Statute of Limitations on spoilers is 10 years.

Rosebud is a sled!

Batman Family #11 (June 1977)



"Till Death Do Us Part!"

Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Curt Swan
Inks: Vince Colletta
Colors: Jerry Serpe
Letters: ?

grade: B-

It may be, by far, the most entertaining cover we've yet seen for this series (love the custom-made Batxedo and Batgown), but the story within is far more of a stretch. The entire wedding is a completely unnecessary and illogical ruse concocted out of left field by Batgirl and Robin to capture bad guys, they don't even wear those cool cover outfits, and the plot is so half-assed that we have to get a full page of explanations at the close that feels extremely campy and awkward...even for Rozakis:



That being said, there was a lot of good to be found outside of that mess of a plot. For one, Curt Swan is back, and while his pencils still feel a little throwback for my sensibilities, he tries a LOT harder this time with some truly impressive action sequences that do an outstanding job of depicting time and motion:



...even if Batgirl's face in that final panel looks damn awkward.

And do we attribute this issue's cool visual introduction of the team-up to Swan, or was that an editor's call?




Additionally, Robin has been cracking really terrible, awkwardly timed jokes in the pages of Teen Titans since issue #46, and Rozakis finally takes time to explain what that's been about:



It's an extremely awkward and poorly executed attempt at characterization, but I at least appreciate the effort, as well as the consistency across titles.

Speaking of which, Rozakis can't pass up a chance to make a continuity reference to a past issue of Batman Family, so here it is in this story:



The organization is toppled by the end of the story, but at least Bob got a chance to reference a past issue.


But Rozakis does do one thing I truly appreciate in this story, and it flies in the face of everything he's been working towards since almost the beginning -- he brings back the romantic tension between Batgirl and Robin:



Hallelujah!


Minor Details:

The more I read of these earlier Titans adventures (and especially the letter column write-ins), the more I realize that so much of what Wolfman brings to the Titans a few short years from now is bits and pieces of ideas that were already suggested by others much earlier on. In this case, here's the basis for his later final exit for Duella Dent in Tales of the Teen Titans #50:





"Man-Bat Over Manhattan"

Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Marshall Rogers
Inks: Tex Blaisdell
Colors: Jerry Serpe
Letters: ?

grade: C+

After the failure of his first solo series (lasting only two issues), I guess Man-Bat proved a logical choice for a second original feature now that this title is ditching the reprinted content. And, with no consistent creative team on that short-lived volume, I guess Rozakis was as reasonable a choice as any to assume the responsibilities of writing the feature here.

Now I'll readily admit I know very little about this character. I have read his first appearance, as well as many of his late Bronze Age appearances, where he would accidentally revert to Man-Bat and lose all control of himself, but I'm not at all familiar with Man-Bat as a hero. Thus, I don't know how much of what Rozakis is doing here was already established, and how much is new.

This Man-Bat retains the full personality of Kirk Langstrom while transformed, and reverts back to human form with the pop of a pill (thanks, Chris).

He also has a completely ridiculous ability to "sense" crimes before they happen:



But perhaps the most unexpected quality about this hero is that he insists on getting paid by those that he helps:





Makes you wonder if Rozakis had been reading Luke Cage.


It's a decent enough premise, certainly a change of pace from the rest of the Batman Family, but the only thing truly keeping my interest in this first outing is Marshall Rogers' pencils, which show an impressive and meaningful range in how they 'characterize' our hero.

Sometimes, he looks astonishingly human:




But, when action is called for, he becomes larger than life and far more beastial:



Very cool stuff.


Minor Details:



Ummmm...did we forget about Robin?



"Surprise! Surprise!"

Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Carl Potts
Inks: Frank McLaughlin
Colors: Bob LeRose
Letters: ?

Grade: B


My first thoughts upon seeing the opening page of this story? "Go home, Rozakis. You're drunk".



And did these guys REALLY need their own logos??

Fortunately, they're not about to go out and solve crimes together (yet). Instead, this story is made up of the kind of situational hijinks you could only find in a bad television sitcom pilot.

