Detective Comics No. 346
Detective Comics No. 347
January 1966
Cover: Tearful Robin holding newspaper with photograph of dead Batman
//Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
Story: “The Strange Death of Batman” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #64;
next appears in BATMAN #178), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #1;
next appears in BATMAN #178)
Intro: Gardner Fox (of Earth-Prime)
Cameo appearances: Batman (dies in this story), Robin, the Bouncer,
Superman, Atom, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman,
Hawkman (the Justice League of America), Batman of Earth-Two, Alfred Beagle
(in a “what-if” version of the story)
Villain: The Bouncer (first appearance; next appears in BATMAN #336)
Comment: Pages 10-14 of this story are a “what-if” version of pages
1-9, showing an imaginary version in which Batman dies and Robin avenges
his death.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin tackle a foe called the Bouncer, who wears
a suit of rubber-and-steel alloy that allows him to shrug off punches and
bounce for great distances.
Batman No. 178
February 1966
Cover: Batman vs. Rocketeers //Gil Kane / Murphy Anderson
Story: “Raid of the Rocketeers” (12 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (last appearance for both in DETECTIVE
COMICS #347)
Intro: Prof. Hank Wilson (only appearance)
Cameo appearance: Hank Wilson’s ancestors (first and only appearance
for all)
Villains: The Rocketeers and their leader (first and only appearance
for all)
Synopsis: The Rocketeers, a jet-pack-powered group of criminals, hijack
three missles and threaten to use them against Gotham City unless a billion-dollar
ransom is paid. Batman and Robin attempt to abort the missle launch
and capture the Rocketeers.
Story: “The Loan Shark’s Hidden Hoard” (12 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#42), Robin (next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #348)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BRAVE
AND THE BOLD #64; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #155)
Intro: Rosy, Weeper (only appearance for both)
Villains: Shark Sharkey, Mako, Louie, Chesty, a thug (first and only
appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League and
Metamorpho fight the Unimaginable in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #42.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin trace a series of bombings to a loan shark
who has been blasting clients who refused to pay up.
Detective Comics No. 348
February 1966
Cover: Birdmaster watching Batman and Robin battle killer birds in
cage //Joe Kubert (signed)
Story: “Birdmaster of Bedlam” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#42; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #155), Robin (last appearance
in BATMAN #178; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #155)
Intro: Mona (dies in this story)
Villain: The Birdmaster (first appearance; dies in this story) and
his gang (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
to discover the true identity of Nightman in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #155.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin are confronted by the Birdmaster, a criminal
who commands a horde of trained birds to destroy aircraft in flight.
Batman No. 179
March 1966
Cover: Riddler with riddle-cards, Batman and Robin swinging in //Gil
Kane / Murphy Anderson
Story: “Clay Pigeon For a Killer” (12 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman, Dick Grayson (does not appear as Robin
in this story; last appearance for both in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #155)
Intro: Roger Kay (only appearance)
Villains: Victor Iago and his gang (three of whom die in this story;
first and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: Batman impersonates Roger Kay, a TV host who has promised
to unveil the identity of the perpetrators of a $3,000,000 robbery
but who now realizes he has made himself a target for murder.
Story: “The Riddle-Less Robberies of the Riddler” (12 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (both next appear in SUPERMAN’S PAL,
JIMMY OLSEN #91)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #155; next appears in issue #181)
Other Character: Warden of State Penitentiary (last appearance in issue
#171; last appearance)
Villains: The Riddler (last appearance in issue #171; next appears
in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #68) and his gang (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
and Jimmy Olsen to battle the Dragons in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #91.
Then Batman teams with the Justice League to fight the Royal Flush Gang
in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #43 while Robin helps the Teen Titans deal
with Garn in TEEN TITANS #2.
Synopsis: The Riddler breaks jail and decides he must stop giving Batman
riddles, since the Caped Crusader always figures them out and apprehends
him. But he learns he is unable to rob without giving a riddle beforehand.
Detective Comics No. 349
March 1966
Cover: Blockbuster vs. Batman and Robin //Joe Kubert (signed)
Story: “The Blockbuster Breaks Loose” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#43; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #156), Robin (last appearance
in TEEN TITANS #2; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #156)
Cameo appearance: Roland Desmond (in flashback)
Villains: The Blockbuster (next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#46), the Outsider (between issues #340 / 356), a gang of crooks (first
and only appearance)
Comments: Reader Henry Goldman in the letters page of this issue guesses
that Alfred Pennyworth is the Outsider, and editor Julius Schwartz acknowledges
that this is the best guess yet.
Shortly after this story, Batman and Robin team with Superman
to face Bizarro No. 1, Bizarro-Batman, and the Joker in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #156. Then Batman visits Jimmy Olsen in the hospital
in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #92.
Synopsis: The Outsider uses the Blockbuster to overpower Batman and
place him in a deathtrap.
Detective Comics No. 350
April 1966
Cover: Batman vs. the Monarch of Menace //Joe Kubert (signed)
Story: “The Monarch of Menace” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY
OLSEN #92; next appears in BATMAN #180), Robin (last appearance in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #156; next appears in BATMAN #180)
Villains: The Monarch of Menace (first appearance; next appears in
BATMAN #293), his son, his gang, various crooks (first and only appearance
for all)
Synopsis: Batman confesses that there is one super-criminal he failed
to catch, the Monarch of Menace, whom he encountered early in his career.
But Robin catches the Monarch’s son, and both of them lay a trap for his
father.
Batman No. 180
May 1966
Cover: Death-Man kicking Batman and Robin into an open grave //Gil
Kane / Murphy Anderson
Story: “Death Knocks Three Times” (24 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #350;
next appears in SUPERMAN #186), Robin (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS
#350; next appears in TEEN TITANS #3)
Intro: A guard (dies in this story), a yogi (only appearance)
Villains: Death-Man (first appearance; dies in this story) and his
gang (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman helps Superman expose a group
of phonies in SUPERMAN #186, then helps the Justice League fight the Unimaginable
in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #44, while Robin helps the Teen Titans battle
Ding-Dong Daddy Dowd in TEEN TITANS #3.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin meet Death-Man, a skeleton-costumed villain
who appears to die twice--and then returns from both deaths.
Detective Comics No. 351
May 1966
Cover: The Cluemaster dropping clue signboard between himself and Batman
and Robin //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “The Cluemaster’s Topsy-Turvy Crimes” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#44; next appears in BATMAN #181), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS
#3; next appears in BATMAN #181)
Supporting Character: Harriet Cooper (between BATMAN #175 / 184)
Villains: The Cluemaster (first appearance; next appears in BATMAN
#201) and his gang (first and only appearance)
Synopsis: Batman and Robin meet the Cluemaster, a villain who deliberately
leaves clues to his future crimes, and who intends to unmask Batman and
strike at him in his secret identity.
Batman No. 181
June 1966
Cover: Batman, Robin, and Poison Ivy //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
(signed)
Story: “Beware of Poison Ivy” (12 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #351),
Robin (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #351; next appears in DOOM PATROL
#104)
Villains: Poison Ivy (Pamela Lillian Isley; first and last names revealed
in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #111; middle name revealed in Wonder Woman
story in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #252, where she is called “Lillian Rose”;
true full name revealed in WHO’S WHO #18; first appearance; last chronological
appearance and origin revealed in Wonder Woman story in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #252; next appears in issue #183) and her gang, Silken Spider, Tiger
Moth, Dragon Fly, and their gangs (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: This issue also includes a two-page pinup of Batman and Robin
by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson.
Synopsis: Batman appears to be falling for a beautiful new thief in
town, Poison Ivy, who appears to come between him and Robin.
Story: “The Perfect Crime--Slightly Imperfect” (12 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Character: Batman (next appears in DOOM PATROL #104)
Supporting Characters: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in issue
#179; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #352), Kaye Daye, District Attorney
Danton, Art Saddows, Martin Tellman (the Mystery Analysts of Gotham City;
all between issues #174 / 194)
Intro: Nancy Owens (only appearance)
Villains: Fern Hunter, Chuck, Joe, another crook (first and only appearance
for all)
Comments: This is the third Mystery Analysts of Gotham City story.
Shortly after this story Batman and Robin, together with the
Justice League and the Teen Titans, attend the wedding of Elasti-Girl and
Mento in DOOM PATROL #104. Then Batman helps the Justice League fight
Shaggy Man in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #45.
Synopsis: Batman and the Mystery Analysts learn from mystery writer
Kaye Daye that she is about to win the Sherlock Award for The Stars Do
Kill--a book she insists she did not write.
Detective Comics No. 352
June 1966
Cover: Batman vs. Mr. Esper //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “Batman’s Crime-Hunt A-Go-Go” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#45; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #158), Robin (last appearance
in DOOM PATROL #104; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #158)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BATMAN
#181)
Intro: Lynda (only appearance)
Villains: Mr. Esper (first appearance; next appears in BATMAN #201)
and his gang (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
to meet Brainiac A in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #158.
Synopsis: Batman is grateful for a string of hunches that lead him
and Robin to the site of crimes in progress, until one turns out to be
a red herring that lures them away from a million-dollar robbery.
Detective Comics No. 353
July 1966
Cover: Flash, Weather Wizard, Batman, and Robin //Carmine Infantino
/ Joe Giella
Story: “The Weather-Wizard’s Triple-Treasure Thefts” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS
#158; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #67), Robin (last appearance in
WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #158; next appears in BATMAN #183)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon
Intro: Felix Bayard
Villain: Weather Wizard (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#41; next appears in THE FLASH #175)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with Flash to fight
the Speed Boys in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #67.
Synopsis: The Weather Wizard shifts operations from Central City to
Gotham City and challenges Batman and Robin to stop his robberies of wealthy
men.
Batman No. 183
August 1966
Cover: Batman impostor and Robin in Bat-Cave //Carmine Infantino /
Joe Giella
Story: “A Touch of Poison Ivy” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #67),
Robin (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #353)
Villains: Poison Ivy (last appearance in issue #181; next appears in
the Rose and Thorn story in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #116) and
her gang, various crooks (first and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: Poison Ivy plays on Batman’s obsession with her to force
him to break her out of jail, or see it destroyed with an explosive she
has concealed in her hair. Once freed, she makes Batman her captive.
