Retro Comics are Awesome

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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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I've been reading Dynamite's Lone Ranger omnibus, written by Brett Matthews with art by John Cassaday, Sergio Cariello and Paul Pope. The omnibus consists of 26 issues collected in a very thin 630 page book. I'm a big fan of the Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels tv version, and lately I've been listening to some of the old radio episodes as well, with Earl Graser and John Todd. I knew this book would take a different approach than the older material, and that's fine. We live in a more cynical era, and no one's going to write the Ranger and Tonto as the same noble, selfless heroes that we saw in the older series. The book can still work for me as long as the writer can still manage to capture the essence of the main characters. It's worth noting that the radio version is a little more willing to pull underhanded tricks to capture the villain of the week than the tv version (though neither will kill except in cases of self defense), so we already had varying interpretations of the character. But the Clayton Moore version casts a very long shadow...

The verdict so far, 12 issues into the Dynamite series: Matthews gets some things right and some things wrong. He captures a lot of the characteristics of the character while giving the series a much more violent and sordid tone. The Ranger and Tonto in the tv show and the radio show were always motivated to achieve justice and to promote law and order as the West was settled. Matthews initially gives the Ranger, John Reid, the motivation of revenge on Butch Cavendish for the murder of his father and brother. As of issue 12 he still hasn't found him. I think making him part of the story for an extended time is a mistake, because Butch Cavendish plays the same role for the Ranger that Joe Chill does for Batman. He exists as part of the origin to create the hero, but beyond that he's not necessary or interesting. I don't know what motivates Tonto in this series, or why he's riding with the Ranger, because so far no real explanation has been offered, other than perhaps he has nowhere else to go. I hope a better explanation is forthcoming. As time goes on the Ranger takes on other challenges as he looks for Cavendish, and his reputation begins to form. He insists on no killing, while Tonto is more willing to kill in this version, but he generally respects the Ranger's wishes.

The origin story is familiar, Reid is part of a patrol of six Texas Rangers, including his brother (and father in this version) who are ambushed and left for dead by the Cavendish gang. Reid is the only survivor, though badly wounded. He is found by Tonto who helps him recover, after which the two set out to capture Cavendish. Reid lets the world believe he is dead and wears a mask cut from his brother's vest to conceal his identity. Along the way he begins to operate his silver mine to make his silver bullets and to financially support himself. Matthews has Reid operating his silver mine (an old friend who knew who he was and operated the mine is omitted from this version) near his sister-in-law and nephew's home, so this is his home base that he returns to after venturing out into the field. He uses silver bullets to remind himself that there is a cost to every shot fired. Logically, as the owner and operator of a silver mine, the Ranger is a rich man, something this series notes once or twice though it was never emphasized in the old tv or radio show.

I mentioned earlier a more violent and sordid tone. There was always a lot of gunplay and fistfights in the show, and people sometimes got stabbed. It was never gratuitous violence though, it was sanitized tv violence. Sometimes blood was shown, often it wasn't. Sometimes the camera would zoom in and the actual impact of the shot or stabbing would be just off-screen. That's not the case here, nor would I expect it to be. When people are shot, there's plenty of blood. People have grotesque injuries. More extreme violence is hinted at from time to time. At one point Tonto shoots an arrow through a man's neck. I don't have a problem with depicting violent acts in this way and not sanitizing them, but I don't want to wallow in the blood and gore, something that isn't always avoided.

Overall: this series does a better job of modernizing the character of the Lone Ranger than that ridiculous Disney version from a few years ago did. I think it would benefit from less long-form storytelling and more episodic adventures that stand out on their own rather than all blending together as part of the larger narrative. Making the Ranger an old west version of Batman (in some ways) is an approach that works reasonably well. I don't like it as well as the Clayton Moore version, but I am enjoying the book.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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World's Finest Comics #64
May-June 1953

Bruce Wayne... Amateur Detective!
Writer: ? Pencils: Dick Sprang Inks: Charles Paris

I thought at first that we would be getting a retread of Detective Comics #155 from January 1950, but this story takes Bruce acting as a detective in a different direction. Judson Field, former detective, is having lunch with the first man he ever caught, "reformed" racketeer Boley Webb. The two make a bet that the next man Field sees can be taught to be a detective, with $50,000 to be donated to a charity of the winner's choice. Webb thinks it will be the easiest $50,000 he ever got. And of course, the next man to enter the club is none other than Bruce Wayne. Bemused, he agrees to the bet, but his problem as someone who is already a good detective is to pretend to be bad at detective work.

