Detective Comics Centennial 500

Looking at a very special issue of Detective Comics and the life and times of Batman, halfway to 1000, here is Detective Comics #500, which is something very special.  It is the second comic book ever to reach its 500th issue!  

The reason it has lasted so long can be summed up in one word: Batman!

Detective Comics 500

Thing is, Detective Comics was also more than Batman....there was Robin, his faithful companion, as well as many back up features over the years, so this issue split its focus, giving readers 7 special stories done by a wealth of talent, as evidenced by the cover of Detective Comics #500 (March, 1981), with Dick Giordano providing the large Batman and Robin, Walt Simonson doing the Batman in the magnifying glass, Joe Kubert drawing Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez drawing Elongated Man, Carmine Infantino providing the back cover's Robin as well as Deadman and Commissioner James Gordon (inked by Bob Smith), Tom Yeates providing a Bruce Wayne, Jim Aparo finishing the rest of the detectives, with Bob LeRose providing the classic covers.  

Now, most of these are detective stories, so, all the spoilers with the solutions to the mysteries will either be in links or at the end of the article....after a spoiler space for fans!  Now...onto the stories!

Batman

First up, "To Kill A Legend" by Alan Brennert and Dick Giordano, with a one page summary of Batman's origin (as a dream) which leads him out onto the streets to stop another crime.  With a bit of magical manipulation, Batman ends up in Crime Alley (the spot where his parents were killed), and he gets a little help from Robin. 

The Phantom Stranger appears (having been the manipulator) and explains that Batman has a chance to save his parents on another world (as he failed to do here, as did the Bruce Wayne on Earth-2, predating his story of becoming the Batman in Detective Comics #27).  So, Batman (with Robin following along) so to this Earth, to find a young spoiled Bruce Wayne, who likely won't be more than the playboy Batman pretends to be, encounters the younger versions of Jim Gordon (a Lieutenant in Gotham's police force) as well as his fiancee, librarian Barbara Kean (giving Batgirl's mom a full premarital name for the first time).   

Along the way, Robin discovers this Earth has no historical heroes, nor a planet Krypton, so that this world needs a Batman.  Events progress to the faithful day and time of the alleyway shooting after Bruce and his parents attend a movie...but, what will Batman do?

Slam Bradley

Next up, a convention of detectives, with Slam Bradley, one of the stars of Detective Comics #1 as the lead (created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster),  with all these detectives (who all had features in Detective Comics), leading to "The 'Too Many Crooks...' Caper" by Len Wein and Jim Aparo.  


The detectives were honoring Archie Evergreen, a retiring detective....who, while talking to Slam, gets shot in the back at the party, prompting the roomful of sleuths to act to find Archie Evergreen's greatest enemy and murderer.  

Slam meets the other detectives at this time:  Captain Compass, naval detective; Jason Bard, Gotham private investigator; Mysto, magician detective; Roy Raymond, TV detective; Pow-Wow Smith, frontier lawman and Christopher Chance, the Human Target.  They all resolve to find the killer, with Slam starting with getting the lowdown on Archie's greatest enemy, smuggler Victor Dominion.  

Compass and Chance get proof of Dominion's other crimes on his yacht; Smith, Bard and Mysto confronting Dominion at his mansion, with Bradley confronting him and bringing Dominion down (literally) by shooting his escaping helicopter.  But, who was the murderer?  Raymond provides the facts, that, were "Impossible...But True".

Batman

Next up, back to Gotham, and an adventure of Batman by Len Wein and Walter Simonson which seems like a simple tale, as in a two page story, using every novel writer's bad cliches...a quite entertaining little Batman tale unfolds in "Once Upon A Time..."....a tale with no particular mystery!

Elongated Man

The ductile detective, Ralph Dibny, and his wife, Sue, stumble onto a talking raven, and a dying man mumbling "Reynolds" in "The Final Mystery Of Edgar Allan Poe" by Mike W. Barr and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.   The injured man in his office was Edwin Allman Pohe, a noted collector of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, with his head struck by a candlestick and holding an old piece of paper in his hand.  Pohe's assistant, Marcia Douglas, tells the Dibnys that Pohe was expecting someone, perhaps a rare book dealer to be stopping by, as well as giving the facts of Pohe's collection, which she supported (but didn't know that "Reynolds" was also Poe's mysterious last word).  

