Batman Family #19 (September 1978)
Batman: "The Tomb of the White Bat!"
Script: Denny O'Neil
Pencils: Michael Golden
Inks: Craig Russell
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Letters: Ben Oda
Grade: B-
Another story that O'Neil doesn't seem to take all that seriously. While he avoids the tongue in cheek humor he employed in the previous issue, he sets up two critical mysteries in parallel in this story, and then only attempts to answer one of them. So we know who was trying to kill the visiting dignitary, but as to the truth behind the "white bat" legend the mountain locals subscribe to (which only loosely intersects with the other plot), I guess he's just real and really does telepathically manipulate the locals to do his bidding. Denny's just going to end the story there.
Fortunately, the art is in its own class and easily makes up for the deficiencies in the story. Michael Golden continues to be a blessing (though I maintain his faces still look too cartoony):
And now we have P. Craig Russell inking him! Holy geez, is it glorious! It almost looks like the benday dots are having a panic attack trying to keep up with the nuances in his inking:
While I'm used to seeing this kind of work in a Warren horror book, I'm not sure any of the mainstream comics of the time period were trying anything this bold with their inking. Inevitably, I welcome any corrections in response to this recklessly considered half-assertion.
Batgirl: "The Sino-Supermen"
Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Juan Ortiz
Inks: Vince Colletta
Colors: Jerry Serpe
Letters: Todd Klein
Grade: C-
No Madame Zodiac this time around. Instead, Rozakis keeps trying to bring Batgirl's superhero work in closer alignment with her government work. So, while he continues to take zero interest in Babs' life as a congresswoman, he does take an interest in her top secret clearance and a potential arms war with China to develop better superheroes.
It's actually a decent idea, even if it's handled clumsily. But, most important of all, it allows Rozakis to return to a plot point I thought we'd never see again:
Tony Gordon was last seen in
Batman Family #12 (one of Rozakis' better stories), and I honestly never expected to see him again.
But it was admittedly a little hard to focus on these other aspects of the story, as Juan Ortiz's work became...well...
distracting throughout this issue. I argued last issue how I felt this feature had lost the important focus Elliot S! Maggin had given it in the beginning -- a feature starring a strong woman breaking through the glass ceiling and calling her own shots. Not only is Rozakis utterly unconcerned with that, but Ortiz clearly just wants to explore Babs' (ahem)
other qualities, and it's getting out of hand.
So many images are unnecessarily sexy, often with Batgirl striking a pose that doesn't make sense for the scene, chest thrust out for no apparent reason. In fact, just watch how much Babs' chest grows across the first few pages of this story:
Page 1:
Page 2:
Page 3:
It's worse than Powergirl!
Robin: "The Crime Rate Is Earth-Shaking!"
Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Juan Ortiz
Inks: Bruce Patterson
Colors: Jerry Serpe
Letters: Jean Simek
Grade: D+
What begins as a grounded, bad-guys-in-plain-clothes-with-understandable-motives adventure (much as Rozakis served up for Robin last issue), we start seeing things change late in the story, suggesting Milgrom has loosened the reigns on good 'ol Bob. It takes until nearly the end of the story but, sure enough, we get a new costumed villain who comes out of nowhere for no express purpose in a story that was otherwise feeling totally grounded in reality:
And, at the end of the issue, apparently the Batgirl/Robin team-ups are back in business:
To be continued...After two issues of being held in check, Rozakis seems to be getting his way with these features once again.
Speaking of which, we get a full page set-up for Harlequin's then-anticipated solo feature:
And the letter column goes on to mention that
Of course, DC had BIG plans for expansion as of this issue:
Man-Bat: "The Once and Future Man-Bat"
Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Danny Bulanadi
Inks: Romeo Tanghal
Colors: Mario Sen
Letters: Clem Robins
Grade: D+
Whereas last issue was rich with extensive soul-searching, this one just tidies everything back up again. Sure, Kirk's wife was Man-Bat, and she was somehow doing it subconsciously, but I guess it's all over now (somehow):
And, somehow, in some way that never gets explained, this has convinced Kirk to continue being Man-Bat after all:
That's pretty much the whole story.
The Huntress: "Gotham Town Is Burning Down!"
Script: Paul Levitz
Pencils: Joe Staton
Inks: Bob Layton
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Letters: Jean Simek
Grade: A
Ah, the true gem of this title right now, even if we're about to lose it:
Damn you, DC Implosion.This feature is firing on all cylinders right now as we watch our young heroine work through fear and uncertainty, both as a woman in the corporate world:
and as a new vigilante that Levitz isn't afraid to show failing as often as she is succeeding:
And it isn't for lack of preparation. I adore Helena's version of the Bat Cave, hidden in plain sight:
Still, she's new at this and uncertain of herself. And watching her fail is so utterly powerful:
The mystery at the core of all this, in which (it is finally revealed) a wealthy politician is burning down South Gotham in order get Federal Funds for reconstruction, is clever and compelling too, but it's Levitz' characterization of The Huntress that is the true heart of this feature right now.
