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Post by chaykinstevens on Nov 29, 2022 15:12:13 GMT -5
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. GCD credits Delich with writing biographies of various writers and artists in some of DC's archive editions, including Bob Kane in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives #8. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Nov 29, 2022 21:30:44 GMT -5
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. GCD credits Delich with writing biographies of various writers and artists in some of DC's archive editions, including Bob Kane in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives #8. Thanks for this! |
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Post by zaku on Dec 3, 2022 6:01:52 GMT -5
Ok, I've read some material on the CCA and I think I can draw some conclusions. Please tell me if I write something obviously wrong  1) after the initial adjustments (and with practically the entire crime/horror genre disappearing from the newsstands), those who remained on the market had no major problems in respecting the rules of the CCA. The annotations of this last one were almost always on marginal points (a little too much cleavage, a little too much blood, a forbidden word, etc). 2) After the initial period, and until the "infamous" story with Spider-Man and drugs, the CCA never rejected an entire story. Also because the publishing houses knew very well what the limits were to move within. It appears that the Comics Code we know today was only the version available to the general public. Publishers were given a much more detailed version of what could and could not be done. 3) It also seems that the authors didn't even mind having to respect the rules, at least until the arrival of new authors in the early 70s who wanted to write more "relevant" stories. I'm sure even the most passionate authors before then thought they were "just" writing comics for kids and there was no need to put drugs or explicit sex into the Flash or Superman stories. 4) One problem however seems to be the total arbitrariness of the CCA's decisions (whether or not something could pass really depended on who was reading that particular story that day) and the fact that there was no way to appeal the decisions made (unlike , for example, of the MPAA's film rating decisions). 5) Already in the 90s the CCA was practically a joke. I mean, the infamous Green Lantern girl put in the fridge story had the famous seal! Did I get it right? |
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 3, 2022 19:30:18 GMT -5
I keep saying I’m going to quit buying old Detective Comics for a while. But I saw a copy of Detective #221 on eBay for an acceptable price in an acceptable condition.
This is the “Thrilling Escapes of Batman“ issue. The one where Robin stalls infamous one-shot villain Paul King with tales of Batman’s escapes. Paul King, of course, is that nefarious Gotham City do-badder that I call the Ascot, though he is also known as the Atomizer and Captain Jodhpurs.
I have not bought it yet. But if the dealer offers it for 10 to 15% off, I may not be able to resist.
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 6, 2022 10:43:07 GMT -5
The dealer wanted $149 for Detective Comics #221. I offered $127 and he accepted it!
The first and only appearance of Paul King, a.k.a. Mr. Ridiculous.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 6, 2022 11:30:49 GMT -5
The dealer wanted $149 for Detective Comics #221. I offered $127 and he accepted it! The first and only appearance of Paul King, a.k.a. Mr. Ridiculous. Wow. My policy used to be never to pay more than $40 for an Atom Age Batman comic. Times have changed! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 6, 2022 12:13:10 GMT -5
Any copy of Detective Comics #221 that you could get for $40 today would be in very sorry shape indeed.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 6, 2022 14:56:49 GMT -5
I keep saying I’m going to quit buying old Detective Comics for a while. But I saw a copy of Detective #221 on eBay for an acceptable price in an acceptable condition. This is the “Thrilling Escapes of Batman“ issue. The one where Robin stalls infamous one-shot villain Paul King with tales of Batman’s escapes. Paul King, of course, is that nefarious Gotham City do-badder that I call the Ascot, though he is also known as the Atomizer and Captain Jodhpurs. I have not bought it yet. But if the dealer offers it for 10 to 15% off, I may not be able to resist. You could stay off ebay for a bit so they stop jumping out at you... I know how that is. It can be difficult  I think this is why I don't have alot of silver age or older comics.. I've only paid more than $20 for a comic 3 times (a rather beat of Tales of Suspense #40 for $25, Iron Man #1 for $50 like 20 years ago, and recently $40ish for Iron Man #128 (Demon in an bottle) |
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Post by MDG on Dec 6, 2022 16:18:11 GMT -5
The dealer wanted $149 for Detective Comics #221. I offered $127 and he accepted it! The first and only appearance of Paul King, a.k.a. Mr. Ridiculous. Wow. My policy used to be never to pay more than $40 for an Atom Age Batman comic. Times have changed! My policy has two parts:
1. Don't pay more than $20 unless it's on my "must have" list 2. Don't start a "must have" list
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 6, 2022 16:59:31 GMT -5
I keep saying I’m going to quit buying old Detective Comics for a while. But I saw a copy of Detective #221 on eBay for an acceptable price in an acceptable condition. This is the “Thrilling Escapes of Batman“ issue. The one where Robin stalls infamous one-shot villain Paul King with tales of Batman’s escapes. Paul King, of course, is that nefarious Gotham City do-badder that I call the Ascot, though he is also known as the Atomizer and Captain Jodhpurs. I have not bought it yet. But if the dealer offers it for 10 to 15% off, I may not be able to resist. You could stay off ebay for a bit so they stop jumping out at you... I know how that is. It can be difficult I think this is why I don't have alot of silver age or older comics.. I've only paid more than $20 for a comic 3 times (a rather beat of Tales of Suspense #40 for $25, Iron Man #1 for $50 like 20 years ago, and recently $40ish for Iron Man #128 (Demon in an bottle) I will not be looking at eBay for a few months. That’s my strategy going forward |
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 8, 2022 11:13:40 GMT -5
Detective Comics #221 is scheduled to be delivered today. It went from New Jersey to California in only three days!
