"Bat-Girl!"

Issue: Batman #139

Cover Date: April 1961

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: The introduction of Bat-Girl begins with Batman, Robin, and Batwoman fighting the Cobra Gang at an exhibit of new scientific equipment. It seems that the Dynamic Trio has thwarted the elements of crime once again, when the remaining member of the gang traps them in an electronic-ring. The criminal begins to tighten the ring, but is felled by a sudden kick from Bat-Girl. After turning off the device, she leaves through the window she came from, leaving Robin to wonder who she is. The answer is made clear to Batwoman when she later returns to her Bat-Cave, where her niece Betty stands in the costume. The story then flashes back, showing Betty arriving for a visit and later watching Batwoman capture thieves robbing a school supplies manufactrer on the news. When Betty found gold stars in Kathy's brush, she deduced the truth, made her own costume, and followed Kathy. Kathy is of course worried about her niece getting injured and asks Batman for advice. He suggests that Kathy tell her that she can be Bat-Girl after a lot of training, to stall Betty until she has to leave.

Kathy puts this plan into action, having her practice on a trapeze and read books on criminal law. Days pass, with Kathy going out on patrol at night and Betty left to study. One night, she throws a book in frustration and knocks particles loose from one of the Cobra Gang's shoes. Studying them under a microscope, she identifies them as traces of cellulose acetate and sets out to find the Gang's hideout to prove herself to her aunt. She finds the Gang in an abandoned rayon factory and attempts to distract them with a self-inflating balloon so she can lasso them. Her plan backfires when the surprised boss' cigar pops the balloon in her face and the Cobra Gang takes her as a hostage to get their fellows released. At first distraught at the situation due to recklessness, she collects herself and looks for a way to fix things. Cutting some sheets of carbon paper into bat shapes, she sends them out an exhaust vent, which alerts a shoe shiner to call the police. The Dynamic Trio soon arrive and begin subduing the Cobra Gang, but are stopped when the holds a gun to Bat-Girl's head. Bat-Girl fakes fainting and knocks the gun out of his hand, resuming the fight. After the Gang is turned over to the police, Bat-Girl apologizes for her foolishness and Batwoman, accepting that she saw the recklessness in her actions, tells her that she proved herself to be a good crimefighter. Excited, she poses that maybe her and Robin can work on a case together sometime. Asking the Boy Wonder if that's a date, the story ends with Batman and Batwoman chuckling at Robin's embarrassment.

Thoughts: In comparison to Batwoman's first story, Bat-Girl's debut introduces the character right. When she first appears, she saves the Dynamic Trio from a criminal's trap without sexist comments about her being a girl. In the flashback, we see Betty noticing that Kathy disappears every night, showing her to be inquisitive before she finds the stars. While the acrobatic and crime training during Kathy's attempt to stall refine and improve the skills Betty could use as a crime fighter, she learned about the cellulose acetate in school, showing a natural intelligence. When the Cobra Gang captures her, she laments how rash her actions were, but then finds a way to get in touch with the rest of the Bat Family rather than stepping backward into being a damsel in distress. This is even more apparent when, with a gun to her head, she fakes a very damsel in distress action and disarms the criminal. Bat-Girl is shown to posses all the ability of a super-heroine without the sexism that Batwoman was saddled with.

While Batwoman wanting Betty not to be Bat-Girl may appear hypocritical after Batman had wanted her to stop fighting crime, it should be remembered that Betty is Kathy's niece. Her worry about her getting hurt is genuine, not covered up sexism like in the previous story. And given how much more forward thinking this story is, I would like to think that Batwoman went to Batman for advice because he has had experience raising a youth who is a crimefighter. Speaking of Batwoman, her characterization is much better, fighting alongside Batman and Robin as an equal rather than being viewed as a nuisance. However, her fighting criminals in a school supplies factory is a little suspect and her being unable to figure out Bat-Girl's identity don't reflect well on her. Knocking chairs and boxes of gold stars, as well as flipping criminals over her head, does reflect better than the purse based crimefighting tools of her first appearance. And while Betty has a utility-purse, the self-inflating balloon and Bat-Lasso are also improvements. While Robin still says things like "an inexperienced girl is bound to get hurt pursuing crooks" and "not bad - for a girl," these statements don't come off as sexist as they did when directed at an adult, but as the reaction of a boy to a girl his age.

As usual, Sheldon Moldoff brings his cartoony charm to the story's pages. Before I comment on the story, I should say a few words about Batwoman and Bat-Girl's costumes. While Batwoman's costume does not say "creature of the night" like Batman's does, but I do like how it is distinct from his. While the color scheme for Batwoman's costume might strike one as oddly different, the colors of Bat-Girl's costume match Robin's. This matches her up with her counterpart in the Dynamic Duo, while still staying unique. As far as the designs of the Cobra Gang, they begin as entertaining wearing scaly hoods and capes along with traditional comic book criminal suits. Then, the boss shows up in a full cobra hood costume and you know Moldoff had a blast drawing Gotham criminals that offered more creativity than the norm. In this story, there was a distinct piece of art that stuck out as a mistake and one that caught me by surprise. The mistake occurred in the scene with the balloon, where in one panel the balloon flies to the left of the panel as Bat-Girl enters from the window on the right side of the panel. In the next panel, Bat-Girl is suddenly on the left side and getting dazed by the balloon popping, rather than her approaching from the right side. However, the panel where the Cobra Boss holds a gun to Bat-Girl's head caught me by surprise, as I didn't expect for a Silver Age comic at this time to allow something so mature.

This story has been reprinted in Batman Annual #7, the Batman From The 30s to The 70s HC, and the DC Comics Classics Library: The Batman Annuals Volume 2 HC.

"Batman Meets Fatman"

Issue: Batman #113

Cover Date: February 1958

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Charles Paris

Synopsis: The story starts with Fatman, a circus clown who lampoons Batman, performing his act. It starts with Fatman falling down after swinging on a bat-line, throwing a huge batarang that comes back and hits him in the stomach, and pulling odds and ends out of an oversize utility belt. He ends his act by praising Batman for the great crime fighter that he is. Speaking of Batman, the Caped Crusader and Robin are busy fighting the Red Mask gang, who had just committed a bank robbery. Unfortunately, the gang escapes on a motor boat, leaving Batman and Robin to contact the harbor police and leave for the charity show at the circus. After the Dynamic Duo perform several athletic feats, they offer to give Fatman a ride in the Batmobile, during which they get a message from the police to go back to the wharf. Batman is able to deduce from a comment by one of the gang that they stashed their loot in a now missing boat.

After finding out the boat has been rented to publicize a movie, the Dynamic Duo set out with Fatman along for the case. While the clown stays in the car, Batman and Robin fight the Red Mask gang on the boat in the middle of a street. While they 're kept busy, the leader of the gang cuts a rope, sending a wrapped up sail crashing into the Dynamic Duo. Batman and Robin are then taken back to the gang's hideout, an abandoned stable, and locked in a horse stall. Fortunately, Fatman followed them in the Batmobile and sets out to rescue them. After falling over and tying himself up in his silken cord, Fatman appears to swing a hammer too heavy for him when he hurls it at the lock on Batman and Robin's stall. While the Dynamic Duo deals with the gang, Fatman has the privilege of stopping the boss with his stomach. After the criminals are taken to the police, Batman praises Fatman for outsmarting the gang using his comedy act. The story ends with Fatman being cheered at the circus once again.

