Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman // Review
With Marvel turning 80, it’s easy to forget that some other things have also been around for a long, long time. In this case, Batman! Premiering in Detective Comics #27 back in 1939, Batman has had a long and storied career in the pages of Detective Comics throughout the decades. Similar to the 80 Years of Action Comics celebration from last year, DC has released a similarly themed collection of some of Batman’s best stories throughout the ages.
However, that spot was already taken by 2014’s Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years and Joker: A Celebration of 75 Years. Two-Face already received a collection of his own back in 2017 as well, so what does that leave DC for this collection?
Surprisingly, a ton of origin stories.
A surprising amount of this Detective Comics celebration is actually dedicated to some non-Bat characters. The Crimson Avenger, the first masked hero from DC comics, predated Batman by seven issues. It’s actually interesting to see both the comic stylings of the Golden Age of Comics and one of the more obscure proto-Batmen published in a comic alongside the first tale of Batman just a few pages down the line.
Other heroes who have made their debuts in Detective Comics that feature in this collection are here. AirWave, a hero who uses radio waves to fight crime. The Boy Commandos, created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon as kids in the middle of the Second World War in the middle of combat. Pow-Wow Smith, “Indian Lawman,” a concept that has aged better than it sounds… while still being steeped heavily within the racism of the time. John Jones, the Martian Manhunter, shows up in ways that fans of the Justice League cartoons would barely recognize. Other lesser-known heroes like the Manhunter also appear.
Meanwhile, Batman and Robin’s own origins are on display, along with several villains. Two-Face, the Riddler, and Clayface are among the better tales on screen. Not only does Bat-Mite’s original appearance show, but he makes several other showings here. The original Batwoman, almost forgotten for decades, has her original story here just a few dozen pages before Batgirl’s origin.
DC has also chosen to include some celebratory tales within this collection. From Detective Comics 500 is To Kill a Legend. Written by Alan Brennert with art by Dick Giordano, colors by Adrienne Roy, and lettering by John Costanza, it’s a compelling tale. Batman and Robin are summoned to a parallel world by the Phantom Stranger to see what society could be like without Batman, without heroes. And it just so happens to be a time when Batman’s parents are alive as well. What results is a strange origin story for a young Bruce Wayne, but also a tale of catharsis for the Bat.
A personal favorite was also included, from Detective Comics 567. Written by legend Harlan Ellison, The Night of Thanks, But No Thanks is an entertainingly bizarre romp through an average night for the caped crusader. Gene Colan and Bob Smith share credits on the art, with John Costanza and Adrienne Roy returning for colors and lettering respectively. One of the more realistic takes on the Batman, Ellison seems to delight in making sure that the reader’s expectations are continually subverted and twisted until not even Batman is sure what’s going on anymore.
Indeed, the stories included are all top-notch. Perhaps the only real problem is that the non-Batman stories feel included almost more to pad out page length rather than work as remembering other heroes who have shared the pages with Batman. The Crimson Avenger’s first adventure from Detective Comics #20 just appears without fanfare or mention, much less a Who’s Who page lifted from the 80s. Instead, the cover they looked under shows up, which gets confusing when Detective Comics became Batman-centric. While a considerable ton of care came from the Batman side of things, it feels like DC is almost embarrassed that other heroes showed up in these pages, but also wanted to mention they existed. This could have been handled better and is a black mark on an otherwise excellent collection.
Similar to how DC pulled out some unused and unpublished Superman pages for their 80th anniversary special, DC was able to find old sketches of a Batman story that was published. Detective Comics #200’s “Radio Station C-R-I-M-E” is shown off in rough-draft format from artist Lew Schwartz’s archives, with page layouts scanned directly from the original notebook. The idea is entirely fantastic but feels hollow without the finished story alongside the sketches. What could have been a celebration of Lew Schwartz and his skill as an artist instead becomes a footnote for comic enthusiasts.
Despite a few stumbles and bruises, this is a fantastic collection that DC has put out. Running for $29.99 like the Superman collection before it, this is a great way to see what has come before, and some of the highlights of Batman’s past while Detective Comics #1000 is on the rack.
