No doubt when everyone thinks of Batman, they all have the same image in mind. A dark, brooding and deep-voiced Dark Knight that is never afraid to fight dirty usually comes to mind. Perhaps this incarnation would be in the thoughts of those who grew up with The Dark Knight Trilogy or even Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, but if you grew up with the Dark Knight during the fifties and sixties, then you wouldn’t even call him that. Instead, it was the Caped Crusader, a serious, yet light-hearted superhero who teamed up with his colourful pal Robin to take on any threat against Gotham. It could range from the Riddler and his deadly puzzles to Batman on another planet fighting aliens. Yes, aliens. This was an era that, to put it mildly, fascinated writer Grant Morrison and heavily influenced his run on the Batman titles during the 2000s and early 2010s. If it wasn’t obvious enough, Morrison’s Batman is a series of stories I’m planning on reviewing in the near future, but the Black Casebook is certainly the best place to start. In short, it’s a compilation of stories that either inspired Morrison in his writings, or tales which he just loved for obvious reasons. It’s time to head back to the crazy days of the silver age…
Batman (vol 1) 65, 86, 112-113, 134, 156, 162, Detective Comics 215, 235, 247, 267, and World’s Finest Comics 89 were published sporadically from June 1951 to March 1962, with the main bulk of them produced in 1954-58. The stories were by Bill Finger, Ed Herron, and Ed Hamilton, with art by various including Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff,
Dick Sprang, Charles Paris, and Stan Kaye. I’ve read the stories in, obviously, the Black Casebook trade paperback.
Before we get into this, I have to say that I won’t be going into every story in detail. While I’ll discuss them all, I mainly want to focus on those stories that proved significant in Grant Morrison’s lengthy run from 2006 to 2013. I’ll leave the others for a segment at the end.
The Batmen of All Nations --- Written by Ed Hamilton with art by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris
The Batmen of All Nations play a key part in Morrison’s Batman run, particularly during the first phase and they’re clearly characters that he has wanted to use for some time. Across the globe, there are heroes like Batman. Whether it be the Knight and Squire in England, the Musketeer in France, the Legionary in Rome, The Gaucho in South America, or the Ranger in Australia, all of these heroes head to America to meet their idol. They do realise that Batman has the easiest job in just protecting a city, while poor Gaucho has to defend a whole continent. Regardless, the heroes all meet in Gotham and learn from Commissioner Gordon that crime boss Knots Cardine will enact numerous crimes under the noses of the international heroes. Perhaps it would have been better if he didn’t tell them that, but anyway, the heroes respond to his boast and rather quickly take out his henchmen. Yeah, there really isn’t any surprises or huge shocks until the end, apart from Batman nearly being blown to smithereens after entering a booby-trapped house. At the conclusion however, Cardine is revealed to be disguised as the Legionary! Perhaps this would be more of a shock to me if I hadn’t read The Green Arrows of the World (Adventure Comics 250, published in 1958) by Bill Finger which features an identical ending. Regardless, it works as the ending, even if it’s predictable anyway. As an idea, I’m surprised that the writers never decided to bring the Batmen of All Nations back more, as this is it (and The Club of Heroes later). They may be of their time, but I would have thought that the team would have given them a back-up strip or something. I guess you’d got to remember that back in the 1950s, writers just had to come up with an idea quick and after this, they most likely moved onto something else. That being said, it’s a fun read.
Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
The First Batman --- Written by Bill Finger with art by Sheldon Moldoff and Stan Kaye
The First Batman is one of those somewhat rare stories from this era which you can consider to be a genuinely good story. While exploring the vast loft of Wayne Manor, Bruce and Dick come across Thomas Wayne’s old Batman costume. Yes, Thomas Wayne was Batman well before Flashpoint. After Bruce has an obligation to retell his origin for the umpteenth time, the two find an old movie film of Thomas Wayne winning a prize for his Batman costume at a ball themed around flying creatures. Suddenly however, the ball of raided by criminals and Bruce’s father takes them out. So, what is the relevance of a twenty-something-year-old movie reel? Well, the ringleader of the gang, Moxon, swore revenge on Thomas and when he was free, he hired Joe Chill to take out the Waynes. This is the first time we get any real backstory to the killings of Thomas and Martha Wayne, so Bruce decides to reopen the case. They head to the Moxon Sky-Hi Advertising Company and confront the villain, before handing him over to the police. However, Moxon passes the lie detector test, but then Batman decides to dig deeper. He learns from Gordon that Moxon was involved in a car crash that left him with a head injury. Therefore, to get the proof he needs, Bruce dons the costume of his father and haunts Moxon to the point when he can take no more. He runs from what he assumes to be the ghost of Thomas Wayne, only to be killed by an oncoming truck. This is Bill Finger at his best. Just as he created it, Finger expands the Batman mythos and adds new content to it. The idea of the first Batman is very intriguing, and Batman uses the suit to haunt Moxon is the first stage of a very chilling end. This is almost a return to the Batman of 1939, a remorseless figure who almost has Mr A levels of self-righteousness. The First Batman is most probably the best Batman story of the decade and that is no exaggeration. It’s both a good old fashioned detective story and a personal thriller. Finally, the case of Thomas and Martha Wayne is over. The First Batman is laid to rest… or so we think…
Story: 10/10
Art: 9/10
The Club of Heroes --- Written by Ed Hamilton with art by Dick Sprang and Stan Kaye
As the only story from Black Casebook that was published in World’s Finest, Superman is a major player here as in his home city of Metropolis, the Man of Steel meets with Batman, Robin, Knight, Squire, Musketeer, Gaucho, and this time the real Legionary. A businessman named John Mayhew presents the heroes with a new Club of Heroes, essentially a base for the team. Mayhew then gives them the challenge of appointing a chairman, telling the heroes that whoever performs the greatest feats in the next few days will be appointed. Over the next few days, the heroes go around and do their duties, but Superman suddenly passes out when a wild storm begins over Metropolis. The next thing you know, a new hero named Lightning Man saves the city using his alien superpowers before Superman awakens moments later. Yes, it really is that obvious, isn’t it? Lightning Man begins to make a name for himself and after he averts another catastrophe, Batman decides to induct the new hero into the Club of Heroes, suspicious after learning about how every time he appears, Clark falls unconscious. Expectedly, Lightning Man is appointed the club’s chairman for his heroic acts, but later, Batman orders Superman to head into space and he’ll find something interesting. All that Superman finds is a fragment of Kryptonite. However, since it has been circling the Earth for days, it caused Superman to suffer short bursts of amnesia. Therefore, when a disaster struck, Clark Kent, not knowing he was Superman, made up the new identity of Lightning Man. With that Superman is appointed the chairman and he never encounters the Batmen of All Nations ever (continued)
again. I think it was painfully obvious throughout that Superman was Lightning Man, but the explanation was odd. Perhaps if we had seen Superman at the start destroy the asteroid, then maybe the resolution would make more sense. However, it comes entirely out of the blue and therefore, doesn’t make for a great ending. There’s definitely mystery to the story, but it does often feel like the Batman of All Nations are thrown to one side, which is a great shame. Overall, though, it’s not bad.
