Batman in the 80's before Crisis revamp

[Lazlo Panaflex]

I know there are some Bat-fans like me who read the early 80's comics and while some critics point out that Batman became like a father figure image during this period there were still plenty of good work coming out and Batman was always dark and brooding up until DKR.

And plenty of great artists like Don Newton, Gene Colan, Michael Golden, Trevor VonEden.

My favorite storyline from this decade would have to be when Dala and the Monk, two characters from early in Batman's comics reappear and turn Robin and Batman into vampires (no joke!), I know your probably laughing now but this was done seriously back then.

There were also various plotlines intertwined such as Rupert Thorne planting a crooked Mayor on Gotham to force Commisioner Gordon to retire and nosey reporter Viki Vale almost discovering Batman's identity, Jason Todd and Killer Croc were also introduced, and my favorite comic would have to be 'Tec 526 whereas Batman has to battle all his villians.

 

[souloffire]

Ahh! the 80's. It's all coming back to me. Nocturna, the Nightslayer, a blonde Jason Todd whose origin was almost the same as Dick Grayson, a Robin with shorts and pixie boots named Dick Grayson (well at least till 84') and the classic blue and grey Batman with the yellow oval. Great stuff.

Also for most of the decade a story would start in Batman and continue in Tec' or vise versa. Green Arrow had his own backup series in Tec'. Was that drawn by Trevor VonEden Laz?


I have to agree about the Monk/Dala/vampire storyline. I recomend that those Batman fans who have not read it to track down the issues. It would be nice if DC released in TTB, but I don't know if that would happen. If anyone's interested I'll dig out my Bat's and Tec' boxes to give the issue numbers.


By the way great thread Lazlo. Hope Thelma didn't take you're star.

 

[Ceb-Man]

I love those stories. Great artists and writers such as Gerry Conway, Gene Colan, Doug Moench, Tom Mandrake, Don Newton.... man!
The Monk/ Dala stories was good! They were last seen in 1939.The introduction of Killer Croc was awesome. Croc was the Bane in the 80's. He was a real threat. Dr. Death was reintroduced and who wasn't seen since 1939.
Jason Todd wasn't a whiney-box.
Rupert Thorne came back to Gotham City and got rid of Gordon for a while as commissioner and put his own in Peter Pauling and his own Mayor Hamilton Hill, who put in by Thorne.
Hugo Strange came back to fight Thorne and Batman. Nocturna was introduced. Black Mask was introduced as well.
The Bat Family actually got along.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Also for most of the decade a story would start in Batman and continue in Tec' or vise versa. Green Arrow had his own backup series in Tec'. Was that drawn by Trevor VonEden Laz?

By the way great thread Lazlo. Hope Thelma didn't take you're star.

I'd have to dig through my boxes to check but I believe Paris Cullins or Shawn McManus would draw the strip, but early in '81 Batgirl and Catwoman would share back-up.

I got the Simpsons reference also but I think it was Selma, good work.

 

[souloffire]

I'd have to dig through my boxes to check but I believe Paris Cullins or Shawn McManus would draw the strip, but early in '81 Batgirl and Catwoman would share back-up.

I got the Simpsons reference also but I think it was Selma, good work.

You might be right. I think VonEden drew the Green Arrow mini series in the 80's.

 

[souloffire]

We are both right. The Green Arrow backups started in Tec' 521 (with a terrific Green Arrow cover by the late Jim Aparo) with Trevor VonEden drawing the first two installments, then Irv Novick (who had a run on Batman in the mid and late 70's) did a couple untill Paris Cullins took over from there. Thank God my Detective box was the first one so I didn't have to dig so deep.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Only Souloffire and Ceb-Man and myself seem to be the only Bat-fans from the 80's, anybody out there, uuhhhhhhhhhhhh WHERE'S THE BEEF?!

 

[Bat Attack]

I collect the Batman comics from the mid-late 80's/early 90's.

 

[souloffire]

Here's the Green Arrow cover from Detective 521.

 

[souloffire]

Ok. The Dala/Monk/Vampire arc was contained in these issues. It started as a subplot in Detecive 515 then became the main story starting in Batman 349 then countinued in Batman 350, Tec' 517, Batman 351 then the aftermath was briefly in Tec' 518. Dala was in the comics leading up to this arc. This sound about right Laz?

