Captain Entropy drops by this month to talk about the 40th Anniversary Issue of Detective Comics! He schools Shawn and Paul on military fashion while we discuss Batgirl’s date! The Demon returns to Castle Branek and we see the debut of the Human Target as a member of the Batman Family! Robin finally shows Dave Corby who’s boss, but best of all we get a kangaroo race at the Reunion! Join us for the family fun!
This month's Bat Family History links for Dick Dillin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Dillin
http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=34
http://tearoomofdespair.blogspot.com/2012/08/why-i-love-dick-dillins-art-and-you_30.html
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- E-MAIL: batmanfamilyreunion@gmail.com
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shawn your singing not bad!
Hey old chums is cousin Bucky back agin .
I brought grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon and tomato soup . Jeremy is setting up the movies agin , we are showing all three adam west Batman movies the live action and the two animated ones .
We call it an Adam west a thon .
Gentlemen, I have more thoughts for later. But for now even though the kangaroo story is ridiculous and that would be impossible. I have to disagree with one point. A man as big and buff as Bruce Wayne was good clearly easily do a clean and jerk of 100 pounds on each side of a weight set. Suddenly I haven’t read this issue and you didn’t show the photo of how many plates he had an the bar. But, my father in his prime was able to benchpress 400. And I myself can do a lateral press on the machine of course of 295 pounds. See above video from YouTube. And I am hardly on the gas. Quite the opposite. Since I am effect on the E. As well other meds for my transition. And I’m well old. So I’m going to guess 6 foot four 200 and something pounds of muscle Bruce Wayne in his prime would have no problem. Was astir with one hand or two? This two hands I can to the problem. However you have to tell me how many plates were on the bar. Since normally it’s probably a 45 pound bar. There’s only so many plates you can fit on the bar. I will have more comments on this episode later great job other than that.
I know I’m seated for what I did and he standing. And he’s using free weights while I’m using the machine. Still, I’m thinking if little old me can handle it. Then surely a big raw bone looking man such as Bruce Wayne would have no problem. Since what I’m doing a lateral press to is a bout 300 pounds. Probably not the most impressive form that I’m using at the time. But, I’m hardly what will you call a world-class athlete. Unlike Bruce Wayne who has trained it with several Olympic level weightlifters and powerlifters. And well at most he’s in his 30s. And I’m a bit older than that. So if he’s doing this with two hands even if it is above his head as a clean and jerk is done. If he can focus his weight well enough on his feet and keep his structure correct. I’m sure he shouldn’t have too much trouble with this. Because again there’s only so many plates you can put on the bar on both sides. As well as fit the safety clamps on the end. I forget whether called with their printers of the weights won’t fall off and hit somebody in the bar become a problem. So unless you meant to say a few thousand pounds. I’m guessing Bruce wouldn’t have too much of a problem. I’m not sure what Arnold’s Max clean jerk was. Or Franco Columbus, so I don’t know quite the levels that this would be in. But I’m guessing he’d be okay.
Liz Anne, first, thanks for commenting. I’m getting ready for work, so I only skimmed this, but I look forward to reading the rest. I think what I said was that Bruce was doing “some kind of clean-curl thing.” I needed to take a step closer to the mic, though. Anyway, the clean part didn’t bother me. The curl part did. I’ve never seen anybody curl as much weight as that. Looking back at the panel now (which I will try to figure out how to post tonight), what it really looks like is an underhanded, close grip (hands together) clean. The motion lines go all the way to the floor, and he brings it up underneath his chin, with one leg forward and one back, in a half-lunge. I’ve never seen anybody do that lift, and it may or not exist. However, the weight he’s doing it with (at least two plates on each side by the thickness and width, so…225 lbs.?) seems impossible for the motion they portray. Nevertheless, as you point out, humans are capable of remarkable things, and I’m certainly no powerlifting expert. Anyway, more to follow, and thanks again!
Here’s that panel, Uncle Captain. Page 61, panel 1.