The villain of the story (other than Webb) is "the Shark", so Batman and Robin are trying to bust up his gang. I like the visual of his men dressed in costumes with shark heads, it makes them visually distinct from the usual suit and fedora wearing racketeers. Bruce has to constantly come up with believable reasons why he keeps disappearing during his detective training so he can switch to Batman and go after the crooks. Bruce becomes suspicious of Webb and switches out his cane with one that has a secret transmitter concealed in it so they can get the goods on him, which of course they do by the end of the story, even though Bruce "failed" his detective training. And interestingly, the Shark is not Webb and is never seen. He's captured off-panel along with his remaining men. The A-story here is of course Bruce pretending to be a bad detective and foiling Webb's plan to keep the $50,000 for himself. The B-story with the Shark is just there to complicate Bruce's efforts to keep his secret identity. It's a pity, I like the shark outfits his gang wear, and the Shark could have been developed into an interesting adversary.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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Batman #77
June-July 1953

The Crime Predictor
Writer: Edmond Hamilton Pencils: Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz Inks: Charles Paris

"In this machine age, we have electronic calculating machines.... "

Batman vs. the computer is essentially what we have here, in a story that predates modern computer technology with all the terminology that we're so familiar with now. Dr. Edward Arvin has invented a "crime predictor", a gigantic machine (it looks to be about 40 feet tall) that mathematically predicts future criminal actions. After the machine makes a couple of predictions, it produces a startling one: that Mr. Blank, the crime boss of Gotham City, will murder Batman. Batman is skeptical about the machine, but can see no motive for fraud since Arvin donates it to the police department. The machine gets a few predictions right, and Batman feels that he's getting closer to discovering Mr. Blank's identity.

Mr. Blank steps out of the shadows to kidnap Arvin and consolidate his hold over Gotham's crime by warning that the predictor could get everyone unless they follow him. Robin's concern about the machine's prediction of Batman's murder leads to him getting caught and the disguised Batman captured. Batman has to escape from a compression chamber to avoid the prediction coming true, and he's able to capture Mr. Blank, who turns out to be Dr. Arvin, who used his "predictor" to spook the underworld and make himself boss. So it turns out to be a fake computer in the end, but I still like the idea of "man vs. machine", and it's a decent power-grabbing scheme for Arvin, though I have to think it would have fallen apart eventually even if Batman hadn't caught him.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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Batman #77 continued...

The Secret Star
Writer: Bill Finger Pencils: Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz Inks: Charles Paris

Batman feels whatever happens to him, the Batman legend must go on! I realize that no one man could ever replace him... but five men might be able to!

Gordon is recruiting various athletic and talented men in order to train them as Batman's replacements if Batman is ever killed. He recruits from the FBI, the police department, and one guy from the local college. Batman will train them, and each will specialize in a particular type of job. The twist comes when FBI Agent Ted Blakely turns out to be connected to gang boss Matt "Sugar" Kroler, who helped raise Blakely after his father died, so Blakely feels obligated to him. Blakely is willing to help get rid of Batman, but he won't cross the line into murder, which Kroler seemingly agrees to.

Trust Batman to pick up on some subtle clues, and he becomes suspicious of Blakely and after he's trapped in a cave-in at a mine that will keep him trapped for several days, he wants Blakely tested so he'll either prove himself or be exposed as a fraud. Blakely messes up several times leading Robin to decide that he's up to no good, Turns out that Blakely figured out Kroler had gone back on his deal and tried to kill Batman, so Blakely deliberately performed poorly and suckered Kroler in order to capture him.

