Batman Chronicles, Vol. 4 [Paperback]

Bill Finger (Author), Bob Kane (Author), Jerry Robinson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (October 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401214622
• ISBN-13: 978-1401214623
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cost-effective classics for budget-conscious comic aficionados, November 19, 2009

By 

Z. Shinder (Cerritos, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman Chronicles, Vol. 4 (Paperback)

WARNING: SPOILERS THROUGHOUT!!!



"Batman Chronicles, Vol. 4" is the fourth in what is currently (that I own/know of) an eight part collector's series that compiles "... all the `Batman' stories in the exact order they were published" (taken from the black bar at the top of the front cover). Inside are comics, which in their original trade paperback (TPB) form, are worth on the order of some $100,000 (together and stand-alone); among which are:

Detective Comics #51: The Case of the Mystery Carnival (Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson decide to investigate a reputable carnival when they start to turn children onto slot machines and discover racketeers have taken the place over)

Detective Comics #52: The Secret of the Jade Box (Batman investigates the murder of a curio shopkeeper who may have possessed an artifact of great value to the Chinatown mob)

Detective Comics #53: Viola Vane* (After saving a woman from suicide, Bruce/Batman sets out to show that despite appearances, Gotham City is full of good people who will not hesitate to help someone)

World's Finest Comics #2: The Man Who Couldn't Remember (in the midst of an escalating gang war, Batman saves the life of a man who possesses vital information regarding the conflict, but he has lost his memory)

Detective Comics #54: Hook Morgan and his Harbor Pirates (Batman trails a gang of thieves who steal the cargo of large shipping companies)

Also included is Batman #6 and four stories that appeared within:
Murder on Parole (to root-out corruption in the D.O.C.'s parole board, Batman goes undercover as a criminal to uncover a gang that is able to operate with the help of a powerful insider)
The Clock Maker (following a visit by several time-frittering socialites to a clock shop, the mentally unhinged store owner decides to punish so-called "murderers of time")
The Secret of the Iron Jungle (Batman and Robin protect an oil tycoon from his nefarious partner and his plan for a very hostile takeover)
Suicide Beat (Batman helps a young officer take down a criminal overlord in a section of town known to cops as the "suicide beat" after the man's cop father is murdered)

Detective Comics #55: The Brain Burglar (a scientist invents a device that forces anyone linked to it to tell the truth for police use, but a criminal comes to possess it and may well use it to discover the Batman's secret identity)

Detective Comics #56: The Stone Idol (an old west ghost town is terrorized by a Native American stone idol)

World's Finest Comics #3: Riddle of the Human Scarecrow ((this comic marks the first appearance of Dr. Jonathan Crane/the Scarecrow) a peculiar university professor scoffs at the idea of what his peers think of him and seeks greater wealth by posing as a hired assassin in the guise of a scarecrow (sadly, there is no "fear toxin" in this first appearance))

Also included is Batman #7 and four stories that appeared within:
Wanted: Practical Jokers* (the Joker returns with a newly hired crew who go about committing crimes that hark back to practical jokes)
The Trouble Trap (a hypnotist extracts confidential information from his clients and then blackmails them with audio recordings of their session)
The North Woods Mystery (a man and woman become the beneficiaries of a lumber tycoon's will, but someone is out to steal their gains)
The People vs. The Batman (Bruce Wayne becomes a victim of circumstance as he finds himself framed for murder, leaving Dick to help him clear his name without revealing his secret identity)
***(The stories with an asterisk were originally untitled, but are give titles in the table of contents for reader convenience.)***

Every one of the stories contained within this tome are "priceless" classics, though it should be noted that these were not written for 21st Century readers and may get the occasional "eye-roll" or "exasperated sigh" (REMEMBER!: these are not "Batman: Year One", "Batman: The Long Halloween", or "Batman: Hush". These stories and their styles need to be taken at face-value and appreciated for what they are and for the times they were written in).

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love the Golden Age, January 26, 2008

By 

J.S. Hicks "J.S. Hicks" (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Batman Chronicles, Vol. 4 (Paperback)

DC has it figured out with these Chronicle series books. It's a great format, full color, and while the paper quality is not nearly as good as the hardcover books, it's still quite good. Many of the stories are cheesy, but it's great to see the characters develop. In this volume we see the debut of the Scarecrow and his original costume.

I love the way DC is putting all these stories in chronological order allowing you to see, not only, how Detective Comics was progressing, but the stand alone Batman title as well (not to mention the few one shows such as the World's Fair, and World's Finest series that have been printed so far). Just a great idea and I can't wait for the next one.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars golden age doesn't make it great, April 2, 2010

By 

E. Oslan "fickifickmaster" (MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Batman Chronicles, Vol. 4 (Paperback)

This review could go for the entire Superman, Batman and Wonderwoman chronicles. On one hand DC/Warner did a solid by releasing so many volumes of the golden age adventures of Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, the Flash and several others. These are very historically important comics for what they said about the times they were released. On the other hand, golden age comic books really don't hold up well, especially when compared to their newspaper contemporaries. The old Bob Kane Batman stories are VERY repetitive. If you've read one, you've read them all with a few minor exceptions that attempt some lightweight social commentary every so often. There is absolutely no character development or pathos in these characters at all. They are all one dimensional. And the plots are exactly the same and very predictable. Batman/Bruce Wayne notices something odd, he investigates, it leads to a group of criminals planning out a crime, action ensues, Batman and Robin come out triumphant. While this seems fun at first, even reading through the one of these volumes (and I've read through four) can get tiring. Also, Bob Kane's art and framing is very tedious, with one small panel of action after another and superfluous narration. There is hardly any dynamic. One would think that the occasional appearance of classic psychos like the Joker would help spice up the story but, incidentally, these characters at the time of their creation were really nothing more than the same bad guy/robbers as the other cookie cutter gangsters, who Batman fought. If you're a classic comic buff then get it but if you're a cursory Batman reader, more familiar with the Frank Miller and post era, there isn't much for you and you're better off with one of the many 'sampler' books which summarize a particular decade.