Uh Oh Batman… we’ve got a problem here.
The ninth appearance of The Batman took place in the January 1940 issue of Detective Comics Issue 35. Batman, once again appears on the cover, however, the art depicted seems to have little to do with the issue itself. Batman has, what appears to be, a mad scientist type in a pro wrestling cross-face chicken wing while the scientist attempts to jab a seated man with a needle. This has nothing to do with the Batman story in issue 35 of Detective Comics.
Batman doing his best Bob Backlund Impression here.
In this issue, we once again see Commissioner Gordon talking with Bruce Wayne. To the best of my memory this is the second appearance of Gordon, and we haven’t seen him since Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics issue 27. The conversation between Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne is interrupted by a character named Sheldon Lennox. Lennox is a world traveler who possesses a red ruby idol and is claiming to be blackmailed by a group of Hindu’s who want their idol back.
Anyway, this issue is considerably better in quality than the last issue, but the plot is simplistic and straight out of Scooby-Doo. You know pretty much immediately that Sheldon Lennox is probably the bad guy. Also, this issue is from 1940 so the depiction of Asians is very racist, so reader be warned.
Of course, the obvious lead in this story is the fact that the opening splash page clearly depicts Batman holding a smoking gun. I guess nobody time traveled back from the future to tell Bob Kane and company that Batman was not supposed to be doing that but as I’ve said all along in these Batman in Order podcasts, Batman’s moral compass develops over time, and he is a much darker figure before Robin comes along.
Batman does break a bad guy’s arm in this issue so he isn’t all Mr. Nice-Guy but you can relax, Batman does not shoot anybody in this issue and never once brandishes a gun despite what the first panel depicts.
It should be noted that a proto-Batmobile is featured in this issue, though it does not resemble any future Batmobile, nor is it called that. It is only referred to as Batman’s “High-Powered Roadster”.
To sum up the story, Sheldon Lennox dresses up in yellow-face and poses as an Asian warlord in order to cheat the “Hindus” out of their idol. Batman manages to catch him changing out of his disguise and confronts him. Lennox pulls out a pistol and shoots at Batman but misses and Batman throws the ruby idol at him, clocks him straight in the face, and Lennox then falls backwards out a window to his death. I did not add this one to Batman’s “kill count” (which presently stands at 5) as he did not directly cause Lennox to fall out of the window and, well, the dude was straight up shooting at Batman, so worst case it’s justifiable self-defense I suppose.
In conclusion, this story was an improvement over the last issue. Aside from the obvious Asian depictions which didn’t age very well, this is about as straight forward a Batman story as one could ask for.
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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.
12-1940: Batman is depicted holding a smoking gun. Commissioner Gordon returns.
Batman Kill Count: 5
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