Thoughts: I sought out this story solely for the curiosity factor of there being a character named Fatman in the Batman mythos, and that's all it is: a curiosity. The idea of a clown who has an act centered around Batman is an amusing one and it's tailor made for the big props that Bill Finger loved to write into his stories. Having Fatman use his act to get the drop on the criminals was a nice touch to bring things full circle, but I question Fatman being so put out about being kept out of the fight at the boat when he held Batman's work in such high regard. Of course, under Silver Age logic, hero worship serves as a valid explanation. While I enjoy the goofy and sometimes downright insane aspects of the Silver Age, Fatman saying "only a dummy would run into my tummy" is simply a groaner. Apart from Fatman, the story is a rather by the numbers fifties Batman story with the normal criminal gang. Worse yet, the gang, not one of the supervillains, gets the drop on the Dynamic Duo and locks them in a horse stable. I admit that Batman and Robin getting locked in a horse stable is rather funny, but still, the Dynamic Duo are a bit too easily taken down by regular criminals at times. The major art note of interest is the resemblance of Fatman's cowl to that of this blog's namesake, albeit with the other ear bent. Even more interesting to note is that Fatman debuted before Bat-Mite, as Detective Comics #267 has a cover date of May 1959. On the whole, this story is hardly essential reading and only worth checking out for the sheer novelty of Fatman.

This story has been reprinted in Batman Family #4.

"Two-Face Strikes Again!"

Issue: Batman #81

Cover Date: February 1954

Writer: David Vern Reed

Penciller: Dick Sprang

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Win Mortimer

Synopsis: Harvey Dent, face restored by plastic surgery and having renounced the villainous ways of Two-Face, is walking along a street when he sees safe crackers in a television store. When he charges in to stop them, one of the criminals accidentally lights the explosive he was preparing. While the thieves get away, Harvey is caught in the resulting blast and his plastic surgery is undone. Seeing this as a sign that he was meant to be Two-Face, he lets the flip of a replica of his two-sided coin be the final test. After it lands scarred side up, Two-Face resumes his career in crime by robbing Tarando the clown, Charles Ford the millionaire deep seas diver, and John Benson the actor. While the Dynamic Duo is at first unable to find a pattern, Batman deduces that those robbed were all to an extent men with two faces.

After a successful series of crimes, Two-Face decides it's time to hire a gang, chosen through coin flips of course. His henchmen hired, Two-Face sets off to rob "Chicago Al" Garver, a big-time gambler. Batman and Robin are at first puzzled as to why Two-Face has been spotted in the area of Gotham Point, but Batman once again comes up with the answer, Garver's "poker face" fulfilling the two face motif. They soon arrive at the mansion, following the criminals up a giant replica pool table. The gang releases giant pool balls at them, forcing the Dynamic Duo to dive into one of the runways under the table. The distraction allows Two-Face and his gang to escape, albeit empty handed. The next morning, a headline about a disgraced Japanese envoy (having "lost face") allows Batman and Robin to anticipate Two-Face's next crime. Two-Face is almost caught after leaving his calling card by scaring the face of a statue, but Robin's rope getting cut by a pick-axe allows the gang to get away.

The Dynamic Duo decide to act rather than react, thanks a local Sioux reservation wanting to make Bruce Wayne an honorary chief for his charity work. On the day of the ceremony, a biplane with two-motors arrives, making Batman and Robin think they've caught Two-Face. But Two-Face was prepared for the crime fighters, using the plane's propellers to blind them with sand. They are brought to Two-Face's hideout, where he plans to tie the pair to a giant coin and flip it onto a bed of spikes. Due to the added weight of Batman and Robin, the coin will certainly land on the side they're strapped to. When the coin does flip, the Dynamic Duo land safely and are able to free themselves. Batman and Robin apprehend Two-Face and his gang, telling them that by turning their radios into electromagnets and connecting them to the wires binding them, they were able to repel the spikes and land safely.

Thoughts: While not as good as the previous story, this one is still a lot of fun. You of course have to suspend your disbelief when it comes to an explosion undoing just Dent's plastic surgery and in a way that he becomes Two-Face again, but since this is the Silver Age, that shouldn't be a problem. The gimmick associated with Two-Face is pretty clever, centering around people with double lives rather than theft of objects having to do with the number two. While the diver is a bit of a stretch (especially when compared to the two faces of a clown and an actor), the "poker face" and "losing face" spins on the concept advance it further than simple physical appearance. While one would expect Two-Face to choose two henchmen for his gang, keeping with the gimmick, the three henchmen plus Two-Face still goes along with it. On the henchmen note, I always get a kick out of the caption, "then, as the hoodlum applicants line up, each finds his chance for a job hangs on the turn of a coin." On a more subtle nod to Two-Face, the honorary chief ceremony takes place two days after Bruce comes up with the idea. Given the giant pool table, fight on the giant statue, and the giant coin trap, you would think this was a Bill Finger story, but it was indeed by David Reed. Now it should be noted there are several lines, Robin referring to the Japanese envoy as an oriental and Bruce referring to himself as being made a paleface Indian, that stand out as being racist today. So while the story is an entertaining one, be prepared to come across such lines if you choose to read it.

While Dick Sprang is not given as much freedom to be creative as the previous story, he still turns in great art. The splash page in particular is memorable, with a giant Two-Face head looming over small figures of Batman and Robin. The trails of smoke and the moon in the background recall the panel of the cat temple I previously mentioned. Sprang makes sure Two-Face's office reflects the character, with the number two on the desk on floor, two telephones, two pen holders, and two chairs. The most interesting aspect of Sprang's art in the story are the panels, as he abandons the typical squares for trapezoids when the Dynamic Duo are falling down the pool table runway and when Batman saves the falling Robin on the statue. The most unique panel is during the statue save, where a circular panel of Robin helping Batman up is cut is cut inside of the panel of Batman saving Robin, completing the action. Even in a story without the more creative setting of "The Jungle Cat-Queen," Sprang found a way to make it even more interesting.

This story has been reprinted in the Batman From The 30s to The 70s HC, The Greatest 1950s Stories Ever Told HC/TPB, the Batman in The Fifties TPB, and the Batman vs. Two-Face TPB.

"The Bat-Ape"

Issue: Batman #114

Cover Date: March 1958

Writer: Unknown

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: Every year, Gotham City holds a circus to raise money for charity with the acrobatics of Batman and Robin being the star attraction. This particular year features another popular performance, one featuring an ape named Mogo. His act goes flawlessly at first, when suddenly the usually gentle creature becomes enraged on top of a platform. His trainer, a man named Arthur Harris, is able to calm him down, but the panic the outburst caused allowed a pair of thieves to steal the circus' box office receipts. Because Mogo's outburst served as the perfect distraction for the thieves, Harris is taken into custody on the suspicion that he was in collaboration with the thieves. Harris' assistant, Roder, takes Mogo to his home while the Dynamic Duo investigate the circus for clues. Batman wonders why Mogo didn't become angered until he reached the platform and finds the answer to his question in the form of a shock producing electric wire connected to the metal platform. Harris wouldn't have needed such a wire to cause Mogo to act out, so Batman and Robin drive to Roder's house to find out who could have rigged it.

When the Duo arrive, they find Mogo in a cage much too small for him, which Roder explains was done out of fear that Mogo would flare into a rage again. Batman, furious at the mistreatment of the animal, orders Roder to put him in his original cage and treat him well like Harris told Roder to before he was taken away. Roder not only tells Batman that Harris is the one who rigs the platforms for Mogo, but that he saw Harris talking to a pair of strangers recently. Batman reminds Roder to treat Mogo well as he and Robin drive off, but Mogo has his own ideas, bending the bars of his cage and following the Dynamic Duo back to the Bat-Cave. Batman is still puzzling about the wire when Robin notices Mogo enter the Cave, noting how Batman has befriended the ape. Alfred is assigned to look after Mogo while Batman and Robin research the case, whereupon they find that neither Harris nor Roder has a criminal record. Robin mentions that Harris' lack of needing a wire to control Mogo makes Roder the more likely culprit, when Alfred is suddenly heard calling for help. It seems that Mogo has found himself a cowl to imitate Batman with and he wants a cape too. Batman tells Alfred to give him a cape and brings Mogo along with him and Robin after Alfred makes it clear that he doesn't want to be left with the ape.

