Detective Comics Centennial 100 and 200

Starting a celebration of every 100 issues of Detective Comics, where Batman began back in May, 1939.

This time, looking back at his first and second 100 issues, with Detective Comics #100 and #200.

Detective Comics 100

The first of these special issues was Detective Comics #100 (June, 1945) with a cover by Dick Sprang.

This issue features the main story of "The Crow's Net Mystery", by Don Cameron, Jack Burnley and Charles Paris, where Batman and Robin raid a fence's hideout to find two smugglers, one of whom shoots the other to escape.  Trailing the murderer to the Crow's Nest, the Dynamic Duo encounter mystery writer Reginald Scofield lives.  Batman deduces that this is where the smugglers operated from, and finds Scofield's butler to be their leader, which all gives Scofield a new idea for a story!

Other features in this issue include Air Wave, Three-Ring Binks, Slam Bradley and the Boy Commandos!

Detective Comics 200

J. Winslow Mortimer was the artist who rode the radio waves to give readers the cover of Detective Comics #200 (October, 1953).

Here, Batman and Robin had the Batmobile tuned to "Radio Station C-R-I-M-E" in a story that had no identified writer, but with art by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris.  This time around, criminals in Gotham were being aided by a radio station that broadcasted the locations of the police, allowing them to commit crimes.  The Dynamic Duo tracked down the mobile radio station after an attempted plane hijacking and parking structure hideout, finding the leader, who got the information by lip reading conversations at the Gotham City Police Department.

The other features in this issue included Roy Raymond TV Detective, the original Robotman and Pow-Wow Smith. 

Both Detective Comics stories featured the Batman and Robin of Earth-2 (basically, the Batman who was a member of the Justice Society of America, instead of the Justice League of America, with a grown up Robin joining the JSA much later, having never appeared in All-Star Comics during the original 57 issue run).

You'll notice that these issues don't quite come out at the same time as Superman's Action Comics #100 and #200, and the rates of growth and their variations between Action and Detective are covered here!


Come back as the countdown to Detective Comics #1000 continues...

Action Comics Centennial 100 and 200

Starting a celebration of every 100 issues of Action Comics, where Superman began back in June, 1938.

This time, looking back at his first and second 100 issues, with Action Comics #100 and #200.

Action Comics 100

The first of these special issues was Action Comics #100 (September, 1946) with a cover by Wayne Boring and Ed Dobrotka.

This issue features the main story of "The Sleuth Who Never Failed" by Alvin Schwartz and Ira Yarbrough, where Inspector Hawkins from Scotland Yard comes to America to find out Superman's secret identity...following around Clark Kent for a time, but eventually giving up on Kent as Superman's alter ego, after a myriad of super-tricks, and one not so obvious, that of finding Clark's will, where Superman is named as a beneficiary!

This issue is unique as this is the only one that features the original, Golden Age Earth-2 Superman as the star, and also has many other features, such as the Hayfoot Henry, Congo Bill (who later got a magic ring and merged with Congorilla), the Vigilante (the Seven Soldiers of Victory member) and Zatara (Zatanna's father).

Action Comics 200

J. Winslow Mortimer provided the cover for the next centennial issue of Action Comics, which was #200 (January,1955).

Here, Superman faced the "Tests Of A Warrior" by no credited writer, and artists Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye.  Superman helps the son of Indian Chief Hun-Sha, who is being forced to pass tribal tests by the evil medicine man, Morwatha, until Superman can expose his treachery.

This is a story of the Silver Age Superman of Earth-1, and with shrinking page counts, only has two other adventures, that of future Space Planeteer, Tommy Tomorrow, and jungle explorer, Congo Bill (who 48 issues later becomes Congorilla).

Come back as the countdown to Action Comics #1000 continues...