Batman #404-407: "Batman: Year One"

The Dark Knight Returns #1-4

Couldn't have read the Untold Legend of The Batman without also reading what I consider the "companion piece"to  Batman's origin,  the "alternate universe" final days of an aged and retired Batman in Frank Miller's awesome "The Dark Knight Returns"!

The Untold Legend of The Batman #1-3

This mini series was the first  comic to tell me the awesome tale of batman's origins, and to this day it's still the one I consider the "true" telling of his history, despite many, many takes on it later.

Favorite Comics: Detective Comics #500

"To Kill a Legend!"

Our story opens on a  familiar scene in Batman lore. Young Bruce Wayne is walking home from the movies with his parents, Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne, when suddenly an armed robber comes out of the shadows. Brandishing a gun at Thomas, he demands Martha’s purse. When he grabs her arm and Thomas makes a move to stop him, the robber turns around and guns him down and his wife begins screaming. Panicking, the robber turns on her and guns her down, too, fleeing the scene of the crime leaving a young Bruce Wayne crumpled to his knees realizing his beloved parents are dead and will never hold him or love him again. He begins wailing…and an adult Bruce Wayne wakes up screaming from the nightmare 20 years later!

 Bruce is surprised that he’s had such a nightmare…he hasn’t thought about his parents’ murder since he put Joe Chill away years ago. Restless after the unsettling ordeal, He  decides to become Batman to unwind, and swings out into the Gotham night, patrolling the city for  its nocturnal predators. He spies a couple of would-be muggers hijacking an old woman, and intervenes. As he chases the thieves down an alley, he is surprised to find himself in Finger Alley, the crime scene where his parents were killed 20 years ago. Suddenly  Robin shows up to help Batman, and then both of them realize Robin is supposed to be at college, in another state! How did he come to be here?

  “You are here…Because you MUST be here,” explains a ghostly voice. They turn, and come face to face with the Phantom Stranger, the mysterious mystical being  who wanders between worlds.

When Batman asks the apparition what’s wrong, the Stranger replies ‘The wrong has yet to be done, and given your help, may NEVER be done! He explains.

  There are worlds beyond worlds. Forty years ago on one such planet, another Bruce Wayne saw his parents murdered, and became Batman, Then twenty years ago, on THIS planet, Bruce watched HIS parents die, and, like his predecessor, became Batman as well. Now on still another planet, the cycle is about to repeat itself. Thomas and Martha Wayne will die unless he intervenes! 

The Batman is confused, wondering why the Phantom Stranger would offer such an unusual choice. The Stranger replies that have for all the good Batman has done, he’s always felt like he  failed the ones he loved most. “This is your second chance, Bruce Wayne, and I offer it as a friend and as a comrade.”

Both Robin and Batman take him up on the offer. The fog swirls in around them, and when the fog clears, they find themselves in a slightly distorted vision- it is Gotham City (or at least, a version of it)  twenty years ago! They have come right upon a gang of boat smugglers, and quickly jump in and subdue the crooks. When the police arrive, who should show up, but a young Lieutenant Gordon! Not familiar with the Dark Knight, he wants them arrested for vigilantism, but the duo speed away!

 They go to the hall of records to pick up the trail of Lew Moxon, the man who will hire Joe Chill to murder the Waynes. While Batman goes through the files, Robin reads up on the happenings of this planet. He is shocked to find that on THIS planet there are no costumed heroes. In this planet, there will not even be a Superman! He reasons that if they intervene, they might well be cheating this world of its only hero, but Batman doesn’t want to hear about it.

Later, under the cover of trees, Batman and Robin watch over the Wayne family. Young Bruce is having a temper tantrum and throwing his toys around, but his parents try to be patient with him. Batman is solemn, watching his beloved parents, but Robin notes, “THIS Bruce Wayne is a spoiled Brat!” He wonders, “If we stop the murder, will Bruce grow up to become the bored playboy Bruce only pretends to be?”

  Later, the Dynamic Duo catch up to Lew Moxon and demand to know where his killer Joe Chill is. They rough up Moxon and warn his that he’ll be in trouble if any harm comes to the Waynes. As they leave however, their threat has the opposite effect, as Moxon decides he’d better hire a killer RIGHT AWAY, since so many seem to suspect his plans!

 With only five days to go before the night of the murder, Batman goes on a hunt to find Joe Chill’s whereabouts himself, sneaking into the Interstate Records at Police Headquarters. Using the Police computers, Batman finds where Joe Chill is residing, and is about to rush out, when he is stopped at gunpoint by Lieutenant Gordon! “Don’t move, please… I assure you, I’m a good shot.”

  Meanwhile Robin has been staying at the Wayne House to keep an eye on the family. He is horrified to see Bruce and his Parents getting ready to go out to see a movie, for he knows they were murdered coming OUT of a movie theater. “Where are you, Batman?”

 Batman is desperate to get out and nab Joe Chill and doesn’t have the time to explain the situation to Gordon, even if he could! “Lieutenant,” Batman begins, “In another time, another place…we’re friends.  If you can feel even a hint of that, please, trust me…let me go!”  Gordon watches the face of the brooding vigilante, and then, without knowing why, lowers the gun and decides to take the chance that the man is telling the truth.