Following through on their suspicion of Roder, the Dynamic Trio stake out his house and tail him when he leaves for Gotham City. They follow Roder to a warehouse, where a light on the highest floor turning on tells them where he is. Unable to see what is happening on even the roof of the other warehouse, Batman has Mogo lower him towards the window on a flagpole, where he can now clearly see Roder splitting money with the Vanning Brothers. The trio of crooks spots the Caped Crusader, but Batman tells Mogo to lift him up just in time. After vaulting across to the other roof with Batman and Robin's ropes so that they could swing across, Mogo joins Batman and Robin in pursuit of the thieves. Trapped behind a giant globe due to gunfire, Batman instructs Mogo to push the metal globe towards the thieves, cornering them and giving Batman and Robin the cover they need to jump Roder and the Vanning Brothers. The story ends with Harris planning to show his gratitude for Mogo helping to clear his name by returning to Africa and setting Mogo free.

Thoughts: Compared to the first Bat-Hound story, the debut of Bat-Ape is a much simpler story. There's no mystery that develops as the story goes on; you can pretty much tell that Roder is going to be behind the suspicion being placed on Harris. Not that it's a bad story, as it's the little moments throughout that shine. When you go into a story titled "The Bat-Ape," you expect it to be pretty goofy, but this story actually has a pretty serious moment. When Batman sees Mogo being mistreated, he goes into authoratative Batman mode and commands Roder to put Mogo into his normal cage and treat him well. It's a great moment that shows how serious Batman is, even in the lighthearted fifties. Alfred watching after Mogo provides some great comic relief, starting with Alfred's first line: "Is this blooming monkey going to live with us?" When Alfred threatens to resign, Batman just smiles, clearly enjoying his butler's handling of superheroics being pushed to the limit. And, of course, this story stars an ape in a Batman costume. He proves to be a great asset to Batman and Robin, able to perform feats of strength that the Dynamic Duo would otherwise not be able to perform, which includes pushing a giant globe (making me think this was a Bill Finger story).

While not as iconic as, say, the cover to Batman #156, this cover is one of the more well known covers from the era. Not many have read this story due to it never being reprinted, but everybody knows about Mogo The Bat-Ape due to this cover. Sheldon Moldoff's great handling of drawing animals continues with Mogo in this story. The real strength in his execution lies in the facial expressions he gives Mogo, allowing him to convey friendliness, anger, confusion, and "hello, easily flustered butler." One of the neatest details of the artwork is in the coloring. While colored brown on the cover, Mogo's hair is colored grey in the story. The coloring is very close to that of Batman's costume, creating the effect of Mogo being in full Batman costume despite only wearing the cape and cowl.

This was the only appearance of Mogo, but considering how it is planned at the end of the story that he'll be set free in his native Africa, one story is all Mogo needs.

This story has not been reprinted.

"Ace, The Bat-Hound!"

Issue: Batman #92

Cover Date: June 1955

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Stan Kaye

Cover Artist: Win Mortimer

Synopsis: One night while on patrol, Batman and Robin come across a dog struggling to stay afloat in a river. When they go in to retrieve him, they find the poor animal is stunned and decide to take him home and attempt to find his owner. Upon returning to the Bat-Cave, the dog begins to recover and Bruce Wayne makes preparations to advertise in the newspaper that the dog has been found. When the Dynamic Duo leave for police headquarters the next day, they find that the dog is following after them. Without time to turn back, Batman allows the dog to join them in the Batmobile, but now the problem arises of someone connecting this dog with the one found by Bruce Wayne due to its distinctive head markings. While Batman is inside police headquarters, Robin finds a solution by giving the dog a makeshift mask and a bat-symbol on his collar.

Batman returns to the Batmobile with news that a convict named Bowers escaped from prison and was seen entering the Stevens Warehouse. The Stevens Warehouse is a storage area for circus props, and Bowers takes advantage of this when he pushes a giant figure over on top of the Dynamic Duo has they enter. While Batman and Robin dodge the prop, the dog grabs ahold of Bowers sleeve and keeps him in place, giving Batman and Robin time to catch him. It is during his struggle with the dog that Bowers dubs him a Bat-Hound, a name further supported by the security guard on the scene. The rest of Bat-Hound's name falls into place when a neighbor of the dog's owner calls Bruce Wayne and tells him that the dog, Ace, belongs to John Wilker. But when Bruce and Dick arrive at Wilker's cottage, they find it a mess with signs of a struggle having taken place. It becomes even more clear that Wilker was kidnapped when a visit by Bruce to the printing firm where Wilker works yields that hasn't been to work in two days. The Dynamic Duo planned to use Ace to find Wilker, but their search is delayed by the appearance of the Bat-Signal. Once in Commissioner Gordon's office, the pair receives information on two cases: a theft at a paper company and a child who wandered off and was now missing.

Robin takes Ace with him to talk to the boy's mother, where Ace easily finds the boy hiding in a drainpipe after picking up his scent. Meanwhile, Batman's investigation of the paper theft has revealed that the paper that was stolen was of the kind used to make bonds. Bat-Hound's growling when he catches the scent of the burglars confirms for Batman that Wilker's kidnappers are behind the paper theft and abducted him so that he could counterfeit bonds for them. The trio drive to the next logical place for theft, the inking company, but are stopped in their tracks when one of the burglars pulls a gun on Wilker. Batman and Robin are captured by the burglars, with Bat-Hound left stunned on the floor of the inking company. While the burglars are beginning their counterfitting, the Dynamic Duo make a makeshift Bat-Signal with a knocked over lamp and Batman's bat-symbol from his chest. Ace is able to find the burglar's hideout, and, after biting through the Dynamic Duo's bonds, the trio apprehends the burglars. Wilker knew that the Bat-Hound was his dog as soon as he saw him in the inking company, a fact that becomes known to a reporter at the scene after Wilker removes Ace's mask. Batman was prepared for this and pulls out a photo of Bruce Wayne handing over Ace to Batman (really Alfred), explaining that he borrowed Ace to find Wilker. The story ends Batman and Robin waving goodbye to Walker and Ace, with Robin offering Ace the Bat-Hound position if he ever wants to be one again.

Thoughts: One of my favorite aspects of the fifties era is the extended Batman Family, a Family that began here with Ace. Comparisons to Krypto aside, I actually think the addition of a Bat-Hound to the Batman Family made a whole lot of sense. Back in the fifties, he was of course brought in to boost sales with the popularity of canine heroes at the time, but his inclusion also makes sense from a story point of view. Ace's tracking abilites and his strong canine jaws are both great assets to the caped crimefighters, as illustrated in the issue. The tracking especially, considering the detective aspect to Batman's character. One nice touch Finger has in the story with Ace is his owner recognizing him despite having been clad in his Bat-Hound attire, not being deceived as easily as everyone else is. As for the story itself, the pacing is excellent, with each scene progressing naturally into the next. From the finding of Ace to his joining the Dynamic Duo to the other crimes to the final confrontation with the burglars, it all flows nicely. Batman had to protect his identity a lot during the fifties, and his cover in this instance is one of the better ones. Like most of Bill Finger's stories, this one features a giant prop in the form of the clown statue. This use of a giant prop is a memorable one, when combined with Bowers' thought balloon of, "Must lay low till they're under some big, heavy prop!"

The cover to this issue is one of my favorite Win Mortimer covers. He was able to fit Batman and Robin, the Bat-Cave, the Batmobile, the Bat-Signal, and Ace on the cover without it feeling cluttered. Brilliantly composed and overall a brilliant piece. As for the interiors, Sheldon Moldoff provides some great artwork, much in the vein of his work from "Batman, The Magician." When you introduce a dog companion for your superhero, you need an artist who can draw animals, and Moldoff is an artist who can do just that. His panel of Ace growling when he catches the scent of the burglars in the paper company is a particular highlight. While the clown faces in the background of the warehouse are simple, the one in the foreground has a great amount of detail to it that catches the eye. I do have to note that there is an art mistake in this issue. In order to make the makeshift Bat-Signal, Robin had to tear Batman's bat symbol off his costume. In the panel where Ace appears at the hideout, however, Batman has his bat symbol back on his chest and retains it for the rest of the scene. Apart from this minor glitch, great art in a great story.

