By various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84856-138-0
Compiled on the coat-tails of the Batman RIP publishing event this delightfully eccentric collection celebrating the recurrent demise of the Gotham Guardian digs up a few oddments and some genuine valuable artifacts to amuse, enthrall and amaze.
The wonderment begins with the quirkily eponymous ‘The Strange Death of Batman!’; a highly experimental mystery that first appeared in Detective Comics #347 (January 1966) literally moments before the Dynamic Duo became household names all over the globe due to that incredibly popular TV show. Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, it featured possibly Batman’s daftest super-foe – the Bouncer – but still delivers action, drama and an intriguing conundrum to challenge the reader.
It’s followed by ‘Robin’s Revenge’ from World’s Finest Comics #184 (May 1969) wherein writer Cary Bates and artists Curt Swan and Jack Abel recount the imaginary story (see the review for DC’s Greatest Imaginary Stories, ISBN: 978-1-4012-0534-8 for a definition if the term is unknown to you) of Batman’s murder and the dark path that event takes the Boy Wonder down, with a hapless Superman as stand-in guardian helpless to forestall the seemingly inevitable further tragedy…
‘The Corpse that Wouldn’t Die!’ is a superb tale guest-starring the Atom taken from team-up title the Brave and the Bold #115 (October/November 1974). Written by Bob Haney and magnificently drawn by Jim Aparo it details how the Gotham Guardian is killed in the line of duty and how the Tiny Titan reanimates his corpse to conclude the case that finished him…
Next up is an extended saga from Batman #291-294 (September to December 1977) written by author David V Reed and illustrated by John Calnan and Tex Blaisdell. Over four deviously clever issues ‘Where Were You the Night Batman was Killed?’ sees the hordes of costumed foes the Caped Crusader crushed assemble to verify the stories of various felons claiming to have done the deed. This thematic partial inspiration for the recent Neil Gaiman “Last Batman Story” kicks off with ‘The Testimony of the Catwoman’, and follows with the testimonies of the Riddler, Lex Luthor and the Joker before satisfactorily concluding in a grand manner.
‘Buried Alive!’ by Gerry Conway, Rick Buckler and Frank McLaughlin (World’s Finest Comics #269 June/July1981) finds Superman and Robin desperately racing against time hunting for the madman who entombed the Batman, whilst ‘The Prison’ written and inked by John Stanisci, with Sal Buscema pencils, is a moody character piece featuring the post-mortem reflections of Talia, Daughter of the Demon Ra’s Al Ghul which originally appeared in Batman Chronicles #8, Spring 1997.
This odd but engaging tome ends with a frilly, fluffy fantasy from Nightwing #52, (February 2001) as Catwoman imagines a morbidly mirthful ‘Modern Romance’ courtesy of Chuck Dixon, Greg Land and Drew Geraci.
Themed collections can be a rather hit-or-miss proposition, but the quality and variety of these inspired selections makes for a highly enjoyable read and the only regret I can express is that room couldn’t be found to include the various covers that fronted the tales. Include those in a new edition and you’d have a book to die for…
© 1966, 1969, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1997, 2001, 2009 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.