Remember that Simpsons episode where everyone gets a spin-off?



It's a lot like that.

Our characters are placed in a ridiculous situation: for some reason, Commissioner Gordon has volunteered his time to help Alfred prepare a surprise birthday party for Bruce Wayne...at Wayne Manor, and ridiculous situation after ridiculous situation that Alfred absolutely should have foreseen in advance ensues:





So, of course, the only logical thing for Alfred to do is distract Gordon away from the house by pretending to be a burglar:



Totally logical, right?

And OF COURSE Gordon figures out what's going on...




..but will he connect all the dots and realize Bruce is Batman? We'll have to find out next time on THE COMMISSIONER AND THE BUTLER.


Honestly, this whole story qualifies as "so bad, it's good."



MINOR DETAILS:

Rozakis is still trying to push that "Batman Family" feel with the guests at Bruce's surprise birthday:



We've got Kathy Kane back for the second time (though never speaking, and mentioned by name only once), the return of Vicki Vale (and husband), Jimmy Olsen, Clark Kent, and Lois Lane somehow qualify for inclusion here, Dick and his girlfriend, and an unnamed blonde who is possibly Betty Kane.


I'm still not loving Rozakis, nor am I loving this title, but it's starting to hit the right level of enjoyably corny, and I really respect the idea of providing all new content each issue, giving other characters an opportunity to shine (even when they are The Commissioner and The Butler).

So...not The Commissioner and The Butler??

I would absolutely pay to see that happen.

Totally missed this, thank you. I thought he was grabbing a quick snack.



Love that show! I was trying to think of a more clever title (i.e. "Justice Served Cold") but decided the script and concept were too lazy to warrant anything better than a lazy name.

Batman Family #12 (August 1977)



Woah! Robin...Batgirl...Man-Bat...in the same story??


Nah.

Totally misleading cover. Even the Man-Bat solo story barely resembles the part of the cover that doesn't falsely include Batgirl and Robin.



Batgirl: "I Am Batgirl's Brother!"

Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: José Delbo
Inks: Vince Colletta
Colors: Jerry Serpe
Letters: Milt Snapinn

Grade: B

Props to Bob Rozakis for this one. He's been loving making nods to previous adventures throughout his dual run here and on the Teen Titans, but here he nods all the way back to 1951 with a story in World's Finest Comics #53, which introduced Commissioner Gordon's son, Anthony Gordon, a decade and a half before Barbara Gordon had been conceived as a character.

Rozakis brings Tony back and goes to great lengths to explain Tony's absence for all these years, believed dead while held by the Chinese. He then escapes, but the government needs to keep his existence a secret or risk exposing aspects of their foreign espionage network. Thus, Tony lives under an assumed identity until fate brings Barbara to The Smithsonian, where he works.

There isn't much of a story here. The villain is laughable, the story largely non-sensical as "Captain Aero" attempts to steal historical planes from the museum, but the true drama comes from Tony silently watching his sister in action, knowing he can't reach out to her and let her know he's alive. So it's a little touching when he is finally forced to intervene and rescue her:



before deciding he must once again move and change his assumed identity. Suffice to say, we won't be hearing from Tony Gordon again (though it will be a little weird if Batgirl never mentions him after this).

All that being said, it did feel a little creepy watching Tony sneak around, spying on his sister for most of this issue, especially right after her first encounter with Captain Aero:



Kinda' seemed for a moment like he was about to watch her change out of her costume.



Man-Bat: "Dread Night of the Jaguar"

Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Marshall Rogers
Inks: Terry Austin
Colors: Jerry Serpe
Letters: ?

grade: D

After reminding us of the basic tenets of this feature (Man-Bat and pregnant wife are poor, Man-Bat works for rewards, Man-Bat has the b.s. ability of being able to "sense" and home in on criminal thoughts somehow), this is essentially a story in which a gang of costumed criminals have a jaguar and a special flashlight. If the jaguar bites you, the flashlight turns you into a were-jaguar.



Sounds terrible? Just wait.

The rest of the story is literally Man-Bat waiting around until dawn so the transformation will wear off.

