Batman #1

Batman #1

Originally released in 1940

Written by Bill Finger

Art by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson

I've covered stories about Superman, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man, so I figured I should round out this week with covering Batman.  This wasn't Batman's first appearance (that would be Detective Comics #27), but rather, a full comic focused on him.  It's an anthology series that covers Batman's origin and four separate stories - the introduction of the Joker, a plot by Hugo Strange (one of the pre-Joker villains who actually managed to stick around; he was set up as the Moriarty to Batman's Sherlock Holmes, though obviously, that didn't stick), the introduction of Catwoman, and a second Joker story that follows up the first one.

Batman's origin, surprisingly enough, establishes an age for the character, saying that the death of the Waynes happened fifteen years before he began his crime fighting career.  Considering that he's generally portrayed as being eight years old when his parent die, that would put him at 23, or 24 when Dick Grayson becomes Robin, which is surprisingly young all things considered.  After a rather dramatic (and almost impossible to fulfill) vow, Bruce becomes a master scientist, trains himself to physical perfection, and upon taking inspiration from a bat flying through his window, dresses up like a bat to become a symbol that criminals will fear.

The first full story introduces the Joker.  His appearance is immediately a striking one, especially when compared to the gangsters and crime lords that Batman had faced up to this point (as far as I can tell, anyway; I haven't gone through his early appearances in Detective Comics in detail).  Even this early, he had his toxins and venoms that stretched the victim's face into a ghastly smile, along with a flair for the dramatic. (he'd hijack radio transmissions to announce in advance that his would-be victims would die at a specific time)

Oddly enough, by the end of the story (after the Joker's killed several people with his schemes and Batman and Robin manage to track him down), it's Batman who's throwing out puns while the Joker's screaming things like "I'm going to kill you!"  It's definitely a change from the dynamic that I'm used to, where Batman's stoic while the Joker spends a lot of time mocking him.

The second story, involving Hugo Strange, dips its toes into science fiction, with Strange kidnapping patients of an insane asylum and using serums to turn them into ten foot tall berserkers. (as detailed above, he created this monsters to serve as a distraction so he can rob banks)  Strange is the brains of the operation, but he's dealt with almost as an afterthought.  Even this early, Batman makes it clear that he tries to avoid killing, though his code is still a little loose; he's willing to kill Strange's minions, and the monster men that Strange created, if the alternative is having them rampage through the city.

Oddly enough, the Catwoman story is mostly Robin-centric - Robin goes onto a boat where a rich woman's jewels are an obvious target for thieves, and he has to figure out who could have stolen the jewels.  Batman shows up partway through, on the tail of some gangsters, and there's a moment where he breaks the fourth wall by taking away the guns of said gangsters, having Robin beat the gangsters up, and telling the audience that criminals are cowards without their guns and that they shouldn't be admired.

The burglar's identity is uncovered (though at this point, she's only known as "The Cat" rather than her more famous moniker, Catwoman), and Batman lets her escape, even preventing Robin from stopping her, purely because he finds her attractive. (even though Bruce muses to himself that he has a girlfriend, as Robin grumbles about the whole thing)

The final story picks up where the first one left off - the Joker breaks out of prison to continue his crime spree, stealing high profile jewels.  Batman successfully sets a trap for him, the two fight, the Joker stabs himself in a scuffle, and in the start of a long tradition for the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker is believed to be dead only for him to have survived.  The introductions of the Joker and Catwoman do a good job at setting up their future dynamic with Batman, and considering that this issue is over 80 years old, it's aged quite well.