  Batman rushes out, and in a few minutes, is shocked to find the slumped figure of Joe Chill. He’s been murdered, and as Batman realizes they’ve sent someone ELSE to kill the Waynes, he remembers that there have been five leap years in the last 20 years, five days that the calendar doesn’t record! For all intents and purposes, this day IS the night of the 26th, the night his parents are destined to be murdered!

 As Robin anxiously follows the Waynes as the leave the Movie Theater, a hoodlum comes out of the shadows! It is the hold-up man, and the murders of the Waynes is about to take place! Robin is about to step in, when suddenly, Batman comes swooping down on the gunman, diverting the killing shot and yelling ‘NO! Not this Time!” He chases the frightened criminal down the alley, and as he knocks the man unconscious, adds, “This time, I didn’t fail them.”

  At that instant, the mysterious fog rolls in again. It is the Phantom Stranger, come to take Batman and Robin home again. “You are now as much a stranger here as I.” Robin wonders if they will ever know the fate of young Bruce Wayne. “Perhaps.” says the Phantom Stranger. “But for now, all you need to know is that you saved two lives, and altered forever a third.” “Amen to that” says Batman, then the fog dissipates, and they are gone!

Epilogue.

 Thomas and Martha has seen a change in young Bruce Wayne since the night of the robbery. He has become more studious and thoughtful. “Maybe we should get mugged more often,” they joke. But Bruce Wayne will never forget that night when he and his parents were accosted and the giant batlike creature saved their lives.  He realized then that death is something that can, at least temporarily, be avoided. We see the young boy studying Detective work, and doing exercises to build up his muscles.

“There will come a day when Bruce Wayne will make a decision. a direction for his life. And when he does. it will not be a decision born of grief, guilt or vengeance, but one of awe…and gratitude.”

  And as we see young Bruce walking back to the house, the shadow he is casting is none other that the foretelling image of…The Batman!

The Delectable Julie Newmar

What would an article about Catwoman be without mentioning the actress who’s been more identified with her Batman villianess depiction than anyone? I’m referring to none other than Wong Foo’s cherished customer, the lovely Julie Newmar!

As kids, me and my friends REALLY loved that Batman TV show with Adam West and Burt Ward, and I remember the children in the neighborhood playing "Superfriends” instead of “Cowboys ‘n’ Indians” after watching the airing every week, but as we got older, we started to realize how silly the TV show was (re: camp) as we started reading the actual comics.

 But then, a funny thing happened. When we were in High School, they started airing the BATMAN TV show again … and Oh my God, this time, I GOT IT! Once I was able to separate the TV show from the comic, I realized that the show was this incredibly witty and quick paced series, and I began enjoying it all over again!

 Of course, one of the MAJOR differences between watching the show as a 7 year old kid and a high schooler was… You guessed it, JULIE NEWMAR! HOLY TOLEDO, I couldn’t believe how incredible HOT she was! In that skin- tight suit that totally showed off those wonderful curves of hers, it already was a sight for the eyes, but throw in that throaty voice and that sassy attitude, and you had a combination that can NEVER be bested!

I’m sorry, but that’s my stance. NO other actress can EVER COME CLOSE to capturing what Catwoman was all about better than the former Miss Newmeyer! And that goes for all the Meriwethers,  Kitts, Berrys and Pffiefers!

I remember one classic ending to one of those Batman episodes: Batman is trying to talk Catwoman into giving up a life a crime. She sassilly suggests that they get married and leave together:

“I can reform- honestly, I can!” she begs.

“What about Robin?” wonders Batman.

After pondering the problem for a second, Catwoman brightens up and cheerfully suggests:

“Oh, I’ve GOT it- We’ll KILL HIM!”

...to which a shocked Batman  wearily gives up: “I see you’re not really ready to assume a life within society!”

Catwoman realizes it cannot be, and very dramatically throws herself off the roof, supposedly falling to her death. Batman sadly pulls out a bat-shaped Handkerchief and wipes his tears away! Ahahahaha!

The Batman TV show is one of the few 60's-era series that to this day haven't gotten the DVD treatment, so until that happy day, I'm content to watch and re-watch my precious VHS tapes of the show, enjoying the five or six story arcs that featured the delectable Miss Stupefying Jones in all her glory!

Super-Vixens: Catwoman

Back in my day, (gads, I sound like a grandfather!) the top five major BATMAN villains were 1. Joker, 2. Penguin, 3. Two-Face, 4. The Riddler, and 5. Catwoman.

While the origins and personalities of the first four villains  have remained consistent for DECADES, the CATWOMAN of today had almost no similarity to the Catwoman I grew up with and loved.

 I’m talking, of course, about the ORIGINAL Catwoman, that is, Ms. Selina Kyle, she of feline tendencies, and on-and-off again lover of Bruce Wayne himself!

It was this lovers/arch enemies twist that made those stories so interesting, and it was really cool to be aware that the HUNTRESS was the daughter of Earth Two’s Batman and Catwoman!