Story: 7/10
Art: 9/10
The Man Who Ended Batman’s Career --- Written by Bill Finger with art by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris
On one dark night in Gotham, the dynamic duo does what they do best in fighting crime and criminals. How could we forget Robin and… Starman? And his Starplane and Star-Signal? Not only that, but Starman is revealed quickly to be Bruce Wayne, who pledges to never wear his Batman costume again. Why? Well, a few days ago, Professor Milo (who now does look like the character we’re used to) decides to investigate Batman’s phobia and, by using a special spotlight to blind him, Milo tricks Batman into becoming fearful of bats. Afterwards, Batman struggles as the Caped Crusader and he becomes frightened of himself, his costume, his Batmobile, and even his batarangs. Therefore. Bruce decided to create a new persona in Starman. Makes sense… I guess. As time passes, Robin has enough and he ties up his master, telling him that he is going to cure him of his phobia by forcing him to watch recordings of the bat-eared hero in action. You see, even the silver age could be dark at times with elements like torture. It’s just the rather clumsy dialogue that makes it entertaining and silly, among other things obviously. Anyway, Bruce is cured and as Batman, he confronts Milo and easily takes him out. The resolution may be incredibly quick, but the story brings up the interesting point of Batman having more than one identity. This is certainly something that Morrison plays with later on. Although his is in the dark modern age, the bizarreness is still there and its overcomplexity doesn’t arise as a problem, even if it is often hilarious. If this story gave Batman the mental reasons for why he would need a second identity, then the next tale will explain the Caped Crusader's physical inspiration…
Story: 8.5/10
Art: 9/10
Batman – The Superman of Planet X --- Written by Ed Herron with art by Dick Sprang and Charles Paris
The silver age of comics, for Batman at least, can be split into two eras. You’ve got the first era where Batman, instead of fighting supervillains, takes on bizarre superpowered aliens on other planets. Then, you’ve got the second, more popular era of the silver age. Batman is the Caped Crusader who returns to fighting supervillains in Gotham (no aliens involved). The Superman of Planet X is very much an example of the earlier of the two, but very important to the character’s history. Patrolling alone one night, Batman is suddenly transported to the planet Zur-En-Arrh. There, the Batman of Earth meets the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a superpowered vigilante who pretty much is a colourful amalgamation of the World’s Finest duo, with a bat-cave and all! Together, the two Batmans take on alien invaders, who the Zur-En-Arrh hero (continued)
detects through the use of his Bat-Radia device. What makes this story even more interesting is that Batman himself is given superpowers thanks to the Zur-En-Arrh hero’s special ray gun. Together, both acting like Superman, they take on Tlano-Robots, giant machines created by the alien invaders. With the two heroes successful, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh gifts the Earthly hero with his Bat-Radia as a souvenir. With that, Batman returns to Earth, and he returns to normal as if nothing happened. Even today, The Superman of Planet-X (a very inaccurate name in all sorts of ways) remains one of the most memorable and era-defining Batman stories. It makes Batman into Superman for ten pages and introduces us to a new world. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is the only new character of the story, as the invaders are seldom seen. However, it’s a classic science fiction story that ranks highly, especially compared to many of the mediocre stories of the time when the dynamic duo would bump into some alien invaders. But what became of the Bat-Radia? We shall see…
Story: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Robin Dies at Dawn --- Written by Bill Finger with art by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris
Out of all the stories in the Black Casebook, Robin Dies at Dawn is by far the most famous and definitely one of the most shocking. It even features one of the most definitive covers of the era. Immediately, we’re thrown into mystery as Batman finds himself on a strange alien planet. He explores before being attacked by strange plant life. Fortunately, Robin arrives in the nick of time to rescue him. As they run, the sun
