July 1940: Batman #2

Cover supposedly by Bob Kane

'Batman' (all stories definitely by Bill Finger and supposedly by Bob Kane): Bar a few filler strips and text pieces, this is cover-to-cover Batman.  Issues like this make all the cowboys worthwhile.

The first story sees the return of the Joker, who is near-death from wounds sustained in his last battle with Batman. Batman plans to abduct the Joker and take him to a specialist who can fix his brain, but instead a gang of crooks intervenes. The Joker is brought back to health, and sets about double-crossing his saviours within two panels. He then attempts the robbery of some valuable jewels, and that's where Catwoman gets involved. It's a rollicking good story, that even features a Joker-Batman sword duel on a castle balcony. This is classic Golden Age Batman.

In the second story, a meek museum custodian falls and hits his head, and becomes a murderous master criminal known as the Wolf. The chain of coincidence in this story is almost too much to bear, but it gets by on drama and momentum. I was very surprised to see Batman get shot by a common thug, and spend a page being operated on by a very tense and nervous Robin. The modern Batman just never gets hurt like that, especially by a regular dude.

In the next story, a group of heirs are each left a token that, when combined, reveal the location of a gold mine. One by one the heirs are murdered by a guy with a wooden foot and a hook hand. This guy is serious business: he beats the hell out of Batman on page one. In the end he's revealed to be the family lawyer. Dude must have put in some serious hours training with that hook, otherwise Batman's years of jiu-jitsu practise were worthless. It's a solid story, if a bit unoriginal.

In the final story, an explorer brings a giant prehistoric savage back to civilisation, and various crooks try to get the savage to work for them. Batman gets involved, and as is the way with these types of stories, it all ends up in a huge fight at the circus. The giant is really a gentle guy, but the death of the explorer sends him into a berserk rage. And then, despite this giant being misunderstood - Robin totally kills him with a slingshot to the head! It's not acknowledged at all, as everyone credits the giant's subsequent fall with his death, but Robin totally did it. This ticks all the 'savage comes to civilisation' cliche boxes, and is a lot of fun.  You know, until Robin goes on a murder spree.

July 1940: Detective Comics #42

Cover by Bob Kane

'Batman' (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane): Batman investigates a case in which portraits are being altered in such a way that predicts the murder of their owners. It turns out to be the work of a guy trying to drive up the price of the paintings. It's not the most original of motivations, but he does wear an awesome skull mask/beret ensemble to liven things up. And Bruce Wayne's feigned vanity when he goes to get his own portrait painted is hilarious.

In other stories:

In 'Spy' (by Jerry Siegel and Maurice Kashuba) Bart Regan helps track down the thief who stole the plans to a new gas mask. 'Red Logan, Ace Reporter' (by Ed Winiarski) exposes a jewellery store owner who is reporting his goods stolen, collecting the insurance, then re-cutting the gems and selling them in the store. 'The Crimson Avenger' (by Jack Lehti) beats up a gang of red-robed cultists intent on world domination. 'Speed Saunders, Ace Investigator' (by Fred Guardineer) deals with a pyromaniac. 'Steve Malone, District Attorney' (by Don Lynch) solves the murder of a newspaperman killed by protection racketeers. 'Cliff Crosby' (by Chad Grothkopf) tackles the Chinese people smuggling racket.  And 'Slam Bradley' (by Jerry Siegel and Howard Sherman) stops a gang of jewel thieves from discrediting his friend officer Callahan.

June 1940: Detective Comics #41

 Cover by Bob Kane

'Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder' (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane): It's another story with Robin as the star, as he's enrolled in a school to investigate a string of murders. It's set up well, and ticks all the boxes in the conclusion; this is a mystery that plays fair. Even so, I kept wishing for more Batman. Robin has taken over the strip at this point. I wonder if there were kids in 1940 yearning for the Robin-less glory days of just a few months ago?

'Spy' (by Jerry Siegel and Maurice Kashuba): Bart puts a stop to a US military clerk who is selling secret plans to foreign spies. Straightforward and dull.

'Red Logan' (by Ed Winiarski): Criminal Bugsie Goron is sentenced to death, but vows to come back and kill the judge and jury. He's killed, but he has a twin brother that that starts killing disguised as his brother's ghost. The potential is there, but the execution is lacking in excitement.

'The Crimson Avenger' (by Jack Lehti): The Crimson Avengers smashes a ring of people smugglers. It's pretty dull.