This story has been reprinted in the Batman From The 30s To The 70s HC, Batman Family #5, and the Batman In The Fifties TPB.

"The Case of The Deadly Gems"

Issue: Batman #131

Cover Date: April 1960

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Dick Sprang

Inker: Charles Paris

Synopsis: One night in Gotham City finds Batman and Robin recieving important information in the office of Commissioner Gordon. Ted Greaves, a criminal who Batman and Robin captured several years ago, was recently released from prison and has now sent a letter threatening the lives of the owners of the Gotham Gem Company. As the Dynamic Duo arrive at the Company, they witness both a person pushed off of a giant advertising gem and the masked man responsible. The masked man loosens the advertising gem to crush Batman and Robin, but they dodge out of the way just in time. After investigating the roof and discovering a piece of cloth from the assailant's cape, they find they three partners of the firm (John Wilcox, Henry Stubbs, and Ed Carder) around the dead man's body. The dead man turns out to be Clayber, the trio's new partner, and his murderer appears to be the aforementioned Greaves. The letter sent by Greaves explains a plan to murder all of the partners of the Gem Company from youngest to oldest, in ways that match their birthstones. This makes Wilcox the next on Greaves' list and the Dynamic Duo return with him to his home to provide protection.

As Wilcox tries to keep calm by taking a walk on his grounds, he is startled by a loud roar. The roar turns out to belong to a Bengal Tiger, released from its cage by Greaves. After distracting the tiger with his cape, Batman follows Robin's suit and the pair trap the tiger with their bat-ropes. Robin wonders what the connection is between Wilcox's birthstone and the tiger, and Batman obligingly explains that Wilcox's birthstone, the moonstone, is the sacred stone of India. Batman and Robin head next to Stubbs' home, which, being a yacht on land, fits with his aquamarine birthstone. When Greaves arrives, he finds the Dynamic Duo waiting for him in the crow's nest. Needing to make an escape, Greaves throws a green lantern, once again in line with the aquamarine birthstone, on the yacht to start a fire. Batman and Robin let Greaves go and are able to suppress the fire. Afterwards, Batman deduces that Greaves can't be the murderer, since he is color-blind and Stubbs' attacker was able to specifically pick out the green lantern. Robin continues this line of reasoning, coming to the conclusion that it must be one of the remaining partners. The pair's next move is to check on Carder, as the identity of the masked man can't be Wilcox or Stubbs.

When Batman and Robin arrive at Carder's home, they find that Wilcox is also there and that they have been playing cards for the past several hours. Perplexed by this latest development, Robin's comment about nothing fitting anymore makes everything clear to Batman. Later, the Dynamic Duo and the three partners meet at the Gem Company, where Batman reveals that all three of the partners are guilty. Carder shouts to the others to grab the Dynamic Duo, a plan which proves flawed as Batman grabs Carder as he rushes at him and throws him at the other two partners. (I am not joking folks, Batman picks this guy up over his head and throws him at the other two). Batman arranged for the police to be at the Company before calling the partners, and after they are called into the room, the partners are quick to surrender and confess. It turns out that the trio had been smuggling gems into the country for years and Clayber discovered what was going on. He blackmailed the partners for a share of their profits, and when he got greedy, they decided to kill him. Batman then explains that he realized the trio was rotating the costume after noticing that the pants fit differently each time the masked man appeared, while each appearance retained the ripped cape.

Thoughts: When you read a Batman story and see a giant diamond about to crush the Dynamic Duo, you know it was written by Bill Finger. And like most of Bill Finger's other Batman stories, this is a good one. During a period when aliens and magical powers were taking over the Batman titles, Finger gives us a good old fashioned mystery story. In stories like this one, it's typical for one of the people involved to turn out to be the true culprit. Finger takes this tried and true formula and twists it, revealing all three of the business partners to be behind the crime. The birthstone gimmick he employs for the staged attacks is also effective, providing the opportunity for some unique situations. If anything, the attack on Wilcox shows how high of an opinion Gotham's citizens have of Batman, because Wilcox's partner is confident that Batman can stop a Bengal tiger before it can attack Wilcox. Batman's detective skills get the spotlight here, as it is his attention to detail that leads to the break in the case. And like I said, Batman picks Carder up over his head and casually throws him into his two partners. I like to think Bill Finger wrote that scene, realized how awesome it was, and threw in a great mystery as an afterthought to get to it.

Even into the sixties, Dick Sprang's art is as great as ever. He showed in past stories that he was skilled at drawing animals and he continues that trend with the tiger in this story. His use of close-ups add dynamism to important dialogue moments. He also employs a neat technique to name the partners and show their ages, by placing their heads within a trio of lenses. When Carder is yelling for his partners to help him rush Batman, you can tell Batman is preparing to counter him. There's even a panel reminiscent of the classic nightime panel from "The 10,000 Secrets of Batman." The only negative thing that could be said about it is that you can't really tell the costume is fitting differently, but really, that isn't too important considering how you can believe the deduction of the world's greatest detective.

This story has been reprinted in the Batman In The Sixties TPB.

"The Voyage of The First Batmarine!"

Issue: Batman #86

Cover Date: September 1954

Writer: Edmond Hamilton

Penciller: Dick Sprang

Inker: Charles Paris

Synopsis: A barge making its way across the Gotham River suddenly begins to sink, becoming a serious threat due to a cargo of nitro-glycerine. Batman and Robin are quickly summoned by the Bat-Signal and go to the harbor with Commissioner Gordon. After Gordon explains the situation at hand, Batman and Robin volunteer to retrieve the nitro, as no other diver will take the risk. The Dynamic Duo are outfitted with diving suits, submerged near the wreck in the middle of the river, and begin placing the cans of nitro in rope slings to be brought up. The pair work for almost an hour, but succeed in retrieving all of the nitro. Unfortunately, Batman and Robin have stayed underwater so long that they will die of the bends if they come up now, and must spend two days gradually reducing the pressure around them before they can return safely to the surface. Fortunately for the Dynamic Duo, a nearby salvage company is able to supply them with a pocket submarine to spend those days in, complete with a bat emblem painted on the front.

While Batman outlines the plan of gradually reducing the pressure within the Batmarine until they're safe to surface, Robin worries that "Slant" Stacy and his gang of Platinum Bandits will take advantage of them being out of action. Robin's worries prove to be justified, as the Bandits are preparing to rob a plutonium shipment from the Art Jewelery Company. Batman is already one step ahead of them and directs Robin to pilot the Batmarine to a lake near the Company. Once there, they are faced with dealing with the gang without leaving the Batmarine. They solve this dilemma by launching a salvage net out of a torpedo tube at the crooks. A couple of the Bandits are caught, but the remaining members quickly regroup and take a boat out onto the lake to drop nitro on the Batmarine. The Dynamic Duo cut the engine, having figured out its sond is how they were being tracked, and the criminals soon leave. Guessing that the Bandits' next target is at the Natural History Museum, Batman and Robin don diving suits and travel a series of pipes into an aquarium in the museum. After using an octopus' ink to hide their presence, Batman opens the main valve and begins flooding the room, driving the Platinum Bandits away once again.

All throughout the story, Stacy has mentioned a full-proof plan to ensure that Batman wouldn't be able to interfere with the Bandits' operation and after two defeats, he now puts it into action. The plan begins with the hijacking of a post office helicopter, which takes the gang to the Gotham Skyscraper. Their target is the Platinum Corporation's safe, which is at the top of the skyscraper. They cut the cables to the elevators and a section of the stairs, preventing the police from reaching them, as well as Batman since he can't leave the water. The Batmarine's periscope sees the Bat-Signal flashing a police code message about the situation. Despite the threat of the bends, Batman is seen leaving the Batmarine. he makes his way to the skyscraper and climbs its walls to the roof. Upon reaching the roof, Batman frees the helicopter pilot, who takes off to get the police. When the police arrive to a mostly defeated gang, they witness Batman collapse, supposedly to the bends. When an officer attempts to revive the Caped Crusader, "Batman" is revealed to be a radio-contolled robot that Batman had been working on while confined to the Batmarine. A few days later, Batman and Robin return to the surface safely, with Robin declaring that he never wants to go underwater ever again.