That's it. That's the story. And it's to be continued next issue. Ooh, I can't wait.

Fortunately, the true selling point of this issue is still Marshall Rogers, and he manages to give us one panel that makes everything else in this story tolerable:






Batman's Bureau of Missing Villains: Clayface 1 and 2

Script: unknown


grade: B+

A cool little two-page feature detailing the history of both Clayfaces that had appeared by this point, even though both were long forgotten by 1977. The feature ends by asking what a third Clayface might be like. No way the writer of this feature could have realized Clayface III would be introduced exactly one year later.



"Rally 'Round Robin!"

Script: Bob Rozakis
Pencils: Irv Novick
Inks: Vince Colletta
Colors: Jerry Serpe
Letters: Bill Morse

grade: D


Note to self: Robin is my favorite character of all time, but if I ever start a fan club with him as it's focus, I'm damn well sure I won't be calling it "The Robin-Rooters". Eww.

So Robin has a new fan club on the campus of Hudson University:



Somehow, it had never occurred to me that (in these solo features) Robin appears exclusively on and around the Hudson U campus. In fact, it's such common knowledge that the average student has started piecing together that Robin must be a student there:



"SWOK!"

So how the hell has no one yet started compiling a list of students originally from Gotham City who are in the class that started at the same time that Robin began appearing there? Seems like a REALLY easy way for Batman's villains to piece together his secret identity. And, as I pointed out waaaay back in this thread, Robin also appeared in Washington DC during the same summer that Dick Grayson was doing an internship there.

Seriously, how obvious is all this?


Anyway, this is an entirely forgettable story in which Robin has to chase down library thieves (yes, that's how thrilling this story gets) while being mobbed by fans. There, I just saved you twelve pages of unnecessary reading.

Fortunately, the end of the story leaves off with a down-right intriguing set-up for the next issue, as both Batgirl and Robin's motorcycles seem to come to life with minds of their own, beckoning the two to take on some enigmatic new assignment. Frankly, it's damn creepy:



Really curious to see where this goes, especially as Rozakis teases on the letter pages that he'll be giving more attention to the Batgirl/Robin romantic relationship he only recently was trying to kill:



And all this just when Dick's relationship with Lori was beginning to steam up:



I don't think they're going out for ice-cream.



Minor Details:

- Rozakis indicates that Kathy Kane will be returning next issue due to fan demand, and clearly indicates that he will bring back Betty Kane (the original Batgirl) if she gets similar support.



Betty will be joining the Teen Titans in only two months' time, so Rozakis already had that move in the works when he wrote these words.





All in all, a pretty forgettable issue outside of Tony Gordon. However, I do respect Rozakis' continuing to look to the past Batman legacy for new characters and ideas: Kathy Kane, Tony Gordon, the Clayfaces. It's important to remember that, while the first generation of comic creators were looking for a paying job and (at least at DC) seldom cared too much about the product they produced, Rozakis was part of the emerging second generation who had grown up as a fan of comics. Thus, he no doubt remembered these characters from his own youth. It explains the silly Silver-Age tone he brings to so many of these stories as well.

Additionally, the cover implies Batgirl is keeping pace with Robin's motorcycle! That's almost comical if it were not such a wrongheaded layout.




...and without Barbara ever knowing or suspecting a connection to Tony, there's no emotional payoff for regular readers who were there to follow Batgirl.



A selling point...ehhh kinda sorta. The script did not live up to the better characterization of early Man-Bat stories. In this, he's just there and not at all the interesting character he once was. Then again, this should not be surprising, since Rozakis is the writer.







For the same reason none of Peter Parker's classmates ever put two and two together about Spider-Man's innumerable appearances on or near the Empire State campus (IOW, why is he always near this university--was he moonlighting as a security guard?) which probably meant one of the students was Spider-Man...perhaps that one student who is known as the Daily Bugle's go-to photographer in getting years of exclusive photos of Spider-Man...

[Eyeroll of the Century]Nope! Spider-Man must be someone else![/Eyeroll of the Century]