Story: “Batman’s Baffling Turnabout” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (both next appear in METAL MEN #21)
Villains: A Batman impostor and his gang (first and only appearance
for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin capture a gang of
crooks in METAL MEN #21.
Synopsis: A Batman impostor traps Batman and tries to convince Robin
he is the real article, but his old-style bat-emblem trips him up.
Detective Comics No. 354
August 1966
Cover: Batman surrounded by Dr. Tzin-Tzin’s gang; Dr. Tzin-Tzin vignette
//Carmine Infantino / Joe Giella
Story: “No Exit For Batman” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer:
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (last appearance for both in METAL
MEN #21; both next appear in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #159)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (next appears in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #159)
Intro: Dr. Corey (only appearance)
Villains: Dr. Tzin-Tzin (first appearance; next appears in issue #408)
and his gang (first and only appearance), Strip Bander (first appearance;
dies in this story)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with
Superman to fight Anti-Superman and Anti-Batman (Commissioner Gordon) in
WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #159.
Synopsis: A gangster’s death by fright leads Batman and Robin into
the clutches of criminal mastermind Dr. Tzin-Tzin.
Batman No. 184
September 1966
Cover: Hot-Line, Batman and Robin //Carmine Infantino / Joe Giella
Story: “Mystery of the Missing Manhunters” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (last appearance for both in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #159)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #159; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #355), Harriet Cooper
(between DETECTIVE COMICS #351 / 356), Sgt. Harvey Hainer (?; last appearance
in issue #142; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #405)
Villains: Slippery Sam Lorenzo (first appearance; dies in this story),
Lefty Wright, Robbery Incorporated (first and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: Batman goes missing for 13 days, appears on the 14th day
with no memory of what happened to him during the last two weeks, and has
Robin put him in a hypnotic trance to find out what took place during that
time.
Story: “The Boy Wonder’s Boo-Boo Patrol” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Character: Robin (next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #355)
GS: Bruce Wayne (does not appear as Batman in this story; next appears,
as Batman, in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #46)
Intro: Viola Lance, Bill Porter (only appearance for both)
Villains: Two thieves (first and only appearance)
Comments: This is a Robin solo story.
Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League and
Justice Society fight Anti-Matter Man, Blockbuster, and Solomon Grundy
in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #46-47.
Synopsis: Robin, left to guard Gotham City in Batman’s abscence, becomes
involved (in a blundering way) with a stunt girl filming an episode of
a TV series.
Detective Comics No. 355
September 1966
Cover: Hooded Hangman dangling Batman off roof //Carmine Infantino
/ Joe Giella (signed)
Story: “Hate of the Hooded Hangman” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#46; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #160), Robin (last appearance
in BATMAN #184; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #160)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BATMAN
#184; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #160)
Intro: The Arizona Apache (only appearance)
Villain: The Hooded Hangman (Telman Davies; first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story, Batman and Robin team with Superman
to fight Dr. Zodiac in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #160, then Batman teams with
Metamorpho to fight the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler in BRAVE AND
THE BOLD #68 and Robin helps the Teen Titans deal with the Ant in TEEN
TITANS #5.
Synopsis: A masked wrestler, the Hooded Hangman, seeks to become the
most famous “secret identity” hero in Gotham City by unmasking Batman.
Detective Comics No. 356
October 1966
Cover: Robin turning into coffin as Batman fights Outsider //Carmine
Infantino / Joe Giella (signed)
Story: “Inside Story of the Outsider” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #68;
next appears in AQUAMAN #30), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #5;
next appears in BATMAN #186)
Supporting Character: Harriet Cooper (last appearance in BATMAN #184;
next appears in issue #358)
Intro: Brandon Crawford (only appearance)
Villains: The Outsider (last appearance in issue #349; restored to
being Alfred Pennyworth in this story; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD
#90; also appears in flashback, between issues #328 / 334; origin revealed
in this story), the Grasshoppers (last appearance for both in issue #334;
last appearance for both)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman attends the mock funeral of
Aquaman in AQUAMAN #30, then teams with Adam Strange to fight Brian T.
Fassett in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #90.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin finally learn the secret of the Outsider
as the villain prepares to transform them both into coffins.
Batman No. 186
November 1966
Cover: Batman vs. Joker and Gaggy //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
Story: “The Joker’s Original Robberies” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #90),
Robin (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #356)
Intro: Philip Perry, Gotham City Historical Society (only appearance
for all)
Villains: The Joker (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #68; next
appears in issue #191) and his gang, Gaggy (Gagsworth A. Gagsworth;
first and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: The Joker resumes his duel against Batman and Robin with
a new partner in tow, Gaggy, a midget clown hired to keep him laughing
in order to make him think of new crime motifs.
Story: “Commissioner Gordon’s Death-Threat” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (next appears in BLACKHAWK #228), Robin
(next appears in TEEN TITANS #6)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (between BRAVE AND THE BOLD
#90 / 69)
Intro: Judge Parker (in flashback; only appearance)
Villains: Fred Purley and his gang (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League monitor
the Blackhawks in BLACKHAWK #228-230 and fight Felix Faust in JUSTICE LEAGUE
OF AMERICA #49, while Robin and the Teen Titans meet Beast Boy in TEEN
TITANS #6.
Synopsis: Batman tries to protect Commissioner Gordon from an ex-con
who has sworn to kill him.
Detective Comics No. 357
November 1966
Cover: William B. Williams, Batman, Robin, Bruce Wayne, and Dick Grayson
//Carmine Infantino / Joe Giella
Story: “Bruce Wayne Unmasks Batman” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#49; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #162), Robin (last appearance
in TEEN TITANS #6; next appears in BATMAN #188)
Intro: William B. Williams (of Earth-One), Tom Wiley, Stewart Hall,
“Meat Hook” (only appearance for all)
Villains: Frankie Fargo, Beefy, Boo-Boo, Slugger (first and only appearance
for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with Superman to help
the knights of the Round Table battle aliens in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #162
and teams with Green Lantern to fight the Time Commander in BRAVE AND THE
BOLD #69.
Synopsis: A radio personality invites a phony Batman and Robin to appear
with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, and two bumbling hoods decide to take
advantage of the situation.
Batman No. 188
December 1966
Cover: Batman and Robin being “erased” by the Eraser //Carmine Infantino
/ Joe Giella
Story: “The Eraser Who Tried To Rub Out Batman” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #69;
origin details revealed; see Comment under issue #81 for chronology), Robin
(last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #357)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in BRAVE
AND THE BOLD #90; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS # 358), Commissioner
Gordon (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #69)
Intro: Celia Smith (in flashback; only appearance)
Villains: The Eraser (Lenny Fiasco) and his gang, various crooks (first
and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: Batman and Robin encounter the Eraser, a crook whose “pencil-eraser”
headgear removes incriminating traces from crime scenes, and who proves
to be an old college classmate of Bruce Wayne’s.
Story: “The Ten Best-Dressed Corpses In Gotham City” (11 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (both next appear in JUSTICE LEAGUE
OF AMERICA #50)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (next appears in DETECTIVE
COMICS #359)
Villains: Matt Whitson, Hampden Dennis, Strongin (first and only appearance
for all), Deems Davis (no appearance; name only mentioned; first appearance;
dies before this story begins)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin help the Justice
League fight the Lord of Time in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #50. Then
Batman and Superman briefly switch bodies in ACTION COMICS #344.
Synopsis: The “Ten Best-Dressed Men in Gotham City” are being killed,
one by one, and Bruce Wayne’s name is fourth on the list.
Detective Comics No. 358
December 1966
Cover: Spellbinder vs. Batman //Carmine Infantino / Joe Giella (signed)
Story: “The Circle of Terror” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in ACTION COMICS #344;
next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #163), Robin (last appearance in
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #50; next appears in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND,
LOIS LANE #70)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in BATMAN
#188), Harriet Cooper (last appearance in issue #356; next appears in BATMAN
#191)
Intro: Dr. Harris (only appearance)
Villains: The Spellbinder (first appearance; next appears in BATMAN
#336), Dipsy, Doodler, various crooks (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with Superman to fight
Jemphis in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #163. Then Batman, Robin, Superman,
and Lois Lane fight the Catwoman and the Penguin in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND,
LOIS LANE #70-71.
Synopsis: The Spellbinder, a crook who uses hypnotic patterns on his
costume to induce trances, causes Batman to have flashbacks to a dream
in which he is about to die.
Detective Comics No. 359
January 1967
Cover: Batman, Robin, and Batgirl //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
Story: “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl” (16 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer:
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND,
LOIS LANE #71; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #70), Robin (last appearance
in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #71; next appears in TEEN TITANS #7)
Intro and origin: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon; last chronological appearance
in ADVENTURE COMICS #453; next appears in BATMAN #191)
Supporting Characters: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BATMAN
#188; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #70), Alfred Pennyworth (next
appears in BATMAN #189)
Intro: Burton Talbot (only appearance)
Villains: Killer Moth (of Earth-One; Cameron Van Cleer; first appearance;
next appears in BATMAN #200) and his Moth-Men (including Larva and Pupa;
first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with Hawkman to fight
the Collector in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #70 while Robin helps the Teen Titans
battle the Mad Mod in TEEN TITANS #7.
Synopsis: Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, goes to a
masquerade ball in a Batgirl costume of her own creation. But on the way
there she notices Bruce Wayne being attacked by Killer Moth and his cronies,
swings into action, and begins a crime-fighting career of her own.
Later, she aids Batman and Robin in bringing down the Moth.
Batman No. 189
February 1967
Cover: Scarecrow with defeated Batman //Carmine Infantino / Joe Giella
(signed)
Story: “Fright of the Scarecrow” (23 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #70;
next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #51), Robin (last appearance
in TEEN TITANS #7; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #360)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in DETECTIVE
COMICS #359)
Intro: Andy and other children, Jeremy T. Fall (only appearance for
all)
Villains: The Scarecrow (of Earth-One; Jonathan Crane; first appearance;
next appears in issue #200; see Comment below) and his gang (first and
only appearance)
Comments: This is the first appearance of the Earth-One Scarecrow.
