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.

The latest incarnation of The Incredible Hulk took in a little over $54 million domestically this weekend. So, now that the gamma dust has settled, what did you think about it? Was it better than the Ang Lee film? What do the hardcore fans think about the references to the super soldier serum? For me it was kind of middle of the road, but the group I watched it with, whom had little or no background on the big green guy thought it was pretty good. Could it be that this Hulk has better mass appeal?

Those of you who are frequent visitors to the website Boing Boing may be familiar with blogger Cory Doctorow. Cory is a big proponent of Creative Commons and a staunch opponent of DRM. All of his novels have been released under the Creative Commons license which allows him to grant the right to remix his works for non profit. So, it’s no surprise that with the release of Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now that Cory and IDW have released PDF’s and JPG’s of the entire collection. If you would like to download the entire collection you can do so here. And if you would like to purchase a hard copy we have them in stock.

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.”

How else could we follow up the longest Showcase podcast ever? With the second longest Showcase podcast ever! Last week, Chase and Blake took apart ever Marvel Comics movie to date, and this week, they do the same for DC. Everything from Superman and the Mole Men and the Adam West Batman to looks ahead at The Dark Knight and Watchmen is part of this giant-size episode. In the picks this week, Chase cheers for Franklin Richards: Not-So-Secret Invasion #1, while Blake is stunned at how Supergirl has become a must-read comic. Next week, a normal-sized episode (we hope!) about our favorite Valiant Comics, followed by our long-awaited spotlight on The Incredible Hulk! E-mail us with your comments, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

Music provided by the Podshow Podsafe Music Network
Direct download: Ep._70_DCMovies.mp3

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.

Prepare yourself for the biggest 2 in 1 Showcase ever! With no less than five comic book movies coming out this summer and more planned for the fall, the Showcase boys decided to do a two-part episode talking about all the Marvel and DC movies to date. What neither of them expected was that both parts would be gargantuan. In this double-sized episode, the guys break down all of the Marvel films by franchise, debate the merits, and give their own rating of each and every one — and the discussion lasts longer than some of the movies! In this week’s picks, Blake loves the new Guardians of the Galaxy, while the conclusion of “Last Son of Krypton” makes Action Comics Annual Chase’s choice. Next week, the guys tackle the DC movies, in another giant podcast! E-mail us with your comments, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

Music provided by the Podshow Podsafe Music Network
Direct download: Ep._69_MarvelMovies.mp3