The idea of replacements for Batman is a pretty good one, and I suspect in any other era we'd see further exploration of this idea, but I'd be willing to bet these specialized Batman replacements never get another mention. The idea of a young man feeling obligated towards a crook who raised him is a plot device that's put to good use here, though the obligation only goes so far. And I have to say, though I'm sure Bill Finger didn't intend it this way, that Bruce feeling the Batman legend had to survive him comes across as more than a little vain.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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Batman #77 concluded...

Batman Pounds a Beat!
Writer: ? Pencils: Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz Inks: Charles Paris

If you two won't do regular police work, I'll know you're only glory-seekers - and your status with this department is over!

My favorite story of the issue. Gordon has to leave town for a police convention, leaving Captain Harby as acting commissioner. Harby has a chip on his shoulder and resents Batman for getting all the press and all the "glory" for catching crooks, as his efforts and successes were ignored. He's determined to pay them back by giving Batman and Robin all the grunt work, such as investigating fruit stolen from a fruit stand, or rescuing a cat from a flagpole, or handing out tickets for illegal parking. Robin is offended that their time is being wasted, but Batman is able to figure out ways to both follow orders and work on the larger case of theft that he feels should get his attention. Harby is incensed that Batman is not following orders, but Batman is both able to technically follow them and at the same time capture the mastermind behind the thefts, feeding Harby a little humble pie at the same time.

I still think it's absurd that Batman follows orders from the police, but that's the status quo at this time. A police officer who resents Batman and Robin getting all the attention is certainly a reasonable idea on which to tell a story, and despite the fact that "tame" Batman annoys me, it's impressive that he keeps his ego in check and just finds a way to do his job.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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Detective Comics #196
June 1953

City Without Guns!

Script: Bill Finger Pencils: Dick Sprang Inks: Charles Paris

Blimey! Batman and Robin go to London! And since Dick Sprang is drawing, you know this is going to be a story full of fine detailed drawings and great character designs. Gang boss Frank Lumardi leaves the United States where he's certain to end up in prison. His plans are not immediately made clear to the reader, but both the cover and the fact that Bruce and Dick have arrived in England make it clear that he's gone there. Bruce wants to study the crime-fighting methods at Scotland Yard, and while there much is made of the fact that the British police do not carry guns, and that a portrait of Batman and Robin that once hung on the wall at Scotland Yard has been removed under mysterious circumstances.

Lumardi thinks the fact that he and his gang are carrying guns gives them an unbeatable edge in England, but a British fan of Batman, Chester Gleek, is able to assist Batman with files on criminals and a replica Batmobile (that is sadly not bulletproof). We get some tidbits of British history and customs to flavor the story as Batman and Robin relentlessly pursue Lumardi and his gang until they're finally captured. And the missing portrait was both given to Scotland Yard by Chester Gleek, and taken back by him when it wasn't given enough prominence.

There's a lot packed into this story, and it succeeds in having a very different tone than the usual Gotham based tale. The art is great and there's plenty of action, along with the mystery of the missing portrait, so it never drags. Of course there's the massive coincidence of Bruce being in London just when Lumardi starts his crime spree there, but I suspect Bruce went there deliberately to find him, even though the story doesn't come out and say that.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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andersonh1 wrote: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:31 amAnd since Dick Sprang is drawing, you know this is going to be a story full of fine detailed drawings and great character designs.
I just looked this dude up. His art is insane. There's so much stuff going on everywhere.
Check it out, a honey bear! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkajou
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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Ursus mellifera wrote: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:46 am
andersonh1 wrote: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:31 amAnd since Dick Sprang is drawing, you know this is going to be a story full of fine detailed drawings and great character designs.
I just looked this dude up. His art is insane. There's so much stuff going on everywhere.
Yeah, he's really good. I post on a discussion board with a bunch of old guys who were actually reading these as kids, or reading in the 60s, the they all consider Dick Sprang THE Batman artist of the era. I can see why. He's definitely my favorite of the late 40s, early 50s Batman artists.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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Detective Comics #197
July 1953

The League Against Batman!
Script: David Vern Reed Pencils: Dick Sprang Inks: Charles Paris

I hate Batman!! He sent my three brothers to the chair! I'll get revenge! But not only on Batman! On those too who glory in his deeds! I hate equally all those who would glorify the Batman! And I will ruin them!