 

[Grim Goblin]

My favorite storyline from this decade would have to be when Dala and the Monk, two characters from early in Batman's comics reappear and turn Robin and Batman into vampires (no joke!), I know your probably laughing now but this was done seriously back then.

oh man !!! The very first Batman comic I ever read was the one when Batman was bitten. Good memories.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Ok. The Dala/Monk/Vampire arc was contained in these issues. It started as a subplot in Detecive 515 then became the main story starting in Batman 349 then countinued in Batman 350, Tec' 517, Batman 351 then the aftermath was briefly in Tec' 518. Dala was in the comics leading up to this arc. This sound about right Laz?

Yes.

 

[souloffire]

Here's a nice 80's logo.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Yeah that's the classic logo, here are a few covers which introuced Killer Croc and Jason Todd, and in Pre-Crisis it was Croc who killed the Todd's instead of Two-Face as it was changed in Post-Crisis.

my favorite comic is 'Tec 526 which ended Gerry Conway's run and had fantastic artwork by Don Newton.

 

[souloffire]

Yeah that's the classic logo, here are a few covers which introuced Killer Croc and Jason Todd, and in Pre-Crisis it was Croc who killed the Todd's instead of Two-Face as it was changed in Post-Crisis.

my favorite comic is 'Tec 526 which ended Gerry Conway's run and had fantastic artwork by Don Newton.

Yeah Tec' 526 was a great issue. Love the part when Robin beats the crap out of two muscle bound freaks in the gym.

 

[CrimsonMist]

so, in post crisis, did they re-introduce Jason?

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

so, in post crisis, did they re-introduce Jason?

In Pre-Crisis Jason Todd and his family were circus acrobats, an origin similar to D1ck Grayson, the Crisis series changed the origin to make Jason a street punk and so in Batman #408 Jason is re-introduced as he's stealing the wheels off the Batmobile and Batman senses the anger within the kid and enrolls him to some juvenile school for runaway kids.

In Batman #410 Jason debuts as Robin on his first case against Two Face, at the end of this issue Jason discovers that his father was a henchman for Two Face and was subsequently killed by him.

 

[souloffire]

I remember the re-introduction Jason happened right after Year One. I liked what they did with Jason's origin but I was disapointed that Miller and Mazzucchelli run only lasted 4 issues.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Also in Pre-Crisis Alfred Pennyworth seemed to hava a daughter named Julia Remarque, she supposedly wanted to make the moves on Bruce but I'm missing a few issues so I don't know what became of her.

Did she ever show up in current continuity?

 

[souloffire]

You wanna talk about Batman before the revamp well this series gives the whole pre-crisis history of Batman.

It's a three issue series by Len Wein and John Byrne called "The Untold Legend of Batman". Loved the series as a kid but some of the pre-crisis history seems a little goofy now. Still a great read if your interested in the pre-crisis history.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

You wanna talk about Batman before the revamp well this series gives the whole pre-crisis history of Batman.

It's a three issue series by Len Wein and John Byrne called "The Untold Legend of Batman". Loved the series as a kid but some of the pre-crisis history seems a little goofy now. Still a great read if your interested in the pre-crisis history.

I found/read that in my school library a while back. Pretty cool stuff.

One story from that time I found interesting:

Don't remember the name, but it's collected in the Batman in the 80s TPB.

In it, it is the anniversery of Batman's parent's death. Batman is stopped by the Phantom Stranger, who gives Batman a very interesting gift: He has found an alternate demension, where Bruce was still a young child and his parents are still alive, just days before they're shot. Batman and Robin (who busted in at one point) follow Phantom Stranger into a portal and go into the other demension.

As soon as they get there, the two split up. Batman starts searching around for Joe Chill, while Robin goes to Gotham's library to check things out. On Robin's end, he sees that there's nothing about Krypton/Superman, or any of the other superheroes in their world. This makes Robin wonder, "Is letting Bruce stop the killer here worth the possibility of letting this reality not have any heroes?"

Meanwhile, Batman is kicking ass and taking names. He starts beating around, looking for Joe Chill. He meets a young Jim Gordon, who eventually agrees with him and helps to bring down Chill.

To make sure, Batman and Robin case the Waynes. While Batman's practically pried to the vision of seeing his parents alive again, Robin is focused on the fact that this version of Bruce...well...he's a spoiled brat. Does stopping the tragedy that would make up this young boy's life make him a drivenless ditz?

Eventually, Joe's organization gets another man to hit the Waynes, and when the Waynes go out to see a movie...

