Batman Family Reunion #11 – The Wedding of Batgirl and Robin Hits a Snafu!

Get ready for some Bangers and Mash! Shawn and Paul are thrilled to have Batty Uncle Martin Gray join the Reunion this month!  Not only do we get a wedding, but the first ALL NEW issue of Batman Family also gives us a Team-Up (ish?) between Commissioner Gordon and Alfred, and the start of Man-Bat’s feature!  Join us for the picnic and help us down this onion flavored ice cream!

Don't forget to check out our Gallery Post this month to see both of us at the Baltimore Comic-Con!

This month's Bat Family History links for Tex Blaisdell:

http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=118

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Blaisdell

https://www.lambiek.net/artists/b/blaisdell_tex.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3c9_czARyI

Have a question or comment? Looking for more great content?  Have a specific issue you love and want to talk to us about it?

  • E-MAIL: batmanfamilyreunion@gmail.com
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15 responses to “Batman Family Reunion #11 – The Wedding of Batgirl and Robin Hits a Snafu!

  1. Another fantastic episode with my long-time online acquaintance Martin Gray!!! I am fairly certain that this was the first issue of my subscription to the title. I reread this one numerous times growing up. I thought the wedding outfits on the cover were amazing – wish they had used them inside as well (beyond the splash page). New solo Man-Bat tales starting here was fun as was that team-up between Alfred and Jim Gordon.

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  2. A great comic . And sir Martian of grey did wonder full job . This cousin Bucky back agin. Cousin Jeremy is man the fryer and making deep fried banana Twinkies with blue berry sauce . As we heard sir Martian was fond of them . I’m setting up the karaoke stage . We’ve got several sign ups .
    Let’s see
    1. Sisco singing American made by the wrestling boot travel band .

    2. Me singing the theme of the fresh prince of Belair theme .

    3. Shag singing modern day Tom Sawyer by rush .
    4 Martian grey and Jeremy singing : keep on dancing punk version ?.
    5 . Captain entropy singing the theme from half gun will travel .

    What songs should I put down for you if you guys want to join in ?
    If you’ll pardon me Jeremy just told me out pal Cryptic cowboy and his pal slappy showed up .
    So I need to go get some more twinkes as some more cousins are coming. Also will some body please help aunt Shelly with her dog bill Barkley he as cat women up a tree . (Shrug ).

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    1. Great song choice, Bucky! Oh, and keep the kids away from that tree. Catwoman’s potty mouth is going strong right now.

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  3. Great episode, guys! I found this podcast a couple of months ago and had fun playing catch-up … or would that be catsup?

    Those wedding outfits were — interesting in every sense of the word. When I was a kid reading this when it first came out I probably thought they were different in a cool way. Now they seem very much a product of the times. But I do agree, I’d love to see someone cosplay these outfits.

    So who did design the outfits? Jim Aparo or Curt Swan? Paging Mr. Rozakis! It’s interesting that the Robin tux appeared around the time when fans were submitting new costume designs for him. I guess even the DC artists wanted to get in on the fun, huh?

    I’m sure you guys have been to DC, but for anyone who hasn’t, a bit of geography. Ford’s Theatre is within sight and easy walking distance to the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the headquarters of the FBI, which opened a year or two before this story was published. Any backup from law enforcement that the Dynamite Duo needed wouldn’t be very far away. The Hard Rock Cafe is between the two landmarks, but probably didn’t open until the 80s, so it wouldn’t have been a venue for the wedding reception.

    And the most 70s thing in this issue has to be Kirk Langstrom’s hairy chest.

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    1. Welcome to the Reunion, Matthew! Hope you’ll stick around! Thanks for the comments. And I will let Shawn comment on the hairy chest…

  4. I ordered Sea Monkeys as a kid a few years after this issue (probably around 1981) and was still young enough to think they might resemble the picture in the ad.

    If my memory is correct, I received a small packet with instructions to add it to a jar of water. (There we’re probably other instructions, like adding salt, which I may or may not have followed.) After waiting an eternity (probably a few days) I was amazed to see … … … nothing … except the contents of the packet at the bottom of the jar.

