Episode 19: Batman’s First Solo Case and the Joker’s Deadly Debut

Simon Carver

Welcome to the show everybody! I am Simon Carver, reporting to you once again from a cold, pitch-black London. It is Saturday, March 22, 1941. Outside my window, the air-raid sirens are quiet for the moment, but the blackout curtains are pinned tight, and the streetlights are completely dead. Yet, our spirits remain bright, fueled by the crackle of shortwave radio and the ink on the page. Joining me from our warm New York studio on KDCR is my pragmatical partner, George Wilson. How are things across the Atlantic, George?

George Wilson

Well, Simon, we have got a late-season snow flurrying over the Brooklyn bridge tonight, but the city is absolutely boiling with news. Everybody from Flatbush to the Bronx is talking about the Lend-Lease Act -- that H.R. 1776 bill the President signed just eleven days ago on March 11. We are officially turning this country into the Arsenal of Democracy, sending the tools over to you folks in Great Britain. And with Uncle Sam freezing all Bulgarian assets earlier this month on March 3, it is plain as day that we are choosing our side in this global scrap.

Simon Carver

Radar piercing the Atlantic night to sink the U-99. That is a marvelous piece of scientific triumph, George. It proves that with the right tools, we can push back against the terrors of the deep and illuminate the dark. And that theme of using science to master the night is exactly what is happening on our newsstands. Tonight, we are opening up a landmark publication -- the very first issue of a dedicated quarterly magazine starring our favorite dark detective: Batman number one, cover-dated Spring 1940 but still casting a massive shadow over our reading tables here in early 1941.

George Wilson

And what a book to hold in your hands, Simon. Sixty-four pages of nothing but the Caped Crusader and Robin, the Boy Wonder, for a single dime. No backups, no filler. It is a massive gamble by National, but with the way kids are buying this stuff, it is a goldmine. It is the perfect showcase for those two young New York creators, Bob Kane and Bill Finger, who are working themselves to the bone in their DeWitt Clinton High alumni circle.

Simon Carver

Bob Kane and Bill Finger! Those two lads are shaping a modern myth right before our eyes, George. We have covered their early work in Detective Comics, but here, in this solo book, they unleash the full, terrifying gallery of Gotham's underworld. We are going to go through this monumental issue virtually panel-by-panel tonight, starting with the introduction of a villain who looks like he walked straight out of a nightmare.

George Wilson

You mean that pale-faced creep with the green hair. He is a different kind of poison, Simon. Let us get the lights down in the studio, get our magnifying glasses ready, and open up the first story.

Simon Carver

Let us look at page two of the opening story, George. It starts in the quiet of a typical American home. People are gathered around their wooden console radios, listening to sweet music, when suddenly the broadcast is cut off by a toneless, cold voice. The voice drones: "Tonight, at precisely twelve o'clock midnight, I will kill Henry Claridge and steal the Claridge Diamond! Do not try to stop me! The Joker has spoken!"

George Wilson

Twelve o'clock midnight. That is the exact hour. And the police react by throwing an inflexible cordon of armed men right inside Claridge's mansion. They are standing there, watching the grandfather clock tick down. Eleven o'clock... then midnight. Claridge is standing in the middle of the room, boasting, "I'm still alive! I'm not dead!" And then, without warning, his facial muscles pull tight into a hideous, grinning mask. He drops dead right in front of them with that ghastly, cold smile.

Simon Carver

That ghastly smile is drawn with absolute terror by Bob Kane. Claridge's eyes are wide, glassy, and his mouth is stretched into a repellent, unnatural grin. But the mystery is how the Joker did it when the police were in the room the entire time! We find out on page four -- the Joker didn't slip in at midnight. He injected his deadly solution into Claridge twenty-four hours earlier, knowing it would take exactly a day to paralyze the heart! And the real diamond was stolen before the police even set up their guard, replaced by a phony glass imitation!