As such, the flashback to the Scarecrow’s origin is not the one presented
for the Earth-Two Scarecrow in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #3, so the citation
of that issue is technically incorrect.
Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League reunite
Zatanna with Zatara in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #51.
Synopsis: Jonathan Crane, a tall, skinny psychology professor who specialized
in the mental processes of fear, turned to crime as the Scarecrow and used
fear in his robberies, encountering Batman and Robin in the past.
Now, after a long abscence, he is back to challenge the Dynamic Duo anew.
Detective Comics No. 360
February 1967
Cover: Batman and Robin lying on steps, shadow of Gunshy Barton using
telephone //Carmine Infantino / Joe Giella
Story: “The Case of the Abbreviated Batman” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#51; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #164), Robin (last appearance
in BATMAN #189; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #164)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BRAVE
AND THE BOLD #70)
Villains: Gunshy Barton and his gang (including Slugs; first and only
appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
to battle Brainiac and Genia in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #164.
Synopsis: Gangster Gunshy Barton hits on a new way to fight Batman
and Robin, cueing his gang with signals derived from abbreviated words.
Batman No. 190
March 1967
Cover: Penguin using flying umbrellas against Batman and Robin //Carmine
Infantino / Joe Giella (signed)
Story: “The Penguin Takes a Flyer Into the Future” (23 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS
#164; next appears in flashback in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #52), Robin
(last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #164; next appears in TEEN TITANS
#8)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (next appears in DETECTIVE
COMICS #361)
Villains: The Penguin (last appearance in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS
LANE #70), a robot Penguin (first appearance; destroyed in this story),
Brolly, Swifty, Bald Eagle, and the rest of the Penguin’s gang (first and
only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with Superman to fight
cubistic aliens in flashback in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #52 while Robin
helps the Teen Titans fight “Honey Bun” in TEEN TITANS #8.
Synopsis: The Penguin, feeling that the law has “outmoded” most crooks
with their scientific crook-catching devices, strikes back by equipping
his gang with futuristic equipment before their next encounters with Batman
and Robin.
Detective Comics No. 361
March 1967
Cover: Robin trapped in “hot box” while Batman chases crooks //Carmine
Infantino / Joe Giella
Story: “The Dynamic Duo’s Double Deathtrap” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer:
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in flashback in JUSTICE
LEAGUE OF AMERICA #52; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #165), Robin
(last appearance in TEEN TITANS #8; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS
#165)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth (between BATMAN #190 / 191),
Commissioner Gordon
Intro: Thea Albrecht (only appearance)
Villains: Eivol Ekdal (last appearance in issue #346; dies in this
story), Yuri Melikov (first appearance; dies in this story), Igor, Alexei,
various crooks (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
to fight King Wolff in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #165, then Batman teams with
Green Arrow to fight the Promoter in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #71.
Synopsis: Eivol Ekdal creates a deathtrap rigged to fry Robin with
super-heat once he is inside of it, and to blow him and Batman to bits
if Batman attempts to open it.
Detective Comics No. 362
April 1967
Cover: Batman smashing model of Gotham City //Carminie Infantino /
Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “The Night Batman Destroyed Gotham City” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer:
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #71;
next appears in BATMAN #191), Robin (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #165; next appears in BATMAN #191)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (next appears in BATMAN #191)
Intro: Angelo (only appearance)
Villains: The Riddler (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #68; next
appears in issue #364), the Enigmen (first and only appearance)
Synopsis: The Riddler hides a bomb in a model of Gotham City, and Batman
must destroy the whole “city” before it can blow up part of the real Gotham.
Batman No. 191
May 1967
Cover: Alfred and Dick Grayson crying as Batman auctions off his bat-equipment
and costume //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “The Day Batman Sold Out” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (last appearance of both in DETECTIVE
COMICS #362)
GA: Barbara Gordon (Batgirl; between DETECTIVE COMICS #359 / 363)
Supporting Characters: Commissioner Gordon (between DETECTIVE COMICS
#362 / 363), Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #361)
Villains: Ira Radon (first appearance; dies in this story), the Penguin
(next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #60), the Joker (last appearance
in issue #186; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #365), various crooks (first
and only appearance)
Synopsis: Ira Radon, while fighting Batman, is accidentally irradiated
by an isotope and will die if he ever steals again, setting off a particular
glandular reaction in his body. Therefore, he plots to irradiate
Batman and force him to give up crime-fighting and auction off his equipment.
Story: “Alfred’s Mystery Menu” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (next appears in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND,
LOIS LANE #74), Robin (next appears in TEEN TITANS #9)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth (next appears in DETECTIVE
COMICS #364), Harriet Cooper (between DETECTIVE COMICS #358 / 364)
Villains: Duke Kelsey and his gang, the Millionaire Mobster Club (first
and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League negotiate
an interplanetary prison in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #74, battle
the “Master Thief” in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #53, and help Supergirl
fight “Fingers” Cooley in ACTION COMICS #350, while Robin helps the Teen
Titans fight Captain Tiger in TEEN TITANS #9.
Synopsis: Alfred is kidnapped by a mobster who forces him to fix a
millionaire’s meal for the Millionaire Mobsters’ Club, and his only way
out is to leave clues by way of food purchases for Batman and Robin.
Detective Comics No. 363
May 1967
Cover: Batman unmasking, Robin, and blindfolded Batgirl //Carmine Infantino
/ Murphy Anderson
Story: “The True-False Face of Batman” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in ACTION COMICS #350;
next appears in BATMAN #192), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #9;
next appears in BATMAN #192)
GS: Batgirl (last appearance in BATMAN #191; next appears in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #169)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (next appears in issue #365)
Villains: Paul Crowell, Mr. Brains (John Hart), and their gang (first
and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: While tracking down a gang of museum thieves who signal their
jobs through clues involving library books, Batman unmasks before Batgirl,
but still conceals his identity.
Batman No. 192
June 1967
Cover: Johnny Witts (as the Swami), the Fearsome Foursome, and Batman’s
face in crystal ball //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “The Crystal Ball That Betrayed Batman” (13 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (last appearance for both in DETECTIVE
COMICS #363)
Intro: Chen Ku, Lisan (only appearance for both)
Villains: Johnny Witts (as the Swami; last appearance in DETECTIVE
COMICS #344; next appears in issue #201), the Fearsome Foursome (including
Silent Stan; first and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: A Chinatown robbery leads Batman to the lair of the Swami,
who makes predictions for crooks, and who is an old foe of Batman’s in
disguise.
Story: “Dick Grayson’s Secret Guardian” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Character: Robin (next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #364)
GS: Batman (next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #54)
Intro: Frank Reynolds (first and only appearance)
Villains: Toughy Loomis, Don, two other crooks (first and only apperance
for all)
Comment: This is a Robin story and probably takes place in early September.
Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League fight
the Royal Flush Gang in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #54.
The “man-amplifier” in this story later is used by Mal to become
the Guardian of the Teen Titans.
Synopsis: Dick Grayson makes an enemy of Toughy Loomis and his gang,
who attempt to beat him up after school, but makes a friend of a masked
youth who comes to his rescue with lifting power beyond normal human strength.
Detective Comics No. 364
June 1967
Cover: Batman and Robin examining footprints on wall and ceiling //Carmine
Infantino / Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “The Curious Case of the Crime-Less Clues” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer:
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#54), Robin (last appearance in BATMAN #192; next appears in TEEN TITANS
#10)
Supporting Characters: Harriet Cooper (last appearance in BATMAN #191;
next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #168), Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance
in BATMAN #191; briefly reverts to his Outsider persona in this story)
Villains: The Riddler (between issues #362 / 373 (Elongated Man story)),
Alfred Pennyworth (as the Outsider), various crooks (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Robin helps the Teen Titans fight
the Scorcher in TEEN TITANS #10.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin find crimes with the trademarks of the Riddler,
the Joker, and the Getaway Genius, even though all three crooks are in
jail.
Detective Comics No. 365
July 1967
Cover: Batman and Robin being fired upon by hoods inside Joker-house
//Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “The House the Joker Built” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (next appears in BATMAN #194), Robin (last
appearance in TEEN TITANS #10; next appears in BATMAN #194)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in issue
#363; next appears in BATMAN #194), Alfred Pennyworth (next appears in
WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #168)
Intro: Harry, Charley (only appearance for both)
Villains: The Joker (between BATMAN #191 / 200) and his gang (including
Heister and Lensy), various crooks (first and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: The Joker begins merchandising himself with Joker clothing
and TV sets on which he plays films taken of his latest clashes with Batman
and Robin.
Batman No. 194
August 1967
Cover: Batman vs. Blockbuster //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
(signed)
Story: “The Blockbuster Goes Bat-Mad” (13 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #365),
Robin (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #365; next appears in SUPERMAN
#199)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in DETECTIVE
COMICS #365)
Intro: Dr. Margot Rankin, Dr. Sloane (only appearance for both)
Cameo appearance: Solomon Grundy (as a disguise for Batman)
Villain: The Blockbuster (between JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #47 / 135)
Synopsis: The Blockbuster has been given therapy, taught to love instead
of hate, and taught to speak simple sentences. But when he sees a
display of Batman toys, it triggers a hate-rampage again, and he goes on
the rampage against the Caped Crusader.
Story: “The Problem of the Proxy Paintings” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Character: Batman (next appears in SUPERMAN #199)
Supporting Characters: Commissioner Gordon (next appears in DETECTIVE
COMICS #366), Hugh Rankin (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #339; last
appearance), District Attorney Danton (between issues #181 / 196), Kaye
Daye, Art Saddows, Martin Tellman (last appearance for all in issue #181;
all next appear in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #111; all characters appear
as the Mystery Analysts of Gotham City)
Intro: Haverford Mimms, Reginald Stonefellow, Ronald Stonefellow (only
appearance for all)
Villains: John Burleson, three crooks (only appearance for all)
Comments: This is a Mystery Analysts of Gotham City story. The
next Mystery Analysts story appears in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #111.