'Speed Saunders Ace Investigator and the Railroad Mystery' (by Fred Guardineer): Speed investigates the murder of a telegraph operator, and finds that it is the work of a gang of train saboteurs. Speed certainly enjoys beating the hell out of them, but his exuberance is the only thing of note in this story.

'Theft at the Fair' (by Gardner Fox): This prose story is continued from last issue, but to be honest the first chapter was superfluous. It's about a jewel thief, who is caught because of some curious notion that a real workman never strikes a match on the bottom of his shoe. And if he's not a real workman, by golly he must be a crook! It's a hell of a logical leap, regardless of whether it works.

'Steve Malone, District Attorney' (by Don Lynch): An expert on Incan history and relics murders an academic who has been debunking theories about the Incas. Steve investigates, and catches the killer, and there's not much else to say. This really is a boring issue of Detective Comics.

'Cliff Crosby' (by Chad Grothkopf): Cliff tackles the Invisible Man, a spy who is trying to steal an experimental submarine. Again this is very dull, and the villain's plan doesn't make much sense. I still can't figure out why he was posing as a scientist and working with Cliff.

'Slam Bradley' (by Jerry Siegel and Howard Sherman): Slam helps an heiress who is being swindled and threatened with murder by her guardian. It's a solid enough story, but it's completely lacking in the elements that made Slam Bradley great. Shorty is completely sidelined, there's no humour, and the action scenes are pedestrian. It's very disappointing.

May 1940: New York World's Fair Comics 1940

Cover by Jack Burnley

Also, it's the first ever published image of Superman, Batman and Robin together.

'Superman' (by Jerry Siegel and Jack Burnley): Clark and Lois are sent to do a story on the World's Fair, and stumble upon a jewel thief who is trying to steal a priceless emerald. This couldn't be more straightforward, but it is executed quite well. I don't know who Jack Burnley is, but he does a great Shuster impressions.  I'd happily see him on some more strips.  But in the end it's still another jewel thief story. All the solid writing and good art in the world can't get me excited about it.

'Red, White and Blue' (by Jerry Siegel and Harry Lampert): It seems as though Siegel has limited patience for the World's Fair gimmick, because here it's restricted to a mention as Red's current vacation spot. From there the story kicks off, with a meat producer poisoning the army's current meat supply so that they will get their contract back. Red, Whitey and Blooey stop them with the usual hijinks and banter. It's light and amusing as this strip always is when at its best.

'Hanko the Cowhand at the World's Fair' (by Creig Flessel): Hanko and Daisy tour the various exhibits, and Hanko gets into situations because he is a dumb hick from the country. It's a series of scenes and gags strung together rather than a story, and none of them really work.

'Slam Bradley' (by Jerry Siegel and Howard Sherman): Slam and Shorty investigate the kidnapping of a foreign princess, with some lip service paid to the fair. At this point I am really missing Shuster on this strip. Sherman does okay, but is inferior to Shuster in every respect, and the strip can't help but suffer for it. I get the feeling that I've seen the best Slam Bradley has to offer, and that it's all downhill from here.

'Zatara the Master Magician at the World's Fair' (by Gardner Fox and Joseph Sulman): Zatara puts on his own exhibit at the fair, and in the process nabs a pickpocket, some armed robbers and a jewel thief. Then he randomly takes his audience on a trip to Mars and flies them through the centre of the sun, only to reveal that it was all an illusion. The crazy, stream-of-conscious randomness fits well with the ending, but still. "It was all a dream"? That's never good.  And I'm wondering what the deal is with the creative team. Where's Fred Guardineer? It seems wrong that he's not involved here.

'The Hour-Man at the World's Fair' (by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily): Rex Taylor is sent to run an exhibit for his chemical company, and ends up stopping some crooks from ransacking a rich guy's house while he's out hunting.  The most notable scene is when the Hourman releases the head crook to be hunted down by his intended victim, which at least has a bit of black humour to it. The rest is pretty dull.

'At the World's Fair with Jim and Jane' (by Creig Flessel): Two kids and their uncle tour the fair and react very enthusiastically to things like a film about the history of transportation. Were people really so much easier to entertain?  Anyway, I thought that this was familiar, and it turns out to be a reprint from the 1939 issue of this comic.

'The Sandman Goes to the World Fair' (by Gardner Fox and Chad Grothkopf): The Sandman must rescue his girlfriend/sidekick Dian Belmont from crooks who have kidnapped her as revenge on her father, the DA. If you want layers, don't come looking at this story. It does the job, I guess, but it's dreadfully dull, despite some uncharacteristic bursts of enthusiasm from the Sandman.