George Wilson

A twenty-four hour chemical fuse. That shows a cold, calculating brain, Simon. It is not just brute strength; it is a battle of wits. The Joker is sitting in his secret lair, looking at his white, changeless mask of a face with those burning, hate-filled eyes, laughing at the "bungling police." But Bruce Wayne and young Dick Grayson are monitoring the shortwave signals. Bruce is smoking his pipe, looking incredibly serious, and tells Dick, "The time isn't ripe yet... but when we do act, we must be ready."

Simon Carver

But the Joker strikes again! He broadcasts a new warning: "Tonight at ten o'clock, I will kill Jay Wilde and steal the Ronkers Ruby!" This time, the police surround Wilde's home, but the Joker is clever. He slips down the chimney clad in a suit of medieval armor that was standing in the hallway, releases a cloud of paralyzing gas, and walks out with the gem, leaving Wilde dead with that same grotesque grin.

George Wilson

Clad in medieval armor! That is some high-society theater right there. But when the Joker tries to make his getaway in a flashy red roadster, Batman is waiting for him! We get this spectacular chase over a stone bridge. Batman leaps from his own car straight onto the running board of the Joker's speeding vehicle! They grapple, tumbling over the stone parapet of the bridge and plunging into the freezing waters below.

Simon Carver

Plunging into the water! Kane's draftsmanship here is so kinetic, George. But the Joker manages to deliver a wicked kick to Batman's head, leaving our hero dazed in the dark river while the Joker escapes to plot his next murder: Judge Drake, the very man who once sent him to prison. The Joker warns Drake he will die at ten o'clock.

George Wilson

And here is where Robin enters the detective machine. Batman tells Robin to shadow anyone who leaves the Judge's house. Robin spots a suspicious police officer exiting and trails him through the moonlit streets to a deserted, decaying house. The kid creeps inside, match in hand, but he gets jumped from behind! The Joker, disguised as the police chief, binds Robin to a chair.

Simon Carver

Bound to a chair! But Batman is hot on the trail, using a marvelous piece of technology -- an infra-red lamp that reveals Robin's chemical-treated footsteps glowing in the dark! Batman crashes through the window just as the Joker is about to inject Robin with his venom. A massive brawl ignites. Batman punches the Joker into a chemical table, sparking a massive explosion and fire! The Joker thinks he has left Batman to burn, but the Caped Crusader's amazing recuperative powers save him. He unties Robin, and they escape the fiery wreck, ready for the final showdown.

George Wilson

Now, the second story in the book brings back a villain we thought was safely behind bars: Professor Hugo Strange. He escapes from the metropolitan insane asylum, and he has got a brand-new, terrifying scientific toy. He has developed a synthetic growth hormone, an extract from the human growth glands that turns ordinary men into fifteen-foot-tall, brainless, indestructible monster men!

Simon Carver

Fifteen feet tall! That is a towering nightmare, George. Strange uses five escaped lunatics as his test subjects, turning them into these giant, silent colossi clad in tattered purple coats. He unleashes one in lower Manhattan. The monster lifts a sedan over his head, crushing it, and bullets from the police just thud into his thick skin, only serving to madden him further!

George Wilson

The bullets don't even slow him down. He rips a metal lamp post right out of the concrete and swings it like a baseball bat, clearing a dozen cops in one sweep! Then he climbs into a cargo truck and rumbles off. Batman spotted the truck from the air in his Batplane -- which is drawn here with these magnificent, bat-like scalloped wings -- and traces it to Hugo Strange's laboratory, a secluded mansion on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Simon Carver

But as Batman enters, the giant doors swing open, and he falls straight into a trap! Two of the monster men grab him, holding his arms with their massive, hairy hands. Hugo Strange steps out of the shadows, his round glasses catching the laboratory light, and says, "Good evening, gentlemen! I am going to inject this fluid into you, dear Batman! A monster! Ha-ha!"

