The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (1988) Overview/Review

 Hey everyone! How's it going? I'm doing pretty well. Kind of. This week's episode of The Orville was a real tear jerker of an episode so I'm recovering from that hour and a bit of awesomeness. But I'm not here to talk about that episode. Today I am taking a look at the book that was my first experience with Batman comics from the '30s through to the early '80s, and my first realization that Batman had been around as a comic book character far longer than I initially thought, The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told Volume 1, published in 1988. So, let's get into it.

The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told is that book that made me a hardcore Batman comic book fan. As I've mentioned before in other blog posts over the years, I first encountered Batman in 1992 when YTV began airing reruns of the 1966 TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Not long after that Batman Returns starring Michael Keaton came out in theatres and Batman: The Animated Series debuted on Fox Kids in the United States and on Global TV here in Canada. It wasn't until 1993 when I discovered that Batman was in comic books too with The Batman Adventures #7 and Batman #493. But, I didn't realize that Batman had been a comic book character alot longer than he had been a TV character or a movie character. 

I got The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told for my birthday in 1997. Being a huge Batman fan thanks to the comics that I had plus reruns of Batman (1966), my taped off of PBS VHS of Batman: The Movie (1966), and my VHS copy of Batman Forever (1995), as soon as I took the wrapping off the book I was thrilled because Batman was on the cover. But when I opened it I got a thrill. Artwork that looked like the comic book animation used in the opening titles of the 1966 TV show, titles that looked similar to the opening title card of said TV show, and insane stories going all the way back to 1939, 58 years before I held that book in my hands for the first time. Of course Elvis Christmas music was playing because it was Christmastime and my dad was allowed to start playing Christmas music on my birthday.

 I got the Warner Books edition, rather than the DC Comics edition, but I think the only difference between the two is the Warner Books logo rather than the DC Comics logo. So what are the stories in this book? Let's check them out shall we?

The first story appeared in issues 31 and 32 of Detective Comics from 1939, the earliest Batman stories in this collection. "Batman Versus the Vampire" is about Batman facing off against the Mad Monk in an attempt to rescue his fiance, Julie Madison, from the Vampire's clutches. This story is pivotal because it not only introduced us to Julie for the first time, but it also introduced the Batarang and the Bat Gyro (precursor to the Batplane). Early on Batman didn't always appear on the covers of Detective Comics like he would later on. I always thought this story was weird because I was seeing Batman's earliest design for the first time and he was the only familiar character to me as Commissioner Gordon doesn't appear, and neither Robin or Alfred had been created yet. So that was interesting.

Up next was the only solo Batman story from Batman #1 (1940) as Robin would appear in the other stories in the issue. This was also my first introduction to Hugo Strange in the main comics as he'd been killed off many years before, which I came to find out later in this book. It was also the only time I saw Batman use a gun on the Batplane. 

The next story, "Knights of Knavery" from Batman #25 (1944) was the first supervillain story in this book and had none other than the Joker and the Penguin in it. It was also the first story to have Robin in the book as well. What surprised me was that Robin was wearing the costume worn on the TV show, not the one Tim Drake was currently wearing in the comics and that Dick Grayson wore in Batman: The Animated Series. Oh and seeing Batman without the yellow oval around the bat symbol on his chest was strange too as this was before the oval was removed in the comics, and before I'd seen any episodes of The New Batman Adventures. 

My favourite story in this book is "1001 Umbrellas of the Penguin" and it's from the Batman newspaper strip that was being published in the 1940s. In it the Penguin's aunt, Miranda, comes for a visit and because she's unaware that he's a criminal, Batman and Robin are forced to pretend they're his friends until she leaves and they can arrest him. I think this is the first time that we find out that the Penguin's real name is Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot. It was for me because I didn't remember that detail from Batman Returns. This whole story is ridiculous and fun and I love it.

