Batman and Robin meet a Manhunter from Mars in Batman #78 (June 1953). No, not that Martian Manhunter. This one’s name is “Roh Kar” and is hunting a dangerous criminal who escaped to Earth. Apparently Mars has kept its peaceful civilization a secret from Earth, though they are very familiar with Batman’s exploits. And they […]
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While EC was producing some of the most thought-provoking stories of their time, I can’t say the same thing was happening over at DC. In Batman #76 (February 1953), the Penguin escapes and starts assaulting Gotham City with giant mythical birds that appear to have powers. Amidst basilisks, dragons, and rocs, the Penguin introduced a […]
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Detective Comics #187 (July 1952) features another story featuring Two-Face, featuring the now-rehabilitated Harvey Dent, less than a year since the previous not-quite-Two-Face story. This time, Harvey Dent agrees to portray Two-Face in makeup, but then exhibits signs of his old criminal behavior. It turns out to be George Blake, the theater manager, who thought […]
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In Detective Comics #185 (May 1952), Batman loses his utility belt which contains a pin that, when sprayed with a special chemical, will reveal Batman’s identity. Batman thinks this is a good idea because something might also happen to Robin. Ok, but isn’t it more likely that you’ll die and then reveal your and Robin’s […]
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In Detective Comics #184 (April 1952), a new Batman villain arises: The Firefly! The Firefly is Garfield Lynns, the world’s foremost lighting-effects genius, who is bitter at lack of recognition and becomes a criminal. After being chased by Batman and Robin, he is saved by a firefly distracting the dynamic duo and decides to take […]
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Although this isn’t the first or even second time that Superman and Batman meet in comics, Superman #76 (March 1952) is the first time the two heroes share an adventure together and learn each other’s secret identities. Written by Edmond Hamilton and drawn by Curt Swan, it’s a pretty cool story and it’s one of […]
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In Batman #69 (November 1951), the villain “King of the Cats” is introduced. At this point in DC continuity, Catwoman has been rehabilitated for about a year now and Selina Kyle is mostly just a pet shop owner. The King of the Cats initiates a crime spree involving cat-themed crimes and Batman worries that Selina […]
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DC leans a bit into the current horror vibe in Batman #68 (October 1951), with an apparent return of a gruesome Batman villain: Two-Face! It’s been three whole years since the last Two-Face story. This time it’s an actor set to play Harvey Dent / Two-Face in a play, who has the same acid-scaring incident […]
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In Batman #66 (June 1951), Dick Grayson dreams he has grown up and taken over the mantle of Batman II. He also dreams that he has a son, named Dick Jr, and trains him as the new Robin.
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“The Private Life of Commissioner Gordon” in World’s Finest #53 (June 1951) shows a rare glimpse of the early life of Commissioner James Gordon, including a panel featuring his first child, Tony Gordon. We are slowly seeing more of the supporting cast being fleshed out in DC Comics. An old enemy of Jim Gordon escapes […]
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