We begin our Batman in Order series here… appropriately enough in the very beginning with Detective Comics issue 27. These reviews will be less about the creators, behind the scenes, and the process of it all, and more about the story of The Batman, the character, and how he has changed and evolved and often represented or stood against common conventions of the time.
Much has been written and discussed about the creation of The Batman character over the years and I will leave that discussion to others as I want our focus here to be about The Batman character itself. Batman was and is published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939.
The introduction to The Batman story in Detective Comics issue 27 in 1939.
Detective Comics was originally an anthology series with an assortment of other detectives, athletes, police, and assorted other action-crime stories. Batman is first featured in a story called "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate". Superman had debuted in DC’s Action Comics issue 1, released the previous year.
We first meet Bruce Wayne, a rich young socialite talking with his friend, police commissioner Gordon when a call comes in for Gordon. A man known only as Lambert has been stabbed to death, and his son's fingerprints are on the knife. Commissioner Gordon goes to the crime scene taking Bruce Wayne with him. Gordon interviews Lambert’s son who says that someone else had murdered his father and that his fingerprints got on the knife as he was pulling it out of his father's back, which is, in fact, true. He tells Commissioner Gordon that his father had three business partners: Steven Crane, Alfred Stryker and Paul Rogers.
Our first glimpes of Bruce Wayne and his friend Commissioner Gordon.
Steven Crane soon calls and speaks with Commissioner Gordon, telling him that Lambert had received an anonymous death threat the previous day, and that he has received another one today and is now fearing he too will be murdered. Bruce Wayne then ducks out. At this point the reader is unaware that he is the Batman, who we will soon meet. The police go to Steven Crane's house but are too late, as he has already been killed.
Our first look at The Batman in costume, complete with purple gloves in his original design.
Steven Crane's murderer meets his accomplice and shows him the contract which he stole. Suddenly, The Batman (originally The Bat-Man) appears and defeats the two criminals and proceeds to investigate the contract.
Paul Rogers (presumably not the lead singer of Bad Company who wouldn’t be born for ten more years) goes to Alfred Stryker's house after hearing about the murders on the radio. Alfred Stryker's assistant, Jennings, forces Paul Rogers to sing, “I Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” … sorry, he actually forces him into a makeshift gas chamber in order to kill him. Batman shows up and saves Paul Rogers and defeats Jennings. Or, I suppose you could say setting him Free (groan). Alfred Stryker then arrives and reveals himself to be the mastermind behind Lambert and Crane's murders, and then attacks Rogers, but Batman defeats him too.
Batman’s first kill. He punches the villian straight off a platform into a vat of acid.
Batman then reveals that Alfred Stryker wanted total control over the Apex Chemical Corporation and had hired the murderers to kill his business partners and steal the secret contracts he had with them. Alfred Stryker tears free and tries to shoot Batman who then punches Stryker right in the face, knocking him into an acid tank where he is killed instantly. Batman’s “no kill” rule doesn’t come into effect until later on. This is Batman Kill Count #1. There will be others coming up, including in the next issue. Batman is not the least bit bothered by this death either as he says, "A fitting end for his kind" then he bails out.
The final revel of the issue - Bruce Wayne is The Batman!
The next day, Commissioner Gordon talks to Bruce Wayne and tells him about The Batman. Bruce Wayne is indifferent to this information; however, it is then revealed to the reader that Bruce Wayne is, in fact, The Batman.
The Batman Timeline and Chronology:
03-30-1939: 1st Appearance of The Batman & Commissioner Gordon. Detective Comics issue 27.
Batman Kill Count: 1
Batman in Order Podcast 01 - Detective Comics Issue 27
Join When It Was Cool on this new series following the chronological history of The Batman from his debut in 1939 through history. This is not a documentary series about the creators and artists (though they are mentioned) but instead is a study of the character of the Batman himself and the changes he has gone through over the years. Episode one takes a look back to 1939 and the debut of Batman in the pages of Detective Comics.
Direct Link - https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/whenitwascool/01_Batman_in_Order_Detective_Comics_27.mp3
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