Batman Chronicles: Volume Five

Batman Chronicles: Volume Five

ISBN: 9781401216825

Writer: Bill Finger

Art: Jerry Robinson & Bob Kane

Collects Material From: Batman #8-9, Detective Comics #57-61, World’s Finest #4, from 1942.

So here’s my second review of a Batman Chronicles, which feature chronological reprints of all appearances of Batman. I probably mentioned it in my post regarding Vol. 4, but the DC Chronicles are a great, economical buy. As far as I know they are the best value for money Golden Age reprint series on the market and one of the very few that are printed on a regular schedule. I’m glad DC are exploiting their Golden Age heritage in this format, because all of the GA marvel reprints are expensive hard backs on a slightly more erratic print roster. Nice one DC.

This volume has been one of the most enjoyable to date. Volume Four I found a little lacklustre, but with Five, Mr. Finger is back on track and Mr. Robinson is as clear and iconic as ever.

Early in this volume we’re introduced to a brand new villain, the never before seen Penguin. One of the most interesting things about these reprints is that, when reading them, you can see just how little these incredible characters have had to be changed over the years. Yes, of course, some of Batman’s rogues gallery have been updated, the Joker in particular, but the Penguin is essentially the same character from his first appearance until now. Some of that is because he is at heart a crime boss rather than a psychopath, and crime always pays. But the timeless concept combined with Robinson’s strong visuals give us an idiosyncratic, reusable character, who unlike many other disposable criminals from this era, has stayed with us in the public imagination. I particularly enjoyed Finger’s opening description of Penguin as a funny little man with a benevolent face. It’s a pity that that benevolent face isn’t used more today as a way for Penguin to disarm potential competitors or victims, but he is more commonly imagined with sharp, hawkish features. He is one of the great Finger/Robinson creation.

A common approach to stories in this volume is the “Weird Mystery” tale. Examples are “The Four Fates” where we are left to wonder whether the deaths of a group of criminals are coincidence or the result of a curse (including a relatively sophisticated twist ending for a 1942 comic.) There’s also “Professor Radium” which deals with a scientist able to kill and apparently resurrect his victims with a touch, and “The Superstition Murders” about a murderer and stage play based around common superstitious beliefs (such as black cats, broken mirrors and walking under ladders.) Perhaps it’s this differing approach to the story telling formula which freshened up this volume in comparison to the previous, but either way these are interesting and original stories that fit in to the Batman Universe perfectly. As to whether the “Weird Mystery” leaning was an editorial decision or Finger’s own sense of the times, I don’t know, but previous volumes also include this kind of tale, just not to the extent that this volume exhibits.

Iconic cover of Batman #9. Reprinted in this
volume and used for the cover. By Jack Burnley.

There are a couple of Joker appearances peppered through the book, one of which stands out above the others, “The Cross Country Crimes” is the first anarchic scheme for the Joker. His previous crimes use gimmicks only as an assisting element to the crime itself, but in this story, the crimes themselves become the gimmicks as Joker is symbolically writing his name across the USA by committing robberies in specific locations. This is the first Joker escapade that hints at the deranged nature of his criminal activities, which unfortunately isn’t followed up in later Joker tales within this book, but I’m hoping it’s a precursor to lunacy in later volumes. It’s a tightly plotted tale, even if some of the clues are a little stretched and should be required reading for anyone interested in the history and evolution of this character.

Another Joker tale “The Case of the Costume Clad Killers” features one of my favourite splash pages ever. The story and art deliver in all the right places, it’s not however, a classic Joker story and doesn’t bear special mention in comparison to any other strip in this book. But that splash page is a classic. I’m sorry to say that I couldn’t get an image of it for this blog page, but if I do find one I promise I’ll add it. (OK, I’ve found an image and added it below, but unfortunately it's a low quality fiche scan, you can still see the general composition and layout though.)

Detective Comics #60 Splash Page. Art by Jerry Robinson (Fiche Scan)

We have an over-sized joker, with classic Robinson features, dressed as Napoleon, leering over a pint-sized Batman & Robin. The imagery is perfect and the composition leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. Robinson uses the angle of the Joker’s head, his line of sight and his pose to lead the audience’s eye from the main element of Joker in his Napoleonic uniform, down to the miniature figures in the foreground, which are structured into a triangle with the axe weilding thug at the apex, the triangle in turn, leads the eye back up to the Joker’s head. In other words, Robinson expertly forces a double take on to us. Genius. I may well be wrong about this, but I’ve never seen this image referenced in any later comics by other artists. Which is shame, because if Alex Ross had painted it, I’m sure it would be considered an iconic Joker piece.

Lastly on this volume I feel obliged to tell you that, if like me, you’ve always wanted to see Batman beat up Hobos or kill an evil and destructive giant white whale with a spear, well, this is the comic for you.

Mad Thinker Reads……….

Batman by Bill Finger & Jerry Robinson as much as humanly possible.

M.T.