Thoughts: When I first got into fifties era Batman stories several years ago, I went about the internet tracking down all of the information on the era I could find. My searches eventually led me to Two Morrows publishing, where I found out that the nineteenth issue of their fantastic magazine Alter Ego was a spotlight of the life and work of Dick Sprang. Having already seen and appreciated his work, this was a no-brainer to order. The issue was full of great reminisces, interviews, and artwork. One of the pieces of art included was the splash page to this story in black and white, from the Batman From The 30's To The 70's collection. And it completely blew me away. The Batmarine in the background, the poses of the Dynamic Duo, the underwater world...spectacular. The color version looks great as well, but I think the piece really stands out in black and white. To this day, it's my favorite piece of fifties Batman artwork.

The premise of the story is a good one: Batman and Robin are trapped underwater while the criminal element still runs amok on the surface. How will they be able to continue to protect Gotham City? While the premise is good, several elements of the story stick out. The major one being the work arounds of the bends. Now I am not an expert on the bends, but my impression is that rising fast, no matter if you remain in water, will set off the symptoms. As such, the surfacing of the Batmarine to launch the net should have affected Batman and Robin. Even though they remained in water, the Duo's journey to the museum aquarium should have affected them as well. I liked the two ongoing mysteries, of Stacy's plan and what Batman was building, but Batman's ability to build a robot is unnecessarily suspect. If the Batmarine was presented as an already prepped bat-vehicle, I wouldn't bat an eye at Batman being able to build a robot. But the Batmarine was a normal submarine with a bat symbol painted on the front, not stocked with Batman's normal assortment of gadgets. Of course, comics have to be approached with a suspension of disbelief. Comics during the fifties were written with an eight year old audience in mind, not with the intention of being scrutinized years later. As such, I can still enjoy the story while these inconsistencies jump out at me while reading.

Considering my comments about the splash page, you can probably tell how I feel about the art. As usual, it's great work from Sprang, especially in the underwater scenes. The diving suits and Batmarine are well drawn, along with the various sea creatures. Sprang could have just drawn the underwater landscapes, but instead he puts at least one fish in almost all of the underwater panels, further adding to the undersea feel. Stacy's character design is great, with his head literally slanted at an angle. I had half a thought that he might be an homage to the villains in Dick Tracy's rogues gallery. Sprang's art also provides a bit of hilarity at the end, in the facial expression of the police officer who discovers the Batman robot.

In the Alter Ego I mentioned, there was an anecdote from Sprang noting that he would have liked to see the Batmarine worked into more stories. I agree, as it's a Bat-Vehicle that had a lot of potential for more voyages during the fifties.

This story was later retitled "The Underseas Batman!" and has been reprinted in Batman Annual #2, Batman From The 30's To The 70's HC, and DC Comics Classics Library: Batman - The Annuals Volume 1 HC.

"The Bat-Mite Hero"

Issue: Batman #161

Cover Date: February 1964

Writer: ? (Presumably Bill Finger)

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: One day, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are watching a baseball game at Gotham Stadium. During the seventh inning stretch, the pair make their way to the concession stand and overhear a stick up happening in the cashier booth. One costume change later and the Dynamic Duo appear on the scene to apprehend the thieves. Unbeknownst to Batman and Robin, Bat-Mite has also been watching the game and sees the opportunity to start a baseball game of his own. As the thieves run onto the field, Bat-Mite creates a fence around the diamond out of baseball bats, forcing the thieves to run the bases. After Batman cuts them off at third base and knocks them out, he reprimands Bat-Mite for treating crime fighting like a game and tells him to find another hero.

Bat-Mite decides to take Batman's advice and sets out to make his own hero. He dresses the first person he meets in the costume of The Bat-Mite Hero, which is red with a cape and a Bat-Mite head chest emblem. The next day, Bat-Mite and his new hero attempt to show up Batman and Robin when they try to capture the Human Fly Bandits. Things do not go as planned as the Bat-Mite Hero loses his balance on a ledge after a Bat-Mite magic carpet ride. Batman saves Bat-Mite's Hero, the Human Fly Bandits are caught by the police, and Bat-Mite sets off to find a more athletic Hero than his hasty first choice. Bat-Mite finds such a hero in a wrestler named the Blond Bombshell. This Bat-Mite Hero proves to be more successful than the previous one, knocking out three crooks and taking them to the police in their car turned flying horse drawn chariot by Bat-Mite. This proves to do more harm than good as Batman and Robin had planned on following them to their hideout.

Bat-Mite is once again without a Hero, but Batman and Robin find a clue in the clay on one of the crook's shoes. That night, Bat-Mite is walking on the street when he's approached by a man named Frank Collins. Collins has a potential Hero candidate for Bat-Mite, who is a former Olympic champion, college graduate, and is now working as a private detective. Bat-Mite is impressed by Bill Strong's credentials and makes him the third Bat-Mite Hero. The next day finds Batman and Robin pursuing criminals at the Clean-All soap factory. Bat-Mite and his Hero are also present, with the Mite surrounding the criminals with a bubble and the Hero tossing them in a barrel like a basketball (the Hero even remarks that he won a decathlon medal in basketball). The Hero prepares to take the criminals to the police when Batman declares him an imposter. Bat-Mite at first trips up the Dynamic Duo, but after realizing the Hero released the criminals, he allows Batman and Robin to knock them out. Batman explains that the decathlon mention was the tip off, as there is no basketball event in a decathlon, and that Collins masterminded the robbery. Bat-Mite asks for Batman's forgiveness, and he grants it on the condition that Bat-Mite returns to his home dimension. He obliges, leaving with the words, "So long...for awhile...I'll be back!"

Thoughts: Week one of Bat-Mite month comes to a close, and Bat-Mite's final words couldn't be more apt. "The Bat-Mite Hero" was the final appearance of Bat-Mite in the Batman titles during the Silver Age. It was also the third to last Batman story in the Jack Schiff era before the "New Look" Batman made his debut. With the editorial change so close, I wouldn't be surprised if Bat-Mite's last words were intentional written to seve as his farewell, as the "New Look" movement did away with the Batman Family outside of Batman and Robin. It's also a somewhat fitting story for Bat-Mite's last. He spends the entire story trying to create his own hero, but in the end, he's still Batman's #1 fan.

Bat-Mite's first appearance in the story is particularly interesting as he is watching the baseball game before Batman and Robin appear, instead of popping up as soon as they begin crime fighting like he usually does. Bat-Mite's use of his magical powers are also some of the most fun in all his stories. A fence made of baseball bats, a car turned into a horse drawn chariot that can fly, and the guns of criminals being turned into water pistols. The chariot scene is my favorite in the issue, not because of the chariot, but because we see Batman and Robin flying their rarely seen Whirly Bats. Speaking of Batman and Robin, it was nice to see some classic detective work in the clay that fell off of the criminal's shoe. Of course, Robin knows it came from Gotham Canyon just by looking at it, but that's just how detective skills worked in the Silver Age. On one last interesting note, the splash page of "The Bat-Mite Hero" is identical to the issue's cover except for some changes in dialogue. Unfortunately, this story has not been reprinted, but if you can get a reader copy at a good price, I definitely recommend it. It's a fun and fitting final Silver Age story for one of the most famous members of the Jack Schiff era Batman family.

