be so hit or miss.

Next Week...
Wally Wood (briefly)
Visits the Atlas SF/Horror Titles!