Thank you very much, Isamu! You youngsters are so much better with the technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=511QAmGdhcE
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ItVz9l2BxAY
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VWnSI0SDp-w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsOGp8I1NBU
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iDrcnt2Bq9M
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H49zcSF16go
Hi Capt. E,
I understand perfectly. Anyone who has watched my YouTube videos knows that I’m not exactly great at clarity. Any rate if this is the only panel in the storytelling. And that’s how it seems from the caption box. It is possible that he landed into that far out lunge after doing the cleaning jerk. Above I have a few links to different people doing that particular lift John Cena clean and jerk with a list of 305. The closest I could get to that odd grip, was a log lift preformed by Eddie Hall. And that was 500 and something. You’ll notice the young man in the last link I’ve shared. Did the far out lunge when doing his lift. Perhaps Bruce found himself in that same predicament. It’s also possible that Mr. Dylan, was going for the most dramatic Loki could. That’s why Kirby punches look like they do. When we all know Kirby could actually fight. But for whatever reason. His hands were done in such a way where he was completely defenseless to any return shots of any of his characters. Including the way Capt. America punched.
So respectfully sir, it’s possible that’s why his leg is out like it. And his hands are done as close as they are. It’s also possible that Mr. Dylan was not a weight lifter. Not everybody in comics is the guy who drew the ultimate. So this may have been as good as he could get from the reference he was using. Most moves in, books or exaggerated. So that may be all it. Usually not to the point of that goofy punch you point out Robin did in a different story in this issue. But, it’s done to sell comics. They have to have those over-the-top poses. And that may be all the very close grip of the weight is. I of course am not going to try to attempt a clean of jerk of that weight. So I had to look it up online. So while the stance is a bit further out than would be able to give you your full strength. If someone like Hall can lift 500 pounds in his log lift. Then if we presume, that the actual grip Bruce would have would be a little further out. Then perhaps Bruce could lift 200 and whatever even with his lunging lift. That may actually be him balancing himself after doing the normal way of doing a clean jerk. Thank you for your time.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/V-_gGxFg6N4
er I posted the video after the comet. Sorry my original plan was to do it in reverse. But I am kind of a Luddite. So not great with the computer thing. So getting this to work required me to do a few tricks. To show the video with a comment since I’m having these type and talk since my keyboard is broken and to post a video I had to use it instead of my phone.
Impressive podcast most impressive. Sorry for opening with the ah but he could bit first. But, as always I’m right. Doesn’t matter if the facts haven’t noticed that yet. Any way pro wrestler Mark Henry did a clean and jerk of 440ibs so yeah a human can do a lot. Yeah ok mark is a mountain of a man, but still.And he may or may not have had em extra does vitamins. Oh and John Cena did 305 ibs on a clean and jerk.
And I hear he stayed clean. He’s shorter than Bruce and is about 70s bats build. Also the Moutan from GOT Halfthor what ever his last name is did a ton of weights at clean and jerk. And some man named Tian Tao did 489 ibs in clean and jerk. Any way cool to hear the cap with y’all. The cover looks cool. I like how they coped the same movement of bats and Joe Chill. I read the first story. But, not this follow up with Maxy Zeus. The guy behind Zeus looks more scared than Max as he should also he looks like Bobby Henan.
Hey if Bats can hide his bat mask under his human mask. Then Target can change height. It’s a fine story. Yeah it’s not an Agatha Christy fair play mystery. But good enough. Ah y’all must be talking about the show with Healy what’s his face from Watch Men. I missed that one. I saw the one with Rick Springfield. It was good.
Sadly he wasn’t a working class dog in that one. And no Woman with a boyfriend named Jessie. Any way. Yeah I think Shawn is right. The guy The Target is pretending to be is definitely in the closet. The name and stash alone.
Granted I have no radar so I could be wrong. Ah next story nice but shot of Babs . Yeah the Monument is way bigger than it’s shown here. Yep she’s using her over the bolder shoulder holders to her advantage. I do it when I can too. One day it may work for me. My boney butt seems to get more intense. Bo idea why. Yeah I had no idea what the clue was. I thought it was 1601 not 16 th prez to first. Call it a blonde moment.
The military guy was cool. Glad he and Babs dates till she got back with her one true pair Dick. Next story.