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  5. Impressive podcast most impressive. The cover is pretty cool. Still stand by the fact that their outfits look like they were designed by Madame from the 80s TV show. I still love that show the child. Still the puppet was not known for her style guide. Stacy London she was not. Though in his outfit Robin is almost wearing his earth to custom. Chris Franklin must be happy. I’m guessing last issue makes Barbara Gordon the broken clock. She is right twice a day. When it comes to her style choices. But, only twice a day. Something familiar about Robbins disguise is the guy hiring these people to try to kill Robin and batgirl so they could take down this crime organization. I can’t put my finger on it. But something about his appearance is familiar. Maybe used strong to look like an editor. Or they used this likeness before. The feisty with Barbara Gordon is decent. Though you can tell it was inked by Coletta. Though the crooks are not even smart enough to look on top the roof. Still it gave Barbara an opportunity to take them out. Though where she’s getting the leverage to do any damage of these hits I’m not sure. Since you can be pushing off with their feet with her punches. Maybe she’s putting her body weight on the top of the roof while doing the punch.

    But when she has the blonde crook her hands not gripping anything so it would hurt her balance issue are doing that. I will she took out the crooks. I’m guessing Robin as the guy buying the assassins had this place set up. So the trapdoor was probably put in there by Bruce Wayne. Since he’s a guy fitting the bill. Also not getting where Barbara’s getting leverage to hit those three guys when Robin’s curing her out. Maybe she’s holding on well enough for Robin to use her momentum to make the punches work. As well as the kicks. But, for the most part these just look like also getting behind them of her arm and legs and not her body weight. The epilogue at the end was fine. After all this is for kids. Though I could be much tell who the guy was diminished showed up that that was Rob disguise. But, I’m an adult so. But you deftly tell for their body language that Robin and batgirl are into each other. I read one man bat story it wasn’t this what I could tell you which one because I was a small child at the time. But, his look was distinctive. They had already had their child.

    Still watching as a crime fighter was pretty cool. And yes I too was confused when I first watched that episode of Batman where he’s the bad. And when I saw other issues of the comics are you was one of the villains. I also mostly doing of as an antihero. So he is a scientist could he get another job somewhere? Selling pharmaceutical or something at least. Maybe apartment is from his savings from his years as working as a scientist. Also isn’t she a scientist as well? I realize at the moment she can’t work due to her being pregnant. But she could probably get a job somewhere also. After the baby is born. Neither these two strike me as stuck in the 50s type people. Where the man works in the woman has to stay home. Doesn’t fit their personalities. So unless like Sherman is playing to sleep all day they could probably get some kind of a job. Worse comes to worse he could work in the pharmacy of a Walmart or something. He could work the dusk shift sleep in the morning. Do a shift then go fight crime.

    Or perhaps sell some scientific discoveries of his get patents and whatnot. And make a decent living there. They seem to be trying to do the Marvel method of got bills with no way to pay them bit. But, it doesn’t make sense in this case. I mean Parker is mostly a high school student and just going to college so that works. But, man bat has a degree. He should have enough qualifications to do something. And he can go fight crime for a few hours. His coffee pot will probably get a total workout, but it can be done. The Gordon and Alfred team up was fine. But, it would’ve been better to see them fight crime and work together for real. I’m pretty sure that Gordon knows who he is. But, he realizes that he can’t let anyone else know that he knows. Or otherwise you have to investigate. It’s the same reason why in the bat man cartoon. He has to cut off Barbara from telling him she’s batgirl. He can know in spirit, but if he knows it for a fact. In his line of work he would have to investigate.

    Probable deniability and all. Under oath his gut instincts won’t hold up in court. However, if he has leads that could point them in the direction of fighting these things out. And he doesn’t follow up on them. That could be a professional problem. So he just pretends to not know. And if anyone was to tell him. He would stop them before they could. At any rate coca podcast can’t wait to hear the next one.

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  6. Sorry to report the lease on the former Knightcast Picnic Area is up. Something to do with contractural violations in regards to Jim Aparo and Marshall Rogers?

    All kidding aside, I can forgive these transgressions since the Bat-Cousins (and Martin, of course) continue to praise the work of Curt Swan, who really did a bang-up job in this lead story. General “Iron Guts” Kelly is probably not going to be as forgiving! Prepare for an Aparo-like atomic punch!