beings to dawn and a giant statue awakens! As a result of the statue’s seismic weight, it falls to it's destruction down a chasm, but its debris hits Robin and kills him. Yep, as the title suggests, Robin does indeed die at dawn. Suddenly, Batman reawakens back in the real world, specifically in a test chamber monitored by a doctor. With Batman back in reality, he is glad to meet Robin again after the doctor tells Batman that his scientific experience will help in the space race. With the experiment over, Batman leaves with Robin, but the doctor fears that the Caped Crusader may suffer from after-effects. That covers the first chapter, and, at times, it feels like a rather odd drug trip. The whole idea of Batman effectively volunteering himself for science and experiencing what he did is chilling, but it also reveals something of a character trait. Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, nearly all DC characters had very little distinguishable personality. However, this story is one of the first where we realise how much Robin means to Batman. It can easily be used as his weakness for his enemies and that is one of the reasons why Robin Dies at Dawn is memorable. Anyway, chapter two begins with a now sane Batman taking out some guys dressed as gorillas. Is he really off the drugs? Well, apparently not as Batman continues to hallucinate the statue that killed the Boy Wonder in his virtual reality experience. As the days pass, Batman continues to be haunted by his experiences and he believes himself to be endangering Robin. Therefore, Bruce comes to the tragic decision that perhaps it’s time to hang up the cape and cowl for good. Saddened, Robin speaks to the doctor and asks for himself. However, those gorilla criminals from earlier kidnap them both and its down to Batman to rescue them. This really is the only flaw in the story. Why would these guys dressed as gorillas even want to kidnap the professor? They really do feel shoehorned in here and it’s a bit of a lazy way to conclude the story. Batman manages to bring up the courage and he heads out into the night to rescue his partner. As the gorillas are defeated and Batman leaves with Robin, the sun is dawning. This time however, Robin is alive, and all is well. Like The First Batman, Robin Dies at Dawn is a genuinely great story because it feels so experimental. It’s a radical departure from the usual stories involving aliens. Sure, there’s still some of that here, especially in the gorilla gang. However, most of the story is exploring something quite dark. It makes Batman appear far more vulnerable than we’ve seen him before. It makes him into a more human and real character. It’s nice that he overcomes his fear at the end, but we’ve seen Batman on the edge of defeat and that is what makes the story fantastic. It fully deserves to be a full-length story as it gives space for more depth in the story. There isn’t really much about the professor, but even he is depicted as a somewhat sinister figure by both Finger and Moldoff. Perhaps they had some foresight into what Morrison would later do…
Stories: 9.5/10
Art: 9/10
OTHER STORIES
The six stories I just covered are the most important in Morrison’s run and some of them, noted, are genuinely great stories. But, what of the other six? I didn’t cover these because, bluntly, they’re not really that important. However, they’re worth discussing briefly as they too are entertaining and good fun.
First up is A Partner for Batman, in which the Caped Crusader seemingly replaces Robin with a new European hero named Wingman after the Boy Wonder injured himself in his heroic duties. It’s definitely one of the more emotional stories as we’re forced to watch a young boy cry over the apparent fact that his best friend has replaced him for good. Don’t worry though, as Wingman is revealed to be a new ally of Batman who he is training to become a European Batman. Yep, it was all a big misunderstanding, and everyone makes up (despite Batman lying to the press that Wingman was his new sidekick, but let’s allow bygones to be bygones).
Batman – Indian Chief is next and ignoring some of the racial connotations within the story, it’s another thriller. The Dynamic Duo spot a strange bat-signal in plains far away from Gotham only to find the area is patrolled by the Man-Of-The-Bats and his kid sidekick, Little Raven. Batman and Robin must help the heroes in defeating Black Elk by impersonating their friends. Technically, it’s the first instance in which Batman meets another international Batman. However, Man-Of-The-Bats plays a biggest part in the Batmen of All Nation stories. Overall, though, it’s a bizarre issue that never fails to be exciting.
Am I Really Batman? is a story that, I’d imagine, Grant Morrison has read thousands of times. It features a confused Batman waking up in a padded cell (very Morrisonian) and learns that another Batman is out there fighting crime with Robin. Batman escapes from his cell and confronts the fake Bruce Wayne, only to discover that he and Dick Grayson aren’t the Dynamic Duo. However, Batman soon discovers that his impersonator is none other than Alfred. Robin explains that they were hunting down Professor Milo (who looks nothing like the character he’s meant to) before the villain unleashed some rare tropical gas that would result in the Caped Crusader’s death after 24 hours. Thanks to his research, Robin finds out that the virus can simply be cured if the diseased keeps moving. Essentially, Robin sent Batman on a wild goose chase to make him feel better. Surprisingly, Batman takes this rather well and, in the 1950s style, laughs it off. What the hell was that? It’s overcomplicated, confusing, and typically overdramatic. Therefore, it’s a classic!