George Wilson

And he actually does it, Simon! This is the part that had me biting my cigar in half. Strange plunges the needle deep into Batman's arm, then delivers a massive fist to Batman's jaw, knocking him cold. But Strange made a crucial mistake. He left Batman's boots on. When Batman wakes up hours later, knowing the serum takes eighteen hours to distort his brain, he realizes his utility belt is gone -- but his boot heels contain secret chemical compartments!

Simon Carver

The boot heels! He mixes the chemicals together on the floor, creating a powerful explosive that blows the door to splinters! Batman escapes, confronts Strange, and knocks the mad professor right out of the window, sending him plummeting into the murky, swirling waters below. But there are still three monsters loose, and they are heading into the city in two cargo trucks to loot the banks.

George Wilson

And here comes the most controversial sequence in early Batman history, Simon. Batman takes to the sky in the Batplane. He spots the first truck on the Post Road. And he doesn't just block the road -- he opens fire with the plane's machine guns! He says, "Much as I hate to take human life, I'm afraid this time it's necessary!" The bullets shred the truck, causing it to crash headlong into a massive oak tree, killing the driver and the monster.

Simon Carver

It is a stark, wartime level of violence, George, reflecting the hard edge of 1940. Batman then uses a steel-like rope from the Batplane to lasso the second monster around the neck, hoisting him high into the air, hanging him from the plane itself! The third monster, seeing the plane, climbs to the very top of a towering Gothic skyscraper in the city, howling in defiance.

George Wilson

Climbing the skyscraper like a giant ape. Batman hovers close in the Batplane and hurls a series of gas pellets right at the monster's face. The gas blinds and paralyzes the beast. He clutches his throat, loses his footing on the narrow ledge, and topples off, plunging hundreds of feet to his doom on the streets below. It is a thrilling, cinematic climax that shows Batman will use absolute, decisive force when the city is threatened by unnatural terrors.

Simon Carver

Let us shift gears to the third adventure, which is a beautifully constructed high-society mystery aboard a luxury yacht called the *Dolphin*. Mrs. John Travers is hosting a masquerade party, showing off her legendary emerald necklace, valued at half a million dollars. But there is a shadow over the party -- a thief known only as "The Cat" has left a warning note in Mrs. Travers' stateroom: "Keep your aunt away from room! Will try then! -- The Cat."

George Wilson

And Dick Grayson is already on board, working undercover as a cabin steward, carrying drinks and listening to the high-society gossip. He overhears Roger, Mrs. Travers' nephew, arguing with his brother about heavy stock market losses. Then suddenly, a scream splits the night! Mrs. Travers' safe has been cleaned out, her private detective is found bound and gagged on the floor, and the legendary emeralds are gone.

Simon Carver

But the plot thickens when a motorboat approaches through the dense fog. The passengers claim to be the Coast Guard, but as soon as they step on deck, they pull out Tommy guns! It is a gang of sea-going pirates led by a tough thug in a green fedora. They round up the wealthy guests, locking them below deck. But Dick Grayson acts with the speed of thought. He dives headlong over the rail into the dark ocean, eluding their gunfire, and changes into his Robin costume!

George Wilson

Robin hits the water and climbs back up the anchor chain like an acrobat. Meanwhile, Batman arrives in his own high-speed launch, scaling the side of the *Dolphin* like a shadow. They launch a coordinated counter-attack. Batman disarms the thugs, but then he turns to Robin and says, "Let's see how you handle four of them at once, kid!" It is a test of the boy's training!

Simon Carver

And Robin absolutely shines, George! He cartwheels through the air, ducking under their punches, throwing a beautiful shoulder throw that sends a giant thug crashing onto the deck. He punches another with "the force of a piston-rod," leaving all four crooks tied up in a neat bundle. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Robin is an essential, highly trained partner, not a mere mascot.

George Wilson

With the pirates secured, Batman turns his attention back to the emerald necklace. He gathers the guests back for the masquerade. He notices Miss Peggs, a sweet, elderly woman who claimed to have a sprained ankle, is suddenly running toward the door without a limp! Batman blocks her path, reaches out, and rips off her grey wig and makeup wax -- revealing a beautiful, dark-haired young woman.