Ah look card queen is Ms. DD. Shocking in the not at all sort of way. Well yeah of course the chin was fake. It was like the fake nose she wore as Penguin’s daughter. And look in long Halloween Two face and his wife Holliday have a kid. So maybe at first she saw herself as the daughter of Holliday but then her dad became a 2 face so ha. Wolf man is wrong she can be a super villains daughter and Dick’s age.
Another fall of Crisis. I like Crissis well enough since I was on the cusp between it and the after Byrne’s Super Man. Yeah that punch is dumb looks more like a double axe handle upper punch like Kirk did. Sadly no double drop kick after or hand push of doom. Lol. Shatner even pointed out on u tube how goof these moves were. At lest the drop kick.
Yes he left Lori. And in that goofy red , blue pink outfit . And the skirt is plaid. Why? Just why? Did Elton John dress her? Well now he can move on. Can’t rember if Dick goes to the Curcus after this or the Star Lab bit ware he meets the other Titans.
Great now that song is in my head. The hi hi puffy yumi Teen titans go song. Fine I’ll play some Dio later to make it stop. Holly Diver should do it. I remember Dick did some back ups in Bats book three the Munch era. Before Jason becomes the next Robin. And Dick is With the Titians when he gives Jason his suit. Since he’s still Robin till the Brother Blood story.
Ah well. Next story sorry folks I’m not a Dillion fan. I know he was the first to draw the Huntress and all that. But, not a fan. Sorry. I know he drew Black Hawks and the Avenger. A flying super hero and that was cool. But, nope sorry. He wasn’t my fav. Still his work is impressive. Wait he did his work page by page? How did he make thumb nails? Mr. Kubert told us if you write and draw a story finsh writing first so you can figure out the flow. Well that they were two different jobs.
Geez Dillon had no idea what was on the next page? I realize he’s doing this with full scripts but, Oy. Well I have to respect Dillon then. since he was a good storyteller with his art work. You could follow it. even if you didn’t read the words. And he does seem to use the 12 panels that always work Wally Wood thing when he has Bruce talking. So that’s cool. I think Steve Dillon was inspired by Dick Dillon. Don’t think they were related. And I was told in a comic book company I almost worked for my work looked like a cross from Steve Dillion. And Jim Lee. So I tried copying his work then.
The company fell apart. And I didn’t get a cover till Bounty Hunter no. 8 by Kiss Me Comix . And I got paid in magnets ooo ahh. I think it was 8 that or 9. Ah well. Any way do though I don’t like Dick Dillion . I was inspired by the guy who was inspired by him. So insertion I guess. Ah Shawn you said the only non Supes comic you read not called Rich E Rich was Target. Ah cool mine was war comics like Sargent Rock and Unknown Solder, and stuff like that. Cool. Can’t wait till the next podcast.
Wasn’t Joe Staton the first person to draw Huntress, in All-Star Comics #69? And DC Super-Stars #17 on the same day?
Er… I had a blonde moment. What my hair was blonde before it went grey. Yeaaah it was Staton. With inks by Bob Layton. Sad part I own the TBS. Not sure why I remember Dillon. Oops.
Wait this seems like I’m wrong? That can’t be right. The facts must just be misinformed. Fine… I’m wrong. That’s just scary. That should never happen. Hmm mark that down on the calendar. I was wrong. Let this moment never happen again.
Any way. Morning on. Also I want to mention a work friend of mine. Who also has a U tube page. Yungeen LD. For those whom like rap music. He only know me by my work name. But, I told him I’d share his page with a few people.
Great to hear the Captain on another network show!
As Paul mentioned, yes, Jim Aparo was a master at rendering a nuclear-level punch, but Newton is no slouch either. People’s teeth often seem to get crunched out of their heads.
The Chaykin/Giordano art combo on Human Target is really, really sharp, Not that that is a surprise.
The Demon is such an odd choice for “Batman Family.” Like Red Tornado in a few issues, I wonder if these weren’t inventory stories that HAD to run somewhere. Although wasn’t UNEXPECTED a dollar book by this time, too?
Dick Dillin’s artistic output was simply staggering. There were months where was drawing JLA, Worlds FInest, and Blackhawk all at the same time. And then he died at 52. Coincidence?