Ralph goes to very the date on the old paper, finding out it was only aged to look old, as Sue finds out Reynolds was a publisher Poe knew around the time he died.  Ralph figures out that Edgar Allan Poe had a magazine he was to print before he died, and tracks down the man Pohe was suppose to meet (to supposedly sell him a copy of that magazine, which was never printed).  Finding him, a Steve Billman, he also had access to old printing plates, and Ralph, Sue and Marcia went to find the killer!

Batman

"The Batman Encounters -- Gray Face" is a text story, by Walter B. Gibson (the creator of the Shadow), with spot illustrations by Tom Yeates.  

This story deals with Batman's detective and escape artist skills, as Batman has to track down the mysterious villain of Gotham's Chinatown area....Gray Face, after Herbert Garland was found, wandering the streets, speaking of dragons after an encounter with Gray Face. 


Batman's abilities are put to the test surviving the trials put on him by this foe!

Hawkman

"The Strange Death Of Doctor Erdel" was the case that Hawkman chose to solve (with some help from his wife, Hawkgirl) in the story by Paul Levitz and Joe Kubert.


Doctor Erdel was a scientist in an isolated laboratory who died of an apparent heart attack, where Erdel was found by his assistant, Fred Schneider, and Erdel's niece, Anna, inherited Erdel's patents and wealth.  

Erdel's heart attack was found to be brought on by electrical shock (likely from one of his inventions, that have sat untouched for years).  

Hawkman and Hawkgirl track down Anna (finding her innocent, as she had given away the money and devoted herself to charity work, with a tear stained scrapbook of her uncle's achievements), then to finding Fred, who had changed careers, becoming a successful ornithologist (thus eliminating his motive to want to steal Erdel's work).  

So, the Hawks head back to check to see who could have directed the computer to deliver the fatal shock to Dr. Erdel?  And which famous Justice Leaguer was Dr. Erdel responsible for?

Batman

Last, but not least, is "What Happens When A Batman Dies?" by Cary Bates, Carmine Infantino and Bob Smith, where....well, Batman dies!  

Disillusioned by the constant need for his services, Batman is feeling like his war on crime does no good, making him careless in taking down a few thieves at a simple mugging...

....not realizing that it was a trap by dog master Stryker, so that his hound, a trained attack dog, could bite the Batman with its poison coated teeth.  

The poison is killing Batman, and Robin and Gordon have to figure out how to save Batman (with Batman using his force of will to try to survive, ends up summoning Deadman, a wandering spirit able to possess bodies and control their actions, to help).


Deadman, possessing Robin, injects Batman with adrenaline, combined with Deadman possessing him, allows Batman to rise, and start to track down his killer as well as deal with his feelings of despair. 

Spoilers

After this brief depiction of Batman's villains by Jim Aparo (from a slightly earlier dollar sized issue of Detective Comics, and these and other previously invented villains were sadly lacking from this issue of Detective Comics)...

.....the answers to the mysteries!


Here they are!


Batman's dilemma to save his parents or not on the alternate Earth: he does, which does inspire that Earth's young Bruce Wayne to take up the study of criminology as well as athletics, leading him to a path as a possible Batman, out of awe instead of fear.

After dropping his TV show tagline, Roy Raymond reveals Archie's killer to be....Archie himself!  Using a small remote control, he fired the shot into his own back (Archie was dying, and wouldn't have been able to bring Dominion down in the time he had left, so, came up with this plan to have the world's greatest detectives do it for him).

Elongated Man and Sue did find the killer...Marcia!  She was trying to destroy clues along the way, as she and Billman were trying to sell Pohe a fake Poe magazine (but, the magazine did exist in rough form, so Ralph had it printed and a copy give to Pohe upon his recovery).

Hawkman found that, in an empty room, the culprit behind the computer shocking Erdel was....the computer!  This computer achieved sentience, and wanted Erdel out of the way so it could view the galaxy unhindered by human contact.  It was also the teleportation device which brought the Martian Manhunter to Earth in his first appearance in Detective Comics #225 (thus, this absolves J'onn of his guilt for the death of Dr. Erdel).

Last, Batman found inspiration from the spirits of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and all those he had saved as Batman (who had later passed on).  Batman and Deadman found Stryker's dog training facility, finding the dog, and getting a sample of the poison for a cure, as well as stopping Stryker (who met his fate at the jaws of another of his attack dogs).

With this, Detective Comics was halfway to 1000 (not unlike Action Comics a few years before!) building from 100, 200, 300 and 400....



 

 

The Strange Adventures Of Deadman

Circus aerialist Boston Brand of Hills Circus was shot down while performing his act, without a net, resulting in his plummeting to his death.