"Batwoman's Publicity Agent"

Issue: Batman #133

Cover Date: August 1960

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Sheldon Moldoff

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: Batman and Robin arrive at the Gotham Railroad Terminal in time to see Batwoman pushed over a balcony by a group of crooks. The Dynamic Duo are too far away to break her fall in time and fear for the worst, when suddenly she stops in mid air. She bounces off an information booth into the crooks, a feat which is photographed by a reporter. After the crooks are taken away by the police, the reporter asks Batwoman how she managed it. Batwoman explains that she felt an invisible force guiding her, which a voice claims credit for. That voice of course belongs to Bat-Mite, who explains to the reporter where he comes from and how he sometimes appears to help the Batman family fight crime.

Bat-Mite goes on to tell the group that since Batman has Robin to assist him, Bat-Mite is going to become Batwoman's partner. The reporter finds this to be a big story, but Batwoman isn't so sure about the idea. She reminds Bat-Mite of all the times he had "fun" that only resulted in trouble for the Batman Family. Bat-Mite promises to behave himself, Batwoman relents, and Batman and Robin tell her in unison that she'll be sorry. The next night, while Batman and Robin capture a pair of crooks robbing a camera company, Batwoman pursues a pair of crooks of her own to a mountain pass. They seem to escape on a monorail, but then Bat-Mite removes the tires on Batwoman's Bat-Cycle and gives her the balance to the monorail cable to the crooks. Bat-Mite helps Batwoman again the following night, knocking out a group of criminals with a supersized fist. After these cases, Robin believes that they were wrong about Bat-Mite's intentions, but Batman isn't so sure.

Batman's intuition proves accurate, as a kiss on the cheek for keeping his promise from Batwoman sends Bat-Mite head over heels in love. In order to prove his love, he decides to help her become the greatest crime fighter of all time. Finding a shoe left behind by member of a bank robbing gang, he enlists Ace The Bat-Hound to follow the scent to the gang's hideout. Bat-Mite tips off Batwoman, but no sooner does she arrive than so do the Dynamic Duo following their own lead. With Batman and Robin there too, the gang will be caught in no time at all, so Bat-Mite decides to prolong the fight by shrinking everyone. The Batman Family and the gang fight among and using now gigantic tools, until Bat-Mite knocks down the Family after accidently jumping on a fireplace bellows. The bank robbers make a break for the door, but are stopped in their tracks by the normal sized Ace The Bat-Hound. After Batman ties up the crooks and he, Robin, and Batwoman are returned to their normal size, Bat-Mite suddenly remembers it was time he went home. With a pop he returns to his home dimension, leaving Batwoman to wonder when they'll see him again.

Thoughts: Bat-Mite Month has officially begun and we're kicking off with one of my favorite Bat-Mite stories. There are a lot of things to like about this story, starting with the cover, which promises that almost the entire Batman Family will make an appearance in one of the issue's stories. When Bat-Mite first appears, Batman has a flashback to their first meeting in Detective Comics #267. This creates a sense of continuity, which was not as a prevelant in the Silver Age as it is today. The presence of the reporter also makes Bat-Mite's existence public knowledge, when up until this story, Batman had been explaining away Bat-Mite's magical feats. That's a lot of continuity for a ten page DC Silver Age story. It's nice to see so many members of the Batman Family together for a story, although Batwoman is not shown in the best light (getting pushed over a balcony by common criminals). Unfortunately, this is just a product of the times. The oddest moment in the story is Batman's threat to spank Bat-Mite after he returns to normal size. I guess when you think about it, what else would you be able to do to an imp from another dimension?

Of course the star of the issue is Bat-Mite. Bat-Mite's efforts to genuinely help instead of having his usual "fun" was a nice change of pace. Out of all his magical powers in this issue, the supersized fist is my favorite. You can just imagine the crooks not expecting much from the imp when suddenly his fist grows and they find themselves down for the count. The panel with Bat-Mite skipping, hearts surrounding his head after Batwoman's kiss is priceless. Of course, Bat-Mite returns to his usual "fun" ways of helping Batman. In this case, he ends up undoing his own fun, as the Bat-Hound he rode in on stops the crooks from leaving. With continuity nods, Bat-Mite skipping, and an attempt by the imp to go straight, this Bat-Mite story has it all.

This story has been reprinted in Batman Annual #7.

"Batman - The Superman of Planet X!"

Issue: Batman #113

Cover Date: February 1958

Writer: France Herron

Penciller: Dick Sprang

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: One evening, Bruce Wayne finds himself compelled to don his Batman costume. Puzzled as to why he is going on patrol without Robin, he flies off in the Bat-Plane unsure of where he's going. Suddenly, Batman's head begins to spin, and a moment later, he finds himself no longer in the Bat-Plane. A voice welcomes Batman and reveals to him that he is on the planet Zur-En-Arrh. Batman gains his bearings and comes face to face with another Batman clad in red, yellow, and purple. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh informs Batman that his planet needs Batman's help and relates how he was inspired to become a costumed hero for his world after observing Batman's heroism with a powerful

telescope.

After a tour of the Batcave of Zur-En-Arrh, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh shows Batman the Bat-Radia, which "issues electronic molecules that cause controlled disturbances in the atmosphere." With introductions out of the way, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh tells of invaders approaching Zur-En-Arrh, prompting Batman to ask how he can help when even the technology of Zur-En-Arrh is not enough. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh then fires a ray gun at Batman, and to the Caped Crusader's surprise, the bullets bounce off of him. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh tells him that because of Earth's elements, Batman gains super powers on the planet. Batman finds that he can bend metal and fly, remarking that he has become just like Superman on Earth.

Batman finds out about his super-powers not a moment too soon, as the alien invasion of Zur-En-Arrh begins. The invaders fire nuclear orbs from cannons at the planet, but Batman hits them away with the wreckage of one of the cannons. Batman then flys at the invaders to attack them head on, but is surprised when they suddenly turn invisible. They reappear, but only long enough to reveal an army giant robots. The pair of Batmen seem outmatched until the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh acts on a hunch that the Bat-Radia would disrupt the electrical force that caused the invaders' invisibility. The hunch pays off, and the invaders flee from the planet after Batman lassoes the robots with a Super-Batman made length of wire. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh thanks Batman for his help and offers him the Bat-Radia to place in his trophy room. Batman then finds himself back in the Bat-Plane and wonders if his adventure on Zur-En-Arrh actually happened. The answer? Well...I'll let Batman tell you:

Thoughts: This is one of my favorite fifties Batman stories, even before the recent "R.I.P." arc in Batman. Right off the bat (no pun intended), you have great art by Dick Sprang. You gotta dig the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh's costume and the amount of detail put into the Bat-Radia when it first appears. I've mentioned a number of times on here already how much I like Sprang's art, but I don't think you can praise his work enough. He's as definitive a Batman artist as Neal Adams in my mind.

Dick Sprang's great art is also accompanied by a great story. You've got aliens, robots, and a Super-Batman; what more could you ask for in a Silver Age story? I always get a kick out of seeing Batman team up with whatever alternate Batmen the writers of the fifties could come up with and the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is one of the best. There's no question that Batman's one of the greatest super heroes when aliens are inspired by him to don a suit of their own. Batman gained a number of powers during the late fifties and early sixties, and I'm sure he gained Superman's a couple of times. But playing golf with nuclear orbs? That had to have been a first.

This story has been reprinted twice in the past and is set to be reprinted a third time in the upcoming Batman: The Black Casebook trade paperback. Whether you're a fifties Batman fan or interested in reading the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh's first appearance after reading "Batman R.I.P.", "Batman - The Superman of Planet X!" is a must read.

This story has been reprinted in Batman Annual #2 and the Batman In The Fifties TPB.

"The Winged Bat-People"

Issue: Batman #116

Cover Date: June 1958

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: The planes of Gotham's weather bureau are unable to analyze the eye of a hurrican due to too much turbulence, but luckily, the city has a crime fighter with a plane tough enough to get the job done. When Batman activates the Bat-Plane's reserve jets to battle the fierce winds, he and Robin are surprisingly transported to another dimension. They barely have time to realize what has happened when they are captured by Romanesque soldiers, the leader of which mentioning that they were warned of an attack by "the Bat-People". Batman and Robin are taken before the soldiers' Queen for sentencing, where we find out that the Queen's minister Arko had warned of the Bat-People attack. While the Queen sees Batman and Robin as proof that rumors of Arko being a traitor were false, his thought balloon reveals that his report was a false one. Before Batman and Robin can be taken to the dungeons, the castle is attacked by the aforementioned Bat-People.

