Hard-boiled Batman Containing stories written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson, BATMAN CHRONICLES VOLUME 2 continues the daunting task of reprinting every Batman appearance in chronological order. Volume 2 collects DETECTIVE COMICS #39-45, BATMAN #2-3, and NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR COMICS #2, featuring the first appearance of the villain Clayface, and the return of the Joker and Catwoman. If you've ever wondered why Batman is called "The Darknight Detective", these Golden Age stories from 1939 - 1940 provide the answer. Bill Finger constructs some superb traditional mysteries, presenting the reader with a situation and cast of suspects, with Batman and Robin figuring it out through investigation and a bit of strong-arming. There are a couple of duds, but I suppose it happens to the best of writers. Bob Kane's art for these stories is excellent. The moonlight, fog, and shadows of Gotham City really make the stories come alive. Kane had a flair for depicting characters as embodiments of good or evil - much like Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy - and his covers and splash pages were true pulp, frequently featuring giant-sized villains threatening the heroes.
Oddly enough, even though Robin was added to the Batman lineup to make the series lighter and more accessible to kids, these stories are even more violent than those in the first volume. Various characters are killed by gunshots, falls, broken necks, and even an axe to the head or back. Also, there's an interesting cross-company coincidence in that one of the female characters is named "Lorna Dane", which just happens to be the alias of Marvel's mutant Polaris. I'm certainly enjoying these Golden Age Batman reprints more than anything currently released from DC, and that's really saying something. A third volume of BATMAN CHRONICLES is on the way, so my need for more Finger/Kane stories won't be left wanting for long.
Batman Chronicles: Vol. 2 A 'Superb' Book,allows you to read the 'Old' Comics,without having to pay a 'Fortune' for each Comic !!!!
FATASTIC EARLY BATMAN WORK! For those unfamiliar with the Batman Chronicles, they reprint Batman's earliest Golden Age adventures in chronological order. So in this book you'll get stories from Detective Comics, Batman, as well as the rare 1940 New York World's Fair comic, reprinted in order as they appeared beginning with Detective Comics 39, 40, & 41. These early Batman tales, written by Bill Finger with art by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson show the dark roots of Batman. While not as grim as the modern day incarnation, they are still far different that the rather silly Silver Age stories.
For example in the opening tale from Detective #39 finds Batman taking on a Chinatown tong called the Green Dragon. Tongs were basically Chinese gangs, often associated with organized criminal activities such as smuggling and drugs. The Tong kills by cleaving their enemy's skulls with a hatchet...pretty strong stuff for 1940's comics. The 30's and 40's saw a lot of this "yellow menace" type of threats in popular culture such as pulp magazines, film, and comics.
In Detective #40, longtime villain Clayface makes his first appearance although he's very different than the walking pile of mud we know today. Back then he was just disgruntled horror film star Basil karlo (a veiled similarity to Boris karloff) who disguised his face with makeup.
Batman #2 sees the return of the Joker and I was immediately struck by the fact that over the course of 65 years, the Joker really hasn't changed at all, same white face, green hair, and purple suit. Batman has changed numerous times but his old foe has stayed relatively the same. Contrast this with Catwoman who also appears in this issue. In those days she was merely a pretty brunette who wore a dress and stole jewels. A far cry from the Catwoman we know today!
Back in these early days, Batman was still considered a Spiderman-like menace and he found himself battling the cops almost as much as the criminals. It was also pre-batmobile, and Batman tooled around town in a plain sedan.
I love the Chronicles volumes. I've always felt it was important to keep the Golden Age era alive as much as possible and this is a perfect, and really inexpensive way to do it as these soft cover newsprint volumes are far less expensive than the hard cover Archive series. Bob Kane doesn't get enough credit for his art which is among the finest of all the Golden Age greats.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
