Detective Comics (1937) #527

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Doug Moench sure does like exposition this issue. Batman can’t stop thinking about all the problems in his life (though he manages not to detect Gordon’s heart problem). But there’s also the regular narrative exposition, which Moench overwrites. It makes me wonder if he’s gearing Detective towards a younger audience. He’s not particularly confident; he keeps explaining himself.

The Dan Day artwork is okay without being good. Day, inked by Pablo Marcos, is competent but childish. His figures don’t show any maturity.

Towards the end of the issue, Moench juxtaposes Bruce and Jason getting ready to go to the movies (presumably not Zorro) and the problem becomes clear. Moench knows he’s writing about a difficult “real” issue, adoption, but he doesn’t know how to write it. It’s too bad

The Green Arrow backup from Joey Cavalieri and Paris Cullins has nice enough art from Cullins. Sadly, the story’s exceptionally silly.

Detective Comics 527 (June 1983)

The Dan Day artwork is okay without being good. Day, inked by Pablo Marcos, is competent but childish. His figures don’t show any maturity.

The Green Arrow backup from Joey Cavalieri and Paris Cullins has nice enough art from Cullins. Sadly, the story’s exceptionally silly.

Batman 360 (June 1983)

I can’t tell for sure, but it doesn’t seem like Doug Moench’s thrilled to have Batman saddled with Jason Todd. He writes the kid sympathetically–this issue is set approximately a month after his parents died–but Moench can’t wait to leave him behind at Wayne Manor.

Batman heads off on an urgent case and Jason doesn’t make another appearance.

The issue has a great pace. It opens with a teaser of the villain, moves to the next morning, then the rest of the issue takes place over the day. There’s a lot of Batman in the daylight (so much there’s exposition about how effective he comes off) before Moench tightens up the pace.

The villain’s fairly weak and the C plot with Gordon’s heart troubles is too obvious, but it’s pretty otherwise good. Don Newton comes up with some excellent action layouts and he matches Moench’s procedural pace well.

Detective Comics (1937) #522

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Starting the issue, I kept thinking Conway had already done a Batman versus the abominable snowman issue. Then I slowly came to realize it was a sequel to that issue I had already read. Maybe the Irv Novick art threw me off. Even with Marcos inking him, the art is painfully mediocre.

The story’s kind of a bore–Batman in China (he speaks Chinese)–and Conway’s forcing some division with Dick (to prepare for a new Robin, I think). At least the Vicki Vale stuff is interesting–I mean, if Bruce is lying to her about who he is (being the bored playboy), why does he care?

The actual story about the mutant snow villain (think Iceman mixed with Sabretooth) meanders but never offends.

Then there’s the Green Arrow backup… which is sillier than it is anything else. Ollie gets a new sidekick. Again, Von Eeden art’s is disappointingly unambitious.

Detective Comics 522 (January 1983)

The actual story about the mutant snow villain (think Iceman mixed with Sabretooth) meanders but never offends.

Then there’s the Green Arrow backup… which is sillier than it is anything else. Ollie gets a new sidekick. Again, Von Eeden art’s is disappointingly unambitious.

CREDITS

Snow Blind; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Irv Novick; inker, Pablo Marcos; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, Ben Oda. Automatic Pirate!; writer, Joey Cavalieri; artist, Trevor von Eeden; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, John Costanza. Editors, Nicola Cuti and Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman (1940) #348

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After a lame Man-Bat two-parter, Conway does the story right with this issue. He’s got Colan and Janson on it–there’s a heartbreaking panel of Man-Bat holding his daughter here–and everything is just in perfect sync.

It’s so well-done, I can even excuse the part when Bruce changes to Batman to take Man-Bat’s daughter to look for him (Langstrom is so far gone he’ll need a mental shock to bring him back) but the kid gets to see Alfred and Dick hanging out with Batman. I guess they figure she’s too young to figure it out.

Oh, and there’s a funny opening with Dick and Bruce dropping the giant penny as they refurnish the original Batcave.

The only misstep is the melancholy Jim Gordon, who’s never really been a strong character in the Conway run.

The Catwoman backup has a rushed cliffhanger, but it’s otherwise fantastic. Jones’s opening scene is great.

Batman 348 (June 1982)

Oh, and there’s a funny opening with Dick and Bruce dropping the giant penny as they refurnish the original Batcave.

The only misstep is the melancholy Jim Gordon, who’s never really been a strong character in the Conway run.

The Catwoman backup has a rushed cliffhanger, but it’s otherwise fantastic. Jones’s opening scene is great.

CREDITS

Shadow Play; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Gene Colan; inker, Klaus Janson; colorist, Adrienne Roy. The Man, the Bullet, the Cat, Part One; writer, Bruce Jones; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Pablo Marcos; colorist, Tom Ziuko. Letterer, Ben Oda; editor, Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman (1940) #347

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I love this issue. It’s heavy-handed to some degree–it’s two would be criminals trying to decide if they want to commit a crime in Gotham City and talking about Batman–and Slifer’s attempts at showing the socioeconomic toils on a population are… pedestrian, but it’s a great Batman story.

There are two stories the guys tell about Batman. One is just an effectively spooky one with him capturing some escaped convicts, emphasizing Batman from the criminals’–the hunted’s–perspective.

But the second one is about a group of militant arsonists (who are careful to only burn abandoned buildings) trying to get attention to their situation. Again, Slifer’s sociological attempts are a little trite, but the Batman stuff is fantastic.

The von Eeden and Marcos art is good–less ambitious than I hoped after the Catwoman backups they did together.

The other backups–quick mysteries–are inoffensive page filler.

Batman 347 (May 1982)

The von Eeden and Marcos art is good–less ambitious than I hoped after the Catwoman backups they did together.

The other backups–quick mysteries–are inoffensive page filler.

CREDITS

The Shadow of the Batman; writer, Roger Slifer; inker, Pablo Marcos. The Impossible Murder!; writer, Robin Snyder; inker, Larry Mahlstedt. Artifact; writer, Snyder; inker, Mahlstedt. The Nervous Nephew; writer, Snyder; inker, Mahlstedt. Penciller, Trevor von Eeden; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, John Costanza; editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman (1940) #346

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The cover villain is Two-Face but apparently he’s got a girl sidekick who’s the one who’s really after Batman. Presumably we’ll find out her story next issue.

The most interesting–I was just reading some comic creators on Twitter say critics use the word “interesting” to mean “bad,” which is ludicrous, but anyway–the most interesting thing about the feature is the way Newton draws Vicki Vale. She looks like a professional woman in her thirties, someone you could believe as a magazine editor. It gives her romance with Bruce a lot more heft, especially since it’s still not clear if she’s after him as a story or a lover.

The Catwoman backup disappoints. Jones spends three pages describing the backstory of the villain, then just a couple wrapping it up. It’s a decent wrap-up–Catwoman watches the villain die–and it’s well-written and the art’s ambitious and good. It’s just a slight finish.