While the previous three are, for the lack of a better term, more serious, the final three are strange stories which personify the late 1950s and early 1960s. We have (continued)
Batman meets Bat-Mite! Batman and Robin arrive in the cave to find the mischievous imp fanboying all over them. He then decides to play a game with the Dynamic Duo and as he watches them take out magically conjured-up villains, Bat-Mite twists reality for his own amusement. In the end, Batman shouts at Bat-Mite like a naughty child before he vanishes back into the fifth dimension. Essentially, he’s Batman’s Mr Mxyzptlk, but far less malicious. He’s just an interdimensional imp that likes to have fun. Although not crucial to Morrison’s run, a lovely and entertaining story. However, the same can be said of the next two stories, which are The Rainbow Creature, and then ultimately The Batman Creature. These two are very similar to the Bat-Mite story, as they feature a strange unearthly being terrorising civilians. Interestingly, the Rainbow Creature’s powers are very meta as it can transform Batman and Robin into two-dimensional beings, but it is defeated when the heroes manage to suck all the colour out of the creature by using science! Again, bizarre but good old fashioned silver age fun. On the other hand, The Batman Creature is probably my least favourite of the whole book. Some criminals manage to capture Batman and transform him (by using their wittingly named Transformation Ray) into a freakish and monstrous Batman. Using the help of Robin, Batwoman, and even Ace the Bat Hound, Batman is returned to normal. The story really is a shameless rip-off of King Kong as it is sometimes identical. Although the story fits brilliantly with the other stories (especially with more of the Bat family, the story is nearly twenty pages and that is just too long for something like this. Stories that are strange can become very dull after some time and it’s much better when they are short and snappier.
Finally, I think it’s best that I should throw in all the art together because, quite frankly, there isn’t any huge difference in terms of the styles between artists. This isn’t a criticism of course, as editors demanded that all work look similar. That being said, every artist here can be considered Batman legends. Be under no illusion that these stories were drawn or even pencilled by Bob Kane. By this time, Bob Kane was certainly not involved and he was being paid while other did all the hard work. Anyway, Sheldon Moldoff and Dick Sprang, the two pencillers, are brilliant at telling retro and iconic Batman stories. Sure, they may lack the brilliance of a Kirby or a Ditko, but they gave Batman and his pals a definitive look and arguably, one that has remained with the characters since. Their art is never dull and lazy. The main issue is the sometimes-wooden storytelling, which can often by undramatic and plain. Again though, that was typical of the times. Charles Paris and Stan Kaye, the two main inkers, are flawless. Being an inker is a much harder job than many believe. It requires a steady hand and a huge knowledge of depth and shadows. Every line here is smooth and gracefully placed over the pencils. It completely contrasts the often messy and scratchy style of comics that we see today. Together with the pencillers, they really do bring the story to life.
VERDICT
Overall, Batman: The Black Casebook is a series of very memorable and noteworthy stories from an age of comics that is usually dismissed as too silly. Sure, if you read every Batman story from 1953 to 1967, then there would be countless stories about aliens and the vast majority of them would be a chore to read. However, The Black Casebook picks out the best of the best and it’s clear that Morrison must have enjoyed them all. And I do too. Some are weaker than others, like the Batman Creature and The Club of Heroes for example. But I do have to say that The First Batman and Robin Dies at Dawn are probably two of the best Batman stories you could ever read from the pre-O’Neil/Adams era. The relevance of these stories will be clear far later in Batman’s history, but for now, it’s best to look back at them as classic silver age stories that stand out among the crowd…
Stories: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Next Week: The Question: Five Books of Blood (Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood 1-5). Written by Greg Rucka with art by Tom Mandrake, Jesus Saiz, Matthew Clark, Diego Almos, Manuel Garcia, Jimmy Palmiotti, Steve Lieber, and Eric Trautmann.
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