BATMAN: STRANGE APPARITIONS
DC COMICS – @DCComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Steve Englehart; Len Wein
PENCILS: Marshall Rogers; Walter Simonson
INKS: Terry Austin; Dick Giordano; Al Milgrom
COLORS: Marshall Rogers
LETTERS: Ben Oda; Milton Snapinn; John Workman
EDITORS: Dale Crain (collection); Julie Schwartz (original)
MISC: Marshall Rogers; Walter Simonson; Terry Austin; Al Milgrom; Jerry Serpe
COVER: Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin with Lee Loughridge
ISBN: 978-1-56389-500-5; paperback (January 2000)
180pp, Color, $12.95 U.S., $20.00 CAN (November 11, 1999)
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Introduction by Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American comic book writer known for his influential and prominent work during the 1970s. He had memorable runs writing The Avengers from #105 -#152 (1972 to 1976) and Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #1 to 18 (except #3). He created such comics characters as “Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu,” “Nomad,” “Star Lord,” and “Mantis.”
Marshall Rogers (1950 to 2007) was an American comic book artist known for his work for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Eclipse Comics. He produced memorable work like Harlan Ellison's graphic novel, Demon with a Glass Hand (DC Comics, 1986); an early 1980s run on Doctor Strange and a late 1980s run on The Silver Surfer, both for Marvel.
In November 1999, DC Comics published the trade paperback, Batman: Strange Apparitions. It collected Englehart and Rogers' most acclaimed and most influential work, which was their collaboration on a six-issue run of Batman stories for Detective Comics in the 1970s. From issue #471 to issue #476 (August 1977 to March-April 1978), Englehart and Rogers produced some of the most popular Batman stories of all time, although they each produced two stories for Detective Comics with other collaborators.
Englehart wrote a Batman two-part story for Detective Comics #469 and #470, which were drawn by legendary comic book artist, Walter Simonson. Rogers drew a two-art Batman story for issues #478 and #479, which were written by the late great comic book writer, Len Wein. However, their work from #471 to #476 is what marks Englehart and Rogers as one of the greatest Batman creative teams of all time. Although their work covers no more than six issues and is comprised of about only 102 pages, they are six memorable issues and 102 glorious pages.
DC Comics first reprinted Detective Comics #469 to #476 and #478 to #479 in the five-issue comic book miniseries, Shadow of the Batman (December 1985 to April 1986). Shadow of the Batman #1 reprints the Englehart and Simonson issues, and Shadow of the Batman #5 reprints the Wein and Rogers stories. Shadow of the Batman #2 to #4 reprints the Englehart-Rogers run. Rogers also drew double-sided covers for each issue of Shadow of the Batman, and each issue also includes a comics short story drawn by Rogers that appeared in one of DC Comics' 1970s comic book anthology series. Batman: Strange Apparitions reprints Detective Comics #469 to #476 and #478 to #479, without the Rogers short stories.
Englehart and artist Walt Simonson open Strange Apparitions with a two-part story from Detective Comics #469 (“...By Death's Eerie Light!”) and #470 (“The Master Plan of Dr. Phosphorus”). The radioactive villain, “Dr. Phosphorus,” is attempting to hold Gotham City hostage, and Batman is having a difficult time with the villain. Phosphorus has the strength to go toe-to-toe with Batman, and his radioactive touch can burn through Batman's uniform and leave serious burn on the Dark Knight's body. Phosphorus is also part of a conspiracy that reaches into city hall. The ringleader of this conspiracy is Boss Rupert Thorne, city council chairman and crime boss. Englehart also introduces a memorable love interest for Bruce Wayne, Silver St. Cloud, a socialite and eventually, an event planner who comes to realize that Wayne is Batman.
That leads into the first two Steve Englehart-Marshall Rogers issues, Detective Comics #471 (“The Dead Yet Live) and #472 (“I Am the Batman”). As Bruce Wayne, Batman checks into Graytowers Clinic, where the renowned Dr. Todhunter has a reputation for helping wealthy and powerful men recover physically and mentally. Batman is hoping to recover from the grave wounds he sustained battling Dr. Phosphorus. However, Dr. Todhunter is in actuality an old Batman villain, Hugo Strange. Strange discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman and incapacitates Wayne so that he can assume the identity of Batman. Another plot line involves Boss Thorne putting out a contract on Batman's life, which draws the attention of some colorful and familiar Batman enemies. In “I Am the Batman,” Robin returns to Gotham City to re-team with Batman.
Batman takes on The Penguin in Detective Comics #473 (“The Malay Penguin”) and the assassin “Deadshot” in issue #474 (The Deadshot Ricochet”). Early in the latter story, Robin ends his temporary reunion with Batman when he is summoned by the Teen Titans.
Englehart and Rogers most famous story in their run occurred in the two-part Detective Comics #475 (“The Laughing Fish”) and #476 (“Sign of the Joker”). This story features an unambiguously homicidal Joker, whose murderous actions are wholly illogical and consistently capricious. In this mini-story arc, The Joker uses a chemical to disfigure fish in the ocean, giving them a “rictus grin” (similar to his own ghastly grin). The Joker brazenly expects to be granted a federal trademark on these grinning fish. The local government bureaucrats try to explain to the Joker that they cannot help him even if they wanted. Obtaining such a claim on a natural resource (like the fish) is legally impossible. So The Joker starts killing these men in the most gruesome way, and Batman begins a desperate and seemingly failing battle to stop the Joker. Issue #476 is Englehart's final issue.
Marshall Rogers ends his tenure on Detective Comics with a two-part tale written by Len Wein. The story appears in Detective Comics #478 (“The Coming of... Clayface III!”) and #479 (“If a Man Be Made of Clay...!”) and introduces the third iteration of the classic Batman villain, Clayface.
During his short, but essential run on Detective Comics, Steve Englehart returns Batman to his pulp fiction roots, making him a relentless force for justice. Marshall Rogers draws Batman as brooding, fearsome, wraith-like, and (indeed) bat-like. Batman moves about the page in a way that recalls what may be the character's chief inspiration, the pulp hero and vigilante, Walter Gibson's The Shadow.
The Joker also experiences a return to his roots. Englehart and Rogers present an insane, matter-of-fact, and homicidal Joker, who has a creepy, unsettling grin dominating his face. This recalls the character originally presented by writer Bill Finger and artists Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. As a visual reference for the way Rogers draws The Joker, readers need only take a look at three covers drawn by Jerry Robinson that feature The Joker: Detective Comics #69 (Nov. 1942) and #71 (Jan. 1943), and also Batman #37 (Oct.-Nov 1946).
Steve Englehart now refers to his 1970s run on Detective Comics as “Dark Detective I,” as precursor to his 2005 miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective, which he now calls “Dark Detective II.” I read these 1970s Englehart-Rogers Batman stories when I was a pre-teen, again in my late teens, and again in my early thirties, and now in my early 50s. I can say that, for the most part, these stories have aged well.
Englehart has also said that these stories not only influenced the 1989 Batman movie, but that they are also the reason that film went into development. I don't know if that is true or not, but I could believe it. These stories are special enough to influence other Batman storytellers, and in the trade paperback collection, Batman: Strange Apparitions, they prove that they won't fade away.
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