Today in Comics History: Clint and Barney Barton Go Bad

Panel from "The Barton Brothers!" in Star-Spangled Comics #86 (November 1948), script by Bill Finger (?), pencils and inks by Jim Mooney, letters by Ira Schnapp
Now Robin, there was a boy! Wouldn't you agree, Nat "King" Cole?

Today in Comics History: Batman ruins a birthday party...again

Hey, it's Calendar Man's birthday! (even though it doesn't say that on the probably-no-longer-canonical Super DC 1976 Calendar). Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Julian, happy birthday...y'see, I can sing that song because now, unlike Batman, it's in the public domain.


Panels from Injustice 2 #3 (digital comic, April 2017), script by Tom Taylor, pencils by Bruno Redondo, inks by Juan Albarran, colors by Rex Lokus, letters by Wes Abbott
Oh, and I should probably point out that it's a dystopic alternative future where Superman killed the Joker and Batman has raised a rebellion against him and so both Supes and Bats kill people now and also Harley Quinn and Green Arrow had a meet cute. (It's all true!)\



Nooooo! Clock King! Magpie! Killer Moth! Wonder Bread Man!

So honestly, I wouldn't invite Future Murder Batman to your birthday party, but if you do, at least remember that he brings fireworks.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 336: Batman Explains It All for You

"Batman and Robin Stand Up for Sportsmanship!" from Batman (1940 series) #57 (February-March 1950), script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Win Mortimer, letters by Ira Schnapp
Especially pay attention to this part! It was true in 1950, and it's true in 2018!:


So who ya gonna believe...racists?...or Batman?!?

365 Days of Defiance, Day 325: War! (Huh!) What Is It Good For? Smashin' Nazis! Say it again!

Batman's going to war!
Each native bat will grab a gat
And run away to war!
At last we’re going to...
Feet will beat along the street to...
War!
Batman's going to war!
At last Batman's going to war
It seems that Batman's going to war!
At last the Batman's going to war!
He's going to war!
This is a fact we can’t ignore
He's going to war!
This is a fact we can’t ignore!
Batman's going to war!

Is there anyone in any doubt about where Batman is going?

Meanwhile, in the war...



Panels from "The Two Futures" in Batman (1940 series) #15 (February-March 1943), script by Bill Finger, pencils and figure inks by Jack Burnley, background inks by Ray Burnley, letters by Betty Bentley
Well, everything seems to be going swimmingly for the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder, and I'm sure they'll beat the Nazis and



WHAT THE HECK COMIC BOOK?!? Batman and Robin are executed by a Nazi firing squad? I'm sure they escape in the very next panel! Let's look.



















Oh heck. They don't. Yeeeeeesh. Um, could this be a dream, or a hoax, or an Imaginary Story?...No. No, it is not.

It's actually just a thought experiment suggested by some gloomy-outlooked professors at an unnamed university (but you can totally tell it's Metropolis University, those horse-asses). They've projected that America will lose the war, but Batman rightly ain't havin' none of that. ("Yeah!" says Robin. "And me too!") Batman points out that with the military, industrial, financial, and moral support of the armed forces teamed-up with the citizens of America in the most important Brave and the Bold of them all, we are going to win this war!



Moral of the story is: with the industrial might of the United States, we can beat the Axis! So hand in your scrap metal, donate your old comic books (eeeeeeek) and buy bond where you work or bank! Batman does it, and don't you want to be cool like Batman is? (Also, defeat Nazis.)

Also:


PSA ad in Batman (1940 series) #15 (February-March 1943), script and art by Dr. Seuss

365 Days of Defiance, Day 319: Batman vs. the 1%

Panels from Batman (1940 sSeries) #405 (March 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein

365 Days of Defiance, Day 273: Gonna burn you, gonna make you swell / Mongul on a hard sell

Mongul, intergalactic despot and poor man's Darkseid, enjoys it when heroes resist him. There's a technical word for that.

Panels from Trinity (2016 series) #5 (March 2017); script, pencils, inks, and colors by Francis Manapul ; letters by Steve Wands
(Click picture to Mongulnormous-size)
...Dumbass.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 270: World War Batman

Earth-2 Batman...stalking Nazis! This can only mean one thing...it must be a Roy Thomas story!


Panels from The Brave and the Bold (1955 series) #167 (October 1980), pencils by Dave Cockrum, inks by Dan Adkins, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Ben Oda, and script by...



Oh. Maybe not.

You can tell it's Earth-2 Batman because he doesn't have a yellow circle around his chest emblem. And that the cars are from the 1940s. And that5 his parents died after the 1920 Douglas Fairbanks version of Zorro, not 1972's The Erotic Adventures of Zorro.


Meanwhile also minutes later...the Blackhawks! Hey, it's a Mark Evanier script! Oh wait, it isn't.


But what was the Nazi's evil plan?


