The Early Days of the Dark Knight

Fans of The Batman know that he hit the scene in Detective Comics #27, published in 1938, just a short while after Superman made his first appearance (and changed comic book history) in Action Comics #1.

Writer/Artist Bob Kane is given credit for creating The Batman, though much of the more enduring Batman mythos was either created (or co-created, depends who you believe) by Bill Finger, a largely unheralded figure in comics history for many decades.

Well, when Kane was handling his duties on Batman in the earliest issues of Detective Comics, the results were crude and uneven. The art was sub-par, even for its era. The stories were dull and uninteresting. Batman himself was a different character than most are familiar with today – he packed a gun, for example, and wasn’t shy about using it.

Indeed, I have maintained for years that if the Bill Finger contributions had not been made, Batman would have faded into the past and largely forgotten, like most of the Golden Age comic book characters.

But in any event, Bob Kane did deliver one of the greatest comic book covers of all time with his cover for Detective Comics #31, which is a lot more stylish than the much more popular cover of Detective Comics # 27.

This comic features the first appearance of a character called The Monk, a vampire who wore a red gown and hood, and caused all sorts of trouble for The Batman. Indeed, The Monk story was The Batman’s first extended adventure, as the storyline lasted more than one comic. At the end of their battles, The Batman shot The Monk with a silver bullet, ending the vampire’s existence.

The Monk remained unseen for several decades, only returning to action in 1982 in Detective Comics # 515.

Pretty forgettable stuff, truthfully, but one of my favorite comic book covers of all time! Enjoy!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Leave it to the Dark Knight Detective to have to tangle with a British musical group that’s almost identical to The Beatles!

Seems like some kind of murder mystery based on the rumor/innuendo that Paul McCartney had died way back in day, and was replaced in the group by a lookalike.

Enjoy!

Truth, Justice, & The American Way

Back in a time before angst and self loathing became the dominant cultural theme, Superman was a shining icon for patriotism. He didn’t take a backseat during World War 2, fighting Nazis and Japanese whenever he could!

This leads us to one of the great, classic comic book covers of the 1940s – Superman # 14, dated January-February 1942. The Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor and the USA shifted from a peacetime to wartime economy.

The nation was mobilizing, and the Man of Steel was along for the ride!

Man of Steel & Man of Mirth

Yes, way back in 1968 Marvel Comics was setting new standards in comic books – dynamic characters, innovative stories, and fantastic art. Indeed, in many ways 1968 was the peak of the Marvel Age of Comics!

Yet down the street, DC was still stuck somewhere in the early 1950s. Standalone stories, stale characters, dull situations, and absurd contrivances. DC seemed pleased to appeal to 8 year olds and not look beyond that narrow vision. I can’t say it wasn’t successful – I believe DC had the edge in sales into the 1970s. The crew in charge just figured if it wasn’t broken, there was no need to fix it.

That brings us to this classic comic book cover – The Adventures of Jerry Lewis # 105! This classic comic features the long-awaited team up between Superman and ol’ Jerry!!!

Evidently, Roger C Carmel decided to wear some tight purple pants and a strange green shirt and hold up poor Jerry with a Tommy Gun! And somehow, he has surmised that Superman’s secret identity is indeed movie funnyman Jerry Lewis.

Lets just say Marvel’s bad guys were a lot more on the ball!

Kryptonite Nevermore!

DC was making changes back in the late 60s and early 70s, a welcome development since they honestly hadn’t made many changes since the 1940s. Their comic line was old, stale, and boring, clearly geared to youngsters. Marvel Comics, on the other hand, had made great strides in the 60s and created a vibrant product that appealed to both children and adults.

One of DC’s changes was tweaking Superman a bit. No longer just a reporter for the Daily Planet, he did double duty as a news anchor on TV station WGBS His regular cast of characters was expanded a bit. Oh, and in Superman #233 they got rid of Kryptonite as the weakness of The Man of Steel.

Batman vs Blockbuster

One of my alltime favorite comics book covers featuring The Batman swooping down on ol’ Blockbuster, who is doing a number smashing Batman’s logo. Pretty sure this is by the talented hand of Carmine Infantino, but if it isn’t please let me know.

Now that’s a pretty sharp cover! In the story inside, lower-tier Bat-Villain Blockbuster undergoes some therapy so that he would be filled with love, rather than hate & rage!

Initial results of the therapy are promising, but when Blockbuster catches a glimpse of some Batman related toys, he is thrown into a fit of uncontrollable rage, turning him truly ‘Bat-Mad!’ Don’t miss this issue!

Why don’t they make a commercial like this in the USA?

Some cool retro-imagery and some genuine imagination here. Kudos to the creators for trying something cool and different.

No idea what this one is about

The Greatest Comic Covers collection returns with this gripping cover for Batman # 162, featuring ‘The Batman Creature.’

Evidently The Dark Knight has turned into some kind of monster, and has scaled a skyscraper, prompting the US Air Force to dispatch some jet fighters to bring him down. I suppose you really had to have been there!

Many pretenders have followed, but there is only one Batman!

I was checking out some stuff on YouTube this weekend and came across a great tune from 1989, by renowned raconteur, Wally Wingert.

I recall how the anticipation for the upcoming Batman film was tempered by concern by fans of the 1966 tv series (like me). In the end, the Batman film was a huge hit that spawned several sequels, but it just didn’t capture the escapist fun of the original tv series.

To me, there will always be just one Batman, and that is of course the legendary Adam West. And the sentiment is shared by Wally Wingert in his classic song. ‘Adam West.’ I enjoyed the video immensely and decided to share both versions of the tune!

Adam West by Wally Wingert

A Live-Action JLA Movie?

Word is that one of the early Silver Age superhero team may finally make it to the big screen!

Superman? Batman? The Green Lantern? The Flash? Martian Manhunter? Wonder Woman? All in one movie? WOW!

Our friends at Variety are reporting that Warner Brothers is tackling this ambitious film project, hungry to add a new super-franchise to their stable of movie properties.

Feature film is bound to include some combination of DC’s most iconic superheroes, although the studio wouldn’t confirm which ones they might be. It’s unlikely that the studio and DC Comics, a division of Warner, would opt to feature second-tier characters.

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In taking on the ambitious project, Warner faces several conundrums.

Now that the Batman and Superman film franchises have been revived, does the studio go after Christian Bale (“Batman Begins” and Brandon Routh (“Superman Returns” to star in a Justice League pic? Studio is also trying hard to bring Wonder Woman to the bigscreen.

To a large degree, casting will depend upon the story arc for the JLA feature and at what point in the superheroes’ lives the plot takes place.

Warner also must deal with myriad producers working on the Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman franchises.

Sounds like a tough project to me, and it may end up going nowhere. It does need some of the heavy hitters for it to really be JLA, unless they go all second string and make it a comedy. Let’s keep an eye on this one!