Oddly, that's where the strange adventures of Deadman began, with Strange Adventures #205 (October, 1967) by Arnold Drake, Carmine Infantino and George Roussos (collected in a few places, including 2002's The Deadman Collection with cover by Neal Adams).

Deadman #1 

The shot that brought down Boston Brand happened in Strange Adventures #205, and the story of "Who Has Been Lying In My Grave?", with an introduction to the cast of the circus including co-owner, Lorna Hill, strongman Tiny and mystic fortune teller Vashnu, as Boston prepares for his act.  While in the air, Boston is shot....and his story begins as Hindu spirit, Rama Kushna, lets his astral form wander the Earth, at least until the Deadman can find his killer.  Boston finds he has the power to inhabit the bodies of the living, and with the unwitting help of Tiny, takes down some criminals who were plaguing the circus.

With Strange Adventures #206 (November, 1967), with a cover by Mike Sekowsky and George Roussos, and story of "An Eye For An Eye", by writer Arnold Drake, inker George Roussos and new penciller, Neal Adams (who would do the rest of Deadman's art for the series), the story shifts outside of the circus, but Deadman still checks on Lorna, who is having money problems due to all the people leaving the circus, and deals with Lorna's brother, Jeff Carling, who had taken out an insurance policy on Boston Brand (though Boston does find out Jeff is not his killer.....).

These two stories were reprinted in Deadman #1 (May, 1985) under a new Neal Adams cover, along with a story from House of Mystery #178 (January-February, 1969) by Neal Adams.  Nicola Cuti also interviews Arnold Drake about the creation of Deadman, which he attributes to deadlines!  

Deadman #2

Boston's saga continues into Strange Adventures #207 (December, 1967), with Neal Adams' first cover of the series (Neal will do all of the other covers as well, but this was one of his best), with "What Makes A Corpse Cry?" by plotter Carmine Infantino, scripter Jack Miller and art by Neal Adams, with Boston tracking down thug Rocky Manzel and his gang, whom he had had a run-in before.  Along with getting Rocky arrested, Boston helps singer Liz Martin and her boyfriend, bartender Paul (whom Boston inhabits), but only eliminates another suspect from his consideration.

Strange Adventures #208 (January, 1968) finds Boston asking the question "How Many Times Can A Guy Die?" in a story plotted by Carmine Infantino, scripted by Jack Miller and drawn by Neal Adams.    Boston remembers fellow acrobat, the Eagle, who Boston had had a nearly fatal disagreement with while at the circus.  Returning to Hill's Brothers Circus, Boston finds Lorna has hired the Eagle, and that the Eagle has intentions with Lorna.  Boston again possesses Tiny, starting a fight with the acrobat, to see if the Eagle was his killer.

These two stories found their way into Deadman #2 (June, 1985), under a new Neal Adams cover, along with a reprint of half of "Second Choice" from House of Secrets #85 (April-May, 1970), written by Gerry Conway, pencilled by Gil Kane, and inked by Neal Adams.

Deadman #3

Strange Adventures #209 (February, 1968) continues the story of "How Many Times Can A Guy Die?", plotted by Carmine Infantino, scripted by Jack Miller and drawn by Neal Adams, with Boston possessing circus hand, Pete, to spook the Eagle, giving him a note that he knows about his crime, which the Eagle takes to Vashnu, who recognizes the handwriting as Boston Brand's!  Deadman trails the Eagle in Pete's body, catching him in some thievery, which gets the Eagle to try to kill Pete....but Boston keeps him alive until the police arrive, arresting the Eagle (but also revealing the Eagle was committing another crime when Boston was shot).

Boston plays a game of "Hide And Seek" with his killer, a man with a hook, which he finds out from Detective Michael Riley (who was assigned Boston's murder case) in Strange Adventures #210 (March, 1968) by Jack Miller and Neal Adams.  Problem is, Riley is fired for beating a suspect (which was a frame, instigated by the Hook, who uses the alias "Roy Martin", a play on the creator, Roy Huggins and executive producer, Quinn Martin, of "The Fugitive", a popular series of the time, focusing on a main character hunting for his wife's killer...who also only had one arm).  Possessing Riley, Boston finds Peter Bones, who has the evidence to clear Riley.  The Hook kills Bones, and flees to Mexico, with Boston in pursuit.

These two stories are reprinted in Deadman #3 (July, 1985), along with the second half of "Second Choice" from House of Secrets #85 (April-May, 1970).

