Detective Comics was published July 1939, was written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Kane. In his third appearance we see some characteristics that define Batman into the modern age. This is also the first issue that is not written as a generic crime story, and instead we are presented with a somewhat super villain, Dr. Death.

The story:
Dr. Death has developed a deadly pollen that he presumably will use to threaten the world. However, he recognizes the growing threat against crime, Batman,  and puts a classified ad in the local paper (something like SWM evil scientist plans to kill, let’s see if you can stop me) to entice Batman into a trap. Batman accepts the challenge and is caught in a trap by two of Dr. Death’s henchmen. Batman escapes with a gunshot wound to the shoulder and eventually follows Dr. Death’s servant, Jabah, to his lab. During his confrontation Dr. Death is presumed dead after a fire breaks out in his lab.

Batman Firsts:
During his confrontation with Dr. Death’s henchmen, Batman picks up a fallen gun and threatens to kill them if they don’t reveal their bosses identity. This is somewhat of a mystery to modern Batman fans since it is well known that he doesn’t use guns.  This is also the first time we see Batman use gadgets, giant suction cups that allow him to scale the outside of a building and a mace like glass capsule used to fend off Jabah. Dr. Death is considered by most to be Batman’s first “super villain” and is also the first to refer to him as Batman.

Overall, this story flows much better than the first two appearances of Batman partly due to an extended number of pages for the story and it’s departure from a simple criminal story. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s review because we may not have seen the last of Dr. Death.

June of 1939 saw the publication of Detective Comics #28 (written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane) and marked the last public guillotining in France. No really. I think that the latter is more interesting that this Batman story.

We’re still in the early phase of Batman and it hasn’t yet discovered it’s own path. This story, much like the previous is just a crime story about jewel thieves. No special villains, no inner turmoil and struggle, and nothing that would be recognizable as the Batman we know and love today. Much like my critique of the previous issue we get more of scenes like this one:

A blow by blow description of every action sequence. Now you may think that I’m being hard on Kane/Finger and think that’s just the way comics were back then. However, the previous issue of Detective Comics featured two stories by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. And those two stories were not written in this fashion. What I find fascinating about these early stories is seeing not only the genesis of an icon, but how the character was shaped. Besides, how much excitement and story can we expect from a whole six pages! Not to fret, the next issue of Detective Comics reveals traits that will forever be characterized with Batman. Join us tomorrow when Batman meets Doctor Death.

Detective Comics #27 was released in May of 1939 and marks the first appearance of Batman, or as he’s referred to in the early days “The Bat-Man”. Written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane, the paltry 6 pages of story resembles very little of what we think about Batman today. Absent are the “amazing toys” , memorable foes, and grand origin stories. Instead we are treated to a simple crime fiction story. After all, Detective Comics was a genre book dedicated to sleuth stories springing from the rich tradition of pulp magazines.

The story itself is not very memorable and could otherwise be dismissed if not for the appearance of Batman and Commissioner Gordon. It’s a simple story of greed, evil, crime and punishment. The main problem with the story is that it reads like a radio script. In one series of panels we are told,

The Bat-Man lashes out with a terrific right…he grabs his second adversary in a deadly headlock…and with a mighty heave…sends the burly criminal flying through space.

What’s annoying is that the dialog in many of the scenes is an exact description of the panels. It’s as if Kane did not trust his illustration abilities and wanted to tell us what he was drawing, which is a shame because the illustrations are well thought out and executed.

Even though it’s kind of hokey, it gives us the introduction of one of the most recognized symbols of pop culture. Not all introductions can be winners and we should be thankful that the editors saw the potential and pushed forward with the character.

If you are a fan of comic strips, and let’s face it, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. You are going to want to check out a new quarterly magazine called Stay Tooned Magazine. Stay Tooned is remarkable for its insight into the creative process of cartoonists and artists. In an interview with Marcus Hamilton, the artist hand chosen by Hank Ketcham to take the reigns of Dennis the Menace, we get a unique view of four distinct variations of the same comic panel. This is a great opportunity to see the amount of work that goes into making a single panel and the dedication of the artist to get it just right. Not to be missed are the examples of sketches to finished product and the great interviews with Greg Cravens, Marcus Hamilton, Steve Kelley, John Rose, Marshall Ramsey, John Deaton, Rob Corley, Scott Stantis, and Steven Butler. Our preview copy of Stay Tooned was hand delivered by the editor and publisher John Reed and we are looking into the possibility of carrying future issues. If you would like to peruse the premiere issue and add it to your subscription just let us know.

In one short week, friends, comic fans will flood the movie theaters to see Edward Norton as The Incredible Hulk! This week, the Showcase boys dish on the history of the Hulk, their all-time favorite Hulk stories, and the current state of the books in the Hulk “Family.” In the picks this week, Chase is happy to see She-Hulk #29 making a comeback, while Blake trumpets the virtues of How to Make Webcomics. E-mail us with your comments, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

Episode 72: The Incredible Hulk

Ever since the release of the trailer for The Spirit, the internet (and our customers) have pointed out that it looks too much like Sin City. Especially the lonesome red highlights among an otherwise black and white trailer. Well, Frank Miller has listened to these concerns and takes some time to blog about it and says,

To drive the point home, THE SPIRIT, despite any accidental impression left by that kickass teaser-trailer, is a full-color movie. SIN CITY—and I hope to make of it a movie trilogy all its own, come Hell and high water—is, visually, a playhouse for black and white.

Well, the title pretty much sums this one up. If you didn’t know it, John Hodgman not only likes comics, but he’s also a good reviewer. In this NY Times article Hodgman reviews Jack Kirby’s “Fourth World Omnibus”, Eric Shanower’s “Age of Bronze” and Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s “Y: The Last Man.”

Mark Evanier was on NPR’s Fresh Air on Wednesday to promote his latest book, Kirby: King of Comics. It’s an interesting interview and I can’t wait to read the book (right after I finish The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America). The interview can be found here. In other Kirby related news, there was a bunch of hullabaloo over the New Yorker’s latest caption contest. Apparently the artist did not originally credit Jack Kirby (he’s now credited).

We are looking to start a local chapter of Drink and Draw Social Club. The premise is pretty straight forward. We get together, we drink, and we draw. Or if you are me, you doodle. Please reply to this post with suggestions of a local bar that you think would work for our first meeting. Also, let us know what night of the week is good for you. We are thinking of Thurs., Fri., or Sat. (May 29, 30, and 31 respectively). You don’t have to drink to draw and you don’t have to draw to drink. Just show up and have some fun with us.

I love fan art. Especially when it’s clever. Donald Soffritti is an Italian artist with a flair for superhero caricature. The site is in Italian and if you’re like me then the only thing you took away from 2 years of college Italian classes was how to say, “Dogs don’t sing, they eat cheese” (Il cane non contano, mangiano formagio). Anyway, enjoy the pics of your favorite superheroes aging poorly.