Dean Trippe covers Batman 47

Original cover by Bob Kane and Charles Paris; DC 1948. Dean Trippe's website is here.

Richard Short covers Metamorpho 3

Original cover by Ramona Fradon and Charles Paris; DC 1965. Richard Short's website is here.

Batman #218

Batman #218 (On Sale: November 11, 1969) has a cover by Murphy Anderson. This is the last issue to feature this long-running Batman logo.

We begin with "Batman and Robin's Greatest Mystery" which is reprinted from Detective Comics #234 and created by Ed Hamilton, Sheldon Moldoff and Stan Kaye. Batman and Robin track down a crook, Jay Caird, who has stolen a sonic weapon. When the weapon is turned on the Dynamic Duo, they are knocked out and begin suffering from amnesia. Commissioner Gordon allows them to search the police files for clues to their secret identities in hopes that it will restore their lost memories.

Batman finds several clues while reading the files. He learns that he is wealthy, is a pilot, and a polo player. With the possibilities narrowed, Batman is able to guess that he is Bruce Wayne. He drives to Wayne Manor where his memories begin to return. With his recovery, he remembers where Caird was headed, and together with Robin, Batman captured the crook.

Next is "The Hand from Nowhere" reprinted from Batman #130 and created by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. A giant hand appears above a factory. The hand is controlled by two alien creatures. Batman confronts the aliens who are making the hand steal metal ore. Batman is unable to capture the aliens because the giant hand protects them.

Batman follows the trail of the aliens as they steal several other metals. The aliens make a raid on some valuable platinum, and Batman is able to uncover their scheme. The whole setup has been a hoax. The aliens are really disguised crooks. Batman locates the hideout and finds that Superman’s frequent foe, Lex Luthor is behind it. Batman takes control of the hand, which Luthor invented, capturing Luthor and his gang.

That is followed by "The Man Who Couldn't Be Tried Twice" reprinted from Batman #118 and created by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Ray Burnley. Batman testifies in a murder case to help free the defendant, James Lee, who is accused of killing his former trapeze artist partner. Lee is acquitted, then brags that he did kill his partner, Wyler. Batman’s name is ruined, but he uncovers evidence proving that the circus owner, David Dial, is the real killer. Dial bribed Lee to brag so that no one would find him. Batman then brings both men to justice.

That brings us to "The Body in the Bat-Cave" reprinted from Batman #121 and created by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. Batman and Robin discover the body of electronics genius turned criminal Alec Wyre in the Bat-Cave. They believe wire and an associate discovered the cave, then the associate murdered him. Batman then tracks down three suspects, despite the fact that one must know his secret identity. All three suspects prove to be false leads. Batman then deduces that Wyre found the Bat-Cave on his own and was knocked dead when he hit his head on a stalactite. The location of the Bat-Cave and Batman's secret identity therefore remains a secret.

Next is "Four Hours to Live" which originally appeared in the Sunday Batman newspaper strip from June 11 to July 30th, 1944.

We end with "The League Against Batman" from Detective Comics #197 and created by David V. Reed, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris. A new hooded criminal known as the Wrecker strikes against Batman by destroying objects dedicated to the crime fighter. He destroys Batman toys, signs, and sculptures, claiming to seek revenge for his three brothers who were executed after Batman captured them.

Dwight Forrow, a man who wrote a book about Batman, receives a death threat and is assigned two police bodyguards. The Wrecker still succeeds in carrying out the threat, apparently killing Forrow.

Batman and the police believe that the Wrecker is Skip Denton, who had three criminal brothers. However Batman finds a clue that proves the real identity of the Wrecker. Police apprehend Denton, but Batman clears him by finding Forrow alive. Forrow and his brother were running an insurance scam and set Denton up. A sunburn on Forrow's hand gave the crook away and allowed Batman to apprehend him.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Melle de Boer covers House of Mystery 1

Original cover by Win Mortimer and Charles Paris; DC 1951
Melle de Boer's website is here.

Batman #208

Batman #208 (On Sale: November 12, 1968), 80pg. Giant #G-55, has a cover by Nick Cardy featuring Who is the Most Important Woman in Batman's Life?

This book contains"The Women in Batman's Life" by E. Nelson Bridwell, Gil Kane and Jack Abel. This story is a new framing sequence that surrounds reprinted stories. This framing sequence consists mostly of flashbacks to earlier events in the career of the Earth-1 Batman. Some of these events parallel adventures of the Earth-2 Batman. It should not be assumed that all other Earth-2 stories have Earth-1 parallels.

Mrs. Chilton, the woman that cared for Bruce Wayne following the death of his parents, remembers various events from the career of Batman that involve important women in his life. The women she remembers are: Julie Madison, Catwoman, Linda Page, Vicki Vale, Batwoman, Kaye Daye, Aunt Harriet, Patricia Powell, Marcia Monroe, Poison Ivy, and Batgirl. Unbeknownst to Bruce, Mrs. Chilton knows that he is Batman and that her sons Joe and Max Chill played important roles as villains in Batman's life.