Batman #47 (1948) is next and it tells "The Origin of Batman". This was my first big encounter with Batman's origin in the comics, as the then modern comics weren't delving into it too deeply and it wasn't the focus of Batman Forever either. It was also my introduction to Joe Chill and the fact that Batman revealed his secret identity to Chill to prove to him his reason for accusing him of murdering Thomas and Martha Wayne, who also had names that I didn't know up to this point. 

Next is "The Birth of Batplane II" from Batman #61 (1950). There's not much to say about this story except that it's the first major appearance of the Batcave in this book as previous stories were from before the Batcave had officially debuted.

"Operation: Escape" is a fun Robin solo story from Star-Spangled Comics #124 (1952). Again, I don't have much else to say about it as it's merely a Robin story from an anthology comic. Batman isn't in the book at all and Robin drives the Batmobile on his own. I liked that because I remember the episode of the 1966 TV series where Robin got his driver's license.

Catwoman makes her debut in this book in "The Jungle Cat Queen" from Detective Comics #211 (1954). Seeing these earlier comic book versions of characters I'd come to know from the various TV shows, movies, and comic books that I'd seen and read was an interesting experience for me. Especially with Catwoman because of her and Batman's attraction for one another that is VERY apparent across the movies, TV shows and comic books. In fact that's one thing that has carried over from one incarnation to another. 

"The First Batman" from Detective Comics #235 (1956) gives much more depth to the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne than even "The Origin of Batman" did, with the introduction of the man who hired Joe Chill to murder the Waynes after Thomas had put him in jail many years earlier. It was also the debut of Thomas Wayne's "Batman" costume that he wore for Halloween, similar to how Barbara Gordon would wear a "Batgirl" costume for a costume party later on. It also served as inspiration for Bruce to design the Batsuit as it had several similar elements to the costume that his dad wears in this issue.

"The Origin of the Superman-Batman Team" from World's Finest Comics #94 (1958) is the first time I realized that Batman and Superman knew each other. Yes, I'd seen them together on subscription pages in various Star Trek comics published by DC, and I had The Batman Adventures #25 where they team up in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series, but I didn't KNOW that they knew each other in the main DC Universe. They were always separate worlds to me because of the DC Universe having been created as individual parts which were then brought together for events like Zero Hour and books like Justice League of America and JLA. So this was cool to me.

"Robin Dies at Dawn" from Batman #156 (1963) was a story I enjoyed alot as it showed Batman's more fragile side in the face of the stress test he underwent...that involved the death of Robin for some reason. It was also Alfred's debut in this book oddly enough, and my introduction to Ace, the Bat-Hound, as well as his only appearance in any issue collected in this book. This story came out a year before Julius Schwartz, Carmine Infantino, Gardner Fox, and Joe Giella came up with the "New Look" Batman, which cut out Ace, Batwoman, Bat-Girl, and Bat-Mite and reintroduced the detective element that had been missing from the comics for sometime. 

"The Blockbuster Invasion of Gotham City" from Detective Comics #345 (1965) is the "New Look" Batman and the closest this book comes to having an issue published during the time of the TV series. In fact, whenever I read this story I imagine hearing Adam West, Burt Ward, and Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon) say the dialogue in the story, and imagining that William Dozier is speaking the narration. The 1966 TV show was my introduction to Batman so anytime I read a comic from that era, be it during the time of the TV show or before it, that's the version I'm going to go with in my mind.

"Ghost of the Killer Skies" from Detective Comics #404 (1970) is an important story for me because it was the first story I read that was written and drawn by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams. This was my introduction to that legendary comic book duo, though being 11 years old at the time I didn't know how important they would be. Though I do remember Denny's name since he was the editor of the Batman books during Knightfall in the mid '90s, which is when I got into the comics. 

"Half an Evil" from Batman #234 (1971) is the only other Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams story included in this book. Denny writes one other story but Neal doesn't have any other stories that he did the art for in this book. I was familiar with Two-Face before I read this story because not only was he in Batman Forever and I remember seeing his self-titled debut episode from Batman: The Animated Series, but he was in a Commissioner Gordon story in Batman Chronicles #8 (1997), which I got not all that long before I got this book. 