Gotham is terrorized by a new villain, hooded and robed, who calls himself the Wrecker. And his target is anyone and anything affiliated with Batman. That opens up a wide list of potential victims, meaning Batman and Robin have a real job on their hands trying to anticipate his next move. There's not enough manpower to guard every potential target. When they attempt to stop his attack on a sculptor and are captured, the Wrecker attempts to kill them by putting them in a giant kiln along with the sculptor. I'm sorry, that's pretty horrific stuff for a kid's adventure comic. Thankfully Batman figures out how to trip the thermostat and stop them all being roasted alive.

The Wrecker claims a few more victims and causes more havoc, and Gordon arrests the prime suspect in the case... but it's not him. It turns out to be a man who was fairly prominent early in the story but who was apparently murdered. He faked his death, and his stated motive, hatred for Batman for getting his brothers executed, is also false. It was all big diversionary ruse while he tried to collect an insurance payout to retire gambling debts. Once again, it's the smallest of details that clue Batman in... in this case, the culprit loved golf, and had a tiny sunburn on his hand where there was a hole in his golfing glove, which Batman noticed while examining a photo of his fight with the Wrecker.

I think the well-realized and colorful villain for the story is a success. His motive seems entirely believable, making the hidden twist ending a success. Batman starts the story instructing Robin on careful observation, and it's his ability to observe the smallest of details that solves the case.

And if I've kept count accurately, this is the 500th Batman story.
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome

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World's Finest Comics #65
July-August 1953

The Five Different Batmen!
Writer: ? Pencils: Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz Inks: Charles Paris

Batman is dead, killed in an explosion in front of numerous witnesses. Robin refuses to accept it, and Vicki Vale suggests an article describing his last case as a tribute. As the story develops, five different people contribute to the story, and in a nice touch, each one's narration is represented by a different typeface than the usual hand-lettering, giving each a different "voice". Robin begins with his typewriter and tells how Batman took him in and trained him, and how this last case began. Emotionally spent, he lets "Soupy" Sellers, former safecracker, continue the story. Soupy tells what he knows and then turns it over to the armored car driver involved in the case, whose life Batman saved. He then turns it over to Vicki Vale, who had invited herself into the Batmobile as Batman chased the "Blaster", a crook who used dangerous explosives to carry out his crimes. Vicki, too, can only write so much, and it's up to Commissioner Gordon to finish the story, calling Batman "the most gifted detective I had ever known", and telling how Batman chased the Blaster up a rocky outcropping outside Gotham, only to fall and be caught in an explosion of unstable chemicals on the way down, killing him instantly.

But the Blaster's henchman "Spots" Darrow is still at large and must be caught. And he is, in the house of the man who stole the T-40 explosive chemicals for the Blaster. But to no reader's surprise, Spots is actually Batman in disguise. Batman himself finishes the story, noting that Spots threatened to hurl the explosive on the crowd below, including Gordon, Robin and Vicki, if Batman didn't change clothes with him, allowing him to escape wearing the Batman costume. Bruce had no choice, and Spots of course gets to see his unmasked face. Pure luck saved Bruce as Spots slipped and fell to his death, as the explosives got him on the way down. Everyone saw the Batman costume and understandably thought Batman had died. Bruce took advantage of the situation to solve the case by impersonating Spots Darrow.

Great story, and even though it's obvious that Batman will turn out to be alive at the end of the story, the grief the character feel is genuine and affecting. Robin is the poor lost kid, refusing to believe his father figure is gone, Gordon is the stalwart, dependable father figure, and Vicki Vale shows her softer side. The different types of lettering for the different characters are a great touch, as is letting them all describe Batman as they see him. And it's honestly cool to see a crook get the better of Batman for once, because no matter how good he is, he can't win them all. Only luck saved his life this time. I really enjoyed this one.
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