Deadman #4

Boston looks to find "How Close To Me My Killer?" in Strange Adventures #211 (April, 1968) by Jack Miller and Neal Adams, as Boston arrives in Mexico, and finds his twin brother, Cleveland Brand, working for an organization smuggling people across the border illegally, even thinking Cleveland might have been behind his murder.  When ordered to kill the people being smuggled across the border, Cleveland refuses, and, with Deadman's help, Boston stops the smugglers and reunites Cleveland with his daughter, Lita Brand.

Cleveland hears "The Fatal Call Of Vengeance" in Strange Adventures #212 (May-June, 1968), written and drawn by Neal Adams, as he travels to Hill's Brothers Circus to take Boston's place in the Deadman act (and find his brother's killer).  Cleveland is nearly killed by a lion, which makes the lion tamer, Kleigman, the main suspect...who even looks like the Hook (though that is because he was hired by the Hook to throw people off his trail).  The Hook kills Kleigman with his sniper rifle, as well as injuring Tiny, with Boston arriving too late to stop him.

These two stories are reprinted in Deadman #4 (August, 1985), along with the "Above And Beyond The Call Of Duty" story Witching Hour #8 (April-May, 1970) by co-writer Sergio Aragones and writer/artist Neal Adams.

Deadman #5

Tiny is hearing "The Call From Beyond" in Strange Adventures #213 (July-August, 1968) by writer/artist Neal Adams, as the strongman is dying after being shot by the Hook.  Surgeon Dr. Shasti is trying to save Tiny's life, but feels Tiny doesn't want to live.  Boston enters Tiny's body to help him survive the surgery, whose recovery seems magical to the doctor.  The doctor looks to the hospital board to get a grant for psychic research, even enlisting Madam Pegeen (a psychic) for help, but she is exposed as a fraud, with help from Deadman possessing the doctor's son, Sammy. 

Deadman follows "The Track Of The Hook" into Brave and the Bold #79 (August-September, 1968, written by Bob Haney and drawn by Neal Adams), hoping that the Gotham Guardian can help him find the Hook.  In the city, Boston finds Batman pursuing Whitey Marsh, also killed by a man with a hook.  Boston takes possession of Batman's body, ending up being taken to the Batcave by Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, learning Batman's identity and secret hideout.  Deadman leaves Batman a recorded message about his own plight, and Batman commits to trying to find the Hook, finding instead Max Chill, brother of Joe Chill (who killed Batman's parents), using a false hook to throw suspicion off himself, and finds the leader of a crime syndicate in Gotham as well, taking him down with Deadman's help.  Boston leaves Gotham to continue his pursuit of his killer.

Baxter paper Deadman #5 (September, 1985) reprints these two stories, with no extras, as the stories are now large enough to fill an issue without extras, other than some of the best of the letter pages from Strange Adventures during Deadman's run. 

Deadman #6

Boston Brand finds it isn't easy "To Haunt A Killer" in Strange Adventures #214 (September-October, 1968) by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Neal Adams.  Deadman is out of leads, and possesses circus goer Phil, enjoying a night on the town with Phil's fiancee, Ruth, but guilt at taking over this man's life gets Boston to leave Phil's body....then Boston discovers Phil is a hitman, as he kills Fred Ames!  Deadman follows Phil to his boss, then repossesses Phil to break off his engagement to Ruth, but also saves Phil's life, making Phil look like a hero.  Deadman possesses the father of Fred to get Phil to confess, but Phil is killed by an assassin disguised as a cop while in police custody, giving Deadman a new lead.
 

Deadman has "A New Lease On Death" in Strange Adventures #215 (November-December, 1968), written and drawn by Neal Adams, where Boston follows the assassin (named Willie Smith) to Hong Kong, where Willie is given a new assignment...to kill the Hook!  Smith brings the Hook in front of the Society of Assassins, who employ both killers.  Their leader, the Sensei, has the Hook killed because he feels the Hook failed in his assignment (to kill Boston), thinking Cleveland to be Boston.  Deadman tried to stop the Sensei, first by possessing Willie Smith, but failed, then being unable to possess the Sensei.  Rama Kushna then appears, but the Deadman is still not happy, even though his killer is dead.

Deadman #6 (October, 1985) reprints these stories, along with an interview by Dick Giordano, who was editing the Strange Adventures' Deadman series at the time.

