The tenth appearance of The Batman took place in the February 1940 issue of Detective Comics Issue 36. Batman once again appears on the cover and like other past issues, the art depicted seems to have little to do with the issue itself. Batman will appear regularly on the cover of Detective Comics from this point forward. Batman is swinging from a post over a set of wooden steps and is kicking a couple of shirtless, sword wielding, racially caricatured Asian characters.
In Detective Comics issue 36 we are introduced, for the first time, to a recurring Batman villain, one which is still featured to this day - Professor Hugo Strange. Batman witnesses a man, who we later find out is a government G-Man, gunned down while fleeing from a car. With his dying words, he tells Batman about a mysterious fog. The G-Man dies before he can elaborate, and the police arrive just in time to see Batman hovering over a dying G-Man and assume Batman has murdered him.
I mean, I can understand the police position on this, they discover Batman literally going through the dead Agent’s pockets. Still, Batman gets away and sets out to discover what this mysterious fog is all about and now, also, to clear his name.
Meanwhile, back at the bad guy’s home, we discover that the mysterious Professor Hugo Strange is behind the assassination of the G-Man and he is upset that Batman is now a witness.
Batman locates Professor Hugo Strange’s warehouse and beats up numerous henchmen. This is, far and away, the most physically impressive Batman has looked in his ten appearances so far. In a panel that is utterly unnecessary, and very shocking for modern Batman fans, Batman takes a gun he found… well… somewhere (listen to the podcast for more on this) and fires it in order to summon the police. Cell phones were not a thing in 1940 but this is a bit much.
There is a scene where Batman is captured momentarily by Prof. Hugo Strange, tied up, and whipped by Strange but Batman is able to break his bonds in an almost superhuman display of strength. Then, Batman uses a Jiu-Jitsu throw against Strange and gives him the old UFC ground and pound. Batman ultimately discovers that Strange has stolen a machine which creates a fog under the cover of which, he can commit crimes. Batman clears his name and captures Prof. Hugo Strange.
In the final scene, Bruce Wayne is at home contemplating what the future holds for Prof. Hugo Strange. Hugo Strange’s last words (before we see him again) are, “They can’t keep me here, caged like some wild beast! I’ll escape and when I do, I shall devote the rest of my life in revenging myself upon the Batman!”
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The Batman Timeline and Chronology:
03-30-1939: 1st Appearance of The Batman & Commissioner Gordon. Detective Comics issue 27.
06-1939: Batman swings from building to building with a rope for the first time. Detective Comics issue 28.
07-1939: The Utility Belt is used for the first time.
09-1939: Fiancée Julie Madison is introduced. First Bat-Copter / Bat-Plane
10-1939: Batman uses a gun to kill The Monk.
11-1939: Batman kills Dr. Kruger by causing his plane to crash after knocking him out with gas. Origin of Batman.
12-1939: Batman is depicted holding a smoking gun. Commissioner Gordon returns.
02-1940: First appearance of Prof. Hugo Strange.
Batman Kill Count: 5
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