Batman '74

When I sat down to corral 1974's Bat-titles onto my flash drive, I discovered that we've arrived at the 100-page-giant era. Perhaps a word on why and how this dramatic page-count increase came to be is in order. As recounted in greater detail here:

"One of Martin Goodman's outrageously successful business moves during the last years of his tenure at Marvel was to trick DC (...) into committing an ultimately disastrous page-count and pricing change (...) resulting in what then DC editorial director (soon to be publisher) Carmine Infantino characterized as a "slaughter." In an audaciously daring move, the House of Ideas raised the page count of its regular titles 75% from 32 to 48 pages, accompanied by a 75% price hike from 15¢ to 25¢ on its October and November 1971 cover-dated books. Immediately DC followed suit, though significantly increasing their page count 100%, from 32 to 64 pages. But within a month, in a move that sent shockwaves through the industry, Goodman immediately dropped page count back to 32 pages yet only reducing the price per book to 20¢, still a 25% price increase from two months prior.

The results of Martin's gambit? Marvel was able to give wholesalers a 50% discount off the cover price of their line, as compared to DC's mere 40% price break. And whose titles would the retailers be more likely to push, do you think? Plus, what kid could resist getting five snappy, all-new Marvels for a buck, compared to four DCs, padded with moldy, old reprints? Also, as DC had to lock into ordering huge quantities of paper-a full year's supply-the publisher was trapped at the 25¢, 64-page format for an entire year. (...) Those 12 months were all the time DC's competitor needed to come out on top and, for the first time in their decades-old rivalry, Marvel surpassed DC in sales, only rarely looking back in the quarter-century passed since that fateful year. The DC supremacy on the comics racks ended in 1972 after an astonishing 35-year reign, a dynasty suddenly in disarray, scrambling to get back on top, while Martin Goodman sat very prettily indeed, ensconced in his new role as the King of Comics in this New Marvel Age."

Part of DC's "disarray" resulted in these 100-page giants. Martin Goodman's good fortune didn't last long, but that is as they say a story for another day. DC's fortunes would continue to plummet, but as the so-called Implosion happens a bit later in our countdown, we'll cover that in the blogs to come.

Just an ad for the Menomonee Falls Gazette - apparently a very popular eBay item. Dangerous info, that.

What all of that means for me is that instead of the usual number of pages to read for any given Bat-year, I was looking at something like 2700 pages (!!) for 1974: an insurmountable (or at least unexplainable, to self or wife) number of pages to tackle.

What to do? Focus only on stories written that calendar year, i.e. no reprints? But the reprints are a lot of the fun in these things. Focus only on stories starring Batman? No way - '74 is the year of Manhunter. Split all of this up into 5 different posts, one for each title? The best of the bad solutions, but one that would still entail me taking several eightballs of Batman to the brain. Sounds awesome! But inadvisable.

So, I chose to reprogram the Kobayashi to my own imperfect specifications, namely to review only Detective Comics.  Before deciding this, though, I grabbed a few things worth sharing:

From Batman 257, another haunted castle tale.

Not a huge fan of the character, but Ditko.

I've been enjoying the evolution of Daisy BB Gun ads over the decade. This one has nothing to do with BB guns that I can see, except this kid in the plaid reading the comic looks kind of squirrely to me.

Perhaps too high-concept. I cropped out the text, but this is the image that accompanies one of the ads. Presumably, the boy's abandoned his bike and gone off in a Daisy delirium? But... kind of ominous, especially in 2014 but even for '74.

Over in The Brave and the Bold, Batman's concussion-woes continue:

Wrap it up - I'll take it.

Also of note, (incredulous Troy McClure voice) The Batman teaming up with the Joker?!

That is one long-ass thought balloon bubble-trail.

With security measures like these, it's no wonder that Ra's Al-Ghul was able to just waltz into the Bat-cave so easily a few years back.

The first issue of Batman to be a 100-page giant advertised its new approach somewhat amusingly:

And one for trivia night:

DETECTIVE COMICS

(Issues 438 - 443)

Writers: Archie Goodwin, Steve Englehart. Artists: Vin and Sal Amendola, Jim Aparo, Alex Toth, Walt Simonson, Howard Chaykin, Dick Giordano

Things get started with the sort of supernatural-mystery story we've seen often enough in these pages.