Related, as much as I love George Perez–esp his work on JLA–Dillin and McLaughlin will always be “the” look of classic JLA to me. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. McLaughlin at a con and got him to sign a copy of JLA 161.
Great episode as always!
Fun show, gentlemen, I would be remiss if I did not mention that my Dad, and Batgirl herself, covered “A Date with Batgirl” on episode 8 of The Done-in-One Wonders Podcast Wonder Show:
http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/wondershow08/
They went into more detail of that story than you would probably want (but none of the details Uncle Captain dropped at Gabriel’s Horn, so thanks for that, Uncle Captain). And Batgirl herself had some things to say about those shots of her backside.
Dad also talked about the time he bought my mom a corsage on one of their dates in the 2000s, so I guess it may still be a thing (I didn’t go to senior prom, so I can’t tell you).
Isamu, I loved every episode of The Done-in-One Wonders Podcast Wonder Show, but the Batgirl episode was special. Stella’s voice is now the voice of Batgirl in my head. You just inspired me to download it again and see what we missed. If you think we added anything at all to their coverage, I am honored.
Thanks for the floral update. We bought corsages for proms in the eighties in Alabama. I didn’t mention that, because I thought maybe that was because time moves differently there.
Great episode gents! Always a pleasure to hear the Captain!
This is actually the first appearance of Maxie Zeus. I always find it funny that he was created by Denny O’Neil, considering he’s essentially the comics version of the made-for-TV King Tut, trading Egyptian royalty with an Olympian god. But, as evidenced by the final story, Denny could go silly when he wanted!
I seem to recall reading Dick Giordano REALLY liked the Human Target character, and wanted to be the sole artist whenever the strip appeared, but he was often just too busy. I think he at least inked most of his earlier appearances. I remember him from a few of these Dollar Comic-era Detectives, but in a few years, Gerry Conway would rope him into actual Batman stories!
In a lot of ways, Bob Oksner was the John Romita of DC Comics. He could draw Super Heroes, but man, could he draw some lovely ladies. But always in a very classy, “clean” way. I wish we’d seen more of his Batgirl, since he’s one of the definitive Supergirl artists.
Did Len Wein know Ditko was going to be drawing this Demon chapter? Seems like he was gearing it toward Ditko’s er…STRANGE talents.
Am I the only one who wished Duela had remained Card Queen over Harlequin? I like the look WAY better! Dick is strong in Kirk-Fu indeed.
Thanks for the spotlight on the great Dick Dillin. One thing I always appreciated about his art, was that he could adapt. His early JLA work was very Silver Age, in keeping with what Mike Sekowsky did before him. But once Neal Adams was injecting some more modern stylings into other DC titles, Dillin absorbed a bit of that. Keeping up with the times made the JLA book feel like the center of the entire DCU.
Concur on Card Queen, Chris! I’d have made a bigger deal about how good Kurt Schaffenberger made her look, but I was trying not to sound too…irredeemable, I guess.
I still say she’s a lot like Lady Lunar!
I’ve been busy, so for this month’s reunion I brought some leftover Halloween candy. Who are these fun size bars for, the Atom??
Okay, I may need to create a Spotify playlist for these earworms.
Batman – “You Belong To The City” by Glenn Frey
A fantastic story by Denny O’Neil, a great introduction to a new villain, Maxie Zeus, and a great quote about mercy and compassion. Did Mr. O’Neil borrow that from somewhere? It should really be considered one of the best quotes in comics.
Human Target – “West Bound and Down” by Jerry Reed, from “Smokey and the Bandit”
Who’s this guy?? He’s not in the Bat-fam or a Gothamite. He’s a detective, so he and Batman have a professional link. A non-costumed private investigator added a bit of variety to the costumed superheroes. And LOOOVE the old Cord!
Brad Nayle (not sure if I love that name or hate it) had to be inspired by Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. And judging from the comments about Taco King, the real world influence hasn’t changed much in 44 years.
Batgirl – “Up Where We Belong” by Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker
Most of the time we see military officers like Steve Trevor as a romantic interest for the superheroine. Not so much an enlisted soldier. As the son of a career Army enlisted man it was nice to see the sergeant and not the captain going on a date with Batgirl.