Shortly after this story, Batman and Robin join the Justice League
and Supergirl to attend the first Superman / Flash race in SUPERMAN #199,
then team up with Superman to fight the Composite Superman in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #168.
Synopsis: When two original paintings worth $150,000 show up in Martin
Tellman’s living room in place of the $200 copies of them, Tellman calls
in the Mystery Analysts, and Batman gets on the case.
Batman No. 195
September 1967
Cover: Batman facing Bag O’Bones //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
(signed)
Story: “The Spark-Spangled See-Through Man” (23 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS
#168; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #366), Robin (last appearance in
WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #168; next appears in TEEN TITANS #11)
Villains: Bag O’Bones (Ned Creegan; first appearance; next appears
as Cyclotron in BLACK LIGHTNING #4), Nevil Logan, Charley the Fence (first
and only appearance for both)
Comments: Bag O’Bones returns in BLACK LIGHTNING #4 and 5 as Cyclotron,
and then appears as Meltdown in BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #4.
Shortly after this story Robin and the Teen Titans battle the
Gargoyle in TEEN TITANS #14 and help Willie Gregson in TEEN TITANS #11.
Synopsis: Ned Creegan, irradiated during a jewel robbery, has his flesh
turn transparent and gains static electric powers. As Bag O’Bones,
he goes against Batman and Robin.
Detective Comics No. 366
August 1967
Cover: Batman making out will //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
(signed)
Story: “The Round-Robin Death Threats” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BATMAN #195), Robin
(last appearance in TEEN TITANS #11)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #168), Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BATMAN #194)
Intro: John Kobler, Fred Tinney
Villains: Doc Hastings (first appearance), various crooks (first and
only appearance)
Comment: This story continues in the next issue.
Synopsis: Batman is mentally forced to participate in a master criminal’s
round-robin death-plot for himself and four others, but leaves a clue for
Robin to help them avoid their fates.
Detective Comics No. 367
September 1967
Cover: Doc Hastings holding gun on Batman (jigsaw puzzle) //Carmine
Infantino / Murphy Anderson
Story: “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Slay” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (next appearance for both in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #169)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon (next
appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #74)
Other Characters: John Kobler, Fred Tinney
Villain: Doc Hastings (last appearance)
Comments: This story continues from last issue.
Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Batgirl,
Superman, and Batman to deal with Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #169. Then Batman teams with the Metal Men to battle
Dr. Daedalus in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #74 while Robin helps the Teen Titans
fight the Deliverer in TEEN TITANS #12.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin attempt to capture Doc Hastings and to end
the round-robin death-threats.
Detective Comics No. 368
October 1967
Cover: Giant inflatable Batman over Gotham City //Carmine Infantino
/ Murphy Anderson
Story: “Seven Wonder Crimes of Gotham City” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #74;
next appears in BATMAN #196), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #12;
next appears in BATMAN #196)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (next appears in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #171)
Villains: The “Mastermind Thief” and his gang (first and only appearance
for all)
Synopsis: Batman and Robin try to foil seven robberies in Gotham City
based on the ancient Seven Wonders of the World.
Batman No. 196
November 1967
Cover: James Frost pushing Batman out of loft over Robin //Carmine
Infantino / Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “The Psychic Super-Sleuth” (13 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (last appearance for both in DETECTIVE
COMICS #368)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (between BRAVE AND THE BOLD
#74 / 75)
Intro: Petru Dubrov, Joey Tolliver, Hank, Kenny (only appearance for
all)
Villains: A Petru Dubrov impostor, Dubrov’s “friend” and his gang (first
and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: A psychic offers his help to Batman, Robin, and Commissioner
Gordon on a case, but Batman deduces that the “psychic” is an impersonator
who has kidnapped the real mentalist.
Story: “The Purloined Parchment Puzzle” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (both next appear in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #171)
Supporting Character: District Attorney Danton (last appearance in
issue #194; next appears in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #111)
Intro: Howard Purley, Donald Connery, Lt. Bert Savelli (only appearance
for all)
Villains: James Frost, various crooks (first and only appearance for
all)
Comments: The flashbacks in this story take place March 21, 1967.
Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
to deal with Victor Stark in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #171. Then
Batman teams with the Spectre to fight Shahn-Zi in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #75.
Synopsis: During a pre-trial hearing for accused thief Donald Connery,
Batman proclaims Connery’s innocence and promises to expose the real crook
during the proceedings.
Detective Comics No. 369
November 1967
Cover: Batgirl and Batman having tug-of-war with Robin //Gil Kane /
Murphy Anderson (signed)
Story: “Batgirl Breaks Up the Dynamic Duo” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #75;
next appears in BATMAN #197), Robin (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #171; next appears in BATMAN #197)
GS: Batgirl (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #169; next appears
in BATMAN #197)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #171)
Villains: Catwoman (last appearance in SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS
LANE #71; next appears in BATMAN #197), various crooks (first and only
appearance)
Comment: This story continues in part in BATMAN #197.
Synopsis: Batman comes down with swamp fever, and Batgirl and Robin
are forced to scoop him in crime-fighting for a week in order to keep him
inactive long enough to recover.
Batman No. 197
December 1967
Cover: Batgirl squaring off against Catwoman over fallen Batman //Ross
Andru / Jack Abel
Story: “Catwoman Sets Her Claws For Batman” (23 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Chic Stone
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #369;
next appears in THE FLASH #175), Robin (between DETECTIVE COMICS #369 /
370)
GS: Batgirl (between DETECTIVE COMICS #369 / 371)
Villains: Catwoman (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #369; next
appears in issue #201) and her gang, the Parker Brothers (first and only
appearance for all)
Comments: This story continues in part from DETECTIVE COMICS #369.
Catwoman first wears her all-green uniform in this story.
Shortly after this story Batman and the Justice League watch
the second Superman / Flash race in THE FLASH #175 and then fight the Contras
in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #59.
Synopsis: Catwoman, feeling herself threatened by Batgirl as a love
interest for Batman, launches herself into a crime-fighting campaign and
captures a number of crooks. But, when he refuses to take the marriage
bait, she captures him, Robin, and Batgirl, to make him an offer she thinks
he cannot refuse.
Detective Comics No. 370
December 1967
Cover: Robin watching Blitzkrieg Bandit beat on Batman //Carmine Infantino
/ Neal Adams
Story: “The Nemesis From Batman’s Boyhood” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer:
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#59; origin details revealed in flashback; see Comment under BATMAN #81
for chronology), Robin (last appearance in BATMAN #197; next appears in
TEEN TITANS #13)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (next appears in issue #372)
Villain: The Blitzkrieg Bandit (Bart Lambert; first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Robin helps the Teen Titans fight
Mr. Big in TEEN TITANS #13.
Synopsis: Faced with a foe who beat Bruce Wayne as a child, Batman
is unable to strike him back.
Detective Comics No. 371
January 1968
Cover: Batman and Robin beset by crooks while Batgirl examines a run
in her tights //Carmine Infantino / Murphy Anderson
Story: “Batgirl’s Costume Cut-Ups” (16 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Gil Kane
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #76),
Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #13; next appears in BATMAN #199)
GS: Batgirl (last appearance in BATMAN #197; next appears in JUSTICE
LEAGUE OF AMERICA #60)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BRAVE
AND THE BOLD #75)
Intro: Stuffy (only appearance)
Villains: The Sports Spoilers Gang (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with Plastic Man to
fight the Molder in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #76.
Synopsis: Batgirl’s concern for her appearance leads to troubles during
her and Batman’s and Robin’s encounters with the Sports Spoilers Gang.
Batman No. 199
February 1968
Cover: Batman at newsstand which carries copies of SUPERMAN #203, FLASH
#175, WONDER WOMAN #174, GREEN LANTERN #38, ATOM #34, and HAWKMAN #23 //Carmine
Infantino / Murphy Anderson
Story: “Peril of the Poison Rings” (13 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #76),
Robin (last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #372)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BRAVE
AND THE BOLD #75; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #372)
Intro: Warren Norwood (only appearance)
Villains: Rembrandt Dickens and his gang (first and only appearance
for all)
Comment: This story establishes that Earth-One has true-crime DC superhero
comics of its own, which pop up periodically in Earth-One stories.
A flashback takes place in March, some “eighteen months” prior
to this story, seemingly placing it in September, 1967. However,
since the Teen Titans have a Christmas adventure in TEEN TITANS #13, published
last month, the March date is an obvious textual error.
Synopsis: The writer-artist of Batman and other DC Comics, Rembrandt
Dickens, is secretly a criminal and has one of his gang scratch Batman
with a poison ring. Unless Batman can find an issue of Batman to
help him solve the mystery of the gangleader’s identity, he will soon die.
Story: “Seven Steps To Save Face” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#60), Robin (next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #372)
Villains: Eddie and his gang (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman helps Batgirl and the Justice
League fight the Queen Bee in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #60, after which
he helps Superman out in ACTION COMICS #359.
Synopsis: When a phony Robin unmasks Batman in the Bat-Cave, the Gotham
Goliath undertakes a seven-step plan to save his secret identity.
Detective Comics No. 372
February 1968
Cover: Batman vs. Karonians //Neal Adams
Story: “The Fearsome Foot-Fighters” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in ACTION COMICS #359;
next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #173), Dick Grayson (does not appear
as Robin in this story; last appearance in BATMAN #199; next appears in
WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #173)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in issue
#370; next appears in BATMAN #200), Commissioner Gordon (last appearance
in BATMAN #199)
Intro: Mrs. Zoldin, Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Garrison, Andrea (only appearance
for all), Marne Zoldin (dies in this story)
Villains: Idimo and other Karonians (first and only appearance for
all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team up with Superman
to fight Dr. Arron in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #173.
Synopsis: Batman investigates some savate-fighting Karonians who claim
to be tracking a criminal from their land, who is actually a freedom fighter.
