Batman Knightcast 53: Detective Comics #553 and Batman & Robin Year One #8

7 responses to “Batman Knightcast 53: Detective Comics #553 and Batman & Robin Year One #8”

1. Hi Guys,

   Harvey Bullock first appeared in Detective Comics #441, which was written by Archie Goodwin. It was one the 100 pages. I never considered the Bullock in that issue to be the same character as the Moench version. Harvey wasn’t overweight in ‘Tec 441. I got 441 as a back issue long after I read the Moench run, so I was surprised to see “Harvey Bullock” in a 70s comics.

   As far as I remember, Daphne Pennyworth only appeared twice. One in Batman 216 by Frank Robbins & Irv Novick, and then in the famous Batman 227. I am curious if Daphne is going to return. I thought I was the only person who remembered her!

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   1. BTW, I hope that was helpful. I wasn’t trying to sound like a know-it-all. My mind is way-to-clogged with Bronze-Age Bat-knowledge, and I forget what I read in the new issues after about 5 minutes.

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   2. There were rumors that Daphne Pennyworth was returning to the current Batman series by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez. However, it was confirmed that the blonde woman appearing on Batman 12’s cover is a new character named Verity Pennyworth. Who she is will hopefully be told in that and subsequent issues.

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2. Great episode.
   I’ve never bin big black mask fan .
   I like king tut even he doesn’t wear a mask .

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3. Gosh, in 2 short years from Detective 553, Bullock will become a supporting character in Paul Kupperberg’s Vigilante run, which was a stealth pilot for Checkmate! So by 1989, Harvey was completely out of the Batman books, until the animated series brought him back. I wonder if that meant nobody working on the movie even knew who he was, or if DC would have nixed his inclusion. Hmm.

   For Batman & Robin, I love how this series continues to show how wicked smart Dick is, even as a kid. He’s not mature, sure, but he thinks as fast as he moves, Waid is really cementing why Dick/Robin/Nightwing is a top hero in the DCU. I also loved that tennis net move, thinking that his small body let him pull off a move that the full-grown Batman wouldn’t have been able to. Man, this series is cool.

   When talking about “Dynamic Duos,” I’ll admit I really wanted it to lead into Batwoman and Bat-Girl. (Hyphen not optional.) Ah well.

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4. I am a big fan of Black Mask. Like a few other Bat-villains (Wrath and later Hush), he’s kind of an inverted Bruce Wayne in his origin. And like a bunch of Bat-villains, there is an element of the grotesque (Joker, Two-Face, Clayface, Killer Croc). And the mask gimmick works perfectly. Disfiguring people (like Circe) with his masks reminded me of the 5th season episode of the original Twilight Zone series entitled “The Masks”. Gruesome stuff indeed.

   Glad to hear that we will be getting another series of Batman and Robin by Waid and Samnee. The only related titles that I am currently reading are World’s Finest and Batgirl so there is room for more Batman on my pull list.

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5. Recently, I read all three issues of the original Black Mask story. Reading these made me remember when I first read the Black Mask story. I can remember being intrigued and creeped out by the cover of Batman 386. Those two dark, silhouetted masks gave me a fright, which I’m sure was the intent. Still, the ‘crazier than the Joker, deadlier than Ra’s al Ghul’ claim on the cover did intrigue me, even though I never thought Black Mask was either. However, he certainly was a villain for the 1980’s. He also was a definite Doug Moench villain, who had a deep obsession with something, this time masks and hiding or revealing his or her true self. This reading, though, made me think about how society at that time romanticized the rich and wealthy. I also thought of a certain political figure who Roman Sionis reminded me of visually and somewhat behaviorally. I probably need to consult the Batcave Companion or another book or two to confirm any truth or doubt, but I couldn’t help but think Donald Trump was a model for Sionis/Black Mask.

   As to Detective 553 itself, I think the work Klaus Janson did as a fill-in artist was commendable, but it was inconsistent with what Tom Mandrake established in the first part. The cover itself, the results of the removal of the masks looked more grotesque and the Gordon/Bullock scene was really good, but I think other parts of the story weren’t on par for me. The cover did creep me out as well, but in its disturbing, horrific imagery in comparison to Batman 386’s cover.

   Overall, I enjoyed this storyline and I did like this version of Black Mask. I’m not a massive fan of what DC has done with the character in recent years. Of course, that could be the memories of an eight-year old kid reading these for the first time. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ve read up on any retellings of the character’s origins. Reading up on those stories could change my opinion on the modern version of Black Mask.

   I need to listen to the episode again to see if you discussed the Green Arrow story, but I noticed a mistake in that story. If you note the next to last page, Dinah Lance had curly hair, as if she had a perm. The last page, the perm was gone. Did it disappear through a few hours of sleep? Jerome Moore is a fantastic artist, but where was editorial on this error? Maybe I’m just nitpicking here.

   Finally, let me be another to say I am really looking forward to the Batman and Robin: Year One sequel. The first series was fantastic and I was hopeful for another run by the Waid/Samnee pairing on Batman and Robin. This series got an immediate add to my pull list at my LCS.

   I will listen to this episode again and I look forward to your discussion on Batman 387.

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