Crazy thing is, he was able to muster up the courage to ask out Batgirl, but would he have with Congresswoman Barbara Gordon?? Hell, the fact that her father is the Gotham City police commissioner is intimidating enough.
I have no memory of my father wearing the belted uniform jacket in the 1970s, or the “pink and greens”. At the time the DC offices probably had a lot of reference material from when “Wonder Woman” was set during WWII and that was the style.
Demon – “Time” by Pink Floyd
At the risk of sounding really lame, I’ve never done drugs. Not even smoked a joint. However, I can imagine that a drug trip resembles Steve Ditko’s artwork.
Robin – generic instrumental score that plays in an 80s teen movie whenever the lead beats the preppy/jock/fratboy antagonist usually played by William Zabka or Ted McGinley
Is anyone surprised that recruiting a nepo baby is part of Maze’s strategy?
Let’s see, Duela was the daughter of a villain who pretended to be the daughter of several other villains to become a hero and join a group of heroes, and now she’s going undercover with a group of villains to pretend to be a villain who’s pretending to be a hero so she can catch the villains. Got it? Now, diagram that sentence!!
Interesting choice to have Dick take down Dave Corby a.k.a. the Raven and not Robin. It does close out things with Lori since we never see her again. I wonder if she just transferred to Ivy University. She’s gotta rethink how she picks men. The football star broke up with her because he got a booboo on his face, then she dumps the ward of a billionaire in favor of the crooked jock.
Bruce Wayne – “Down Under” by Men At Work
Well, this blows. This story isn’t on DC Universe (In)Finite, and this issue must have been one of the ones I sold several years ago while in between jobs. It obviously involved a kangaroo. Oh, well, an excuse to include this song. Whenever my wife has MTV Classics on and the video for this song comes on, our miniature poodle Casey starts barking at the TV.
At the time, my absolute favorite title was “Justice League of America”, and was a fan of Dick Dillin’s art. I still remember picking up issue 184 and saw a different artist and then reading in the letter’s column that he had passed away. The one bright spot is that his replacement was the person who would become my new favorite artist, George Perez. RIP Mr. Dillin, and thanks for the memories.
Matthew, as the son of a career Air Force enlisted man, I agree. Fiction does tend to focus on commissioned officers and neglect the enlisted personnel that make up the overwhelming majority of the force and of the work being accomplished, including the combat action. Moreover, they ignore the really important work we commissioned types spend much of our time on, like meetings and PowerPoint slides. Whither the heroic staff officer, I ask you, with his coffee mug and his special pen and notepad?
You’re also 100% correct on the belted jacket. I glossed over the fact that our staff sergeant had changed into it for his date. That’s not exactly the WWII pink and greens, but I know what you mean, because it was the summer equivalent of that uniform. I can’t find a picture of anyone in the 1970s wearing it (and I didn’t expect to), but there are some great photos of General Eisenhower in it. He had a lovely smile, as conquerors of Europe go.
I’ve never done drugstore, either. That elicited a surprised response from one of my security investigators (“Really? Nuthin’?”), but most people chalk it up to the Mayberry equivalent we settled in after my dad retired from military service and went into the private sector. There were drugs there, though.
Thanks for all your observations, feedback, and especially the soundtrack!
Me three so far as never trying drugs goes. Why would I want to alter my moods? I’m far too cool for that nonsense.
Thanks for inviting me to the Yuletide barbecue, I hope you like the Christmas Colin the Caterpillar cake. If not, there’s always Ace the Bathound…
How fab to hear the good Captain Entropy on the show, and to answer the most important question of the day, yes Captain, I do love the Batman Family logo and the loss of it after this issue is a shame. It’s not like they ever brought back one of the many excellent classic Detective Comics logo – the original, for example, has never been bettered. I know it took up almost half the cover for a while in the Seventies but it looked amazing! See also Action Comics.
Dick Giordano is definitely a top five Batman artist for me. Neal Adams’ Caped Crusader just isn’t as good without him. What looks more like a classic ‘Neal Adams Batman’, a solo Adams piece, or a solo Giordano? I’d argue, the latter.