It's a competent story with some great Aparo art but ultimately nothing special. Ditto for #439, the first Bat-story Steve Englehart wrote for DC.

We'll be seeing a lot more of Mr. Englehart in the years to come.

Most of the 100-pagers have fun Table of Contents pages. (from 440)

This issue has Bruce Wayne hanging out at the Playboy Playhour Club where conveniently enough, hi-jinks ensue.

The yokels with guns are there to retrieve their sister who as seen below has been "hidin' in the city, takin' on airs."

Batman really has to work on detecting people sneaking up behind him and knocking him unconscious.

This is a fun little story. The Batman mixes it up with a small-town sheriff and his excitable deputies, as well as an Appalachian cult that worships a legendary mountain monster.

Mud on the boots = may be an important clue.

# 441 is notable for another fine table of contents:

I've been reading this Bare Bones blog by Jack Seabrook and Peter Enfantino as I make my way through these. Their 70s Batman overview is much more in-depth than my own and has been a fantastic resource. (They're also responsible for A Thriller A Day, something which was very much a part of my daily routine a few years back.) Jack and Peter had opposite reactions to this story, but I agree with Peter: "A story that has a few too many plot holes, way too much exposition in its climax, and a few too many roads that wind up at dead ends." Still, it's fun enough.

#442 isn't the greatest story, but it's illustrated by Alex Toth, so, you know, 'nuff said.

 

Finally, running as a back-up throughout Detective Comics in '74 is "Manhunter" by Archie Goodwin and Wat Simonson.

Along the way we get some reprints of the Simon/Kirby Golden Age version.

Appearing at the height of America's fascination with kung-fu and ninjas, the Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter was originally not meant to be the same person as the 1940s character, but this was later established to be the case. For those unfamiliar with the character, here's a quick origin story:

Paul Kirk was believed to have been killed by an elephant on safari in the 1940s, but in actuality, his body was captured and cryogenically preserved by the mysterious "Council," a secret society that (of course) dabbles in assassination and espionage pursuant to controlling the world. He is injected with nanobots that give him an accelerated healing factor and trained in ninjutsu, the last master of which (Asano Nitobe) is believed to have been killed in the bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. Nitobe teaches Kirk everything he knows, but when Kirk balks at an order to assassinate an Interpol official, they become mortal enemies. Until they inevitably team up to go after the Council.

The series is notable for its cinematic action sequences and tight paneling, which Walt Simonson has always maintained was designed almost exclusively by Archie Goodwin. (A side note - if there is anyone in comics who is better-liked by his peers than Walt Simonson, it is Archie Goodwin. I have never read or heard a single bad word about the man; moreover, almost every word I have read or heard is lavish with praise.)

The story is a pretty standard espionage affair to 2014 eyes, but that's not to say it's not well-told. And the art is still loads of fun.

Some random panels and pages submitted for your approval.

The back-up and feature combine for the lead story in Detective 443:

 

As Walt Simonson would later recollect, "There was no organized fandom like there is today, no comic book shops back then. But we were very well received by fellow professionals." (It won a number of Shazam Awards from the short-lived Academy of Comic Book Arts.) "Archie got a letter from somebody who came across our Manhunter story in reprint, and he wanted to know how we'd been able to steal Frank Miller's ninja idea 10 years before Frank."

That anecdote (How did you so perfectly anticipate Frank Miller's use of ninjas?) has always cracked me up.

The "Gotterdammerung" story ends with Manhunter's death. Goodwin and Simonson were later asked to create a Final Chapter to be included in a Special Edition collecting the original stories, but the project was terminated when Goodwin died while it was still being developed. Walt's wife Louise (née Jones) suggested they release it without dialogue as a tribute to Goodwin, and such is how it appeared in 1999.

R.I.P. Archie Goodwin.

It was this Special Edition that introduced me to the character/ this story. I had no idea of any of the above. I recall mentioning it to a few people who told me bemusedly that this was among the most critically-acclaimed stories in comics history and where the hell had I been? Search me - I'd never even heard of it. Late to the party or not, it's still one helluva shindig.