Batman No. 200
March 1968
Cover: Batman and Robin holding “200" bat; reproductions of covers
from issues #1, 31, 8, 16, 47, 67, 156, 44, and 181 //Neal Adams
Story: “The Man Who Radiated Fear” (22 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS
#173; next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #61; origin retold in this
story), Robin (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #173; next appearance
in DETECTIVE COMICS #373; origin retold in this story)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (between DETECTIVE COMICS #372
/ 373)
Cameo appearances: Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne, Joe Chill, John Grayson,
Mary Grayson, Jack Haly (spelled “Haley” in this story), Boss Zucco and
his gang (in flashbacks)
Villains: The Scarecrow (last appearance in issue #189; next appears
in DETECTIVE COMICS #389), the Penguin (last appearance in issue #190;
next appears in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #61), Killer Moth (last appearance
in DETECTIVE COMICS #359; next appears in BATMAN FAMILY #10), the Joker
(last appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #365) and his gang, Larry, Raybourne,
Biljo, Roberts (first and only appearance for all)
Comments: This issue contains a reprint of page 1 of “The Case of the
Chemical Syndicate” (the first Batman story) from DETECTIVE COMICS #27,
a partial reproduction of a Batman feature page from issue #3, and a Mike
Friedrich interview with Biljo White as part of the 200th Issue celebration.
The crook named Biljo is named for Batman fan Biljo White.
Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League fight
Dr. Destiny, the Penguin, and other villains in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#60.
Synopsis: The Scarecrow develops a fear-radiating pill that enables
him to make Batman and Robin faint with fright at the sight of him.
Detective Comics No. 373
March 1968
Cover: Mr. Freeze kicking frozen Batman off roof //Irv Novick
Story: “Mr. Freeze’s Chilling Deathtrap” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Chic Stone
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#60; next appears in Elongated Man story in this issue), Robin (last appearance
in BATMAN #200; next appears in the Elongated Man story in this issue)
Supporting Characters: Harriet Cooper (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #168; next appears in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #111), Alfred
Pennyworth (last appearance in BATMAN #200; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #174), Commissioner Gordon (next appears in the Elongated Man story
in this issue)
Intro: Dr. Nostrand (only appearance)
Villains: Mr. Freeze (formerly Mr. Zero; between BATMAN #121 / 291)
and his gang (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story, Batman and Robin help the Elongated
Man capture the Riddler in the second story in this issue. Then Batman
and Robin team with Superman to test their android doubles in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #174. Then Batman teams with the Atom to fight the Cannoneer
in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #77.
Synopsis: A cryogenic operating instrument fails, and Batman must bring
in Mr. Freeze and appropriate his cold-gun to save Aunt Harriet’s life.
Detective Comics No. 374
April 1968
Cover: Batman finding beaten Robin in alley //Carmine Infantino and
Irv Novick (signed)
Story: “Hunt For a Robin-Killer” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Gil Kane
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #77;
next appears in BATMAN #201), Robin (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #174; next appears in TEEN TITANS #15)
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in BRAVE
AND THE BOLD #77; next appears in BATMAN #201)
Villains: Jim Connors, Ed Connors (first and only appearance for both)
Comment: After Robin recovers from his beating, he helps the Teen Titans
fight Captain Rumble in TEEN TITANS #15. Then both he and Batman
join Supergirl, Superman, and several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes
on a dimensional trip in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #117 (flashback).
Synopsis: Batman goes on a vendetta against the man who beat Robin
almost to death.
BATMAN #201
May 1968
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick (signed)
Letterer:
STORY
"Batman's Gangland Guardians" (23 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Chic Stone
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (last seen in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #117; next appears
in Justice League of America #62)
Robin (last seen in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #117; next appears
in Detective Comics #375)
Supporting Characters
Commissioner Gordon (last seen in Detective Comics #374; next appears
in World's Finest Comics #175)
Alfred Pennyworth (last seen in World's Finest Comics #174)
Villains
Mr. Esper (last seen in Detective Comics #352; next appears in issue
#209)
The Penguin (last seen in Justice League of America #61; next appears
in issue #257)
The Joker (next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #177)
Catwoman (between issues #197 / 210)
Mad Hatter (between issues #161 / 291)
Cluemaster (last seen in Detective Comics #351; next appears in issue
#293)
Roy Reynolds (between issues #174 / 254)
Johnny Witts (last seen in issue #192; last appearance to date)
A West Coast syndicate (first and only appearance to date for all)
Comments
Shortly after this story Batman joins the Justice League to fight Leo
Locke and Bullets Jameson in Justice League of America #62. .
Synopsis
The Penguin calls a meeting of Batman's greatest
foes--himself, the Joker, Catwoman, Cluemaster, Johnny Witts, the Mad Hatter,
and Roy Reynolds--and tells them he has learned of a West Coast crime syndicate
trying to relocate in Gotham City. "A voice ...out of thin air" told
the Penguin where and when the syndicate plans to stage robberies in order
to sucker Batman into deathtraps. But if Batman is killed, the syndicate
will then kill his greatest foes--themselves--to eliminate the competition.
Thus, all of them must band together to save Batman's life. The Penguin
volunteers for the first watch.
The blackbird of banditry saves Batman for
a doorway bomb in the Gotham City Museum workshop. The Mad Hatter
rescues him from a booby-trapped pearl at a gem display. Cluemaster
prevents Batman from flying his Bat-copter into an explosive cloud.
Johnny Witts destroys a bomb-buoy before the Bat-Boat can contact it.
But Batman is finally captured by the syndicate on a waterfront dock, and
Roy Reynolds manages to save him. Batman sees none of his saviors
in these cases, and after determining neither Alfred nor Robin helped him
out, decides that another Justice League member gave him an unseen hand.
Batman has guessed, however, who mentally
influenced him to patrol certain areas, the same man who telepathed instructions
to the Penguin: Mr. Esper. Esper had been paid by the syndicate
to lure Batman into traps, but welshed on the deal so that he could tackle
Batman on his own. The syndicate bows out of Gotham, and things return
to normal.
Detective Comics No. 375
May 1968
Cover: Batman and Robin in Batmobile, Pete Maddox aiming gun at them
//Irv Novick
Story: “The Frigid Finger of Fate” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer:
Penciller: Chic Stone
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#62; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #175), Robin (last appearance
in BATMAN #201; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #175)
GA: Barbara Gordon (Batgirl; last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#60; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #78)
Villains: Pete Maddox (dies in this story) and his gang (first and
only appearance)
Comment: Governor Morris and Mayor Taylor are named in this story.
Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team up with Superman
and Jimmy Olsen to defeat the Superman and Batman Revenge Squads in WORLD’S
FINEST COMICS #175. Then Batman and Batgirl team with Wonder Woman
to fight the Copperhead in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #78.
Synopsis: Pete Maddox discovers he can foretell the future in his dreams
if he exposes himself to cold, and has a dream in which he murders Batman.
BATMAN #202
June 1968
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick (signed)
Letterer:
FIRST STORY
"Gateway to Death" (13 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller:
Inker: Sid Greene
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (last seen in Brave and the Bold #78)
Robin (last seen in World's Finest Comics #175)
Supporting Character
Alfred Pennyworth
Villains
The Great Norman and his two stooges (first and only appearance for
all to date)
Other Characters
Jackson and a bank teller (first and only appearance for both to date)
Synopsis
Batman and Robin, on patrol, find a downed
officer beside a broken diamond emporium store window. The officer,
revived, tells them that a load of bricks simply levitated themselves to
smash down the store window, and he was struck down by an unseen force.
Batman and Robin see that the safe has been cleaned out. Batman says
that the "Psychic Plunderer", who has earlier pulled off a bank robbery
with a levitated gun and a disembodied voice, has struck again.
When Batman and Robin relate their caper to
Alfred in the Batcave, he suffers a mental shock while trying to tell them
their opponent's name, and can only gasp out "Eternal gate" before collapsing.
After putting Alfred in a doctor's care, the two heroes go to the Eternal
Gate cemetery. Following footprints into a mausoleum, they confront
three crooks, who battle them with paralyzing sound-screeches, psychokinetic
powers, and a vial of perception-slowing gas. Batman and Robin nevertheless
manage to defeat their foes, and then head back to the Wayne mansion.
A recovering Alfred tells them that, in the
English music halls where he once was an entertainer, there was a "mind-over-matter"
magician called the Great Norman who could mentally hurl objects across
the stage. Alfred admits he never learned how Norman did it, though
he suspected trickery. Norman once saved Alfred's life during World
War II, and only days ago, Alfred saw Norman again while visiting his father
Jarvis's grave at Eternal Gate Cemetery. The conflict of his loyalty
to Norman and his wish to see him captured caused Alfred's breakdown, but
he says that a stay in prison may mend Norman's criminal ways.
SECOND STORY
"Menace of the Motorcycle Marauders" (10 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff?
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Character
Robin (next appears in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #111)
Guest Star
Bruce Wayne (does not appear as Batman in this story; next appears
in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #111)
Supporting Character
Alfred Pennyworth (next appears in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #111)
Villains
The Hornets (including Tommy the Tramp, Magoo, and Jimbo; first and
only appearance to date for all)
Other Character
Mr. Wagner (no appearance; name only mentioned; first and only appearance
to date)
Comments
This is a Robin story. It takes place in early Fall, 1968, (?),
during Robin's junior year of high school.
Shortly after this story Batman and Robin help Jimmy Olsen join the
Mystery Analysts of Gotham City in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #111, then
Batman joins the Justice League to fight the Key in Justice League of America
#63.
Synopsis
Dick Grayson, on his way to give his election
speech for the presidence of the junior class at his high school, comes
across a motorcycle gang called The Hornets. Their leader, Tommy
the Tramp, has been expelled from school by Mr. Wagner, the principal,
and Tommy is gaining revenge by trashing Wagner's car. Dick becomes
Robin and battles the gang, but is clouted from behind. Jimbo, another
hood, comes for Robin, but is flipped over and out. The other Hornets
are driven away by approaching police sirens.
Robin appropriates Jimbo's cycle, disguises
himself as Jimbo, and tracks down the Hornets' hideout through detective
work. Once inside, he rips off his Hornet colors and takes out the
startled bikers. But by the time he is through, the school election
is over and Dick Grayson has lost. Bruce and Alfred console the brave
youth, but Dick turns away, hiding tears of disappointment.
