Batman in the Seventies

Batman in the Seventies
Batman in the Seventies

By various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-565-X

Part of a series of trade paperbacks intended to define DC’s top heroes through the decades (the other being Superman, of course) these books always deliver a superb wallop of comicbook magic and a tantalising whiff of other, perhaps better, times.

Divided into sections partitioned by cover galleries this gem opens with ‘There is no Hope in Crime Alley!’ from Detective Comics #457 (1976) a powerful and genuinely moving tale that introduced Leslie Thomkins, the woman who first cared for the boy Bruce Wayne on the night his parents were murdered, delivered with great sensitivity by Denny O’Neil and Dick Giordano. This is followed by a chilling murder-mystery from the most celebrated creative team of the decade. ‘A Vow From the Grave’ by O’Neil, Neal Adams and Giordano originally appeared in Detective Comics #410 (1971). This section concludes with a macabre thriller by the same team from Batman # 237. ‘Night of the Reaper!’, as well as being Batman at his finest, is also notable for the creative involvement of Berni Wrightson and Harlan Ellison.

The second section leads off with a Batgirl and Robin (the Teen Wonder) team-up from the first issue of Batman Family (1975). ‘The Invader from Hell!’ pitted the young heroes against the ghost of Benedict Arnold, and although not the best work of Elliot Maggin or Mike Grell, it is a solid piece of storytelling all the same. ‘Marriage: Impossible!’ by Frank Robbins, Adams and Giordano (Detective Comics #407, 1971), however is another beloved classic; the final chapter in a triptych of tales that introduced the tragic scientist Kirk Langstrom, whose experiments doomed him to life as the monstrous Man-Bat.

By the close of the 1970s DC’s multiple Earths continuity would become something of a millstone, but in 1977 it was still a source of charm and delight. ‘From Each Ending …A Beginning!’ is taken from DC Superstars #17 and revealed the origin of the Earth 2 Huntress as well as the fate of the 1940s Batman and Catwoman, courtesy of then rising stars Paul Levitz, Joe Staton and Bob Layton.

Section three stars the villains and starts with a long-neglected Joker tale from Batman #260. ‘This One’ll Kill You, Batman!’ is by O’Neil, the brilliant and underrated Irv Novick, and Giordano, and is followed by far and away the most popular single Batman story of the period. From Batman #232, ‘Daughter of the Demon!’ introduced the immortal eco-terrorist Râ’s Al GhÅ«l in a whirlwind adventure by that supreme team O’Neil, Adams and Giordano.

The final section features two highly distinctive tales illustrated by two of the most unique stylists in American Comics. From Detective Comics #442 (1974) Archie Goodwin and the legendary Alex Toth collaborated on the magnificent barnstorming thriller ‘Death Flies the Haunted Skies!’, whilst O’Neil and Marshall Rogers crafted the enigmatic and experimentally retro ‘Ticket to Tragedy’ (Detective Comics #481 (December 1978 – January 1979), both lost masterpieces that only improve with each rereading.

Including pin-ups by Walt Simonson, Dick Giordano and Jim Aparo, several brief essays on super-villains, Bat-Books of the Seventies, key artists of the period, the prodigious cast of characters and the classic tales, this volume attempts the impossible task of encapsulating the greatest and most innovative decade in the Caped Crusader’s long history and comes very close to pulling it off. I can think of no better introduction to the world of the Dark Knight.

 

© 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1999 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.