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 12, 2022 2:09:35 GMT -5
I finally got around to reading Detective Comics #221, with Batman and Robin matching wits with Paul King, aka the Ascot. Or you can call him Mr. Ridiculous, if you prefer.
I also read Captain Compass and Roy Raymond.
I’m happy to report that Detective #221 is packed to the brim with some awesome silly nonsense.
It’s a bit late right now, but hopefully I’ll have some time tomorrow to scribble out a few more paragraphs about this sublime 1955 comic book.
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 12, 2022 19:35:08 GMT -5
Detective Comics #221
July 1955
"The Thousand-and-One Escapes of Batman and Robin"
Writer: Bill Finger
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker Stan Kaye
Even though I only recently got my own copy of Detective Comics #221, I've been familiar with the Batman story for more than 20 years. "The Thousand-and-One Escapes of Batman and Robin" was reprinted in the first Batman annual in 1961. And in 1999, DC published a facsimile of the first Batman annual, and I bought that within a few months after it was on the stands. The theme of the annual was "1,001 Secrets of Batman and Robin." So the title of the story from Detective #221 was changed to "Thrilling Escapes of Batman and Robin," presumably to avoid wearing out the "1001" designation. (Another title was changed from "1,001 Inventions of Batman" to "Amazing Inventions of Batman" for the annual.)
So I've always known this story as "Thrilling Escapes of Batman and Robin." I think it's a much better title because there's only five escapes!
Honestly, I didn't like this story when I first read it. Back in 1999, I thought this annual was a bit of a disappointment. Only one of the stories ("How to Be the Batman" from Detective Comics #190) really struck me as a great 1950s Batman story. I liked it so much that I made sure the replica of the first Batman annual was easy to find so I could read "How to Be the Batman" whenever I wanted. And because I was continually flipping through this comic, I would read one or two of the other stories, and some of them have grown on me over the years.
None moreso than "Thrilling Escapes of Batman"!
Maybe ten years ago, I was reading it again, a little more slowly than usual perhaps, and it suddenly struck me that Paul King is awesome! That smoking jacket! The cigarette holder! The jodhpurs! The atomizer! And none of this is ever referred to in the dialogue or the text!
For a very long time, I called him the Ascot. But since shaxper reviewed this story, I took another look at it, and I came up with a bunch of new names for him. My favorite is Mr. Ridiculous.
This guy is just another Gotham City freak!
Shaxper's analysis of the 1955 Batman stories in the context of the CCA has given me a lot to think about when reading this story again. I've been wondering if Paul King's eccentricities could have possibly been a reaction by the creators to the boredom they may have felt after a steady stream of generic fedora-wearing Gotham City gangsters when they couldn't use the repeat villains for a while. No Catwoman! No Two-Face! No Joker! No Penguin!
Well, how about ... the Ascot!
I also love how Mr. Ridiculous is so full of himself! He got lucky and captured Batman and Robin and now he thinks he's one of the immortals! So he'll play this little game with Robin while Batman (pretending to be unconscious while mouthing his plan to Robin (who can read lips) and telling him to stall) somehow finds a telephone wire under the floor and alerts the police using Morse code!
