Writers: Lindelof, Larsen and Taylor
Artists: Lemire, Jones and Scott
Haven’t written a review in awhile but couldn’t resist after just finishing this issue. Now I know these stories were originally presented digitally and a lot of us may have read these before the new print version. I’m not a huge Batman fan but all 3 of these stories are worth mentioning. The first story is an early tale of the Batman, just 6 months into his vigilante career. Everyone has a learning curve even Batman as is effectively shown in this story with a large contribution from Alfred. Without giving spoilers, things are not always what they seem. The second story only needs 2 words – Bat-Shark Repellant. If that isn’t enough to draw someone in, the artwork by J.G. Jones is worth the look. The final tale I found most entertaining. Batman seems pretty busy most of the time with his colorful rogues gallery and assorted superhero team-ups but still finds time to address the things that seem to really matter to him on a much smaller scale. Preventative measures to stop a crime before it occurs would not seem to be a high priority for Batman since he’s always reacting to the latest caper by a villian or crisis but his mind for detail makes the detective a much more complete hero. Not by solving everyone’s problems but by pointing out that we can “Work it out” if it truly is important. If I gave out stars or ratings this would be a 5 out of 5. Maybe it’s because of the smaller page count that makes the creators get to the point with less fluff or maybe we all have a great Batman story inside of us that just needed to get out. Whatever the case, bravo Bat-Folks!
Good job, couple of potnis:1. I always assumed that was Hirohito on the cover of Batman #18, but it’s far more likely it was Tojo.2. Riddler had two appearances in the GA.3. Killer Moth had three.4. I have always assumed that DC reached some sort of agreement with the CCA on the villains. Basically Batman and Superman got to keep one of their major villains. The only time any other prior recurring villain other than those two appeared between the establishment of the CCA was the Penguin story in Batman #99.5. Batman did not go monthly until well after the Silver Age. He did go to 8 times a year in the mid-50s, which I assume that you have read.6. There were terrific and famous stories in the Sunday Strips, including the Penguin story where his name was first given as Oswald Cobblepot. Some of these were reprinted in the Batman Annuals around 1965-69. The Sunday strip book is excellent although the binding on mine was pretty crappy.