Retro Comics are Awesome

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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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The Batman Golden Age Omnibus vol. 6

There are some notable firsts for Batman in this collection. The 10th anniversary story revisits Batman's origin and has Bruce find and confront Joe Chill, his parents' killer. Vicki Vale makes her first appearance in the same story that introduces the Mad Hatter. The Riddler debuts and makes a return appearance for what are his only two Golden Age stories. He won't be seen again until the mid 60s. Two-Face is revisited in Batman #50, and while I won't spoil the story, he's now Harvey Dent rather than the earlier Harvey Kent.

Detective Comics #133
March 1948

The Man Who Could See the Future!
Batman, we ran over the bandits' boat!
Hmmm... they were killers and they brought on their own fate!


Arthur Loom claims to be clairvoyant, and able to see the future. After successfully predicting two deaths, he draws the attention of Batman and Robin. Robin wonders if the man could be for real, but Batman is more skeptical. When Loom predicts a theater roof collapse, and bandits grab box office receipts during the confusion, Batman attempts to enlist Loom's help in predicting crimes to aid the police. At this point, the story makes it clear that Loom is the head of a crime gang, using his predictions to help carry out crimes, and he's lured Batman into a trap aboard the Queen Helen luxury liner. But Batman suspected the whole time, and when Loom's men, who stowed away on the ship, set fire to the liner in an attempt to distract Batman and escape, they seal their own doom as the ship accidentally hits their boat in attempting to reach the harbor fire boats. Batman turns the tables by setting a trap for Loom with the help of Commissioner Gordon and faking an oncoming tornado with a wind machine behind a line of trees, panicking Loom (who thinks it's a real storm) into confessing that he's a fake. I don't quite buy a wind machine as powerful as depicted here, but I do like Batman's cold, no-nonsense attitude toward the crooks pulling these scams.
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World's Finest Comics #33
March-April 1948

The 5 Jewels of Doom!
Museum curator James Harmon is obsessed with the collection of gems he's assembled. He spends $60,000 of the museum's money to purchase a rare blue sapphire, but when the board of directors (including Bruce Wayne) view the sapphire, Wayne thinks it's fake. He's right, and Harmon is fired. Vowing revenge, he begins creating giant glass replicas of various jewels that kill the board members one by one. One is crushed to death when the giant replica falls on him, one is killed by an explosion, one is lured inside and almost suffocates before Batman, who has figured out what's happening, can cut him free. In the end Batman and Robin track Harmon down to his hideout where he's creating these replicas, and after an attempt to kill both, Harmon dies when he accidentally falls on his own jeweled dagger. I note that the villains of these stories seem to be getting a bit more vicious, which I didn't quite expect at this point in Batman's history. Obsession over jewels is an out of date story convention now, but a madman killing in strange ways is something we still see in Batman stories, so it wouldn't take much to modernize this plot.

Batman #46
April-May 1948

Guileful Greetings!
Gangster: Chee, Boss - ya look like da real t'ing!
Joker, dressed as a witch: That's hardly a compliment, but we'll let it pass as one!


The Joker escapes prison again, and the underworld fetes him with giant greeting cards, giving the Joker the idea to base a new crime spree around greeting cards. I get tired of these formula stories, but I found this one entertaining for a change, mainly because it's a lot more fun than most, with the crazy Joker poetry and the manic glee with which the Joker goes about committing his crimes and rubbing it in Batman's face. Batman ultimately captures him at a Halloween party and Gordon arrives to cart him away to jail, where Batman sends him a very thoughtful Christmas card.
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Batman #46 continued