Simon Carver

"The Cat!" She is wearing a sleek green dress, looking incredibly glamorous, and she smiles, "Well, Batman, you've got me at last!" Batman reaches down and unrolls the bandage on her ankle, finding the Travers emeralds tucked safely inside. But as Roger, the corrupt nephew, tries to draw a gun to steal the necklace back, Batman cold-cocks him with a single blow.

George Wilson

But here is the kicker, Simon. As they are heading back to shore on the launch, the Cat suddenly leaps to her feet and jumps straight overboard into the ocean! Robin is ready to dive in after her, but Batman "clumsily" bumps into him, blocking his path and letting the beautiful thief swim away into the night. Batman looks out over the water, smoking his pipe, and mutters, "Lovely girl... what eyes! Maybe I'll bump into her again sometime."

Simon Carver

Robin is completely exasperated, but we can see the start of a legendary, romantic chase. The Cat is a different kind of adversary -- one who matches Batman's theatricality with her own sleek style.

George Wilson

But the book doesn't end there, Simon. The final story brings the Joker back for a second round of terror. He is sitting in his prison cell, looking at a pair of false teeth he has sneaked in. He unscrews the hollow teeth, mixes two chemicals inside his mouth, and spits the solution against the stone wall. A massive explosion blows a gaping hole in the cell, and the Joker walks out a free man!

Simon Carver

An explosive chemical tooth! That is classic Bill Finger ingenuity, George. The Joker retreats to his laboratory in a deserted cemetery crypt. He broadcasts a new warning to Chief of Police Chalmers: "I bring death tonight at ten o'clock!" At ten, the phone rings in Chalmers' office. When Chalmers picks it up, a tiny spring-loaded needle in the receiver shoots a poisoned dart straight into his ear! He drops dead, his face contorted into that awful grin.

George Wilson

That telephone dart is a brilliant, mechanical murder, Simon. The Joker then uses the distraction to steal the famous Cleopatra's necklace from the Drake Museum, slipping out of a sarcophagus where he had been hiding. But Batman and Robin are waiting on the roof of a nearby penthouse. They engage in a brutal fight on the scaffolding, the Joker swinging an ancient battle-mace he snatched from the museum!

Simon Carver

A battle-mace! But Robin pulls off a spectacular tackle, sending the Joker flying off the scaffolding. The Joker falls toward his death, but Batman's strong arm reaches out, hauling him back to safety. The Joker is captured once more, hauled away in an ambulance, but as the medics examine him, they realize he is still breathing -- setting up his inevitable return. This entire issue is a masterpiece of storytelling. It shows how Bill Finger's tight, logical scripts and Bob Kane's dynamic, silhouette-heavy art created a modern masterpiece.

George Wilson

They really did, Simon. And it is the blueprint for everything that is coming. Speaking of what is coming, next week we are going to dive into a different corner of the newsstands -- our first look at All-American Publications, focusing on the debut of the Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in All-American Comics number sixteen.

Simon Carver

Green Lantern! That is going to be a spectacular broadcast, George. If you have got letters, comments, or thoughts on tonight's panel-by-panel dive, send them to our shortwave mailbag at `distinguishedcomicsradio@gmail.com`. And we must give a quick nod to our mysterious listener from the future, Mr. Moore, who keeps sending us tips about how these characters will be celebrated eighty years from now.

George Wilson

Eighty years. Well, if they are still talking about the Batman in the year 2021, we must be doing something right on this program. From our warm studio in New York, I'm George Wilson.

Simon Carver

And from a dark, resolute London, where the candles are burning low but the spirit remains unbroken, I'm Simon Carver. This has been Distinguished Comics Radio on KDCR. Keep your chin up, keep your eyes on the skies, and good night.

George Wilson

Good night, folks. Watch the shadows, and we'll see you next week.