Batman: 1973 pt. 1

I decided to split the 1973 overview into 2 digestible parts rather than one banquet-sized screencap feast, one for JLA and World's Finest (below) and one for Detective Comics, Batman, and The Brave and The Bold (next time.) This'll allow me to spend a bit more time on individual issues of note.

Before we begin, a maintenance note: I've been neglecting to include inkers when listing the artists. What's wrong with me? Inexcusable. From here on out, I'll include the inkers. Let's dig on in.

JLA

Issues 104 - 108

Writer: Len Wein. Artists: Dick Dillin, Dick Giordano

In the words of Allen Gamble from The Other Guys, "Look, they're not all first round picks, okay?"

Even weirder? There have been four (!!!) incarnations of Shaggy Man.

Equally long-lived in the DCU, T.O. Morrow returns to wreak some havoc. The character's gimmick has always been fun; he peers into a special television set/ computer that allows him to see the future. He's also a talented inventor who routinely creates "perfect duplicates" of heroes - too perfect, as the case usually is. (They're so alike their doppelgangers that they inevitably turn on their creator. Grant Morrison wrote a terrific ode to this aspect of the character early in his run on JLA.)

His most enduring creation is the Red Tornado:

Guess who does not destroy them all.

Red Tornado had a cool look. Unfortunately, he's the mopiest robotic bastard this side of Marvin from Hitch-hiker's Guide. His primary programming seems to be crying to himself in the corner about not being human, not feeling useful, not having any friends, and/or all of the above, sometimes at the same time.

Red Tornado's endless self-wallowing notwithstanding, this year's JLA/ JSA cross-over is a bit more fun than the past few. Mainly because it's superheroes vs. Robot Nazis, and Uncle Sam (literally) is a domestic insurgent. Who just kinda/sorta materializes on Earth-X, because Nazis.

So he's a bit like Beetlejuice. Or Candyman. Seriously, tho, I love this absolute shrug of an origin story.

It introduces Earth X and the Freedom Fighters, a group comprised of several heroes DC acquired when it bought Quality Comics. DC folded them into its multiverse the way it had the heroes it acquired from Charlton (Blue Beetle, The Question) or Fawcett (Marvel Family.)

Earth-X is... well, let's let the captions do their work:

Someone needs to keep a tally of how many times German characters have referred to the Batman as "Die Fledermaus!" It only happens once in this two-parter, but overall, I mean. I also love that the soldier mixes in his own translation. Perhaps his companion isn't a native speaker.

As so often happens, our gang is attempting to attend their yearly multiverse-hopping picnic with their Earth-2 counterparts and are blown off-course (this time due to Red Tornado's tagging along, because he felt left out and wanted to prove himself and thus ends up with his usual "Typical, this is all my fault" mechanical hand-wringing) and land on Nazi Earth. Whereupon they meet and immediately join forces with the Freedom Fighters on a mission to destroy the Nazi mind control devices scattered around the globe.

Batman et al. fight Nazi Landru atop the Eiffel Tower.

The old "You! Are! The Evil!" trick.

Followed inevitably by this:

They grapple for a bit then mutually realize it's all a big misunderstanding, like superfolk often do.

Red Tornado gets to save the day.

Not that it does anything for his self esteem. Seriously: Lighten Up, Red Tornado, you just punched Robot Hitler in the face.

WORLD'S FINEST

Issues 216 - 220

Writer: Bob Haney. Artists: Dick Dillin, Murphy Anderson, Frank Giacoia, Dave Cockrum.

Even if you're a forgiving reader of Silver Age storytelling in Bronze Age clothes (as Bob Haney's Bat-universe was specifically designed to be) this year of World's Finest really seems out of place. Picture the space hippies from "The Way to Eden" chanting "Herbert! Herbert!" over the attempts to be so Now about everything, though, and it's all rather fun.

Let's start with issue 216, where we pick up with

Reminder, this is the Elseworlds (once known in the DC vernacular by the charming but redundant sobriquet of "Imaginary Stories") of Superman and Batman, Jr.(s)

Things start with the Jrs. - sharing a motorcycle for their cross-country find-themselves journey - rolling into a small town, hungry for burgers and good vibes.

Things quickly escalate from Easy Rider to X-Files / The Wicker Man (and even a bit of Halloween III; obviously these are my own reference points and not contemporaneous ones) and the Jrs. are quickly knee-deep in alien takeovers, corrupt officials, and hippie philosophizing. Also, in mending the relationship of the far-out-locals who befriend them. If that makes you say, "Oh wow, I've got to read this," I sympathize, but it's really a huge mess.

