Customer Reviews

Showcase Presents: Batman, Vol. 3

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What has the first Batgirl story, the first Catwoman story to appear in a Batman title in the 60s (Lois Lane 70-71 not withstanding), and the first story to feature Mr. Freeze (not as Mr. Zero)?
Answer- Showcase Presents: Batman, Vol 3.
This volume reflects the Bat Family from the 1960s and if you're a fan, you won't be disappointed. These stories are not as grim as later stories but are just plain fun. If you enjoyed volumes 1 and 2, don't hesitate to get this volume. The Riddler, the Joker, and the Penguin also appear in stories.

I recently sold all of my Batman collection that survived the flood of 2008, as I'm fairly much out of collecting (a flood will do that to you), but I still pined for copies of those great comics I read during my growth as a comics enthusiast. Fortunately, both Marvel and DC are helping me out with this, first with Marvel's ESSENTIALS softbounds and now with DC's SHOWCASE series, reprinting many of their Silver Age books. Absolutely recommended reading, though some folks have wondered why I would sell off my full-colored comics for blasck-and-white editions. To them I reply, "Well, that's why God made crayons."

The influence of the Adam West BATMAN TV series really shows up in this volume of BATMAN comics originally published between 1967-1968. We see the debut of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, Mr. Freeze's first use of that name (formerly Mr. Zero in the comics) and plenty of "Holy this" or "Holy that" exclamations from The Boy Wonder. Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and Aunt Harriet feature prominently as supporting characters just as you would expect. The art really evolves into a more modern look: larger panels, border-breaking figures and faster paced stories. Some great names in comics history offer up work in this volume: Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, Neal Adams, Garder Fox, Sheldon Moldoff, Joe Giella, Gil Kane and plenty more.

I learned how to read by reading these comics. Now I'm 50 and reading them again for the first time in 40 years, I realize how much I missed the first time. These comics are rich in entertainment value!

Certainly, with the success of the movie Dark Knight, there is an interest in all things Batman. I've been a fan of the superhero for a while, always preferring the darker versions of Bruce Wayne's alter-ego to the campier ones most prominent during the 1960s, when the Comics Code was at its peak and the Batman TV show was popular. Creatively, this was not a good time for DC; while Marvel was beginning to flourish with its relatively complex characters and continuity, DC remained mired in the past.

When I ordered Volume 3 of Showcase Presents Batman, I had been led to believe that this was material from a better era of Batman's history. The (misleading) cover illustration on the Amazon site has Batman looking over an empty grave and - though I could be mistaken - I associated this cover with when the character evolved beyond simple children's fare (particularly, I was thinking of when Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams took over). Unfortunately, that issue is nowhere in this volume, which features late 1960s issues from Batman and Detective Comics; instead, these are issues where Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder are engaged in adventures that would not appeal to anyone beyond the age of 10.

For the most part, the stories in this Showcase collection are single issue stories with virtually no continuity to other issues in the set. The villains are often familiar enough: the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze and the Scarecrow, though the Joker is confined to supporting villainy roles. Most villains are incapable of committing crimes without somehow telegraphing exactly what they're going to do with clever puzzles (the Riddler, of course, is most famous for this). Around the only thing of any significance in this set is the premiere of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl.

Whether you're a kid or an adult, you can enjoy the Fantastic Four or Spiderman from this era; but these Batman stories are truly second-rate. Yes, children might find these stories okay, but why expose them to this material when there's better stuff out there?