'Johnny Thunderbolt' (by John B. Wentworth and Stan Aschmeier): Johnny goes to the fair and is robbed by a pickpocket; hijinks ensue. Johnny's powers get overhauled a little in this story. Now when he says the magic words, his wishes are actually enforced by thunderbolts, and people who don't do what he says get zapped. It's going to take some getting used to.

'Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder' (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane): Batman and Robin go to the World's Fair, where they must tackle a mad scientist on a crime spree with a ray that can disintegrate metal.  When Kane is firing his stories have a real energy, and that's the case here. Batman rushes from crisis to crisis with a smile, and this is easily the most fun story in the whole comic.

April 1940: Batman #1

 Cover by Bob Kane

'The Legend of the Batman' (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane): This is a reprint of the earlier origin story from Detective Comics #33, with no new information to add.

'Batman, with Robin the Boy Wonder' (by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson): The Joker makes his first appearance here, and let's just say it's a hell of a debut. Make no mistake, he is instantly the best villain in comics thus far. In his first story his goal is to steal a whole lot of different priceless gems, but it's not this cliched plot that makes him great. First, he looks incredible. The artist (whether that was Kane or Robinson I'm unsure about) gives him a sinister, insane visual that has lasted up to the present day. Second, he is utterly murderous, and the way he kills people is inventive and unpredictable. I especially love the poison he uses that gives the victim a hideous death grin. It's easy to gloss over it when reading modern day comics, because I've seen it used so many times before, but seeing it in its original form and proper historical context just brings home what a macabre and creepy idea it is. Thirdly, he gives Batman a real fight, beating the hell out of him and throwing him off a bridge. Golden Age heroes don't often lose like this, Batman especially, so this elevates the Joker straight away. Sure, Batman comes back and belts the Joker senseless, but it's hard to forget his initial victory.

'Batman' (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane): Hugo Strange returns, and this time he has created a group of hulking monsters out of inmates from a mental asylum. This is another story that's heavy on creepy atmosphere. Batman is at his most ruthless here. At one point he fires on some of Strange's thugs from the Batplane with a mini-gun. Later he drops a noose around the neck of one of the monsters, flies it into the air and lets it hang until it chokes to death. Not to mention that he manipulates two of the monsters into killing each other, and punches Hugo Strange out of a window into the ocean. It must be something to do with Robin not being in the story; without his boy sidekick, Batman is backsliding into his old ways (to be honest, he's the worst he's ever been). This is a cracking story, though.

'Strictly Publicity' (by Guy Monroe): A radio star is found dead, and a detective proves that it was suicide despite there not being a gun present. It doesn't get much more straightforward than this.

'Batman, with Robin the Boy Wonder' (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane): This story is something of a showcase for Robin. The story begins with him on a cruise ship, making a solo investigation of the theft of a priceless diamond. While this is going on, some pirates show up to rob the passengers, but Robin rounds them up with Batman's help. There's a frankly bizarre scene where Batman has Robin beat up four thugs by himself, then turns to the reader and addresses them in a pure fourth-wall-breaking moment: "Well kids, there's your proof! Crooks are yellow without their guns! Don't go around admiring them--rather do your best in fighting them and all their kind!" It's very jarring.

Back on the cruise ship, the diamond theft turns out to be the work of the Cat, better known to modern-day readers as Catwoman, making her first appearance. She has no costume here, preferring instead to disguise herself as an old lady. She does the predictable seductress routine once captured, but what's different here is that Batman is actually tempted by her, enough so that he allows her to escape. He even spoils Robin's attempt to recapture her, then proclaims innocence when called on it. Then a panel later he's waxing lyrical about her eyes. It's quite surreal to see Batman like this, but it gives his character some much-needed depth.

'Two Aces' (by George Shute): In this prose story, an American ace pilot fights then befriends a German ace in World War I. In the present day the same American pilot is attacked while flying an experimental plane, and after he shoots down the enemy he sees that it was his old friend. This is quite well told, and the sadness of the whole situation is portrayed nicely.

'Batman, with Robin the Boy Wonder' (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane): The creators must have known they were onto a good thing, because the Joker returns here already. The only problem is that it's basically the same story as above. It's pretty good, but the law of diminishing returns has set in.  Apparently the Joker was supposed to die at the end, but the story was redrawn so that he survived.  Good call!

The final panel of this story is a doozy. It's a promo for "Robin's Regulars", which I assume will be a fan club of some sort. Just take a look at Robin's code: "Readiness, Obedience, Brotherhood, Industriousness, Nationalism". That's right folks, Robin the Boy Wonder advocates Nationalism! It's the American Way!