OH NO THEY BLEW UP DOC SAVAGE

365 Days of Defiance, Day 266: Chelonaphobia

Panels from Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #4 (February 2017), script by Matthew K. Manning, pencils by Jon Sommariva, inks by Sean Parsons, colors by Leonardo Ito, letters by Shawn Lee

365 Days of Defiance, Day 261: *Striking Hypervillains In an Expanded, Lumped-together Dimension

Panels from Bruce Wayne, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.* #1 (April 1996), script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Cary Nord, inks by Mark Pennington, colors by Steve Buccellato, color separations by Malibu, letters by Richard Starkings

365 Days of Defiance, Day 255: Quién es más macho? Batman es más macho.

Batman's always been pretty awesome, but I pinpoint his current "absolute master of strategy" portrayal as debuting in early issues of Grant Morrison's JLA, where Bruce Wayne proves exactly how worthy he is to stand along his super-powered Justice League teammates by taking out a group of SPOILER

White Martians

without breaking a sweat.




Panels from JLA #3 (March 1997), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Howard Porter, inks by John Dell, colors by Pat Garrahy (?), color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Ken Lopez
The cover of this issue asks the musical question: WHO CAN SAVE YOU NOW?


Panels from JLA #3 (March 1997), pencils by Howard Porter, inks by John Dell, colors by Pat Garrahy (?)
And the answer is of course

na na na na na na na na Batman

365 Days of Defiance, Day 253: Deep underwater is where I left my love

Where are Batman and Robin this week? Gotham City? Blüdhaven? It's Markovia, right? I bet it's Markovia.


Panels from "Atlantis Goes to War!" in Batman (1940 series) #19 (October-November 1943), script by Don Cameron, pencils and inks by Dick Sprang, letters by George Roussos
AW HECK NO it's Atlantis! So you just know that Batman's gonna meet Aquaman. Or maybe Sub-Mariner. Wouldja believe Mark Harris?

But actually no! With his usual Batluck, he's meeting Nazis! Hey, have you ever seen Batman do a double-take? Study this panel carefully!


And hey, it turns out that the Prince is a double of Robin! Yes, this is the story where Robin dies and the Prince of Atlantis takes his place for the next 40 years! Naw, I'm jus' foolin' ya. But this is a Prince and the Pauper riff. With Nazis!


Robin strikes back against Atlantian Centurions! (Hey, why doesn't that armor rust?) Also: a face-off with his double! This is the scene where he and the Prince fight and Batman has to decide which one of them to shoot.


Dick knocks out the Prince and impersonates him in order to save Batman, who's about to be executed. But the Nazis prove to be treacherous scum. (Of course.)


Batman is freed and Atlantis shakes off the duplictious Nazis thanks to the decrees of the Atlantean Princess, with whom Dick Grayson has fallen in love!


Aw, don't mope, Dick. I'm sure there'll be another princess for you to fall in love with coming along in a dec ade or four.


Anyway! Punch Nazis, on the ground and under water.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 251: When do you think it will all become clear / 'Cause I'm being taken over by the fear

I always like it when Batman finally listens to — and learns from — one of his partners. (There's a reason we call it "The Batman Family.")



Panels from Batman (2016 series) #24 (Early August 2017), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by Clay Mann, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters byDeron Bennett
Tom King has been hitting it out of the park this year with Batman. May these good stories run for many more months!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 250: And you don't mess around with Kal

Well, whaddaya know: against all expectations, I actually liked this series this year. Here's a favorite moment.



Panels from Dark Knight III: The Master Race #9 (July 2017), story by Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Klaus Janson, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Clem Robins

365 Days of Defiance, Day 249: Crooks Can Be Patriots, Part 2

Panels from Batman/Captain America one-shot (December 1996); script, pencils, inks, and letters by John Byrne; colors by Patricia Mulvihill; color separations by Jamison

365 Days of Defiance, Day 230: Your decisions turn around and make you back and then you're stuck

Panel from Batman/Hellboy/Starman #1 (January 1999), script by James Robinson, pencils and inks by Mike Mignola, colors by Matt Hollingsworth, letters by Willie Schubert
A very special Bullish thank you to Magnificent Matt Rowbotham, who suggested and identified this panel for me!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 227: Willkommen, Bienvenue, Batman

What If...? (©1976 a completely different company) Bruce Wayne had become a hero in the Berlin, Germany of 1939? Well, he would be millionreichsmark playjunge Baruch Wane...but at night he would oppose the Nazi government as The Berlin Batman!


Panel from The Batman Chronicles #11 (Winter 1998); script, pencils, and inks by Paul Pope; colors by Ted McKeever; letters by Ken Lopez
This Batman fights not merely against crime but also the clampdown on intellectualism and artistry. Here he is fighting to prevent writings from a dissident Jewish economist (stored on a train) from falling into the hands of the Nazis. And when you've got actual Nazis, who needs the Joker?



By the way, that's Komissar Garten in the green trench coat. "You're only one man, what can you do?" taunts Garten. Why, he doesn't know Der Batman very well at all, does he?



And now you know about the legend of the Berlin Batman. In the heart of evil, may we all be so brave and dedicated.