Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Batman Writers: Detective 301-326


Detective 322 panel: Batman with face in shadow
"I must be a creatue of the night..."
This is Batman's best period for me, the one in which I first read him. It didn't hurt to have the original writer still working on the character. The Clayface and Cat-Man series where each story built upon the earlier ones, the Dr. No-Face and Flying Bat-Cave stories, didn't disappoint in the rereading.

The stories I've read now for the first time are just as good. "The Bizarre Batman Genie" stands out—it uses the strange-transformation trope of the period to turn the second half into a Robin/Bat-Girl story when Batman becomes an antagonist.

"Targets of the Alien Z-Ray" in #305 is the only story in this run to use the sound effects Kwoom and Crzzzz and the creature roar "Rawwwr" that Arnold Drake, and not Bill Finger or Dave Wood, employs.

Batman in Detective 301-326—Writers

Mar/62#301 The Condemned BatmanBill Finger
Apr/    #302 The Bronze MenaceFinger
May/    #303 Murder in SkylandFinger
June/    #304 The Return of Clay-FaceFinger
July/    #305 Targets of the Alien Z-RayArnold Drake
Aug/    #306 The Wizard of 1,000 MenacesFinger
Sept/    #307 Alpha, the Experimental ManFinger
Oct/    #308 The Flame-MasterFinger
Nov/    #309 The Mystery of the Mardi Gras MurdersFinger
Dec/    #310 Bat-Mite's Super-CircusFinger
Jan/63#311 The Challenge of the Cat-ManFinger
Feb/    #312 The Secret of Clayface's PowerFinger
Mar/    #313 The Mystery of the $1,000,000 Treasure HuntDave Wood
Apr/    #314 Murder in MovielandFinger
May/    #315 The Jungle Man of Gotham CityWood
June/    #316 Double Batman vs. Double XWood
July/    #317 The Secrets of the Flying Bat-CaveFinger
Aug/    #318 The Cat-Man Strikes BackFinger
Sept/    #319 The Fantastic Dr. No-FaceWood
Oct/    #320 Batman and Robin—the Mummy Crime-FightersWood
Nov/    #321 The Terrible TrioWood
Dec/    #322 The Bizarre Batman GenieWood
Jan/64#323 The Zodiac MasterWood
Feb/    #324 Menace of the Robot BrainWood
Mar/    #325 The Strange Lives of the Cat-ManFinger
Apr/    #326 Captives of the Alien ZooWood

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