The Complete Batman: 1955-1978 (by shaxper & Hoosier X)
Nov 26, 2022 22:31:06 GMT -5
Hoosier X and zaku like this
Post by shaxper on Nov 26, 2022 22:31:06 GMT -5
Detective Comics #228 (February 1956)
"The Outlaw Batman"
Script: ?
Pencils: Bob Kane
Inks: Charles Paris
Colors: ?
Letters: ?
Grade: D-
This twelve-pager was so dull that I actually had to take breaks from reading it. Yikes. Essentially, Batman gets jumped by some criminals, bumps his head, and then starts committing crimes in his sleep. The irony is that, while Batman expresses his chief concern here:
his turning out to be an actual menace to society would make for a far better story than the predictable tripe we get in its place.
Hell, I'd see it twice and still buy the blu ray.
But no, of course Batman is being manipulated, and of course it's the doctor who just happened to be there at the crime scene, treated Batman, gave him pills that he never named, and (of course) never provided a name for himself either. You'd think Batman of all people would think to check who owns the medical office at which he was treated, but no, it takes this:
for Batman to finally do this:
And that's how a shoddy doctor got jumped by The Batman.
Really, there's no mystery to this thing. It's so obviously the doctor. All that we spend these tedious twelve pages waiting on is an explanation of how he was controlling Batman with those pills, and this is the crap answer that we finally get:
Of course the two-bit thug seeking revenge is an expert on rare Amazonian tribal medicine, knows how to obtain it, and also knows how to turn it into a pill.
By the way, this was all because Batman put him behind bars once, but he's apparently out now and totally unchanged. Apparently, we're really slacking on edict #5 of The Comics Code at this point ("In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds").
You might think that the highlight of this otherwise painful story would be Robin having to sock Batman and then crying afterward:
or maybe even this little tease that more famous Batman rogues are still out there and may be returning to these books soon (not this issue, unfortunately!):
but, for me, it was learning that Bruce and Dick share the same bedroom and sleep three feet apart:
I realize that they probably included a detail like this in order to show that Bruce and Dick sleep in different beds, therefore assauging any concerns created by Frederick Wertham that there was anything sordid going on between the Dynamic Duo, but it just comes off as damn creepy anyway. Bruce Wayne is a millionaire in 1950s America; I'm sure it isn't financial constraints keeping these two sharing one bedroom.
Finally, the GCD is confident that BOB KANE ACTUALLY PENCILLED THIS STORY. Really. The actual Bob Kane. The GCD claims this was verified by Craig Delich, but no amount of googling helps me to understand who this is or how he knows this. Still, one has to admit that the art on this story looks very different from anything Moldoff or Swan were turning in. Check out Bruce's weird face:
or Batman's even weirder face, complete with three horizontal lines that just don't make sense together.
Assuming Batman has only one mouth, one set of lips, and one chin, there are one too many lines there.
We also get this image, where I'm totally unclear on what that white U thing is.
It wasn't there a panel earlier, and we never see it again. Is it some sort of weird motion blur, or perhaps an arch made of jewels??
Important Details:
1. We're given a reminder that the creators have not forgotten Two-Face, perhaps teasing that he'll soon be returning in spite of The Comics Code's restrictions, just like The Joker did this month in Batman.
Minor Details:
1. This issue's plot depends upon a lot of stupid encounters between people that all come off as forced and improbable, including Alfred randomly complaining about his job to Dick:
and Batman taking a casual power walk through Downtown Gotham while the locals chat him up:
2. A bunch of people get approached (and ultimately assaulted) by Batman for "looking suspicious":
That really doesn't play well in a post-George Floyd world.
Maybe Batman really is a menace II society...
"The Outlaw Batman"
Script: ?
Pencils: Bob Kane
Inks: Charles Paris
Colors: ?
Letters: ?
Grade: D-
This twelve-pager was so dull that I actually had to take breaks from reading it. Yikes. Essentially, Batman gets jumped by some criminals, bumps his head, and then starts committing crimes in his sleep. The irony is that, while Batman expresses his chief concern here:
his turning out to be an actual menace to society would make for a far better story than the predictable tripe we get in its place.
Hell, I'd see it twice and still buy the blu ray.
But no, of course Batman is being manipulated, and of course it's the doctor who just happened to be there at the crime scene, treated Batman, gave him pills that he never named, and (of course) never provided a name for himself either. You'd think Batman of all people would think to check who owns the medical office at which he was treated, but no, it takes this:
for Batman to finally do this:
And that's how a shoddy doctor got jumped by The Batman.
Really, there's no mystery to this thing. It's so obviously the doctor. All that we spend these tedious twelve pages waiting on is an explanation of how he was controlling Batman with those pills, and this is the crap answer that we finally get:
Of course the two-bit thug seeking revenge is an expert on rare Amazonian tribal medicine, knows how to obtain it, and also knows how to turn it into a pill.
By the way, this was all because Batman put him behind bars once, but he's apparently out now and totally unchanged. Apparently, we're really slacking on edict #5 of The Comics Code at this point ("In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds").
You might think that the highlight of this otherwise painful story would be Robin having to sock Batman and then crying afterward:
or maybe even this little tease that more famous Batman rogues are still out there and may be returning to these books soon (not this issue, unfortunately!):
but, for me, it was learning that Bruce and Dick share the same bedroom and sleep three feet apart:
I realize that they probably included a detail like this in order to show that Bruce and Dick sleep in different beds, therefore assauging any concerns created by Frederick Wertham that there was anything sordid going on between the Dynamic Duo, but it just comes off as damn creepy anyway. Bruce Wayne is a millionaire in 1950s America; I'm sure it isn't financial constraints keeping these two sharing one bedroom.
Finally, the GCD is confident that BOB KANE ACTUALLY PENCILLED THIS STORY. Really. The actual Bob Kane. The GCD claims this was verified by Craig Delich, but no amount of googling helps me to understand who this is or how he knows this. Still, one has to admit that the art on this story looks very different from anything Moldoff or Swan were turning in. Check out Bruce's weird face:
or Batman's even weirder face, complete with three horizontal lines that just don't make sense together.
Assuming Batman has only one mouth, one set of lips, and one chin, there are one too many lines there.
We also get this image, where I'm totally unclear on what that white U thing is.
It wasn't there a panel earlier, and we never see it again. Is it some sort of weird motion blur, or perhaps an arch made of jewels??
Important Details:
1. We're given a reminder that the creators have not forgotten Two-Face, perhaps teasing that he'll soon be returning in spite of The Comics Code's restrictions, just like The Joker did this month in Batman.
Minor Details:
1. This issue's plot depends upon a lot of stupid encounters between people that all come off as forced and improbable, including Alfred randomly complaining about his job to Dick:
and Batman taking a casual power walk through Downtown Gotham while the locals chat him up:
2. A bunch of people get approached (and ultimately assaulted) by Batman for "looking suspicious":
That really doesn't play well in a post-George Floyd world.
Maybe Batman really is a menace II society...