OK. I admit it. Mr. King is not the only ridiculous thing about this story!
Another thing I love about this story is the villains in the flashbacks! We have Death Valley Dan, Captain Shark and an unnamed mad scientist who I call Dr. Crazy Face. None of these guys ever appeared before and would never appear again! Batman has some really obscure villains, and some of them, like Polka-Dot Man and Kite-Man, have popped up here and there and might even be developing a cult following. But Death Valley Dan and Captain Shark are even more obscure! They only appeared in some flashbacks! And Dr. Crazy Face never even got a name!
In addition, this is one of the Moldoffiest stories I've ever seen. This is peak Sheldon Moldoff.
It's 1955, and Detective Comics included a couple of series in addition to Batman and Robin. I like to consider the whole package.
First is Captain Compass. I've finally read five or six Captain Compass adventures, and he's starting to grow on me a little. He's pretty lame. I feel sorry for him. He doesn't have any supporting characters! He needs a dog or a parrot.
This particular story is called "The Armada of Doom." A bunch of rich boat hobbyists have organized a flotilla of old-time ships that are replicas of famous boats, like the Golden Hind. Each ship is captained by a guy who has the same name as the historical captain of the original ship. For example, the Bonhomie Richard has a guy named John Paul Jones as the captain. Captain Compass is leading the flotilla.
I guess it's some kind of publicity stunt. I don't feel like reading it again just for a few details.
They set sail on Friday the 13th and bad things start happening. There's a bad fire on one of the ships. Another ship is struck by lightning. And when they re-create the Civil War battle of the Monitor and the Virginia, they accidentally use a live shell and the Monitor is sunk!
Captain Compass figures out what is going on. The guys who took $100,000 to make a replica of the Monitor only made a facade of a ship for $10,000 and pocketed the rest. They caused the other accidents (they put a lightning rod in the mast of one of the ships) to make Captain Compass think it was just bad luck so he wouldn't investigate the fake Monitor.
So that's Captain Compass! His real name is Mark Compass, by the way. He doesn't dress like a compass or anything like that.
Which brings us to Roy Raymond, TV Detective!
There's a guy who claims to be a human Geiger counter! Roy and his assistant Karen investigate his claim, and he leads them to a plot of land rich in uranium.
Roy is still skeptical but Karen, as usual, thinks Roy is just being stubborn. A guy shows up and offers the human Geiger counter a million dollars to find uranium for him.
Roy exposes the guy as a fake because he didn't notice the radium in Roy's watch.
Yeah. That happened.
Poor Captain Compass will be replaced by the Martian Manhunter in just a few months.
Roy Raymond will last for another six years before he's replaced by Aquaman.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 21:00:13 GMT -5
I ordered my own copy of Detective Comics #235. This is the one where Bruce remembers that his father wore a prototype Batman costume to a masquerade ball. And it’s also the first story to suggest that the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne was part of a conspiracy! Wow! That sounds like a great idea that will never spiral out of control into incoherency!
I like the story OK, but it’s not an addition to the origin that I approve of. I think Batman is easier to relate to if it was a random tragedy that could happen to anybody.
I bought a pretty beat up copy for $110. The cover is detached and the staples are rusty and there’s some moisture marks. This issue can get expensive and, since I’m not such a big fan, I decided to get a cheap one.
I am very much looking forward to reading the Martian Manhunter and Roy Raymond. As always!
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Post by Hoosier X on Feb 14, 2023 12:19:07 GMT -5
I got a really nice copy of Detective Comics #236. It came in the mail yesterday.
One thing I’ve noticed is that some really nice 4.0 to 5.0 1950s Batman comics will go for a discount at an auction. My limit lately has been $100, and I’ve been missing out on some very nice 1950s Batman comics because comics in nice condition (that aren’t key Batman comics) will go for around $120 to $150.
So I decided to bid less often with a higher limit.
And I’m really impressed with this Detective #236 that I got. It shows a little bit of wear and it’s lost most of its gloss, but the spine is solid, the centerfold is very firmly attached at the staples, there’s no pages missing, there’s no writing on it, there’s no coupons out, there are none of the problems that I would expect in a comic from this era that I got for $130.
It’s the Bat-Tank story. I read it online a while back, so I don’t remember the details. I just remember liking it a lot, and thinking that it should be a more famous story. Or maybe I was thinking a more infamous story?
Hopefully I’ll have a chance to read it tonight.
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