After many puzzling twists, it ends with:

The next issue switches back to regular-continuity Superman and Batman.

Through a convoluted set of circumstances, Metamorpho is transformed into a tri-hybrid of the World's Greatest Detective, the Man of Steel, and his own Superfreak self.

Just another of those "My Neanderthal man-servant is playing elaborate dress-up and taking "How Do You Stack Up to a Superhero" quizzes" subplots. (Also: APE Magazine!)

Another dang ol' chestnut: "My Neanderthal man-servant accidentally alters the main character's structure by washing his dress-up clothes in the chemical pool attached to the super-computer."

Superman and Batman don't take kindly to the news that Metamorpho suddenly has their powers in addition to his own. (I guess he gets Batman's detecting abilities?)

Batman and Superman are sure responding to this irrationally, aren't they? Could they possibly be misdirecting the reader? (From the Fortress of Solitude, no less! You figure that would be the one place on Earth where they wouldn't have to keep up a cover story / ruse, which, of course, they clearly are, since every reader/ citizen of Earth would instantly suspect something was up if they suddenly started acting so completely not like themselves.)

"America's biggest international rival" is never mentioned again in DC continuity.

Metamorpho has to battle them before it's all "revealed" to have been a set-up so Superman and Batman could thwart Slavia's experimental military ambitions.

Metamorpho is deprived of his Super/Bat-powers in the very last panel:

"Meh. Must've worn off."

The next issue is even stranger.

Things start off with a mysterious stranger blackmailing Commissioner Gordon (who gave false testimony to the Grand Jury) and the Mayor (who has given kickbacks to family members.) Oddly, this is not brought up again, surely due to inattention / sloppy writing, but it lends a certain cynicism to things: no one is all that bothered by the entrenched corruption.

Not when there's some kind of goat-blackmailer on the loose.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Operation Black Goat!

This one has some particularly weird jump-cuts. If you're familiar with the kind of storytelling shortcuts common to comics of the period, you can fill in the blanks, but it's almost surreal in its defiance of logic.

The villain is introduced completely randomly, for starters. And then things move at a breakneck pace.

Everyone behaves as if they are simply being pulled along by an itemized list of plot points/ images: how do we get some of this astrology fad in here? Can Batman and Superman fight a goat? What's the mystery? Who cares? And then wham, here's the ending, you work it out:

As messy as issues 217 and 218 are, they've got nothing on the "El Monstro" two-parter. Batman and Superman are hired by Gotham City National Bank to investigate Nazi Gold in the fictional South American country of Favela. (Incidentally, if Alan Moore was on good terms with DC, he could write one hell of an atlas for all these fictional countries in this era of Batman alone.) Also: reports of a mysterious creature known as "El Monstro" who attacks petroleum companies and banking interests and leaves trails of riches for the country's exploited workers. This needs to be stopped, obviously.

Once in country, Batman (inconspicuously, as you can see) starts sniffing around.

Anaconda attack!

 

The monster wins Batman over with its tale of woe and desire for revenge. Meanwhile, Superman displays a rather un-super grasp of ecology:

and then a spate of un-Superman-like behavior once he catches up with Batman.

Fortunately, El Monstro senses that Superman's vaunted compassion can be triggered by its final reveal:

Whereupon Superman musters some compassion for the creature's plight. The corrupt government of Favela attempts to destroy her, and she self-sacrifices.

Good recall of the cover blurb, Batman.

It's an interesting contrast to the Relevance movement going on in Green Lantern at the time (although by '73, that was nearing its end.) Having disposed of the Nazi Gold and El Monstro and a handful of corrupt foreign officials, Batman and Superman restore the status quo for the foreign companies/ banks and it's all job-well-done and back to the States.

World's Finest, indeed! Of course we can't fault the story for not being as ahead of its time as we might prefer it to be, but it stands out as a collection of troubling assumptions. It does point the way to the mash-up of William Friedkin's Sorcerer, "Metamorphosis," and Nolan's Bat-trilogy I never knew I needed to see, though, so for that, I doff my cap and offer humble thanks.