BATMAN #203
July-August 1968
Cover Credits
Artist: Neal Adams
Letterer:
FIRST REPRINTED STORY
"The 1,000 Secrets
of the Batcave" (from Batman #48)
SECOND REPRINTED STORY
"The Birth of Batplane II" (from Batman #61)
THIRD REPRINTED STORY
"The Secret of Batman's Utility Belt" (from Detective Comics
#185)
FOURTH REPRINTED STORY
"The 100 Batarangs of Batman" (from Detective
Comics #244)
FIFTH REPRINTED STORY
"The Secret of the Batmobile" (from Batman #98)
SIXTH REPRINTED STORY
"The Flying
Batcave" (from Detective Comics #186)
Comments
This issue also contains a four-page featurette, "Secrets of the Batcave--1968,"
pages 1 and 2 drawn by Frank Springer, and pages 3-4 drawn by Gil Kane
and Murphy Anderson.
This issue is also numbered as 80 Page Giant #G-49 and is edited by
E. Nelson Bridwell.
Detective Comics No. 376
June 1968
Cover: Batman, Robin, and Tomas Wayne (in Batman costume) in skylight
//Irv Novick
Story: “Hunted Or Haunted?” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Chic Stone?
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin
Supporting Character: Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in SUPERMAN’S
PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #111; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #176)
Intro: Tomas Wayne (Batman’s descendant) and the Batmaniacs (only appearance
for all)
Villains: Yo-Yo Yates, Harve Pelley and his gang (first and only
appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Batgirl,
Supergirl, Superman, and Jimmy Olsen to become entangled in a plot of Ronald
Jason's in World's Finest Comics #176. Then Robin and the Teen Titans
fight aliens from Dimension X in Teen Titans #16.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin attempt to solve the mystery of Commissioner
Gordon’s missing briefcase while being observed by one of his descendants
from the future.
Detective Comics No. 377
July 1968
Cover: Batman in jail cell while Robin and Riddler taunt him //Irv
Novick
Story: “The Riddler’s Prison-Puzzle Problem” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Chic Stone
Inker: Sid Greene
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS
#176; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #79), Robin (last appearance in
TEEN TITANS #16; next appears in ACTION COMICS #365)
Intro: Morland (only appearance)
Villains: The Riddler (last appearance in Elongated Man story in issue
#373; next appears in BATMAN #263) and his gang (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story,Batman and Deadman combat Max Chill
and Carleton Kaine in Brave and the Bold #79. Then Batman and Robin
attend a memorial service for Superman and Batman helps Supergirl
and the Justice League substitute for Superman during his abscence in Action
Comics #365 and 366. Finally, Batman, Robin, and Superman fight the
Lex Luthor-Joker team in World's Finest Comics #177.
Synopsis: The Riddler is captured during the act of committing a crime
by Batman, but Batman is the one who ends up in a cell.
BATMAN #204
August 1968
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick
Letterer:
STORY
"Operation: Blindfold" (23 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Irv Novick
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman and Robin (both last seen in World's Finest Comics #177)
Supporting Character
Commissioner Gordon (last seen in Brave and the Bold #79)
Villains
The Schemer (first appearance)
Men of Operation: Blindfold (first appearance for all)
The Wharf Rats (first and only appearance for all to date)
Other Characters
A blind man (first appearance; dies in this story)
Joe (named in next issue) and another armored car driver (first appearance
for both)
Citizens and police of Gotham City
Comments
This story is continued in the next issue, making it the first two-issue
story in Batman.
Synopsis
A blind man is murdered by the cohorts of
the master-criminal known as The Schemer. The police, tipped off
by an anonymous call, find the corpse beside a wall bearing a message scrawled
with his cane-tip: COMMISSIONER GORDON...THEY FOUND OUT I'M BATMAN.
Gordon tries to contact Batman and Robin through the Bat-Signal and hot-line,
but the duo are cleaning up on the Wharf Rats waterfront gang and are unaware
of the call. When they do learn of the killing and turn up at the
murder site, Gordon, who has since heard from several impostor "Batmen",
is skeptical of their being the real Dynamic Duo. The Schemer's men,
meanwhile, are keeping tabs on the situation, disguised as blind men from
the "U.S. Sightless Society", reporting back in through microphones concealed
in their cane-handles.
Batman demonstrates that the dead man was
not the one who scrawled the message, since he is truly blind and could
not see to write. The objective was to immobilize Batman while the
real murderers carried out another caper. Gordon, unconvinced, orders
Batman and Robin taken in. Batman allows Robin to break free to trail
the blind men, while he palms a hearing-aid he saw on the corpse and Gordon
takes the cane as evidence.
Batman, trying on the hearing-aid, picks up
instructions from the Schemer and grabs the cane-microphone to call him
"a kook". The Schemer is shaken, but, when he hears that Robin is
free, orders the Boy Wonder to be taken out dead or alive. Robin,
in the meantime, has learned of the "blind" men's real target, an armored
car full of gold, on which he hitches a ride. A "blind" man fires
a small missle from his cane at the truck, causing the drivers to take
an alternate route. The armored car careens into the path of the
prowl car holding Batman, Gordon, and two cops. The prowl car crashes
into a lamppost. Batman, handcuffed and holding the cane, tumbles
out and down a long flight of stairs at street level, bowling over a "blind"
spotter and dazing himself. Seconds later he revives and hears the
Schemer directing his men to the First Federal Bank, where they are to
grab the gold and kill Robin. But pointed at his face is the hollow
end of the spotter's cane, ready to blow him into eternity.
BATMAN #205
September 1968
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick
Letterer:
STORY
"Blind as a...Bat?" (23 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Irv Novick
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (next appears in Justice League of America #65)
Robin (next appears in Teen Titans #17)
Supporting Characters
Commissioner Gordon (next appears in Detective Comics #379)
Alfred Pennyworth (last seen in Brave and the Bold #79; next appears
in Detective Comics #378)
Villains
The Schemer and the men of Operation: Blindfold (last appearance
for all to date)
Other Characters
Joe and the armored car driver (last appearance for both to date)
Police of Gotham City
Comments
This story is continued from last issue.
Shortly after this story Batman helps the Justice League battle T.O.
Morrow in Justice League of America #65 while Robin and the Teen Titans
fight the Mad Mod in Teen Titans #17.
Synopsis
Batman ducks under the spotter's first shot,
holding up his wrists so that the blast shatters his handcuff chains.
He then kayoes the spotter and switches clothes with him, posing as a blind
man to deliver the Batman "impostor" to Gordon and the police. Batman
discovers that the "blind" man's glasses are photosensitive, adjusting
to darken bright lights.
Robin and the disguised Batman are on hand
when the "sightless men" converge on the armored car, along with a helicopter.
The chopper drops a magnesium flare, temporarily blinding all those without
the glasses. But Batman commandeers the truck and uses it to smash
a fire hydrant, bowling over the "blind" men, and then turns it over to
the truck drivers who take it to Gotham International Airport. Robin,
however, falls into the hands of the crooks and is transferred to the helicopter
as a hostage.
Batman calls in Alfred with the Bat-copter,
and is also provided with a new uniform. The Schemer has already
transferred Robin to his submarine, from which he intends to launch a missle
that will knock down the plane carrying the gold shipment transferred from
the armored car; afterwards, he will retreive the gold underwater.
But Batman and Alfred locate the sub, disguised as a "duck blind" even
though duck season has not begun. Freeing Robin, the heroes defeat
the Schemer and his men in hand-to-hand combat.
Later, Commissioner Gordon apologizes to Batman
and Robin for doubting them and tells them that the blind man was hired
by The Schemer to train his men to act convincingly "blind." He was
killed to keep him silent, and to facilitate the "dead Batman" ruse.
Gordon, Batman, and Robin don dark glasses and crack "blind" jokes.
Detective Comics No. 378
August 1968
Cover: Newpaper with photo of Robin punching Batman //Irv Novick (signed)
Story: “Batman! Drop Dead--Twice!” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#65), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #17)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (last appearance in BATMAN
#205)
Intro: Joe (only appearance)
Villains: Salvo, Chino, Chopper, the Icer (first appearance for all)
Comment: This story continues in the next issue.
Synopsis: Batman and Robin have a falling out, as do a syndicate head
and his son. Dick Grayson and the wayward boy fall in together, but
Dick doesn’t count on being dressed as Robin and left as bait in a trap
for Batman.
Detective Comics No. 379
September 1968
Cover: Chino watching two Batmen getting shot by killers //Irv Novick
Story: “Two Killings For the Price of One” (14 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #80),
Robin (next appears in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #117)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon (last
appearance in BATMAN #205; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #80)
Intro: Mr. and Mrs. Henry Champion (only appearance for both)
Villains: Salvo, Chino, Chopper, Icer (last appearance for all), another
crook (first and only appearance)
Comment: This story continues from last issue.
Shortly after this story , Batman and the Creeper fight Hellgrammite
in Brave and the Bold #80, Batman joins the Justice League to combat Generalissimo
Demmy Gog in Justice League of America #66, and Superman takes Batman,
Robin, Supergirl and several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes on a
dimensional trip in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #117.
Synopsis: Batman, Alfred, and Robin capture Salvo and his gang, and
get Chino into the hands of a decent adoptive family.
Detective Comics No. 380
October 1968
Cover: Batman and Robin and shadow of Ginny Jenkins //Irv Novick
Story: “Marital-Bliss Miss” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman, Robin (last appearance for both in SUPERMAN’S
PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #117)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Harriet Cooper (last appearance
in SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #111; next appears in BATMAN FAMILY #4)
Intro: Ginny Jenkins (next appears in issue #391), Mrs. Hawkins (only
appearance)
Villains: Jim Jenkins (first appearance; dies in this story), Eugene
Driscoll (first and only appearance)
Synopsis: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Alfred are dumbfounded when
a woman named Ginny Jenkins appears at their doorstep with the revelation
that she is really Bruce’s wife.
BATMAN #206
November 1968
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick (signed)
Letterer:
STORY
"Batman Walks the Last Mile" (24 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Irv Novick
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (between Detective Comics #380 and 381)
Robin (last seen in Detective Comics #380; next appears in Teen Titans
#18)
Supporting Character
Commissioner Gordon (between Brave and the Bold #80 and 81)
Villains
The Planner (E. G. Never; first appearance; dies shortly after this
story)
The Cat-Crook (first appearance; dies in this story)
Chief Sittin'-In, Big Squat, Little Moose, Chomp and Stomp, and A.
N. Tenna (first and only appearance for all to date)
Other Characters
Citizens and police of Gotham City
Comments
Shortly after this story Robin joins the Teen Titans and Starfire I
(later Red Star) to battle Andre Le Blanc in Teen Titans #18.
Synopsis
A new criminal mastermind, the Planner, holds
court in a junk yard, concealed in the cab of a crane, picking up his "clients"
in their cars with an electromagnet on the crane's arm and giving them
detailed instructions for crimes they can pull--for a fee. His latest
customers, a trio of rock musicians-cum-thieves, are tracked down and captured
by Batman and Robin. For revenge, the Planner, aka E. G. Never, crashes
a party held in Batman's and Robin's honor and claims to be the brains
behind the two heroes. Never challenges them to a duel: when
a big crime comes up, let Batman and Robin see if they can solve it without
him, and if they cannot, turn the case over to Never.
Since the next case turns out to be a "foolproof"
crime planned by Never, Batman and Robin fail and Never naturally succeeds.
Batman allows that there will be another round. Never gives a costumed
thief, the Cat-Crook, a plan and gives him a TV alignment tool to drop
in the robbery site. Batman and Robin pick up the "clue" and nab
A. N. Tenna, a TV repairman whose only crime is padding his bill.
Never "deduces" that the Cat-Crook is the culprit, and leaves in his car,
knowing that Batman and Robin will trail him to the junkyard where he intends
to shoot them both in "self-defense."
But the Cat-Crook has heard Never's voice,
deduces that he is the Planner, and, elbowing free of his guard, escapes
and cycles over to the junkyard, intending to kill his traitorous "partner."
In the darkness, Never mistakes the Cat-Crook for Batman and shoots him.
Batman and Robin capture Never, bring him to trial, and have him conviced
of premeditated murder and other crimes. Never breaks down at the
trial, shouting out that he is Batman. And when he walks to the electric
chair some time later, he is allowed to do so--in a Batman costume.
Detective Comics No. 381
November 1968
Cover: Batman throwing Robin off of lighthouse //Irv Novick (signed)
Story: “One Drown--One More To Go” (16 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BATMAN #206; next appears
in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #81), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #18;
next appears in BATMAN #207)
Supporting Character: Alfred Pennyworth (next appears in WORLD’S FINEST
COMICS #181)
Villains: Captain Cyrus Spume (first appearance; dies in this story),
Looey, Mush, Dead-Eye, two crooks (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with the Flash to fight
Carl Bork in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #81.
Synopsis: To crack a smuggling ring, Batman and Robin use a ruse which
involves having Robin dumped in Gotham Bay with concrete blocks chained
to his legs.
BATMAN #207
December 1968
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick (signed)
Letterer:
STORY
"The Doomsday Ball" (23 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Irv Novick
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (last seen in Brave and the Bold #81; next appears in Justice
League of America #68)
Robin (between Detective Comics #381 and 382)
Supporting Character
Commissioner Gordon (between Brave and the Bold #81 and 82)
Villains
Bertram Smith (first appearance; dies in this story)
Big Brill and his gang (including Snake-Eyes and One-Ear; first and
only appearance for all to date)
Other Characters
Mayor Hayes (first and only appearance to date)
Major-General Hawkins, Robertson, Fairbanks, Prof. Willi Von Gail,
Master-Sergeant Owens, and other military personnel (first and only appearance
for all to date)
Skinnay, his mother, and Tillie Conway (first and only appearance for
all to date)
Citizens and police of Gotham City
Comments
Shortly after this story Batman joins the Justice League to battle
Neverwas in Justice League of America #68.
Synopsis
A man named Bertram Smith recovers a lost
miniaturized H-bomb from a crashed Air Force jet and sends a tape to police
headquarters in Gotham, warning that he will blow the city off the map
by midnight unless he receives $10 million in ransom. Only six hours
remain till midnight, so there is no hope of evacuating the city.
Batman and Robin are called in on the case.
The two heroes enlist the aid of Big Brill,
Gotham's head gangster, battling their way into his penthouse retreat before
they explain their mission. Brill calls in his division chiefs to
listen to the taped message from Smith and try and identify the background
noises to place Smith's location. One of the men, "One-Ear," places
it on his turf. Batman and Robin learn Smith's name and location
from a TV repairman who fixed the tape recorder on which he prepared the
message. Kids in the street outside Smith's boarding house
give Batman a description of Smith's car and liscence number, and tell
him that they broke his window with a ball in a street baseball game and
were recently given a new ball by Smith.
Batman has the police track down Smith's car,
but the bomb, found in the trunk, is tagged with a warning not to tamper
with or remove it. He and Robin finally see Smith at the airport,
watching the transfer of his ransom money to a plane. Smith tries
to escape the heroes, but is struck by the plane's wheels as it taxies
down the runway, and dies. With his last breath, he reveals that
he planted the trigger to the bomb in a rubber ball. Batman and Robin
hurry back to the boarding house, where they cut open the ball Smith gave
to a kid named Skinnay, find the trigger, and deactivate it just in time.
Detective Comics No. 382
December 1968
Cover: Batman standing on roof of building while Robin and a crook
crack a safe //Irv Novick
Story: “Riddle of the Robbin’ Robin” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#68; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #181), Robin (last appearance
in BATMAN #207; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #181)
Villains: Fingers, Muscle (first appearance for both; both die in this
story), the Armorer (J. Armory), the Smokescreen Mob (including Wheels,
Nails, and Nutsy), the Blowtorch Mob (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
to encounter the Orrians in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #181.
Synopsis: The Armorer, a funeral director who runs guns for mobs, eavesdrops
on them by hidden mikes in the weapons and secretly steals their loot.
But when the crooks ask him for help in setting a booby-trap, he turns
it into a deathtrap for Batman and Robin.
BATMAN #208
January-February 1969
Cover Credits
Artist: Nick Cardy; reprint vignettes from covers of issues #181
(Poison Ivy) and 197 (Batgirl and Catwoman)
Letterer:
STORY
"The Women in Batman's Life" (10 pages)
Credits
Editor, Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Gil Kane
Inker: Jack Abel
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (last seen in World's Finest Comics #181; next appears in Detective
Comics #383; see Comment below)
Robin (last seen in World's Finest Comics #181; next appears in Teen
Titans #19; see Comment below)
Supporting Characters
Julie Madison of Earth-One (in flashback; first appearance; next appears
in World's Finest Comics #248)
Linda Page of Earth-One (in flashback; first and only appearance to
date)
Dr. Philip Wayne (in flashback; first name and relationship to Bruce
revealed in this story; first and last chronological appearance revealed
here; his appearance in the Superboy story in Adventure Comics #275 takes
place between them)
Villains
Clayface I of Earth-One (Basil Karlo; in flashback; first appearance;
next appears in Detective Comics #496)
Catwoman (in flashback; first chronological appearance; next chronological
appearance in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70)
Denny of Earth-One (in flashback; first and only appearance to date)
Mike Grogan of Earth-One (in flashback; first appearance; dies in this
story)
Joe of Earth-One and his gang of bank robbers (in flashback; first
and only appearance to date for all)
Roxy Brenner of Earth-One (in flashback; first and only appearance
to date)
Other Characters
Mrs. Chilton (first and only appearance to date)
Lorna Dane of Earth-One and Fred Walker of Earth-One (in flashback;
first appearance for both; both die in this story)
Kenneth Todd of Earth-One (not named in this story; in flashback; first
and only appearance to date)
Bentley of Earth-One, Ned Norton of Earth-One, Martha Travers of Earth-One,
and Tommy Grogan of Earth-One (in flashback; first and only appearance
to date for all)
Cameo appearances
Thomas and Martha Wayne (in flashback; both die in this story)
Joe Chill (in flashback and on a newspaper photo)
Max Chill (on a newspaper photo)
Barbara Gordon, Queen Bee (Marcia Monroe), Vicki Vale, Kaye Daye, and
Kathy Kane
Comments
Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson make present-day appearances in this story
only in civilian guise. They appear as Batman and Robin in flashbacks.
This story is a framing sequence for the reprints in this issue, and
is composed mostly of flashbacks to Earth-One versions of Earth-Two stories.
The flashbacks are chronologized as follows:
Batman and Robin vs. Clayface I (pages 2-4): between Red Hood
flashback in Untold Legend of the Batman #1 and first encounter with the
Joker (never pictured).
Batman and Robin vs. the Cat (pg. 5): between Batman's second
and third battles with Hugo Strange (never pictured).
Batman and Robin vs. Mike Grogan's gang (pgs. 6-7): between Batman's
third battle with Hugo Strange (never pictured) and Batman and Robin's
battle with the Scarecrow (Batman #189 (flashback)).
The murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne (pg. 8): between Thomas
Wayne's encounter with Lew Moxon (Detective Comics #235 (flashback)) and
Bruce Wayne's meeting with Leslie Thompkins (Detective Comics #457 (flashback));
isochronal with flashback in Detective Comics #235 et al.
Bruce Wayne is placed in custody of Philip Wayne and Mrs. Chilton and,
at his parents' funeral, vows to find their murderer and war on crime (pages
8-9): between his encounter with Otis Higbee (Superboy #182 (flashback))
and his repeating his vow before the portrait of his parents (Detective
Comics #235 (flashback)).
Bruce Wayne's graduation from college (page 9): between his meeting
with Lenny Fiasco (Batman #188 (flashback)) and the visit to his parents'
gravesite (Untold Legend of the Batman #1 (flashback)).
Shortly after this story Robin joins the Teen Titans to battle Punch
in Teen Titans #19.
Synopsis
Mrs. Chilton, an elderly lady, keeps a scrapbook
of more than casual note. It is devoted to the women in Batman's
life, and she considers herself the most important woman he has known.
She reminesces over Bruce Wayne's first girlfriend, Julie Madison, whom
Batman and Robin saved from the original Clayface. She recalls the
first exploit of the Cat, later the Catwoman, who started out as a jewel
thief. She brings to mind Linda Page, a former socialite turned nurse,
who was Bruce Wayne's girlfriend for a while and who led Batman and Robin
to the Grogan Gang. There were many others, sweethearts, crime-fighters
and villainesses, but Mrs. Chilton puts away her scrapbook as Bruce Wayne
and Dick Grayson arrive.
Bruce remembers how his parents were gunned
down by Joe Chill, and how he became the ward of his Uncle Philip, who
left him ofttimes in the care of Mrs. Chilton, his housekeeper. Mrs.
Chilton reminds him of his vow to fight crime at his parents' grave, and
that he has fulfilled it--through the Wayne Foundation. As Bruce
and Dick leave, she remembers how it was obvious to her that Bruce was
Batman. She also recalls how her sons, Joe and Max, left home, changed
their last names to Chill, and became underworld triggermen, one of them
killing the Waynes, and both of them dying as a result of encounters with
Batman.
FIRST REPRINTED STORY
"The Secret Life of the Catwoman" (from Batman #62)
SECOND REPRINTED STORY
("Crimes
of the Catwoman") (from Detective Comics #203)
Comment
Only pages 2 and 3 of the original story are reprinted.
THIRD REPRINTED STORY
"Vicki Vale's Secret" (from Batman #73)
FOURTH REPRINTED STORY
("The Batwoman") (from Detective Comics #233)
Comment
Only page 5 of the original story is reprinted.
FIFTH REPRINTED STORY
"The Menace of the Firefly" (from Batman #126)
SIXTH REPRINTED STORY
("Problem of the Proxy Paintings") (from Batman #194)
Comment
Only page 7 of the original story is reprinted.
SEVENTH REPRINTED STORY
("Gotham Gang Line-Up") (from Detective Comics #328)
Comment
Only page 14 panels 5, 6 and page 15 of the original story are reprinted.
EIGHTH REPRINTED STORY
"The Dilemma of the Detective's Daughter"
(from Batman #165)
NINTH REPRINTED STORY
("Batman Versus
Eclipso") (from Brave and the Bold #64)
Comment
Only pages 4-5, page 6 panels 1-3, page 12 panel 5, and pages 19-20
of the original story are reprinted.
TENTH REPRINTED STORY
("Beware of Poison Ivy") (from Batman #181)
Comment
Only pages 2-3 of the original story are reprinted.
ELEVENTH REPRINTED STORY
("A Touch of Poison Ivy") (from Batman #182)
Comment
Only pages 13-14 of the original story are reprinted.
TWELFTH REPRINTED STORY
("The Million-Dollar Debut of Batgirl") (from Detective Comics
#359)
Comment
Only pages 2-4, page 5 panels 1-3, page 7 panels 4-6, and page 9 of
the original story are reprinted.
Detective Comics No. 383
January 1969
Cover: Batman and Robin in Chinese restaurant, menaced by Tongs //Irv
Novick
Story: “The Fortune-Cookie Caper” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in BATMAN #208; next appears
in BRAVE AND THEBOLD #82), Robin (last appearance in TEEN TITANS #19; next
appears in BATMAN #209)
Intro: Tommy Chee (only appearance)
Villains: Chug, Yin Yan, Ying, Hu Shi, other crooks (first and only
appearance for all)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman teams with Aquaman to fight
the Ocean Master in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #82.
Synopsis: A message in a fortune cookie leads Batman and Robin to a
pearl-smuggling racket in a Chinese bakery.
BATMAN #209
February 1969
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick
Letterer:
STORY
"Jungle Jeopardy" (23 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Irv Novick
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (last seen in Brave and the Bold #82; next appears in Justice
League of America #69)
Robin (between Detective Comics #383 and 384)
Supporting Characters
Commissioner Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth (both last seen in Brave
and the Bold #82)
Villains
Mr. Esper (last seen in issue #201; next appears in Teen Titans #50
as "Captain Calamity")
Squelch, Ginko, Jax, Spook, Fingers, Wizard, and other members of the
Sewer-Rats (first and only appearance to date for all)
Other Characters
Citizens and police of Gotham City
Comments
Shortly after this story Batman and the Justice League fight Headmaster
Mind in Justice League of America #69.
Synopsis
Hired by the ganglords of Gotham to put Batman
and Robin out of action, Mr. Esper, alias "Brainwash", lures the two heroes
to a bank robbery where he can implant a subliminal device beneath the
Batmobile. Once the heroes return to the Batcave, they are induced
to see it as transformed into an African jungle, with wild animals threatening
them. The same sight awaits them when they ascend to Wayne Manor.
But Batman realizes that the setting is wrong, as an African elephant would
not be in the same locale as an Asian tiger. They discover the subliminal
image-inducer, realize that it was part of a plot to drive them both mad,
and realize Mr. Esper was behind the plot. They capture Esper and
his gang trying to crack the vault of the Gotham National Bank and defeat
their foes, using earplugs to rid them of the subliminal stimuli.
Detective Comics No. 384
February 1969
Cover: Batman and cowering gangsters //Irv Novick
Story: “Whatever Will Happen To Heiress Heloise?” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#69; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #182), Robin (last appearance
in BATMAN #209; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #182)
Intro: Heloise Madigan (only appearance)
Villain: Colleen Kiernan, Kenneth Rogers and his gang, a Colleen Kiernan
look-alike (first and only appearance for all)
Comment: Robin takes part in an undepicted Teen Titans adventure during
the course of this story.
Shortly after this story Batman, Robin, and Supergirl help Superman
deal with the Rorna Curse in World's Finest Comics #182.
Synopsis: When two look-alike women, both claiming to be a wealthy
heiress, are targeted by hoods, Batman steps in to protect them in and
solve the mystery.
BATMAN #210
March 1969
Cover Credits
Artist: Neal Adams
Letterer:
STORY
"The Case of the Purr-Loined Pearl"
(23 pages)
Credits
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Irv Novick
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer:
Feature Characters
Batman (last seen in World's Finest Comics #182; next appears in Justice
League of America #70)
Robin (last seen in World's Finest Comics #182; next appears in TEEN
TITANS #20)
Supporting Characters
Commissioner Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth (both next appear in Detective
Comics #385)
Villains
Catwoman (last seen in issue #201; next appears in Adventure Comics
#419)
The Feline Furies (Light Laura, Florid Flo, Big Barbara, Sultry Sarah,
Timid Trixie, Leapin' Lena, and two unnamed members; first and only appearance
for all to date)
Two unnamed crooks (first and only appearance for both to date)
Other Characters
The Nizam of Nepal (first and only appearance to date)
Citizens and police of Gotham City
Comments
Catwoman's costume changes to a blue leotard in this issue.
Shortly after this story Batman joins the Justice League to team with
the Creeper against Mind-Grabber Kid, the Urians, and a bunch of crooks
in Justice League of America #70, while Robin helps the Teen Titans in
their encounter with Joshua in TEEN TITANS #20.
Synopsis
Catwoman, released from jail, starts a weight-reducing
salon as Selina Kyle. But her real ploy begins when she offers crash-reducing
courses to eight women just out of the Women's House of Detention, who
soon discover they are to be Catwoman's doubles and partners. The
ladies balk at first, until Catwoman defeats them all in combat and, after
slenderizing them, issues them all Catwoman costumes.
Bruce Wayne deduces that the Catwoman's target
for theft will be the Petala Pearl, the Orient's biggest such gem, worn
by the visiting Nizam of Nepal. (The capital of Nepal is Katmandu,
cueing the cat-crime.) Bruce offers the Nizam the use of his mansion
to stay in for a few days, and a police cordon is placed around the grounds.
But Catwoman and her Feline Furies steal in, decoying and waylaing the
police and Robin. Catwoman herself snatches what seems to be the
pearl from what seems to be a sleeping Nizam, but the pearl is phoney,
and Batman tricks her into getting tangled up in a ball of sticky plastic
"yarn", trapping her. The "Nizam" proves to be Alfred in disguise,
with the real Nizam hid safely elsewhere.
Detective Comics No. 385
March 1969
Cover: Batgirl and Robin looking at death-note pinned to Batman’s cape
//Neal Adams
Story: “Die Small--Die Big” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Bob Kanigher
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
#70; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #183), Dick Grayson (does not
appear as Robin in this story; last appearance in TEEN TITANS #20; next
appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #183)
GA: Barbara Gordon (Batgirl; last appearance in Batgirl story in this
issue; next appears in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #189)
Supporting Characters: Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth (last
appearance for both in BATMAN #210; both next appear in BRAVE AND THE BOLD
#83)
Intro: Herbert Small (dies in this story)
Villains: A gang of killers (first and only appearance)
Comment: Shortly after this story Batman and Robin team with Superman
to fight Lex Luthor and Brainiac in World's Finest Comics #183 and team
with the Teen Titans to battle Grantland Stark in Brave and the Bold #83.
Then Batman helps Superman regain his memory in Action Comics #375.
Synopsis: With only a month to live, mailman Herbert Small chooses
to give his life to save Batman from a band of assassins.
Detective Comics No. 386
April 1969
Cover: Batman and Bruce Wayne impostor //Irv Novick
Story: “Stand-In For Murder” (15 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Frank Robbins
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Joe Giella
Feature Characters: Batman (last appearance in ACTION COMICS #375;
next appears in BATMAN #211), Dick Grayson (does not appear as Robin in
this story; next appears in the Robin story in this issue)
Supporting Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon (last
appearance for both in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #83; both next appear in BATMAN
#211)
Intro: Morse (dies in this story), Gen. Hogan (only appearance)
Villains: Carlyle Crane and his gang (first and only appearance for
all)
Comment: Shortly after this story, Robin meets Craig Rockland in the
Robin story of this issue.
Synopsis: When Bruce Wayne’s stand-in is killed in a plane explosion,
Batman investigates and finds a revenge plot.
BATMAN #211
May 1969
Cover Credits
Artist: Irv Novick
Letterer:
&