"Man-Bat Over Vegas" from Detective Comics #429 (1972) is a sort of Man-Bat story where Kirk Langstrom's wife, Francine turns into a giant, Man-Bat type Bat and terrorizes Las Vegas for some unknown reason. Frank Robbins does the art and the writing for this story. His art style REALLY stands out from all the other ones represented in this book. If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about. 

"The Batman Nobody Knows" from Batman #250 (1973) is one of two stories reprinted in this book that was adapted into an episode of Batman: The Animated Series in it's later form, The New Batman Adventures, around the time that I got this book actually. The episode is called "Legends of the Dark Knight". It's just Bruce Wayne listening to kids speculating about what Batman is and what he looks like. The gag is that when Bruce puts on the Batsuit, the kids don't believe that he's actually Batman and think he's just put on a Halloween costume. Which is funny to me. 

"Deathmask" from Detective Comics #437 (1973) is the only story in this book with art by Jim Aparo, who was one of the artists who were on the Batman books in the '90s when I started reading them. It's also the first time where the playboy identity for Bruce Wayne appears in this book. There isn't a whole lot to talk about because these stories aren't all that long at this point. Mainly because Detective Comics was still sort of an anthology book with stories featuring characters like the Elongated Man, Hawkman, and Manhunter, and Batman had backup stories featuring Robin or Batgirl at this point. Not to mention this issue doesn't have a villain that is recognizable to me from movies, TV, or modern comics. 

The same goes for "Death Flies the Haunted Sky" from Detective Comics #442 (1974). There is a reference to Detective Comics #404, which I mentioned earlier, but that's the only notable thing about this issue. 

"There is No Hope in Crime Alley" from Detective Comics #457 (1976) is the other story in this book that was adapted into an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. The episode was "Appointment in Crime Alley" which was season 1, episode 12. This story was also the debut of Leslie Thompkins, a woman who looked after Bruce following the murder of his parents in Crime Alley. After Crisis On Infinite Earths Leslie became a valuable member of the Bat Family, and their personal doctor. In this story though she doesn't even know that Batman is Bruce Wayne, the child she helped following the death of his parents. This is definitely one of Denny O'Neil's best Batman stories. I might write a review of this issue on it's own someday.

"Death Strikes at Midnight and Three" from DC Special Series #15 (1978) is unique because the story is made up of text mostly, with few images to add to the story. Which is interesting for a comic book, as it's usually the other way around. This is another Denny O'Neil written story and his work is usually pretty good.

"The Deadshot Ricochet" from Detective Comics #474 (1978) is part of Steve Engelhart and Marshall Rogers's famous run on the Batman mythos and where many of the elements seen in Batman: The Animated Series come from. Deadshot was a one off character who appeared in 1950 and then wasn't seen again until this story a whole 28 years after his initial debut. Which isn't uncommon with DC villains in the Silver Age. In fact, the Riddler, Two-Face, Scarecrow and a few others disappeared during the '50s and '60s only to reappear in the '70s and '80s, with the Riddler reappearing in the '60s, during the "New Look" era. This was also the only appearance of Silver St. Cloud, one of Batman's major love interests during this time. Julie Madison is also mentioned in this issue though she hasn't been seen since the '40s. Here we have a more introspective Batman, who has many mixed emotions about his role as Batman and the facade he puts on in public as Bruce Wayne. Especially when it comes to having a serious relationship. This is another issue I might do a separate review of at some point.

Next up we have "Bat-Mite's New York Adventure" from Detective Comics #482 (1979) by Bob Rozakis, with art by Michael Golden. Bat-Mite is a character who has appeared sporadically in the comics since the '50s, but has only appeared in The New Adventures of Batman (1977) and in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008-2011), and so this was my first encounter with the character. It's also interesting because Bat-Mite isn't harassing Batman or any members of the Bat Family. Instead he's harassing the writers and artists at DC Comics so they'll make a comic book about him. The funniest part of this story is at the end when Bat-Mite is about to leave he threatens to come back and bring Mxyzptlk with him if they don't do the book. I love that.