Big House Chaplain!
Alan Channing is the chaplain for Gotham City prison, and he is often able to help inmates avoid falling back into crime when they get out. He's convinced Mike Tappan won't return to Duke Kite's mob, and he's right. When Duke attempts to learn where some loot from a post job is hidden, Chappan won't say, because he's going straight. It takes Batman's intervention to stop Duke from killing Chappan, and when he captures Duke's driver, Batman works out a plan with Gordon (who has brown hair again... the colorist goes back and forth in these stories) to find out where the loot is and to find out why Gotham Prison has a much lower recitivism rate than an other prison in the state. So Bruce goes to prison disguised as Duke's driver, helps stop a prison breakout attempt, save the chaplain's life, and recover the stolen money, which had been hidden under the back seat of the police car. The Chaplain is promoted to head chaplain of all state prisons for his fine work, in the hope that more men will benefit. Good story, and it's the human interest element that elevates it above a simple crime mystery.

The Batman that History Forgot!
These "time travel by hypnosis" stories have become a staple of this series. I'm still not sure they really fit Batman's urban crime concept, but as pure escapist adventure they're a lot of fun, and they keep some variety in the storytelling. As always, it's professor Carter Nichols, "famed time travel expert" who sends Bruce and Dick back in time to investigate the name "Batman" on an old document, where they save the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci refuses to make a massive sculpture of Gian Trivulao, current tyrant who rules Milan, so Trivulao wants to have him killed. The story sees Bruce disguise himself as Da Vinci and use several of his inventions to humiliate the man before Leonardo can make his escape from the city. The Batman of 1499 is Da Vinci himself, gliding around the city on his glider, with wings resembling a bat (made flight-worthy with some help from Batman of course!).
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World's Finest Comics #34
May-June 1948

Killer for Hire!
So they buried our unknown killer in Potter's Field! Wonder who he was?
Who cares. What he was is important - and where he is now! It's the best place for him.


The story opens with a man lying dead in the morgue with a tag stating that his identity is unknown, shot while resisting arrest. We learn that he was Jim Durfee, a boy who found that he enjoyed the thought of killing, who turned to a life of violent crime and ended up in prison, only to continue when he got out. He offers his services as a killer for hire, $1000 per hit. He is hired by various members of the Gotham underworld and begins his murder spree, one by one. He takes a shot at Batman when he sees him investigating near the railroad, hitting his shoulder. Bruce and Dick are able to recover a burned scrap of paper to learn his next victim, but are not in time to stop another killing. They lean hard on one of the biggest remaining gangsters in town, learning when and where messages can be left for the hitman. Bruce sets a trap with himself as bait. The first attempt Durfee makes fails of course, and when he escapes, Bruce tries again, letting it be known that he'll be speaking at the county fair. Batman and Robin finally corner Durfee there, but he knocks Batman out and off a platform, escaping while Robin keeps Batman from falling to his death. Durfee is shot and killed when he refuses an order by a policeman to halt. Neither the officer nor Batman have any idea who he is, and when Dick brings that subject up, Bruce does not care. He got what he deserved.

There such a variation in tone for these Batman stories. We go from the Joker committing silly greeting card crimes and time travel with Leonardo Da Vinci to a genuinely dark and brutal story about an assassin, killing for money. Our bright colorful heroes almost seem out of place in this world of a hired hit-man who kills because he enjoys it.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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Skipped ahead... these two stories actually come before "Killer for Hire" in the book.

Detective Comics #134
April 1948

The Umbrellas of Crime!
Out for a walk on a rainy day, Bruce and Dick just happen to run across the Penguin. When they attempt to accost him, he's saved by a chance lightning strike that destroys his umbrella shop hideout. This destroys all of the Penguin's trick umbrellas, so he taunts Batman that he'll use umbrellas that are not umbrellas. So the Penguin picks crime venues like the circus (with the bit top tent being an "umbrella that is not an umbrella"), a lecture on the atom bomb (with the "umbrella" cloud), etc. Batman captures one of Penguin's men and subjects him to his "truth chamber", a box with mirrors and colored lights that applies psychological pressure. The guy cracks and spills the beans, and the Penguin is captured at his final crime, completing the typical 3 crimes structure we so often see in these stories.