The Bat-People are taken down by Batman's batarang, his left hook, and the Bat-Plane's engine. Batman gains the Queen's trust and proposes they, along with Robin and Arko, journey to the Bat-People's territory. Arko declines, saying he has state business, so the soldier who had captured the Dynamic Duo goes in his place. While flying over the chasm that seperates the two territories in the Bat-Plane, they are attacked by a flaming net courtesy of the Bat-People, confirming that Arko was a traitor. They return to find that Arko has taken over the palace, but he and his allies are no match for Batman and Robin. Upon capture, Arko reveals that the Bat-People are on their way to launch a full scale attack. Batman is unafraid of the attack, having deduced that the chasm seperating the two territories contained a coal vein; a coal vein that is now producing updrafts of hot air due to the flaming net. Batman and Robin set the vein aflame using the jets from their Bat-Plane, producing an explosion that propels them back to their dimension.

Thoughts: One of the notable aspects of Batman in the fifties is the amount of story output. While Detective Comics always contained one Batman story, the number of stories in the Batman title changed throughout it's publication. There were usually four stories during the forties, three during the fifties, and two during the early sixties. By the time Batmania hit in '66, Batman was down to the single, full length story of a standard comic book. While the fifties tales were only 8 to 12 pages, it's amazing how much story was packed into each, especially compared to the current trend of decompression. While some stories could have used a few more pages, most of them were able to tell a solid, interesting story in the space given. And with 36 Batman stories being published each year by 1954 (not counting World's Finest), who can complain about a clunker here and there?

"The Winged Bat-People" is undoubtably a late fifties story, with its use of strange creatures and alternate dimensions. With what we know now of the DC universe, I like to think of this dimension as one of the infinite earths prior to the Crisis, where Batman is instead a race of Bat-People. There were several touches to this story that made me chuckle, one of them being that the Bat-Plane was able to break the sound barrier "at a speed ten times greater than was ever thought possible" and travel to alternate dimensions. I actually wish this concept had become the Professor Carter Nichols of the late fifties, with Batman and Robin using the Bat-Plane to travel to other alternate dimensions. The ending of the story is patricularly great, with Dick mentioning to Bruce that the Queen likely thinks they're dead. When Bruce says it is for the best and Dick inquires why, Bruce responds that if she still thought Batman was alive, the Queen would pine for him and never marry the soldier who was infatuated with her. There you have it: Bruce Wayne isn't the mask, Batman is. (And to Bill Finger's credit, the Queen-Soldier romance wasn't random; there are two panels in the story that do imply it).

There are fun moments and good action in this story, but as always, there are also a few questions. Can four normal soldiers haul the Bat-Plane across a desert? Where is the catapult on the Bat-Plane that allows Batman to leap over the castle walls during the coup? How bad a ruler is the Queen if her palace minister can stage a coup in an afternoon? And if said minister can stage a coup in an afternoon, why would he tell his enemies to launch a full-scale attack on the castle? And how does the palace minister communicate with these winged creatures anyhow? While it does raise a lot of questions and is an example of a fifties story suffering a bit from the low page count, it is still worth seeking out for a zany Batman yarn.

This story has been reprinted in Eighty Page Giant #12.

"The Interplanetary Batman"

Issue: Batman #128

Cover Date: December 1959

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Sheldon Moldoff

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: Batman and Robin are driving on a country road when they hear a cry for help coming from some bushes. Driving in their direction, Batman and Robin are surprised to discover that it was an alien calling for their assistance. A group of another species of alien attack the alien that had called out to the Dynamic Duo and Batman and Robin defend him. One of the aliens uses a space gun to paralyze Batman, Robin, and the alien they were protecting, and reveals that the alien is really Kraak, a notorious space pirate. Batman and Robin are taken along with Kraak to the aliens' prison planet, Ergon, and thrown in a cell. Robin tells the alien jailer that he and Batman are innocent, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.

Batman and Robin get into a scuffle with Kraak before they are taken away for questioning. Batman and Robin later return to the cell, crestfallen that their statements of innocence were not believed. Kraak tells them that the only way they could escape is through the Forest of Peril, which is so perilous that it is not guarded. After Batman reveals he has the means to escape, Kraak offers a share of his loot in exchange for an alliance and Batman and Robin agree. After escaping from their cell via acid from Batman's utility belt, the trio make their way through the Forest of Peril. They encounter the police's robot trackers and alien creatures including a swamp amoeba and a ram-beast, but survive to make it to a space cruiser. After landing on Kraak's asteroid hideout, Batman and Robin are ambushed by some of Kraak's men. In true villain fashion, Kraak never intended to help the Dynamic Duo. They hold Kraak and his men off until the Ergon police arrive, as Batman and Robin had earned their trust and been purposefully allowed them to escape so that they could lead the police to Kraak's hideout.

Thoughts: This is another one of those fifties tales that must've made a kid's imagination go wild. You've got Batman fighting crime in outer space...all sorts of crazy aliens and creatures...it's purely a story that is meant to entertain. While it does take place on a far off world, we still see Batman using his intellect to solve problems he encounters. Kraak tells him of two space plants, melons filled with honey and pods filled with pepper. Batman uses this knowledge to his advantage, using the honey from the melons to attract bugs that stop the robot trackers and pocketing some pepper pods to fend off Kraak's henchmen later on. This is a nice touch that reminds the reader that while Batman may be out of his element, he's as resourceful as ever. While Batman uses his brains, he also uses his brawn, resulting in my favorite line from the issue: "You may be strong Kraak, but you don't know a thing about judo!". Another of my favorite aspects about the story is the cover; the expression on the alien's face cracks me up for some reason. "The Interplanetary Batman" is a quick read, but is also a lot of fun and represents what the fifties era Batman was all about.

This story has been reprinted in Eighty Page Giant #12 and the Batman in The Fifties TPB.

"The Crazy Crime Clown!"

Issue: Batman #74

Cover Date: December/January 1952/1953

Writer: Alvin Schwartz

Penciller: Dick Sprang

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Win Mortimer

Synopsis: One evening on the way to an opera, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson see a woman getting grabbed and disappearing into the dense fog filling the night. The laughter that follows tells Bruce and Dick that The Joker has struck and they run after him. Using the cover of the fog to change into Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo come upon the woman, who has fainted and is missing her jewels. The fact that the woman's jewels is curious in that it's common knowledge that due to financial hardship, her jewels are fake. The Joker continues to rob worthless objects, stealing wooden coins painted gold from a bank and cutting out a Mona Lisa from a billboard. Batman and Robin are bewildered by the nature of The Joker's crimes and become even more so when The Joker is arrested at police headquarters trying to deposit his worthless items as if he were at a bank! At Joker's trial, a psychologist's report convinces the judge to sentence The Joker to an insane asylum, which gives Batman an idea as to why The Joker has been committing such crazy crimes.

As it turns out, a bank clerk who can't remember where he hid the $1,000,000 he embezzled is at the same asylum The Joker as been sentenced to. The reason for The Joker's crimes now made clear, Batman goes undercover as a mind reader to expose The Joker's plan. At the insane asylum he meets a number of delusional individuals, including men who think they're Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, and even Batman. Though "Minos" is able to flip a man who believes himself to be a prize wrestler over his head, The Joker is not convinced of his mind reading abilities. The Joker's view is changed when "Minos" is able to read the bank clerk's mind and discover the hiding place of the embezzled money (in actuality, the location where Robin is lying in wait to capture The Joker). The Joker whispers to "Minos" that he plans on breaking out the night and he is welcome to join him, causing Batman to think he has The Joker trapped. The tables are turned on Batman however, when The Joker knocks him out, puts him in a straight jacket, locks him in a padded room that's filling with water (via a hose), and reveals to him that he knew something was fishy because the clerk had revealed the location of the hidden money in his sleep the night before. He even has the Batman costume that was hidden under Bruce's mind reader disguise.

