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. 2

1973: Year of the Yom Kippur War, Skylab, Dark Side of the Moon, "Peace with Honor" in Vietnam, and Picasso's death.

And running alongside it all:

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD

Issues 105 - 109

Writer: Bob Haney. Artist: Jim Aparo

This isn't a particularly memorable year for guest stars in The Brave and the Bold. Outside of the Demon, we've seen everyone (Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Sgt. Rock) already in these pages.

What is memorable, though, is seeing Jim Aparo ink his own pencils for all 5 issues published in 1973.

There's also some fine 007-esque skiing action.

The hijacking story with Black Canary interested me for its timing; 1973 was the year the Nixon Administration ordered the CIA to discontinue hijacking as part of its covert operations against the Castro regime in Cuba. Does Brave and the Bold 107 comment on this? Not at all. Just some fun context.

The story with Sgt. Rock... well, first of all, there's this:

Rather uncharacteristic of Batman, isn't it? (And why does he refer to himself in third person?) His uttering of the magic phrase "I'd give my soul..." precipitates, of course, the appearance of a mysterious stranger, who taunts Batman throughout, leading the World's Greatest Detective to conclude that he may indeed be dealing with... the devil.

Sgt. Rock has his own theory, though:

This issue is a lot more engaging than it may sound, and the art is fabulous. Needless to say, of course, neither the devil nor Hitler are actually involved.

OR ARE THEY!? NO END.

BATMAN

Issues 247 - 253

Writers: Denny O'Neil, Frank Robbins, Elliot Maggin. Artists: Neal Adams, Bob Brown, Dick Giordano, Irv Novick, Frank McLaughlin, Frank Giacoia

This year returns to the "supernatural detective" table, which means as in 1971 almost every issue begins with something like this:

How many haunted houses has the Batman staked out by this point? Got to be in the dozens. (Doesn't anyone ever notice him out there on the leafless branches?) Also in the dozens? The amount of concussions the Batman shrugs off.

It would obviously be silly to apply real-world medical repercussions to the life of a superhero - at least in this era of comic book storytelling - but it really is something how often people manage not just to sneak up on the Batman but to smash his skull hard enough to knock him out of the hell out.

Here's just a smattering of examples from 1973 alone.

I'm including only examples where he is rendered unconscious, not just smashed upside the head by someone's fist or boot or with a blunt object, etc. There are dozens more of those.

Or rendered unconscious from falling rocks. Just as bad.

No wonder in later years he's as punch-drunk as he is:

Batman's indestructible cranium notwithstanding, this is a fairly routine year for Bat-adventures. (With one exception, which we'll be doubling back to a little later in the program.) All fun enough stories to be sure but nothing all that out of the ordinary.

The Spook (who is rumored to appear in the forthcoming Batman and Son animated movie) makes his first appearance in a two-parter here:
 

He returns in:

DETECTIVE COMICS

Issues 431 - 437

Writers: Denny O'Neil, Frank Robbins, Elliot Maggin, E. Nelson Bridwell, Archie Goodwin. Artists: Irv Novick, Don Heck, Dick Dillin, Dick Giordano, Murphy Anderson, Rich Buckler, Bob Brown, Frank Giacoia, Walt Simonson, Jim Aparo.

Characters spend a lot of time describing The Spook to one another in these issues.

Or simply saying his name.

As with previous years, the fourth wall is often broken to encourage readers to help Batman solve the mystery:

or beat him to it.

As mentioned here: "The year 1973 saw changes for Detective Comics, as Neal Adams nearly vanished from the scene and low sales figures caused a cutback in the publication schedule. Detective had been a monthly publication since its debut in 1937 and its conversion to a bi-monthly with the issue cover-dated July 1973 must have been a significant blow to the publisher whose name had originally stemmed from this series."

Sales were down all across the industry, of course, but DC had dramatically expanded its output, as well as hiked up its prices. This will come back to haunt them in a few years, as we will see in due course.

The "Censored" stamp plays a bigger role in the plot, but I quite like the effect of reproducing it out-of-context.

The back-ups continue with this Jason Bard dude.

But I didn't read any of them, because Bard replaced Batgirl, and I love you, Batgirl...

Other back-ups feature The Elongated Man, Hawkman, and the Atom. (All of which are pretty fun.)

The last story of the year, "Deathmask," is probably the best of the lot.

This is the issue that Archie Goodwin takes over editing Detective from Julie Schwartz. The Goodwin era, as we will see, is brief but brilliant. He gets things started quite well here, with a captivating A-story and a back-up feature (both of which he wrote) that is among the most fondly-remembered of all 1970s stories:

We'll save discussion of this until next time, since most of them came out in '74.

Walt Simonson would go on to become one of comicdom's most successful writer/artists (and the guy whose run on Thor ruined all other runs for me) but at the time this came out, he was (outside of some work on Weird War Tales) a complete unknown. But, next time.

AND THE GREATEST BATMAN STORY

OF 1973 IS...

It's hard not to go with:

This is the story that more than any re-purposed the Joker from the villain he was to the villain he became (and remains.) It's still cited as a top 10 Joker tale and deservedly so.

My copy is a bit faded, sorry for the muted colors.

John Byrne snuck The Joker into X-Men #130, and I do believe he was using Neal Adams's version from this issue as a character model.

Says Byrne: "I was definitely hoping that Glynis (Wein) would light that panel so that everybody had white faces and green hair so that he would come out looking even more like the Joker."

I'm going to split the honors with the third back-up from Batman 250:

Batman takes some kids out into the woods (hey now!) and they get to talking about what Batman really looks like.

Each of the kids projects his own take on the Caped Crusader, while a bemused Bruce Wayne listens. (That's all there is the plot.)

Bruce slips into the shadows to put on his uniform (which he of course brings everywhere) to show them the in-the-flesh version, but they are unimpressed.

It's a children's tale, and I may overrate it simply because it was one that stood out to me when I got that Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told trade I've mentioned before. But it's another of those Bat-stories that couldn't / wouldn't be told these days, and I feel like that's a shame. An understandable one, sure, but just the same.