Batman #92 (June 1955)
"Fan-Mail of Danger!"
Script: Bill Finger
Pencils: Sheldon Moldoff
Inks: Charles Paris
Colors: ?
Letters: Pat Gordon
Grade: B
Bill Finger is still working tirelessly to find sources of conflict for the dynamic duo that steer clear of the new Comics Code Authority, and (despite the hideous title) he does reasonably well with this one, creating a sense of urgency coming from multiple outlets without any threat of violence whatsoever.
In an age long before comics got introspective, I'm not sure how many times you can get away with telling a Batman story in which no guns are pointed and no fists are swung, but it works better here than it probably should.
The unusual premise here is that Batman is inundated by fan mail. The absurdity of the premise aside, the idea that Batman would have enough fan mail to bring the post office to a screeching halt makes enough sense in 2022, but how believable was it in 1955? Sure, Batman was DC's #2 superhero, but how big of a deal was that? DC isn't publishing all that many superheroes at this point, and, by 1964, sales will be down so low that the Batman title will be risking cancellation, thus prompting the "New Look" era. Without any sales figures, it's truly hard to gauge whether or not Batman was a big zeitgeist of the era. So is this a fictional fancy of Finger's, imagining that--in his own fictional world--Batman is a huge enough celebrity to be inundated like this, or was it a reality, with tons of fan mail pouring in regularly and Finger perhaps feeling a bit jealous that so many of those letters were written to Bob Kane and not Bill Finger?
Heck, I can't tell whether this little fourth-wall break:
is a sarcastic acknowledgement that, as popular licensed characters, they certainly have sold out, or instead a snarky dig at their more popular sister franchise, running this ad in the very same issue:
while Batman and Robin get consistently overlooked by merchandise licensees.
A quick google search for vintage Batman merchandise fails to turn up a single toy, coloring book, lunch box, nor even costume with the pre-1964 Batman logo on it, so that would
seem to suggest the franchise wasn't all that popular with general audiences in 1955, but that's from a quick search; not a methodical investigation.
Minor Details:1. Moldoff's art continues to annoy me. Once again, he can't get the perspective on the Batmobile right:
and what should have been a slightly mischievous face ends up looking downright maniacal to the point that I initially misunderstood the plot and thought Batman's new secretary had some truly dark/sinister motive beyond just wanting an excuse to spend more time in his presence:
2. Finger mentions The Gotham Gazette yet again.
3. Once again, Finger makes a very specific reference to past Batman history, genuinely leaving me to wonder if he is referencing earlier stories he wrote or just making stuff up:
If these are from real past adventures, that's some seriously intricate continuity for Atom Age DC!
4. Apparently, Batman and Robin work out in Wayne Manor at this early point, and not in The Batcave:
Hey, if Bill Finger says it's so, it's so.
5. Why meet with an adoring fan and give him a sensible warning when you can humiliate him and possibly damage his self-esteem for life?
6. This genuinely made me laugh:
Approaching this from the perspective of someone who began reading Batman in 1989, it's such a breath of fresh air to see a sillier, happier,
funnier Batman than the grim and gritty orphan that's been forced down everyone's throats since Dark Knight Returns.
7. Wasn't the entire point of this story that they couldn't risk NOT answering each individual letter?
"Batman's Guilty Neighbor!"
Script: Dave Wood
Pencils: Sheldon Moldoff
Inks: Charles Paris
Colors: ?
Letters: Pat Gordon
Grade: D
While Dave Wood had been writing for DC since 1951, He sure never wrote Batman before. In fact,
this appears to be the first superhero story he ever worked on, and that really shows as he places Batman and Robin in the awkward position of having to solve a series of burglaries in Bruce Wayne's own neighborhood.
Beyond having Batman and Robin dig massive tunnels from the Batcave to just under their neighbor's home in order to spy on him and his wife:
there's something off even in just having Batman and Robin prowl the suburban skyline (consisting of one old water tower) and chasing bandits through manicured lawns:
This isn't their element, and honestly, how much should we care if one absurdly wealthy man is stealing trinkets from other absurdly wealthy men? How far the franchise has strayed from this defining moment published only seven years earlier:
Sure, space aliens weren't exactly what Bill Finger had in mind when he wrote that scene either, but at least aliens are FUN.
The solution to this one is nothing to write home about. It was pretty obvious who the real culprit was on the first page when the neighbor's gardner got an unnecessary amount of attention, and since Wood added no surprises nor complications after that, it was pretty much just a matter of wasting eight pages watching Batman and Robin swing around suburbia and creep on their neighbor and his wife.
Minor Details:1. If there was any doubt that Dave Wood knew nothing about this franchise, check out Bruce Wayne answering his own door and going out to the garage to lend his neighbor a sprinkler on the very first page:
2. Moldoff gives women weirdly sinister facial expressions once again:
"I'll shiv you both, goddamit.""Ace, the Bat-Hound!"
Script: Bill Finger
Pencils: Sheldon Moldoff
Inks: Stan Kaye
Colors: ?
Letters: Pat Gordon
Grade: C-
Likely not intended to be the start of any kind of recurring Batman Family, the Dynamic Duo rescuing a drowning dog and bringing it into action until its owner can be rescued attracts the Rin Tin Tin audience (the show debuted just last year) and also provides Finger with yet another way to circumvent the Comics Code Authority: Maybe Batman and Robin can't throw the first punch anymore, but a trained attack dog can be far more intense without violating a single one of The Code's stipulations.
Of course, Finger leaves it open so that Ace can return anytime
but I doubt he intended for Ace to reappear any more regularly than, say, Professor Carter Nichols or Brane Taylor at this point, both of whom went multiple years without mention before being resurrected in recent issues. We're seeing more and more evidence that Finger enjoys referencing old adventures and resurrecting old supporting characters. Imagine if he'd had total creative control of the Bat franchise; we might have seen Bronze Age Marvel-level continuity a decade and a half earlier!
For all of you who are curious, here's the origin of Ace the Bat-Hound. Batman and Robin see a drowning dog, take it in until they can locate its owner, and then:
Of course, Ace's missing owner ends up at the center of the very crime Batman and Robin are trying to solve, and so Ace gets to play a critical role in the adventure.
It isn't great; it isn't memorable, but it gives Finger yet another way of circumventing the code while also building Batman's supporting cast for the long-term. And, of course, it ends up being the unofficial start of the Atom Age Batman Family.
Important Details:1. First appearance of Ace, The Bat-Hound, owned by John Wilker. Batman and Robin invite Ace to join them again in the future.
2. Though I missed it myself, the GCD claims that Alfred's full name is first revealed in this story: Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth
Minor Details:1. Of course. There's nothing at all fishy about the fact that Batman was carrying around a photograph to prove that he is NOT Bruce Wayne, just in case someone asked:
2. Okay, maybe Wertham was right to be concerned about these two:
