Detective Comics #27 (Starting this Issue: the Amazing and Unique Adventures of The Batman!)
I am the night.
80 years, seven standalone movies, eight television series and countless comic books later, the Batman certainly has come a long way from his 8-page debut in May of 1939. While he may have evolved into the iconic brooding character that we know and love today, Batman's modern form is a result of hundreds of individual changes and adaptations from swaths of artists and creators who have put their own flair into the character over time. In his very first appearance in that fateful issue of Detective Comics, Batman himself feels like a gimmick and a sticks out like a sore thumb.
My biggest issue with this issue (haha get it?) is the major tonal shift that happens as soon as the Batman finally shows up. The comic here starts with a quite typical detective setup (which makes sense for... Detective Comics): a man is murdered and his business partners are all sent threatening letters. For some reason, Bruce Wayne is also there. The premise for this story could easily fit into a show like Murder, She Wrote or Columbo, making the inclusion of Batman feel wholly unnecessary to me. The police could definitely control this situation on their own, and there doesn't feel like a need for the Batman. Once Batman finally shows up in this comic (shortly after the murder of the second business partner) the story takes a hard right turn into the absurd to excuse his presence. Suddenly there's acid pits, supervillainous kidnappings, henchmen and giant guinea pig death labs that come out of literally nowhere to justify Batman's existence in the story. All of this, very suddenly, in an eight page comic! It doesn't feel very well planned out at all.
Now, I understand that many Batman stories, especially in the earlier comics, are quite weird and zany. That's fine, but in this issue Batman is isolated from the colourful villains and the extensive gadgets of his universe and clashes with his surroundings. Instead of the superhero Batman fighting off Joker, or Poison Ivy, or Two-Face, he's fighting... Alfred Stryker, businessman. Terrifying. Batman is out of his normal context, leaving him as quite literally just a random guy in a bat costume running around and punching things. He almost feels like a Scrappy Doo or Jar Jar Binks character, forced into a story to generate interest but ultimately derailing the story for their own reasons. And I'm talking about Batman here. Yikes.
I think the reason that I almost dislike Batman in this issue is the fact that he is viewed more through the perspective of the police and bystanders than Batman himself, and as a vigilante this doesn't paint him very kindly. In the context of this issue's original release, neither the actual readers or the in-universe characters would know anything about this weird guy or where he came from. Batman speaks rarely, actively steals evidence from crime scenes, kills a man and gets away with it. He doesn't show himself to be trustworthy, moral, or even wanted, but he sure is there.
On top of this, Batman as a character is incredibly weak in this comic. Sure, he may have a semi- interesting design, but without any trademark tools in the vein of the Batmobile or his Utility Belt (or even just a weapon), it seems like even Batman himself doesn't have a plan for what he's going to do to stop the bad guys. He comes in, unarmed and likely obstructed by his mask, to fight off murderers holding literal smoking guns, and chemical-related mob bosses like it's nobody's business. It's hard to take him seriously when the evidence is pointing to him being a nonsense character.
I do like Batman. I think almost everybody does. But if Detective Comics #27 was my first exposure to Batman in any form, I would not be a fan of him. Although I appreciate the history of the character and think it was interesting to see from a Media Studies perspective, but in the context of other Batman stories, I don't think the comic holds up. Sorry, Brucey.
Primitive Batman still needs to find his superhero sea legs
My biggest issue with this issue (haha get it?) is the major tonal shift that happens as soon as the Batman finally shows up. The comic here starts with a quite typical detective setup (which makes sense for... Detective Comics): a man is murdered and his business partners are all sent threatening letters. For some reason, Bruce Wayne is also there. The premise for this story could easily fit into a show like Murder, She Wrote or Columbo, making the inclusion of Batman feel wholly unnecessary to me. The police could definitely control this situation on their own, and there doesn't feel like a need for the Batman. Once Batman finally shows up in this comic (shortly after the murder of the second business partner) the story takes a hard right turn into the absurd to excuse his presence. Suddenly there's acid pits, supervillainous kidnappings, henchmen and giant guinea pig death labs that come out of literally nowhere to justify Batman's existence in the story. All of this, very suddenly, in an eight page comic! It doesn't feel very well planned out at all.
Remember a page ago when this was still kind of a normal detective story? I miss that.
Now, I understand that many Batman stories, especially in the earlier comics, are quite weird and zany. That's fine, but in this issue Batman is isolated from the colourful villains and the extensive gadgets of his universe and clashes with his surroundings. Instead of the superhero Batman fighting off Joker, or Poison Ivy, or Two-Face, he's fighting... Alfred Stryker, businessman. Terrifying. Batman is out of his normal context, leaving him as quite literally just a random guy in a bat costume running around and punching things. He almost feels like a Scrappy Doo or Jar Jar Binks character, forced into a story to generate interest but ultimately derailing the story for their own reasons. And I'm talking about Batman here. Yikes.
This is how I see Batman in this comic.
I think the reason that I almost dislike Batman in this issue is the fact that he is viewed more through the perspective of the police and bystanders than Batman himself, and as a vigilante this doesn't paint him very kindly. In the context of this issue's original release, neither the actual readers or the in-universe characters would know anything about this weird guy or where he came from. Batman speaks rarely, actively steals evidence from crime scenes, kills a man and gets away with it. He doesn't show himself to be trustworthy, moral, or even wanted, but he sure is there.
He just actively punched a man into an acid tank and felt no remorse. IN HIS DEBUT! Is this what the kids want?
On top of this, Batman as a character is incredibly weak in this comic. Sure, he may have a semi- interesting design, but without any trademark tools in the vein of the Batmobile or his Utility Belt (or even just a weapon), it seems like even Batman himself doesn't have a plan for what he's going to do to stop the bad guys. He comes in, unarmed and likely obstructed by his mask, to fight off murderers holding literal smoking guns, and chemical-related mob bosses like it's nobody's business. It's hard to take him seriously when the evidence is pointing to him being a nonsense character.
Is he trying to end up like the rest of his family? Because that's a recipe for disaster.
I do like Batman. I think almost everybody does. But if Detective Comics #27 was my first exposure to Batman in any form, I would not be a fan of him. Although I appreciate the history of the character and think it was interesting to see from a Media Studies perspective, but in the context of other Batman stories, I don't think the comic holds up. Sorry, Brucey.
Bruce Wayne is such an unimportant character in this comic that this reveal means next to nothing to the reader here. I mean SOMEONE had to be Batman, why not the useless guy?
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