Detective Comics #135
May 1948

The True Story of Frankenstein!
Professor Carter Nichols hypnotizes himself and sends himself back in time to investigate the "true" story of Frankenstein. Seriously, this guy isn't kidding about his "powers of time-hypnosis". Baron Frankenstein and his cousin Count Mettern are scientists, and they employ Ivan, a kindly giant of a man as their assistant. You can see where this is going, I'm sure. An accidental electrical charge nearly kills Ivan, but Nichols revives him with adrenaline. Ivan's still confused and susceptible to suggestion, and Count Mettern sees an opportunity to use him to get rid of Frankenstein and get all his wealth. A rampaging "monster" means trouble, so Nichols somehow summons Batman and Robin back in time to deal with the problem. Is anyone safe from Carter Nichols and his time hypnosis? The two of them investigate but are disabled by Ivan. Mettern injects Batman with adrenaline and seemingly turns him into a monster too (and there are some great panels that evoke a much more modern conception of Batman in shadow, where he's presented as a fearful figure), but it's all a ruse to hit Ivan with another burst of electricity and disable and cure him. Ivan takes his revenge by grabbing Mettern and using Frankenstein's chemical storage to destroy the castle. Batman relates the story to a young Englishwoman who is a writer (hmmm.... wonder who that's supposed to be?) who says she'll have to write the story as fiction. Back in the present, Batman, Robin and Nichols talk about how they're the only ones who know the true story.
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Batman #47
June-July 1948

Fashions in Crime!
Nice going, honey! You stole a mink coat... and a kiss from the Batman!

Catwoman escapes prison when her cat Hecate finds her cell, and of course Catwoman has left a skeleton key and gas capsules in the cat's collar. While on the street in civilian clothing, some comments about her out of style wardrobe inspire her new crime scheme, which is to start a fashion magazine and pose as the editor, thereby gaining access to the homes of the rich so she can steal from them. She's back to being flirtatious with Batman, kissing him while in disguise and leaving him teasing notes when she escapes. I always enjoy the flirting between those two, so that livens up the story nicely and makes it much more fun. But it's a fashion drawing Catwoman leaves of herself wearing a stolen necklace that tips Batman off to the fact that she's posing as the magazine editor, and they figure she's going to rob a fashion exposition (complete with giant props of scissors, thread, a sewing machine, etc. where the action sequences can take place). They catch her, and of course can't help going to the prison later to rub it in. Not nice, boys. Out of the three recurring villains, Catwoman is probably my favorite. It doesn't hurt that she appears less often than the overexposed Joker and Penguin.
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Batman #47 concluded

The Chain Gang Crimes!
Batman and Robin are working a case outside of Gotham, trying to help a local sheriff catch the "whiskers mob", who disappear after every robbery. Batman suspects they're hiding in the nearby prison, so he disguises himself and has Robin deliver him to prison. The prisoners are horribly abused by Warden Beltt. The food is terrible, the prisoners are shacked at the ankle, and they're kept busy busting rocks. It's all stereotypical old time chain gang treatment. Batman slips up, because he didn't inform the sheriff, so when the warden calls to note the new prisoner, the sheriff has no idea. Long story short, the warden is of course in on the whole thing, Robin gets Batman out, but they're forced to hide in the swamp to avoid bloodhound-led pursuit. They stop the latest robbery and take the sheriff and his men to arrest the warden, wrapping up the case. Even the prisoners are cheering Batman in the end for freeing them from the abuse.

The Origin of the Batman!
Ha! No jury would believe Wayne's identification accurate after all these years! You're bluffing! Besides.... how do you know what really happened?
I know because I am the son of the man you murdered! I am Bruce Wayne!!


A truck runs off the road outside Gotham, and Batman and Robin go to help. The driver is dead, but a secret door opens in the back and a man staggers out. When Robin goes to help, the man pulls a gun, leading Batman to intervene, but only a shot from a state trooper saves both of their lives. The man turns out to be "Feets" Borgam, murder suspect, crossing state lines in a hidden compartment. When Batman and Robin consult with Gordon about the trucking line, a picture of the new owner, Joe Chill, triggers Batman's memory... it's the face of his parents' murderer.

