Detective Comics 507 (October 1981)

Conway doesn’t do much with Gotham City this issue, instead it’s just Batman in pursuit of the villainous Manikin. Except, of course, it’s not clear how villainous the reader is supposed to find her. She’s a tragic villain–Conway doesn’t give her any resolution past surviving, but I suppose there might be an insanity defense in her future.

Unfortunately, when it does come back to the prologue to the previous issue–Batman saved the Manikin (I assume the spelling is so DC could trademark the name) from a car bombing–there’s no real reaction from Batman. It’s all in a day’s work; Conway taking the time to make the Manikin and Batman have some history is pointless.

Still, it’s competent and nears being touching. Or at least implies nearing it.

The backup stories work. Barr’s regular people of Gotham is fanciful real life. Rozakis’s four page mystery is decent filler.

CREDITS

Dressed to Die!; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Don Newton; inker, Dan Adkins; colorist, Adrienne Roy. The Pursuit of Joy; writer, Mike W. Barr; artist, Dan Spiegle; colorist, Tatjana Wood. Diamonds Aren’t Forever!; writer, Bob Rozakis; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Steve Mitchell; colorist, Roy. Letterer, Ben Oda; editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics (1937) #506

Dc506

I know kids actually read comic books back in the eighties so Conway had to keep them in mind, but he’s got a story about a golden mannequin lady killing people… he didn’t need to open with a really obvious prologue setting up the character. He could have just revealed it all when he will get around to it next issue.

Still, there’s some cool stuff here–Conway’s Bruce Wayne pages are good, really good. There aren’t enough of them. He has Bruce and Alfred discussing Gotham City politics and Bruce at the Studio 54 stand-in. Both those scenes are excellent. There’s a real effort here to make Gotham seem real, which I don’t tend to get out of modern comics–they’re terrified of exposition for setting, apparently.

The Batgirl backup’s fine. Delbo’s better than usual and the lack of a surprise ending is an interesting choice from Burkett.

Detective Comics 506 (September 1981)

The Batgirl backup’s fine. Delbo’s better than usual and the lack of a surprise ending is an interesting choice from Burkett.

CREDITS

Who Dies for the Manikin?; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Don Newton; inker, Steve Mitchell; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, Ben Oda. Farewell, My Lovely; writer, Cary Burkett; penciller, Jose Delbo; inker, Joe Giella; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, Milt Snapinn. Editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman (1940) #338

Br338

It’s sort of hard to believe Conway wrote both the terrible lead story and the mildly charming Robin backup. I mean, the Robin story–Dick solving a mystery at the circus–has it’s problems, like Conway keeping crucial information until the last scene so as to explain all the problems away… but at least he’s trying.

The Batman lead story is another thing entirely. Not only is there an idiotic reference to fingerprints being found on wet grass, but there’s also a bunch of malarky about the Americanism of sporting events. Alfred, the Brit, says it’s un-American to dislike sports.

The story’s villain is the world’s best (chemically engineered) athlete who decides to kill all of Gotham’s famous sports figures. Batman finds him through fumbling and stops him from killing a bunch of people in a mall.

I don’t know if Conway was just dozing off through scripting or what; terrible story.

Batman 338 (August 1981)

I don’t know if Conway was just dozing off through scripting or what; terrible story.

CREDITS

This Sporting Death!; writers, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway; penciller, Irv Novick; inker, Frank McLaughlin; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, John Costanza. Killer Under the Big Top!; writer, Conway; penciller, Don Newton; inker, Larry Mahlstedt. Editors, Cary Burkett and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics (1937) #505

Dc505

Dan Adkins’s inks are a mess here. Because of them, there’s barely one good panel of Don Newton drawing Batman versus a werewolf. The story’s something of a surprise–with Conway concentrating solely on Batman; I assumed the issue, since Conway did Werewolf by Night, would be Batman meets Jack Russell, but it’s anything but.

Since the majority of the story takes place in Alaska, after Conway does some background plotting in Gotham with Batman battling a politician, it’s sort of hard to judge. It’s got a lot a of potential, but not much of it is realized. When Batman gives his reason for wearing his costume in the Alaskan wilderness, it just made me think about how much cooler it would be if he were just Bruce Wayne.

The Batgirl backup features her going after a hunchback killer. It’s not bad, but the Delbo art is weak; he’s really hacking.

Detective Comics 505 (August 1981)

The Batgirl backup features her going after a hunchback killer. It’s not bad, but the Delbo art is weak; he’s really hacking.

CREDITS

Werewolf Moon; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Don Newton; inker, Dan Adkins; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, Ben Oda. Hunt for a Hunchback Killer; writer, Cary Burkett; penciller, Jose Delbo; inker, Joe Giella; colorist, Carl Gafford; letterer, John Costanza. Editors, Burkett and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics (1937) #504

Dc504

So the Joker breaks out of Arkham for no reason other than to create an elaborate room of deadly toys to kill Batman. It’s definitely insane, but also completely idiotic.

This issue makes me wonder if there were (and are) editorial mandates for how often a villain has to appear. Maybe it had been a while so the Joker had to show up–even Batman and Gordon comment on the contrived nature of his appearance–he escaped from Arkham, who didn’t let anyone know because they lost his paperwork… forgetting they had the Joker incarcerated.

Besides that ludicrous element, it’s a fine comic–the artwork is phenomenal and Conway has some great Batman investigating scenes and Gotham City details. And some wonderful close third person Joker narration.

The backup, with Gordon fighting a corrupt cop, is the reverse. A great plot, but Kupperberg overwrites it. Delbo’s weak art hurts too.

Detective Comics 504 (July 1981)

So the Joker breaks out of Arkham for no reason other than to create an elaborate room of deadly toys to kill Batman. It’s definitely insane, but also completely idiotic.

The backup, with Gordon fighting a corrupt cop, is the reverse. A great plot, but Kupperberg overwrites it. Delbo’s weak art hurts too.

CREDITS

The Joker’s Rumpus Room Revenge!; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Don Newton; inker, Dan Adkins; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, Ben Oda. A Day in the Life of a Cop; writer, Paul Kupperberg; penciller, Jose Delbo; inker, Joe Giella; colorist, Carl Gafford; letterer, Pierre Bernard Jr. Editor, Paul Levitz; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics (1937) #503

Dc503

Now there’s a done-in-one. Wow. Conway fits a ton into the issue, which boils down to another poisoned Batman goes after the Scarecrow story, but with all sorts of decoration. It opens with Batman–Bruce mooning over Selina no less–going about his routine. He gets a mysterious dart shot at him and strange things start happening.

Well, as everyone’s going nuts over Batman, Conway brings in the Scarecrow (he shot the dart). Then Conway brings in Robin and Batgirl to investigate and fight the Scarecrow. Batman has to save them, but all of it requires a whole bunch of plotting. And Conway doesn’t cheap on the introductions–he spends time introducing each development.

The result is a rather pleasing read. Yeah, sure, Conway’s got Newton on the art so it’s magnificent looking, but that plotting is the real star.

The conclusion’s somewhat weak, but Conway doesn’t seem to be writing for it.