The first woman is Catwoman in "The Secret Life of the Catwoman" a reprint from Batman #62 by Bill Finger, Lew Sayre Schwartz and Charles Paris. Next is Vicki Vale in "Vicki Vale's Secret" from Batman #73 by David V. Reed, Lew Sayre Schwartz and Charles Paris. Next we have Batwoman in "The Menace of the Firefly" from Batman #126 by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris wherein Firefly robs a party at which Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Kathy Kane are guests. The crook gets away, but Kathy sees the host, Ted Carson, slip away prior to Batman appearing on the scene. She suspects Ted is Batman, but when she confront him, she learns he is really the Firefly. Batman and Robin predict where Firefly will strike next, and Kathy shows up as Batwoman to stop the crook.

Next is "The Dilemma of the Detective's Daughter" from Batman #165 by France Herron, Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella. Patricia Powell, the daughter of Lt. Mike Powell, graduates from the police academy with top honors. She receives her awards from Batman and is immediately promoted to detective. She tells Batman that she has a crush on Bruce Wayne, though the two have never officially met.

Batman keeps an eye on Patricia. During her first case, Pat investigates the kidnapping of Professor Smedley. Batman helps her track down the Professor. The Dark Knight apprehends the crooks, while Pat releases the professor. Later, Pat attends a weekend party held by Bruce Wayne, where she meets him for the first time.

This issue also contains excerpts reprinted from other stories including: two pages from Detective Comics #203, one page from Detective Comics #233, one page from Batman #194, one page from Detective Comics #328, five pages from Brave and the Bold #64, two pages from Batman #181, two pages from Batman #182, and five pages from Detective Comics #359.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

World's Finest Comics #180

World's Finest Comics #180 (On Sale: September 10, 1968) has just a very nice cover by Neal Adams. Gorgeous coloring on this one!

We begin with "Superman's Perfect Crime" by Cary Bates, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. In this imaginary story, after losing his powers, Superman assumes a new costumed identity as Nova. However, he is captured by gang boss Mr. Socrates on his first crime-fighting adventure. Using an electronic implant embedded in Superman's neck, Mr. Socrates is able to control Superman's actions remotely. He then uses the former Man of Steel to lure Batman into a trap.

Batman escapes the trap and takes Superman back to the Batcave. However, Mr. Socrates is able to trace the signal from Superman to find the hidden location of the Batcave. Superman gets away from Batman, who gives chase. While the heroes are away, Mr. Socrates enters the cave and sets a booby-trap.

Superman is able to interrupt the signal that is allowing Mr. Socrates to control him. He then teams up with Batman and they return to the Batcave. Mr. Socrates falls victim to his own booby-trap. The rest of his gang is apprehended. Batman states that he will contact Green Lantern to brainwash the crooks, so that they will not remember his secret identity or the location of the Batcave. This story was reprinted in DC Special Series #23.

The back-up Batman story is "The Batmen of All Nations" a reprint from Detective Comics #215, by Edmond Hamilton, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. A group of international costumed heroes visit Gotham City to meet their idol Batman. Knots Cardine, a bold gang leader, embarrasses Batman by escaping him during a robbery. When the other heroes help Batman track down Cardine, a bomb detonates, apparently killing Batman.

The other heroes agree to guard a bank delivery in Batman’s place. The Legionary, an Italian hero, is actually Cardine in disguise and he robs the delivery truck. However, Batman is inside, and he stops the robbery. Batman suspected that Cardine took the place of the real Legionary, so he led the crook into a trap

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Batman #203

Batman #203 (On Sale: May 9, 1968) AKA 80pg. Giant #G-49 has a cover by Neal Adams over a layout by Carmine Infantino. I remember as a kid being excited by this issue, that there were actually some "secrets" that I was going to learn.

We begin with "The 1,000 Secrets of the Batcave" by Bill Finger and Jim Mooney from Batman #48. Escaped killer Wolf Brando on the run from police takes refuge inside Wayne Manor. Once inside, he knocks out Dick Grayson and accidentally discover the Batcave entrance.

Batman learns that Wolf is hiding in his home and follows him into the Batcave. Brando has Dick held hostage, but Batman rescues him. Together Batman and Robin then chase Brando through the Batcave. They know that once he is caught, Wolf will reveal their secret identities to the world. After a long chase, Brando is finally cornered. However, he accidentally falls into an underground stream and drowns.

Next is "The Birth of Batplane II" by David V. Reed, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris from Batman #61.

That is followed by "The Secret of Batman's Utility Belt" also by David V. Reed, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris and from Detective Comics #185.

