Batman Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) [Hardcover]

DC Comics (Author)

Book Description

Series: Batman Archives | Publication Date: November 14, 1997

When a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his parents were murdered, the legend of the Batman was born. Collected here are the first stories of the masked vigilante as they were originally printed in 1939. These stories include the classic first appearance of the Batman and the introduction of his teenage ally, Robin. These early adventures show how a dark and grim character and his humorous and light sidekick were masterfully combined to create one of the most enduring partnerships of all time.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; Graphic No edition (November 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930289609
• ISBN-13: 978-0930289607
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly A Dark Knight!, March 7, 2005

By 

Jim Childs (Las Vegas, Nevada, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)

I strongly suggest you read the other reviews because they give great insight about this volume and how batman is depicted. I will not recount what the other reviewers have already stated, but I will give a synopsis of what to expect from this archive collection:

1. It reprints the Batman stories of Detective Comics #27-50
2. Issue #27 marks the debute of The Bat-Man and Bruce Wayne's friend Comissioner James Gordon; Batman drives a red car.
3. Issue #28 shows Batman gloveless as his costume goes through different incarnations early in the series.
4. In a two-part story, Dr. Death debutes in #29 & 30 as Batman's first recurring Bat-villain.
5. Issue #31 introduces Bruce Wayne's fiance--an actress by the name of Julie Madison; Batman utilizes the Batarang and the Bat-Gyro for the first time.
6. Issue #32 has Batman using a gun for the first time in order to shoot a silver bullet into a vampire---The Monk.
7. Issue #33 introduces the origin of the Batman for the first time and is later reprinted in Batman #1; Bruce Wayne is shown going into a secret laboratory where he stores his Bat-costume inside a trunk; The car Batman uses begins to change but is still red.
8. Issue #34 shows Batman murdering a criminal while he rescues a female hostage.
9. Issue #35 features Batman sporting a blue convertible.
10. Issue #36 marks the debute of Professor Hugo Strange and his perverted interest in torture as he brandishes a whip against the bound and suspended Batman.
11. Issue #37 shows Batman's car changing once again, but maintaining the blue hue; Batman dons night-vision gogggles; a promo for a Professor Hugo Strange story is promised next issue, but is printed in Batman #1 instead.
12. Issue #38 spotlights "The Sensational Character Find of 1940... Robin-The Boy Wonder!"
13. Issue #40: Batman and Robin meet Clayface (Basil Karlo) and try to solve this murder mystery before he kills Julie Madison.
14. In what is considered Robin's first solo adventure, Issue #41 still features Batman aiding the Boy Wonder in wrapping up the case.
15. Issue #44 features the Dynamic Duo's first imaginary story.
16. After first appearing in Batman #1, The Joker makes his return in Detective Comics #45; The Batplane is reintroduced with a new look.
17. Issue #46 brings back Professor Hugo Strange, but ends in his apparent death.
18. Issue #47: For the first time, we see Batman enter a deserted barn that leads into a secret cavern underneath Wayne Manor.
19. Issue #48 houses Batman's car (now red again) inside the deserted barn.
20. Issue #49 After acquiring fame as an actress, Julie Madison changes her name to Portia Storme and breaks off the engagement to playboy Bruce wayne. But Clayface returns and wants revenge on the actress.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Creation of an Icon, March 3, 2002

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating volume in that it shows the first couple of years of Batman stories from Detective Comics. It begins with his first appearance as well as containing his origin story in a later issue and the first appearance of Robin the Boy Wonder. Bob Kane's Batman as portrayed in Batman Archives Volume 1 is a very dark creation at first. The violence is quite intense as Batman's foes end up being pierced through, necks broken or falling to their deaths, if not actually shot with the gun Batman sometimes carried at his side. This level of violence was already decreasing when the garishly garded Robin made his appearance and is gone by the end of this Volume. The villains include Dr. Death, Hugo Strange, the Joker and Clayface, along with a vampire and the usual suspects of assorted crime bosses. There is a nice gothic feel to many of the stories and drawings, with the exception of a fantasy story involving giants and tiny people which looks forward to the idiotic mess of stories that will haunt the Batman comics in the 1950's. At any rate, this is a great volume to begin a look at the origin and development of an icon, as well as being entertaining itself.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The way it all began..., April 3, 2000

By 

Todd Grotenhuis "tgrotenhuis" (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)

Here it is, Bat-fans: the very first stories ever published of Bat-Man (as his name was originally spelled), back from Detective Comics #27-52. These stories gave birth to the character who, along with Superman, is the most enduring and easily identifiable hero in the comic book genre, and possibly in American pop culture. In this collection (beautifully restored and in a solid binding) you get to see the first appearances of Batman, Robin, Clayface, and an early appearance of the Joker. The quality of comic writing today is, on the whole, much different today than it was 60 years ago. But this collection in Batman Archives represents some of the all-time best and most influential comic stories ever told from the Golden Age of comics. Frank Miller (in "Year One" and "The Dark Knight Returns") did not "redefine" Batman as a dark, gritty antihero; he returned Batman to his roots, and you can see the original Dark Knight in these early stories by Kane and Finger. Excellent storytelling. If you want to see how Batman began, you can't do better than this.

One clarification: unless DC Comics corrected this in later printings, "Batman Archives" refers to the reprints of Detective 27-52. The subsequent "Dark Knight Archives" refers to Batman 1-4 (i.e., if you buy "Batman Archives," you're really buying "Detective Comics" reprints.)