As for the cover art itself, yep, it’s great. Praise be his name! As for the cover story itself, the Newton/Adkins art is, of course, tip-top. Leslie Thompkins was so much better as a frail old lady than a young super doctor, I don’t even like that they brought her back; they should have let that classic story stand alone rather than keep going back to the Crime Alley well. An interesting thing here is Batman’s line to Leslie when she asks if he’ll ever tell her why he returns there every year on the same night. OK, he should’ve said ‘I will if you’ll tell me why you have a man’s Christian name’. What he said was: ‘It helps me remember how I began… and how I’ll probably end.’ That’s Denny near-quoting himself from #457’s ‘There is no hope in Crime Alley’, as you noted, the inspiration for this tale. And that original quote was used by Mike W Barr for the story title in Tec #574, ‘My beginning… and my probable end’. That was the 47th anniversary issue, with Leslie rewritten to be a doctor who, not being dim, knows Bruce is Batman.
I must say, you didn’t talk about nearly enough comic books that came out the same month as this issue, please, it should be at least 25 each.
The Human Target has no business being in here, he never even met Batman in The Brave and the Bold. Yeah, it often had great Giordano art but I’m buying a superhero comic, not Danger Trail or Mr District Attorney in 1956.
Christopher Chance is very sniffy about chorus line dancers, but as Shawn points out, being able to do a high kick is very useful in a fight, as has so often been demonstrated by Spanish crimefighter Juan Singularsensation.
I’m going through this comic and losing my mind, it is such a dull issue – where are the colourful villains? It’s not even like it’s edited by Denny, who loved boring street level stories. Thank goodness for Baron Tyme in The Demon, who at least lives in Gotham (despite being from Tamaran). No complaints from me about this being a tad Dr Strange!
And at least the Batgirl story had a fun level of invention to it, thanks to Bob Rozakis. It reminds me of the Silver Age Steve Trevor dates with Diana in the Wonder Woman comic, they were always getting interrupted. Mind, Steve whined more than Babs’ pal. Steve whined more than anybody.
As regards that Robin story, nobody mentioned that Bob Rozakis was the secret colourist! And I’m never sorry to see Kurt Schaffenberger draw anything.
How weird to hear from Dick Dillon’s son, Richard, that he didn’t think he had all the JLA characters down part, for me, he was the consummate Justice League artist – I just love his work.
Regarding the Batman kangaroo story, isn’t ‘swagman’ a word in Waltzing Matilda? Do I like the kangaroo in the story title? I most definitely do. And I expect this issue is valuable as the story contains the first appearance of Bane. I’m not surprised, kangaroo, races are not a thing in real life, those animals are not controllable. Anyone can whistle, but not anyone can wrangle a kangaroo. Horse racing is still a thing in the UK, sadly. I live near a track myself.
Of course Bruce Wayne thinks kangaroo racing is okay, it’s a wonder he didn’t stick a mask on the thing and ride it himself.
US police now carry semi automatic handguns? That country is terrifying, things are just going to get even more out of control, with police and criminals one-upping one another. (I don’t know a fun musical number about this, so no third Musicals reference, sorry!)
Martin, thank you for your terrific comics — especially introducing us to that Spanish crimefighter. Regarding the firearms, I think the arms race you (and I) reference is real among a certain class of criminals — the ones who are hard enough or dumb enough to include “gunfight with the police” in their contingency planning. But you started me on a research kick, so here’s what I found: The police transition to semi-auto handguns happened in the eighties, especially the late eighties. I don’t know that it had any effect on crime or firearm-related crime as there are many other factors that affect those, and we don’t fully understand them all (more info below). The transition is probably best represented by the Lethal Weapon movies, where the older Murtaugh carries a revolver and Riggs carries a semi-auto.*
I’ll post some links at the bottom, but the summary is: Violent crime in America hit its peak around 1979-80. After that, it dropped off until about 2014, and since then it’s been creeping back up, but it’s still way below what it was in the seventies. As of 2021 (the latest year I found data for), firearm-related murders and suicides were at an all-time high in the U.S. in absolute numbers. But the population is much bigger than it was in the seventies. If I look at firearm-related murders and suicides per capita, the numbers right now are almost as bad as the late seventies, but not quite. Two other interesting facts: There was a long dip in firearms-related deaths in the nineties and 2000s. Also, suicides are always the majority of firearms-related deaths.
