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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 19:53:05 GMT -5
  This issue had 3 new pages framing a reprint of "The House That Haunted Batman" From Tec #408. Len Wein was now the writer & Dick Giordano was the new inker. Basically the 3 new pages showed Thorne in a padded cell being questioned by Batman & Gordon. It also showed a brief glimpse of a new Clayface that would be in the next issue. |
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Post by MDG on Jul 27, 2016 8:01:30 GMT -5
I think I've included this run in any of the Christmas lists that it would fit in, so not much to add, except:
As mentioned in the Stern/Byrne Capt. America thread, this is another example of the perfect combination of writer, artists, and character. It's also a perfect use of a year-long story arc that introduces and resolves its subplots while providing satisfying individual issues.
The copyright office guy is based (visually) on Julie Schwartz.
In light of the trend in superhero movies, thinking about this run now, it's interesting that all of the conflicts are pretty low-stakes. The world, or even Gotham, isn't going to blow up if Batman fails. Hugo Strange wants Batman's identity, Penguin wants a bird, Deadshot wants revenge, the Joker wants to get rich. Most of the high-stakes emotions are personal, around Silver and Thorne.
I wish I liked Dark Detective more, but was struck with "you can't go home again" syndrome. Also, whether because his style evolved or the improvement in printing (or maybe both), Austin seemed to use crosshatching/shading where he could've used more solid blacks, which would've been more effective (personal preference).
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2016 18:59:30 GMT -5
 "The Coming of Clayface III" by Len Wein, Marshall Rogers & Dick Giordano. Wein continues some of Englehart's subplots. Batman comes across a burglary & in his frustration with losing Silver beats the stuffing out of the thieves. The police arrive & stop him before he goes too far. At STAR Labs someone has broken in & stolen some machinery. The security guard shoots at the thief breaking the machine. As the thief turns to leave he spasms in agony as "the fever" comes upon him. He turns to remove his cloak & we see the new Clayface. The guard screams in pain as Clayface grabs him with his ungloved hand. Batman returns home & vents his frustration to Alfred saying he is even thinking about giving up being Batman. But when the Bat Signal shines in the sky he leaves to meet Gordon. They investigate the murder scene where the guard is a puddle of protoplasm. Clayface has smeared the wall with "forgive me" written on it. The scene shifts to an abandoned wax museum where Clayface is eating dinner with a woman named Helena. As he talks to her he reveals that he is Preston Payne. He was born with a genetic condition that caused disfigurement. Shunned, bullied & alone he studies intently. He visits plastic surgeons but none can help him. He visits Matt Hagen (Clayface II) in prison & gets a sample of his blood. He isolates the chemical that gives Hagen his abilities & injects himself with it. The treatment works & he becomes a handsome man about town. While out with a beautiful woman his face starts to "melt" like wax & she tries to run away from Payne. When he grabs her arm she dissolves into protoplasm. He then develops an exo skeleton to contain & support his clay like flesh. When "the fever" builds he releases it at first by killing homeless people. He confesses his guilt to Helena & states she has kept him from going insane. Then it is revealed that Helena is a wax dummy. The next night Clayface goes to another lab to get more machinery (to cure him) & is stopped by Batman. Clayface subdues Batman because his exo skeleton gives him enhanced strength. As he turns to leave "the fever" hits him & he turns back towards Batman with an ungloved hand.... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2016 19:05:26 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2016 19:11:05 GMT -5
I thought Wein did a pretty good job building on Englehart's last issue. He also came up with a new twist & created a new Clayface. Rogers still continues to experiment with his layouts & storytelling. Giordano "softens" some of the angular quality that Rogers' art had. I think Giordano's inks make Batman look thinner than when Austin was inking.
One issue left... |
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Post by MDG on Jul 29, 2016 7:56:39 GMT -5
As with Deadshot, Rogers did a great job with the character design for Clayface. The single-finger gloves are a great touch.
Giordano's a good inker (and artist) but when he's over a stylized artist (Rogers, Simonson, Infantino, Toth) the result becomes "conventional."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2016 16:49:01 GMT -5
 "If A Man Be Made of Clay" by Wein, Rogers & Giordano. As Clayface moves in to touch Batman, Batman grabs an electric line & exposes Clayface's exo skeleton to the voltage. Batman then uses smoke pellets & moves up onto equipment. When the smoke clears Clayface is gone. The machinery is missing & Batman finds the Batmobile on its side with two of the wheels ripped off. Clayface drives off & crashes due to the agony he is in because he could not pass "the fever" off to Batman. He then stumbles along the road & stops an oncoming car. He kills the driver with his touch & steals the car. Interlude - Selina Kyle shows up at the Wayne Foundation building to talk to Bruce Wayne but he is not in his office. Then back to Batman who chases after Clayface on a whirly bat & then on foot. Clayface runs into a road block set up by Gordon. On the Gotham Narrows Bridge Clayface rams the car into the police cars & dives off the bridge into the water. He gets back to the wax museum & hooks up the machinery that might cure him. However Batman has followed him & unplugs the machinery. They fight & Batman removes the power pack that powers Clayface's exo skeleton. Clayface is stopped but during the fight the machinery is smashed & a fire starts. Batman takes Clayface outside but he breaks away & runs back into the burning wax museum to rescue Helena (the wax dummy from last issue). Batman attempts to go after him but the building collapses. Hours later they find no traces of Clayface in the rubble. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2016 16:58:37 GMT -5
With this issue DC raised the price to 50 cents & added an 8 page Hawkman back up. By #481 DC would make Tec a Dollar Comic & combine with The Batman Family.
With the Selina Kyle interlude it appeared that Wein expected to continue on the title but he was gone by the next issue. The Selina sub plot was never resolved.
I liked how Wein made Payne a sympathetic person who thru cruel fate had a terrible life & made some bad choices. Batman came off as being a bit mean because he was distracted by his breakup with Silver. If he had been in a better frame of mind Batman may have helped Clayface get cured.
Rogers & Giordano were a good art team but I preferred Austin's inks. If Wein & Rogers had continued on the title we would have had a Catwoman story next...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2016 17:01:47 GMT -5
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Post by Action Ace on Jul 29, 2016 17:03:25 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2016 17:16:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the link. Probably why this was Wein's last issue. The next issue felt like a fill in... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2016 20:25:08 GMT -5
I hope some of you that haven't read this run became interested enough to look for these stories. As others have said they are in a trade called "Strange Apparitions" (except the pages from #477). I had fun re-reading these stories & learned doing these reviews takes a lot of time. Now I can devote more time to reviewing my Stern/Bryne Capt America issues.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2016 15:11:17 GMT -5
Reprinted in some nice editions... Shadow of the Batman #1-5 (1985) Batman: Strange Apparitions (Trade) Legends of the Dark Knight: Marshall Rogers (Hardcover) Here is a picture from my collection...  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2016 3:55:58 GMT -5
Batman Family didn't ring to well and I was kind of sad when Detective Comics was cancelled and it's seems right to me when they did this change.
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