As The Joker makes his escape down the asylum wall, he hears someone mentioning to Batman that he can still catch The Joker if he hurries. Confused, The Joker returns to the room and finds none other than Bruce Wayne (Bruce having discarded his mind reader outfit in the water). The Joker thinks he's actually crazy until he sees the ventilator and realizes Bruce called down it to fool him. He then makes the next logical conclusion and shouts in triumph that he has discovered Batman's identity, when Batman looks in through the room's window! He leaps at Bruce, who pointed out he must be the fake Batman, as The Joker starts to lose his head. Robin swings through the window and knocks out The Joker, who after the two Batmen is happy to be taken into custody. Batman then jumps at Robin having not called for him and Bruce tells him to watch out. Later in in the office of the director of the insane asylum, it's revealed that Joker's removal of Batman's utility belt sent a distress signal to Robin and Bruce's yell down the ventilator attracted the inmate who believed he was Batman. The story ends with the Batman inmate cured due to a collison with The Joker (he has no memory of Batman's identity) and The Joker revealing the location of the embezzled money to prove to himself that he was sane after seeing two Batmen.

Thoughts: The first item of note is the characterization of The Joker. In his earliest appearances, you would expect for there to be a few bodies by the end of a Joker story. As time passed however (and by the mid 1950's, due to the Comics Code Authority) The Joker drifted further and further away from his murderous plans and instead committed to ones with a commical gimmick. In this story we see him steal worthless objects to be deemed insane so that he can discover the location of some hidden money. While a thought out plan, it's much less sinister than his earliest capers that usually involved poisoning people with Joker toxin. For example, when a policeman catches Joker stealing the wooden coins, The Joker stops him with quick drying plastic. If The Joker from the forties had been caught, the policeman wouldn't have lived long enough to recount his story.

There are a number of good parts in the story. When trying to deduce the motive behind The Joker's crimes, we see that part of the trophy collection within the Batcave is made up of trophies of past Joker crimes that Batman and Robin can study for a connection. Bruce's disguise as "Minos The Mind Reader" is a nice instance of Batman's detective skills coming into play. And of course, the mind games Bruce plays with The Joker concerning whose identity is whose which get even better when the fake Batman joins in. While there are a lot of fun moments, there are also several flaws in the story, all of which concern Batman in his disguise. One has to wonder why The Joker wouldn't question how a mind reader can flip a man with the stature of a wrestler with his feet. That should have been the moment that raises the red flag that "Minos" wasn't who he said he was. Instead, Bruce's phony location of the hidden money is what causes The Joker to become suspicious. This would be a logical connection to make, except for the fact that since Bruce is posing as a new member to the asylum, The Joker should just brush him off as another delusional inmate. Finally, if The Joker removed the Batman costume from under Bruce's mind reader disguise, wouldn't he also remove the makeup and turban?

As always, Dick Sprang provides some excellent artwork. His Joker is rather distinct, with the cheeks pushed out so far that when The Joker smiles they form a triangle with his chin. He draws a great Joker grin too, along with his other facial expressions ranging from surprise to confusion to full on crazy. In my opinion, the best and most hilarious moment in the story is not even in the story itself, it's the opening splash page. The scene is a beach. In the background we see Batman and Robin with looks of surprise on their faces. In front of them, a crying child weeps to the Dynamic Duo, "Baw! The Joker stole my mud-pies Batman!". In the foreground we see The Joker, sitting in the sand, crazy grin on his face, making mud-pies and exclaiming, "Mud-pies! Hundreds of mud-pies! And they're all mine! Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!". Sprang executes it perfectly and it's absolutely hilarious. On a final art note, it's interesting that a story in the issue other than The Joker story was chosen as the subject for the cover.

This story has been reprinted in The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told (1988) TPB and HC and the Stacked Deck HC.

"Rip Van Batman"

Issue: Batman #119

Cover Date: October 1958

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Charles Paris

Cover Artist: Curt Swan

Synopsis: The story opens with Batman and Robin on the trail of a criminal, Al Hackett. Narrowing down his potential hiding places to two locations, Batman and Robin split up. While investigating his lodge, Batman is exposed to an aroma emanating from an exotic plant in Hackett's greenhouse. Batman stumbles from the greenhouse and rolls down a slope, landing beside a pond. Time passes and Batman awakes feeling groggy and stiff. Thinking he'll feel better if he splashes some water on his face, Batman leans over the pond and sees a wrinkled and bearded face looking back at him, coming to the conclsion that he's been asleep for many years.

Batman makes his way to Gotham city and finds it to be quite different from the Gotham he remembers, with more skyscrapers and flying cars. After a pair of kids laugh at Batman for being an "old timer in a Batman suit", they point out to him the real Batman, who Bruce realizes is an older Dick Grayson who has a ward of his own fighting as Robin the Boy Wonder. After seeing Dick and his ward defeat a group of criminals, Batman runs up to him glad to see a familiar face, but Dick also dismisses him as an old timer in a Batman costume. Batman attempts to prove he's the original by meeting Dick at Wayne Manor, but finds it and the Bat Cave in ruins. He then tries to talk to Commissioner Gordon, but discovers that he's been retired and living in Hawaii for ten years. Batman walks past a statue erected in his honor, lamenting that everything from the life he knew is gone.

While passing by a planetarium, Batman overhears criminals talking about stealing jewels that were found on the moon. Seeing that Dick and the future Robin have been tied up, Batman attempts to get the jump on the criminals, but is too stiff in his old age to perform his usual acrobatics. Batman is tied up, but using a flashlight from his utility belt and a moon scorpion, he is able to scare away the criminals. He then breaks a microscope lens in his utility belt to free himself, Dick, and the future Robin from their bonds. After this display, Dick is convinced that the old Batman is indeed the real Batman and the trio team up to take down the crooks. After the criminals are rounded up, Batman feels faint and finds himself being shaken awake by Robin. It turns out that the plant's aroma did have an effect on Batman, but instead of causing him to sleep for decades, they made him hallucinate that he was Rip Van Batman.

Thoughts: Imaginary stories were all the rage in the Silver Age and this story follows in a similar vein. It's interesting to see what the future might have been without Bruce. In this case, Dick has taken on the mantle of Batman and presumably taken in a ward in the same state Dick was when Bruce took him in. It's never stated how far into the future the story takes place, but when you have flying cars and jewels and scorpions on the moon, time isn't an issue. Ah, the fifties.

My favorite scene in the story is probably when Batman first saw the future Dick Grayson in action as Batman. His comments of "Give him the old right hook!" and "It makes me feel wonderful to see Dick carrying on the old tradition!" really drive home the father/son relationship between Bruce and Dick and conveys how proud Bruce is of him. That makes the subsequent scenes all the sadder: Dick not believing Bruce is who he says he is, Batman seeing the state the manor and cave are in, Batman discovering Commissioner Gordon retired...this is not the usually sunny Batman the fifties is known for.

Sheldon Moldoff provides some fine fifities Batman art in this story. I know a lot of people aren't huge fans of Mr. Moldoff's art, but I quite like it. His art, along with Dick Sprang's, are as much the fifties Batman as the aliens and Bat-Hounds are. Regardless of your preference for his art, you have to give him and his frequent inkers Stan Kaye and Charles Paris credit for the amount of art they produced. It seems you can't run into a Batman comic after a certain point in the fifties and not see his art in at least one story, some times all three in the Batman title. His bearded Batman is an amusing image throughout the story and has to make you crack a smile at least once.

Overall, this is a fun imaginary story worth checking out for some nice father/son moments, a more serious fifties Batman, and Batman sporting a beard.

This story was reprinted in Batman Annual #5.