We get the familiar story here where Bruce is walking home with his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. A holdup leads to Thomas being shot and Martha collapsing from shock. Bruce angrily accuses the man of killing them, and the way he looks at Chill freaks him out, causing him to retreat. The killer was never found, and Bruce swore on his parents' graves to spend "his life and inheritance" bringing him to justice, and fighting all criminals. He spent his life preparing his investigative and athletic skills, and then we get the familiar scene where he's in his study, and the bat flies through the window, and he takes it as an omen. He adopts the identity of the Batman.

Bruce requests that Gordon let him take the case, and then after explaining to Robin, is determined to go after Chill alone. His first attempt to get close is to try and get hired to drive the crooks, but Chill only hires people he knows, so that fails. Next, he "sends some business" Chill's way by scaring a crook into running to Chill for help, but Chill sees the Batman following and kills the crook, claiming it was self defense. Batman decides to try one last ploy, and so he goes to see Chill and tells him the story of the Wayne murders, accusing him of being the killer, and then taking off his mask to reveal that he was there, he is Bruce Wayne. He can't prove what Chill did, but he will stalk him until he makes a mistake.

Chill panics and runs, telling his men that he created Batman by killing his parents years ago. Enraged that he created their nemesis, they gun him down, only afterwards calming down and realizing they should have asked Chill who Batman was. It's too late as Batman takes them all down, and Chill reflects with his dying words that Batman got him after all. The Wayne murder case is finally closed.

Very few of these stories are actually about Bruce Wayne/Batman as a character, so when one comes along that is, it stands out from the pack. A decade in publication seems like an appropriate time to look back and expand on the character's beginnings, and having Batman finally catch the killer of his parents is a big deal. Having him unmask in front of Joe Chill is a great dramatic moment, and his insistence that he has to take on this case alone is entirely understandable. Great story, definitely one of my favorites from this volume.
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andersonh1 wrote:Very few of these stories are actually about Bruce Wayne/Batman as a character, so when one comes along that is, it stands out from the pack. A decade in publication seems like an appropriate time to look back and expand on the character's beginnings, and having Batman finally catch the killer of his parents is a big deal. Having him unmask in front of Joe Chill is a great dramatic moment, and his insistence that he has to take on this case alone is entirely understandable. Great story, definitely one of my favorites from this volume.
I read these reviews and synopsis every day and I agree with this. This is also vastly different from what we've seen in the movies. I think the only one where he actually caught the killer was the 1989 Batman where it turned out to be the Joker. I'd honestly like to see Joe Chill on the big screen but I don't think that will ever happen.
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Shockwave wrote:
andersonh1 wrote:Very few of these stories are actually about Bruce Wayne/Batman as a character, so when one comes along that is, it stands out from the pack. A decade in publication seems like an appropriate time to look back and expand on the character's beginnings, and having Batman finally catch the killer of his parents is a big deal. Having him unmask in front of Joe Chill is a great dramatic moment, and his insistence that he has to take on this case alone is entirely understandable. Great story, definitely one of my favorites from this volume.
I read these reviews and synopsis every day and I agree with this. This is also vastly different from what we've seen in the movies. I think the only one where he actually caught the killer was the 1989 Batman where it turned out to be the Joker. I'd honestly like to see Joe Chill on the big screen but I don't think that will ever happen.
Batman The Brave and the Bold did a nice adaption of the Joe Chill story, mixed with a later one that reveals Chill was a hitman hired by Lew Moxon, plus they threw in the Spectre and the Phantom Stranger. It's not a 100% straight adaption, but it's still nice to see something close on screen. And the scene where Bruce unmasks is almost word for word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heUnljdse5Q
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