So, bottom line, overall crime is pretty low right now, historically speaking, but not the lowest it’s been in living memory. Firearm-related deaths seems to be an unusually high percentage of that violent crime.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Violent%20crime%20nearly%20quadrupled%20between,also%20in%20the%20early%202000s.
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/GUIC.PDF
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
https://americancop.com/legacy-when-cops-carried-revolvers/#:~:text=On%20a%20limited%20basis%2C%20semi,45%20ACP.
*WARNING: Learning a lot about gun safety and the actual effects of gunshot wounds will ruin Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, and other movie franchises. Also a few Doctor Who and Sherlock episodes.
Well, I suppose the historic low is something, but I still find the idea of living in the US extremely unnerving. For comparison, here’s a quote from the Gun Control Network at https://gun-control-network.org/press/us-uk-comparative-data
‘The annual rate of gun homicide per 100,000 of the population is currently 0.03 in Great Britain. This compares with 3.6 in the USA, a rate that is 120-fold greater. The total firearms death rate (including suicides and accidents as well) is 51 times higher in the US than in the UK.’
Anyway, how about that Vicki Vale…
Martin, I would counter that I’m not picky about how I’m murdered (as long as we’re talking about the usual methods — I don’t want anyone getting creative). Consequently, comparing firearm deaths between the two countries isn’t so relevant. But it doesn’t matter. The murder rate per capita in the US is four times what it is in the UK, regardless of method. So, since all I’ve done is accidentally support your argument that we’re scary and unnecessarily prone to violence, how about that Vicki Vale?
For musical references — I’ve never seen it, but there has to be something appropriate from “Annie, Get Your Gun,” right?
I suggest ‘You can’t get a man with a gun’.
Great musical!
I wonder if my next appearance could be an all-musicals podcast…
Everyone, I’m guessing that Bat-cousin Martin is closing down this comments thread, so I’ll say one more thing. I invite others to post and prove me wrong, of course.
Bat-cousins Shawn and Paul were very kind to let me come on and talk publicly about this issue that was so important to me. Li’l Cap’n E would be amazed. And they said yes right away, even though I think I’d never been on a podcast covering anything but a MASH episode at the time.
And I had a genuine blast talking with them. They’re welcoming and hilarious. Bat-cousin Paul didn’t even call me out when I failed to mention that he was on the Maze Agency podcast I referenced (and did a great job!). And then, after all that fun with them, I got to have even more fun talking about the issue (and every possible tangentially related topic) with everyone who commented. Thank you all! I love this Bat-Family!
Hey, bat cousins, sorry I’m late but someone replaced our ball at the family football game with a pineapple.
I brought what I always bring to Thanksgiving, shrimp cocktail and a real cocktail. This year, I put orange juice, cinnamon sticks, sugar, and cranberries in a sauce pan. Heated it on medium and simmered until the sugar desolved, then let it cool. Then added bourbon and poured over ice. Good stuff.
Pretty good issue. I really like the cover. The Curse of Crime Alley worked like a bottle episode of a TV drama. Very well done. Although if the two break dancers in crop tops are the roughest thugs Crime Alley has to offer, it’s gonna start losing its credibility. Maybe Misdemeanor Alley works better.
I’m a big fan of the Human Target. And Howard Chaykin always gives his stories a certain look and feel. It’s like an illustrated version of a mustache drinking bourbon and wearing after shave. Plus, the opening of the story may have found a way to get Shawn into football.
The Batgirl story was fine. Not sure why the Doobie Brothers were shooting at her though. Maybe just get your group photo on Lincoln before the cops show up. Also, I’d recommend any bat cousins go to DC and explore the monuments. And don’t worry, the Washington Monument doesn’t have a flat paved road leading directly to the entrance for any car to ram into it.
Nice to see Kurt Schaffenberger art. He has a pleasant style that works great for a good old fashioned college student fist fight. Way to do the cool walk away after the double-fist punch out, Dick. That’s how you end a story.
Okay, gotta go. I’m excited for next month’s guest. I heard he’s got the voice of an angel.