Next is "The 100 Batarangs of Batman" by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris from Detective Comics #244. Film is stolen which contains pictures of Batman throwing his batarangs. The Dynamic Duo recalls several criminals who have been defeated by the batarangs. They determine that Jay Garris is the likely suspect. Batman locates Garris and uses Batarang X, a giant batarang that can carry a man, to sneak into Garris’ hide-out. He learns the crooks intend to use exploding batarangs for crime.

Next up is "Secret of the Batmobile" also by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris from Batman #98. When Batman pursues the Racer in the Batmobile, Vicki Vale snaps a photo of the chase. Batman sees the photo and worries that it will reveal a secret. He convinces Vicki to run several stories of cases in which the Batmobile was used before printing the photo. The reason for this is that the engine of the Batmobile was damaged. While repairs continued, Batman replaced the Batmobile with Bruce Wayne's sports car. Vicki's photo showed the sports car and would have given away his identity.

Lastly we have "The Flying Bat-Cave" by David V. Reed, Lew Sayre Schwartz and Charles Paris from Detective Comics #186.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell who began editing all of the Batman 80-Page Giants beginning with issue #198.

Batman #198

Batman #198 (On Sale: November 14, 1967), AKA 80pg. Giant #G-43 features a cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson spotlighting an All-Villain Issue.

We begin with "The Origin of the Batman" from Batman #47 by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Charles Paris. Batman and Robin discover that a trucking company is smuggling wanted criminals out of state. When Batman sees a picture of the trucking company's owner, Joe Chill, he immediately recognizes the man as the killer of his parents (this was the first time the killer's name was revealed. Batman works the case alone, trying to trap Chill and get evidence against him. Chill eludes Batman's traps and continues to operate his company.

Finally Batman takes a daring risk and reveals his identity to Chill, explaining that Chill was responsible for creating him. Batman threatens to follow and harass Chill until the crook eventually slips up. Frightened, Chill runs to his gang. He tells them that he was responsible for creating Batman. Before he can tell them who the Batman really is, they gun him done for creating their nemesis. Batman is then able to finally close the case of the Wayne murder.

Next is "The Jungle Cat-Queen" from Detective #211 by Ed Hamilton, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris. After a jewel heist, Catwoman pilots her plane to a remote island where she meets her accomplices. Batman follows her to the island and is quickly captured. Catwoman allows Batman to escape, even though her partners try to kill him. Once free Batman rounds up the gang, but the Catwoman herself escapes.

This is followed by "The Web of the Spinner" from Batman #129, by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. While Batman and Robin track down a new costumed foe, the Spinner, Batwoman is investigating a swami who she believes is a phony. All the heroes finally follow their leads to an old windmill which the Spinner is using as a hideout. Although they are able to overcome the Spinner, Batman suspects more is going on. They exit the windmill just before it explodes. The swami is the real Spinner, and he setup another crook to take the fall. Batman then finds evidence in the swami’s possession and arrests him.

Next we have (Oswald Who?) reprinted from the Batman Sunday strip 2/10/1946-3/10/1946 by Alvin Schwartz, Jack Burnley and Charles Paris. This was later reprinted in Batman:The Sunday Classics, 1943-1946 TPB.

"The Crimes of Batman" from World's Finest #61 by David Reed, Lew Sayer Schwartz and Charles Paris follows.

This is followed by "The Menace of False Face" from Batman #113 drawn by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. A new criminal and master of disguise, False Face, commits robberies around Gotham by disguising himself. Batman realizes that the real people which False Face replaces are delayed from their normal activities in advance. When someone is delayed, Batman arrives in their place and is able to locate False Face, but the crook escapes. During another encounter, Batman is apparently knocked out, but he is really able to capture False Face and his gang.

Lastly we have "The Bandit of the Bells" from Batman #55 drawn by Bob Kane and Charles Paris.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Metamorpho #15

Metamorpho #15 (On Sale:September 275, 1967) features a Sal Trapani cover.

"Hour of Armageddon" is by Bob Haney, Sal Trapani and Charles Paris. Continuing the story from Metamorpho #14, after witnessing Metamorpho being obliterated by the Thunderer, Element Girl attacks the villain and suffers the same fate as the Element Man. She soon finds herself in a sub-atomic universe separated into three parts. Metamorpho is also trapped in the same micro-verse with her. Working together they are able to restore themselves to normal with the additional help of boy genius Billy Barton.

While Metamorpho is presumed dead, the Thunderer demands Earth's surrender from the United Nations. Metamorpho returns to battle the mutant, but finds his powers are not enough. Billy Barton provides the Element Man further assistance by delivering a laser to him. The laser proves more effective against the Thunderer.

As the battle continues, an alien ship arrives containing two members of the Thunderer's race. Reprinted in Showcase Presents:Metamorpho Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by George Kashdan.