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For over 50 years he has been a part of the American culture.
He was a sensation from the moment of his first appearance,
and today he has achieved an even more phenomenal level of
popularity. Now the Batman's tales are being reprinted in
exact chronological order from his appearance in the pages
of Detective Comics Nos. 27-38 and Batman No.1...
Volume
Three of
the Batman Chronicles continues to reprint the original
tales of the Batman in chronological order. As I've said in
previous reviews in this series, this won't be to everyone's
taste. To start with Bob Kane's artwork is a little simplistic
and the stories are a little on the childish side. But then
you have to put the stories into historical context - these
were aimed at children as there wasn't really a comic industry
for the more mature reader.
While
the early Batman tales are a little watered down, what is
surprising is the fact that he doesn't have any qualms about
killing the bad guys - or if a criminal died accidentally
Batman just shrugs his shoulders and reveals that they probably
had it coming to them.
There
are also a couple of hard sells in this collection. Professor
Strange's Fear Dust concludes with Batman desperate to
keep his readers: "Thanks for being with us again this
month! Robin and I look forward to these little get-togethers
with all you readers every month in Detective Comics!
Let's make it a standing date!"; while Public
Enemy #1 sees a another kiddie lecture wrapped up in a
story. This time it's the fact that crime doesn't pay - which
I thought was the point of all the stories anyway.
There
are another couple of Joker tales (The Case of the Joker's
Crime Circus and The Riddle of the Missing Card)
which both open with the dynamic duo learning that the Joker
is still alive - both also conclude with the Joker apparently
dying - but we all know better.
Apart
from the Joker and Professor Strange, Clayface is the only
other notable villain who appears in this collection (in Clayface
Walks Again).
We
also see the origins of Batman's expertise when it comes to
make-up. Victory for the Dynamic Duo shows the Batman
altering his facial features to appear like someone else.
At
the end of the day this collection will only really appeal
to die-hard Batman fans who want to see the origins
of the character. But, if you a fan, then this is an essential
purchase.
Nick
Smithson
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