Deadman #7 

Deadman's last strange adventure is in Strange Adventures #216 (January-February, 1969) with Boston confused and questioning his existence in "But I Still Exist" by Neal Adams.  Leaving the lair of the League of Assassins, Vashnu appears to Boston, with a scroll that mentions the land of Nanda Parbat (a mythical hidden kingdom in the mountains of Tibet).  The Sensei sends Willie Smith to that land to destroy it, with Boston going along to save it.  Taking over the body of the pilot of the plane that Smith is using, Boston fights with Smith, who parachutes out of the plane and Deadman follows him in his astral form....at least until he arrives in Nanda Parbat, where the Deadman becomes solid!  While there, Boston meets swordsman Taj Ze, who is the guardian of Nanda Parbat, and Lotus, a woman who lives in the hidden land.  While in Nanda Parbat, Boston goes to the temple of Rama Kushna, confronting the goddess, who explains to Boston that he could live here as a man, or leave, becoming a spirit again to right wrongs in the world, helping to find balance.  Boston leaves Nanda Parbat as a refreshed spirit, but Willie Smith takes Lotus with him (and out of the mystical influence of Nanda Parbat, Lotus reverts to the evil persona she had before she came to this peaceful land).

The strange adventure of the Deadman concludes in Brave and the Bold #86 (October-November, 1969), where Batman learns that "You Can't Hide From A Deadman!", in a story written by Bob Haney and drawn by Neal Adams.  Batman is winding down his night in Gotham, when he is attacked by Robin, then Commissioner Gordon, then random citizens of Gotham....allowing Batman to deduce that Deadman is trying to kill him.  Confronting Deadman confuses him, and Batman learns that Willie Smith shot Boston while he was leaving Nanda Parbat with a poison dart, leaving Deadman vulnerable to suggestion, where Smith convinced him to go kill the Batman.  Batman goes to Hill's Brothers Circus, meeting Cleveland (who has taken up the Deadman act), and is possessed by Boston!  Vashnu appears, telling Boston that he must return to Nanda Parbat, which he does while possessing Cleveland, with Batman's help.  When they arrive at Nanda Parbat, Boston becomes alive again, leaving Cleveland's body (but begins dying from the poison Willie Smith shot into him).  Batman and Cleveland confront Willie Smith, getting the antidote to save Boston, and chasing the Sensei from Nanda Parbat.

These two tales are reprinted in Deadman #7 (November, 1985), bringing the Baxter reprints of Deadman's strange adventures to a close.  But all these stories, and the Neal Adams' written and drawn Deadman back-ups from Aquaman #50 to #52 from 1970 (and the Challengers of the Unknown #74 from June-July, 1970) appear in the Deadman Collection mentioned in the beginning of this article, as well as in the second of a series of 5 tradepaperbacks collecting most of Deadman's 1960s, 1970s and 1980s appearances from Brave and the Bold, Phantom Stranger, World's Finest Comics, DC Super-Stars, Adventure Comics, DC Comic Presents and more...showing that death can be a starting point for a character in DC Comics. 

Halloween Hijinks With Deadman And The Spectre

Deadman and Spectre face off against the statues of Easter Island in this piece by Neal Adams...

...where these two undead heroes are forced to fight together to save us all in this work from the 1977 Super DC Calendar.

The Spectre

The Spectre was cop Jim Corrigan, killed by the mob, and given the ability to return to mete out vengeance against those who do wrong first appeared in More Fun Comics #52 (February, 1940, by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily), joined the Justice Society of America, and continued to fight for justice for decades...

....and even recently appeared as Jim Corrigan in a couple of episodes of the NBC TV show, Constantine, played by Emmett J. Scanlan (and we saw hints of detective Corrigan becoming Spectre thanks to visions of John's friend, Zed, who was a psychic).

Deadman

Circus aerialist Boston Brand was shot dead during a performance, but that was only the beginning of the story, with the spirit Rama Kushna reanimating Boston as Deadman, a spirit who could possess others, and searching for the man with the Hook for an arm who shot him, all starting in Strange Adventures #205 (October, 1967, by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino).

Deadman hasn't made it to television yet, but Nanda Parbat (a mystical realm in the mountains) has, as the home of Ra's Al Ghul, and the League of Assassins, including Merlyn (a foe of Green Arrow, who first appeared in Justice League of America #94 in November, 1971 by Mike Friedrich, Neal Adams and Dick Dillin, with Deadman as a guest star; played by John Barrowman), all in the CW Arrow series.

One can only hope that Constantine appearing on Arrow might lead to a later appearance by Deadman and Spectre!