    It was indeed nice to hear Martin’s dulcid tones once again on the network. Great call on needing Mego-like figures from Figures Toy Company of Dick and Babs in their wedding attire. Loved the action sequence with Batgirl and the car on pages 9 & 10, proving Curt could bring the cinematic action.

    Credit where credit is due, that shot headshot of Babs in panel 2 of page 18. GRRROWWLL! Vince could bring his years of romance comic expertise when he wanted to, and he sure did there. Too bad he probably did erase a lot of Swan’s backgrounds throughout!

    This is defnitely proto-Marshall Rogers here, but I still love the dynamism he brought to the Man-Bat tale. I did always think it was weird that Man-Bat was bascially a “jobbing” crimefighter. Why not just continue with his research at the musuem? Did that make him too much like another winged DC hero with a museum job, and wife?

    I loved the Gordon/Alfred story when I first read it in that wonderful Batman Family digest. Great catch on the Barney Miller resemblance! Hal Linden would have made a great 70s/80s Jim Gordon. I think there’s an OUTSIDE chance that blow to Alfred’s head may lead to something. Carl Potts art is great! I wish he did more penciling in comics. As I recall he did the layouts and Jim Lee did the finishes on the early Punisher War Journals.

    After years of seeing that Heroes World ad, I saw the Power Shields in person at a toy show and was greatly disappointed. At least I didn’t have to suffer through buyer’s remorse like poor Shawn!

    Glad to see how much you guys enjoyed meeting and hanging out at Baltimore Comic-Con! Keep up the great work!

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  7. Hey, Bat Cousins. Sorry I’m late. I brought bologna sandwiches on Wonder Bread. Yeah, I mailed it in.

    Really weird Batgirl/Robin story this month. Robin’s middle school shop teacher disguise was a surprise. Between that disguise and the theatre full of mobsters, Curt Swan has proven he has a real talent for drawing middle aged men. He would’ve been great on a book about a mid-western bowling team who fight crime. I do like Swan’s storytelling here, but unfortunately our old friend Mr. Colletta sucks the life out of Swan’s most dynamic moments. Circling back to all the thugs in the theatre, not a good choice to be sitting in the front few rows for that wedding. Finally, the most 70’s moment of the issue has to be the look of the wedding invitation. C’mon, Maze, put together some nice typography and maybe a design element or two. How about some color? And what’s the theme? These days, no self-respecting gun-for-hire criminal organization would be caught dead slapping together such a bland affair. There’s not even a photographer!

    I look forward to more adventures of Man-Bat, as he and his wife struggle to make ends meet in their 12 foot high ceiling, multi-room Manhattan apartment. The art was great, though. Rogers’ style works well with Man-Bat.

    The Alfred and Commissioner Gordon story was good fun. Instead of faking a break-in and kicking Gordon in the face, maybe Alfred could’ve gotten him away from the false wall by asking him to cut up some vegetables in the kitchen for a crudité. And does anyone think Tom Powers was actually cool with Bruce bringing his wife to the mansion for a supposed “photo shoot?” Finally, if you want to get Grodon and Alfred together, make it a buddy cop style story. They could get mixed up in a case showcasing Alfred’s talents of disguise and Gordon’s detective work. After the case is solved, they hoist a few bourbons at the bar and bring a couple dames back to the mansion for cucumber sandwiches… what? No, I meant actual sandwiches!

    Okay, gotta go. Great Aunt Kathy is really into making TikTok videos and I think she just broke a hip over by the seesaw.

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  8. Howdy, Bat-cousins! Such a great issue and discussion. I guess I’ll just add that having Jim Aparo covers makes me really happy, and this one is such a winner! The wedding outfits are fantastic, the goons are menacing, and Robin’s and Batgirl’s faces are priceless! Love it! Till next time, I’ll bring the 7-layer jello.

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  9. Regarding the XTC music video that was inspired by the Steed and Peel “Avengers”; that was the video for “The Mayor of Simpleton.”

    And as a side note, this just reminded me of another ’80s music video based on a classic TV series: “See Those Eyes” by Altered Images, which was inspired by “The Prisoner”!

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