"A Caper a Day Keeps the Batman at Bay" from Batman #312 (1979) by Len Wein and art by Walt Simonson and Dick Giordano is another fantastic Batman story. The villain is the Calendar Man, who commits crimes according to the day of the week. What's interesting about this story is that Batman is pretty quippy in it. Which he kind of was in Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams's run in the early '70s, but the writers since then had gotten away from that for the most part by this time. For example. When Batman shows up during one of Calendar Man's break-ins Batman says, "It's about time punk! I was getting tired of waiting out here!", Calendar Man says, "Who--?!?", Batman replies, "Do I really have to answer that?", Calendar Man says," You might as well Batman--since it's the last thing you're ever going to say! Thursday, you'll recall, was named for the Norse god of thunder----So I've armed myself with the Hammer of Thor!" and Batman replies, "You could arm yourself with a nuclear warhead--but it still wouldn't help you!" Which sounds REALLY weird coming from Batman in the comics, particularly at this point in his publication history, but it does sound like something Kevin Conroy's Batman would say in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. So this is the material the show's writers were pulling from for the series. Which is pretty cool.

"To Kill a Legend" from Detective Comics #500 (1981) is another interesting look at the murder of the Waynes, only this time it's on another Earth. The Phantom Stranger, a character I'm only familiar with because of this story, sends Batman and Robin to another Earth so that they can prevent the murder of the Waynes and save that Earth's Bruce Wayne from having to suffer from their loss and be forced to make a promise. However on this Earth Krypton doesn't exist, which means there's no Superman to inspire heroes on Earth. Also there aren't any fictional heroes like Robin Hood, Zorro, Odysseus, Gilgamesh or Hercules on this Earth either. Which means that Batman might have to exist to jumpstart the JSA and other heroes. But while the Waynes are saved by Batman and Robin of Earth-1, this unspecified Earth's Bruce Wayne ends up becoming Batman out of gratitude for the figure who saved the lives of his parents. Which is pretty cool.

And finally we have "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne" from The Brave and the Bold #197 (1983). This story is set on Earth-2 and everybody but Batman, Robin, Batwoman, Superman, and Wonder Woman has retired, with the JSA having disbanded at some point prior to the beginning of this story. In this story Batman teams up with Catwoman to fight the Scarecrow after he causes Batman to hallucinate the disappearance of everyone close to him, even though they're all still there. During the course of the story Batman and Catwoman reveal their origins to each other, and Batman reveals his secret identity to her for the first time. Of course, we've already met Helena Wayne, Bruce and Selina's daughter, who became the Huntress and journeyed to Earth-1 numerous times to assist Batman with cases there. 

This was my first exposure to so many Batman writers and artists and their incredible stories. Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, Sheldon Moldoff, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, Steve Engelhart, Marshall Rogers, and Len Wein, plus so many more were all introduced to me through their Batman stories in this book, which is why it remains in my collection to this day. And I have the memories of reading this book over and over again, experiencing the many Batman stories included between it's two covers. 

Overall The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told Volume 1 is still my favourite anniversary collection of Batman stories ever. This came out just prior to Batman's 50th anniversary and at the time Tim Burton's movie was about to come out and all we had were the two movie serials, the 1966 TV series, the 1966 movie, Filmation's two cartoon series from 1968 and 1977, and Batman and Robin's appearances on the various Super Friends cartoon series and yet there was still so much to come with new stories and new characters waiting to be created, proving that Batman would never disappear from pop culture. And he's still with us today.

Alright my friends that's it for me for today. I will be back for tomorrow's episode review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Until then have a wonderful night and I will talk to you all later. Take care.