  Back then, the art was usually handled by Dick Giordano or Irv Novick, and I have to say, their depictions of Selina are the ones that all others must be judged!-There was this one particular story I really had a fondness for, where somehow it ended up that Catwoman’s costume was so shredded in their battle with the Cat-Man, she ended up naked in the Batcave! What a treasured moment!

 I’m not sure why Selina Kyle’s character was constantly reimagined and reworked, maybe her history of amnesia, her shifting back and forth between a heroine and a villainess was too confusing? Too Boring? I don’ know, but with each update, she seems less and less like the Catwoman from my comics.

 But then again, that’s probably true for most of my beloved comic heroes, huh?

Catwoman

Selina Kyle

First appearance : Batman #1 (Spring 1940)

Created by  Bill Finger and Bob Kane

Super-Vixens: Silver St. Cloud

One thing that legendary master storyteller Steve Englehart always brought to a comic when he began writing duties was to create brand new characters for his run of the strip. Like he did with the oriental character Mantis in The Mighty Avengers, Steve created an interesting new character for the BATMAN storyline in DETECTIVE COMICS, a love interest, at that, in a girl called Silver St. Cloud.

  Love Interest? For The BATMAN? Yep, you heard right!  Well, more specifically, a girlfriend for Bruce Wayne, and when you factor in his “Playboy” persona, that’s even more unbelievable than a girl going out with Batman!

     Silver was a fully developed character (Take that any way you want, it’s correct in either one), Cool , Sexy (more on that later) and most of all, INTELLIGENT! In fact, it wouldn’t be too long before the smart platinum haired girl would deduce (correctly) that her beau was none other that the Dark Knight! It would be this knowledge that would push them apart- She  just couldn’t imagine having to worry about him EVERY NIGHT when he became his alter ego.

  When Marshall Rogers came onboard Detective Comics, his pencils, along with master Terry Austin’s inks, became THE look for Silver St. Cloud, just this GORGEOUS creature! Fans of Rogers’ later run on DR STRANGE will agree, when it comes to pretty girls with white hair whether it be Silver St. Cloud or Clea, Marshall Rogers had it down! And Oooh, that pic above with her talking to Bruce in bed…probably my favorite Marshall Rogers illo ever!

 Now, I don’t know what kind of significance Silver St. Cloud has for comic readers of today, but back in my childhood, Silver was THE ONE, spoken in that same reverence used when talking about Tracy De Vicenzo, AKA “Mrs. James Bond” in ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE, kind of like painted as “The great tragic romance of Batman’s life!”

 Silver St. Cloud

First Appearance: Detective Comics #470 (June 1977)

By  Steve Englehart and Walt Simonson & Al Milgrom

Super-Vixens: The Huntress

I remember my friend showing me his copy of the latest issue of ADVENTURE, one of the many DC titles he collected. He showed me the cover and said "Check this out!"

On the cover, it showed Batman in a coffin, and the blurb simply read "Death Of Batman!" I skeptically waved my hand dismissively, saying, "Aahh, He ain't really gonna be dead!" to which  Jas replied, "No, for real!...It's the Batman of Earth 2!"

"Earth 2?!" I exclaimed. "See, I told you it was a fake! I knew it wasn't the real Batman!"

Jas shook his head and had to explain to me that while it was true that this wasn't the "real" Batman, it was still a significant story, and that was the first time I heard of the "other" Earth of DC, and the incredible Justice Society. It was reading the Death of Batman issue that I came to know them, and that was how I first set eyes on the gorgeous Huntress!

   She was the first character I asked "Ooh, who's that?", and found out she was the daughter of the Earth II Batman and Catwoman (!). From there I always took notice of the svelte vigilante, and thrilled to her appearances in comics like Batman Family!

The Huntress

Real Name: Helena Wayne

First Appearance: All Star Comics #69 by Joe Staton and Paul Levitz

Super-Vixens: Talia Al Ghul

Okay, I’m going to go ahead and get Talia Al Ghul out of the way, as there’s probably no list of comic babes out there that doesn’t list her! Saying Talia is on your list of Comic Book Babes is a remark that is usually answered with a resounding “duh”.

First exposure to Talia was in the oversize Treasury Edition of Batman (and you all know which one I’m talking about…that awe-inspiring classic cover featuring Batman screaming in anguish over the fallen figure of Robin, with a very lackadaisy Talia in the background.)

…Who WAS this gorgeous mystery girl, and why did she have it “on” for Bats?

In later issues I would find her to be just as ruthless (even moreso, actually) than her father Ras Al Ghul. She had all the fire and drive as her father, but none of the finesse, generally just ass-kicking her way to her goals.

In fact, that’s one of the major differences in the Neal Adams Talia and subsequent depictions of her as drawn by folks like Dick Giordano or Irv Novick – Neal always drew her kind of naïve and spacey looking, while the other artists drew her as the threat she actually was! And who can ever forget that backside featured on the cover of Batman #330?

First Appearance: Detective Comics #411 by Denny O Neill and Bob Brown with Dick Giordano

Favorite Artists:

Neal Adams

Irv Novick

Dick Giordano (The DC Comics go-to man!)