The killer moves in, while Batman and Robin watch on. Batman immietely rushes in. Robin poses a serious question, should he do anything? Eventually, he decides that a life is still a life, and leaps in for assistence.

Before the gunman could fire a round, Batman is there, taking the would-be-killer down, screaming that it won't happen again.

When it's all over with, Batman and Robin are sucked back into their world, and Phantom Stranger leaves politely.

Then, there's a two page epiloge. In the other reality, we see young Bruce Wayne training. We see his parents looking on, noting how them getting mugged made him more driven and respectfull.

A Batman is slowly growing, not out of tragedy, but out of awe of the "bat" he saw save him and his parents life, and wants to follow its example by saving others.

 

[Rambo, John J]

I found/read that in my school library a while back. Pretty cool stuff.

One story from that time I found interesting:

Don't remember the name, but it's collected in the Batman in the 80s TPB.

In it, it is the anniversery of Batman's parent's death. Batman is stopped by the Phantom Stranger, who gives Batman a very interesting gift: He has found an alternate demension, where Bruce was still a young child and his parents are still alive, just days before they're shot. Batman and Robin (who busted in at one point) follow Phantom Stranger into a portal and go into the other demension.

As soon as they get there, the two split up. Batman starts searching around for Joe Chill, while Robin goes to Gotham's library to check things out. On Robin's end, he sees that there's nothing about Krypton/Superman, or any of the other superheroes in their world. This makes Robin wonder, "Is letting Bruce stop the killer here worth the possibility of letting this reality not have any heroes?"

Meanwhile, Batman is kicking ass and taking names. He starts beating around, looking for Joe Chill. He meets a young Jim Gordon, who eventually agrees with him and helps to bring down Chill.

To make sure, Batman and Robin case the Waynes. While Batman's practically pried to the vision of seeing his parents alive again, Robin is focused on the fact that this version of Bruce...well...he's a spoiled brat. Does stopping the tragedy that would make up this young boy's life make him a drivenless ditz?

Eventually, Joe's organization gets another man to hit the Waynes, and when the Waynes go out to see a movie...

The killer moves in, while Batman and Robin watch on. Batman immietely rushes in. Robin poses a serious question, should he do anything? Eventually, he decides that a life is still a life, and leaps in for assistence.

Before the gunman could fire a round, Batman is there, taking the would-be-killer down, screaming that it won't happen again.

When it's all over with, Batman and Robin are sucked back into their world, and Phantom Stranger leaves politely.

Then, there's a two page epiloge. In the other reality, we see young Bruce Wayne training. We see his parents looking on, noting how them getting mugged made him more driven and respectfull.

A Batman is slowly growing, not out of tragedy, but out of awe of the "bat" he saw save him and his parents life, and wants to follow its example by saving others.

Excellent story. Collected in the 'Batman: Illustrated by Neal Adams' collection. Some other great stories in there too.

 

[souloffire]

I read you're post and said, damn I know this story. Well after looking in two boxes I found it. The story was in Detective 500. Like you said great story.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

This here story by Mike W. Barr and Michael Golden is really good, starts out that James Gordon has a death warrant because back when he was a rookie he shot a criminal who's son now as an adult calls himself the Wraith and to top it off the event happened the very same that the Waynes were murdered, and so Batman must deal with a villina who's almost his opposite, kick ass story with cool Michael Golden artwork.

 

[Spare-Flair]

I love the Untold Legend of the Batman. It was released in paperback form in wide distribution back in the early 90s which probably confused kids. The art was simply the best, rarely has Batman Art reached similar heights in my opinion. It's just fantastic.

As for Batman's origins, did the whole Joe Chill/Lew Moxin storyline survive Crisis? I've read all every issue up to the mid-90s and I never heard another whisper of his early origins besides some in Untold Legends of the Dark Knight. I stopped reading the comics when the artists got extremely wierd. I can't recall their names but there was that guy who drew everybody like they were super-deformed little children, Batman looked like a fat kid with big eyes, it just wasn't believable in any form whatsoever. Then there was that guy who drew Batman like a monster with an ugly face and chin (well, all humans looked wierd) and with ridiculously long Bat-ears.

I'm sorry, but for me, Byrne's Batman art from the early 80s was the pinnacle of the series in sofar as art and aesthetics. I just love the intense detail and simply good classic art basics in terms of character proportions and realism. Stylized American comic/cartoon art is where everything seemed to veer in the late 90s and I just couldn't stand it whatsoever.