M + M Inc. Read Through Alan Brennert's Batman

 

Is this the best comic book ever? Keep reading!

The boys are back in town, and that town is Gotham City. Yep, M & M Inc. are taking a look at five ‘80s Batman stories from writer Alan Brennert. A screenwriter, author, and producer by trade, Brennert is a lifelong comic book lover who gifted us with just a handful or more of comics over the years, but his hits-to-misses ratio is off the charts. He’s basically pitched the perfect game of comic book writing. Each one of this stories is heartfelt and memorable. Many of them starred Batman, and it’s five of those pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths tales that we’re going to read and discuss here, starting with an anniversary issue, Detective 500, followed by four issues of The Brave and the Bold.

Michael: I read all of these as a kid and love them to this day, especially the final story we’ll be covering, “The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne.” I’m friends with Mr. Brennert on Facebook and hope he’ll see our post when it’s done! He always seems humbled to learn how much fans love his comic book work. 

Mark, what is your experience with Alan Brennert and these particular issues of his? 

Mark: I just read that intro that Alan Brennert wrote in his 2016 collection. He tells a story about trying to sell his first comic story to Creepy, and if he had, maybe he becomes a full time comic book guy. I wish he had sold that comic, because everything he writes is off the charts good. Knowing that he wrote some of the 1980s Twilight Zone tv show, I kind of see his Batman stories as Twilight Zoneish stories. Phantom Stranger is totally a Twilight Zone kind of guy. Let's jump into his first story that appeared in Detective 500! 

It looks like a normal Batman story, but it got me crying. Dick Giordano at his height.

Detective Comics 500

Michael: I love the origin for this story, which Alan Brennert tells in the introduction to the collected edition of his Batman comics. He pitched the idea to pal Paul Levitz for someone else to write, but Levitz said, “You’re a writer. Why don’t you write it?” And thus was born Brennert’s first published comics story. Not only did DC publish it, but they did so in a major anniversary issue! Amazing stuff. 

I love how in his first Batman story, Brennert establishes what makes his Batman so special. There’s real heart behind this issue, a pathos too, as it deals with loss and grief, and trying to go back and change the past to help ease your grief. When Phantom Stranger offers Batman the chance to travel to an alternate universe to save the lives of his parents on that world, he says “This is your second chance, Bruce Wayne—and I offer it to you as a friend and a comrade.” That really takes me back to the greatness of the Bronze Age, when heroes could talk to each other the way friends would in real life. 

Mark: I wish Phantom Stranger was my friend. I constantly think about going back in time and fixing a slight mistake here or there, but I've come to realize how pointless that is. It's important to appreciate everything that brought you to where you are, and all the choices you made. 

"You know that worst thing that ever happened to you? You can fix it, for another you. Not you though." - Phantom Stranger

Speaking of choices, I wonder where Batman and Robin got their civilian clothes on the alternate Earth. Bruce Wayne isn't spending Earth-1 dollars at Macy's is he? And Robin not finding any heroic mythology is insane. Did Joseph Campbell even write Hero of a 1000 Faces?? Every myth and story is just about some people hanging out, being petty, getting some food. 

Also Robin telling Batman to not stop his parent's murder, and his big reason is “You'll condemn him to a life as a spoiled playboy!” Yeah. He'll just be rich, bored, and have his parents around instead of having such a bad psychosis that he dresses up like a bat at night and punches people who also dress up and murder people. Condemned to wealth with no trauma! 

Michael: Robin’s rationale for not saving the Waynes is the kind of thing I expect from someone with absolutely no child rearing experience. Um, dude, the kid has tantrums. He’s a child! That’s what they do! It doesn’t mean he’s condemned to a lifetime as a spoiled brat. That part bugged me, but I like how Batman just ignored Robin’s nonsense. 

Yeah, this story really captures that wistful, yet conflicted feeling of wanting to go back and “fix” something in your life. Brennert writes some of the most emotionally affective comics I’ve ever read, which is why I wish he’d written more of them! Mark, what do you think of how Brennert writes Batman? 

Mark: I think he writes Bruce Wayne with a great vulnerability that you rarely see. There's an everyman projection that happens when you're reading, that makes you feel like you are Batman in that moment. I love how this finishes, where Batman didn't need his parents to die to become Batman, he just needed inspiration. In a world with no hero myths, Phantom Stranger planted the seed. The true hero here, Phantom Zone Stranger. 

Michael: Beautifully said, my friend. Brennert writes a more complex, nuanced Bruce/Batman than most writers, before or since. 

Paper like "You've crumpled me for the last time!"

The Brave and the Bold 178

Michael: Brennert’s next Bat-tale is a team up with the Creeper, in one of my favorite Bronze Age DC series, The Brave and the Bold. I like how early on we get some Dark Knight Detective work, as Batman is flummoxed by a serial murderer. Creeper shows up to help, Batman takes him to the Batcave (!) to look into clues and Creeper calls him “Bats” which he doesn’t like. Then Creeper calls “BM” which is much worse, so eventually Batman asks him to just call him Bats again. This whole part feels like it would’ve fit perfectly in the animated Brave and the Bold show!

I’m thrown by Jack Ryder’s annoyance with the other newsman at the station (love the station name: WHAM!), whose segment is all about right wing reactionary bluster. Isn’t that Ryder’s usua schtick? Maybe that’s why he’s annoyed, this guy’s ripping off his bit. 

Mark: Seeing Aparo's amazing work on the Creeper, and Brennert characterization, makes me realize I've never read my Ditko issues of Creeper. I honestly feel don't know who Jack Ryder is. I will say, it's fascinating to see a right wing propagandist exploiting fear on TV as one part of the story, and the other part is killer paper. Here kids, Killer paper! Here adult, hatred being exploited to control to gain right wing viewers on TV. I blame Fox News, but it's always been there. 

Michael: Yeah, reading this now is fairly depressing. Just proves how long we’ve cultivated hate mongering in our media. As for the killer paper, while I understand the origami connection, I wish all the negative psychic energy had manifested something a little more, I dunno, scary? Besides that though, the rest of this issue completely works for me. The Ryder/Creeper stuff is good, and it’s one of the only Creeper stories I can remember where I actually liked the Ryder identity. My favorite moment was when he tells Batman that if he only ever showed courage as Creeper, what kind of her would he be? I love how, in the midst of this fantastical killer paper story, Brennert drops some deep thoughts like that. All in all, a solid B&B tale from 1981. 

Mark: Even though the Origami villain is kind of corney, it's made for kids, right? And I was just reading about certain politicians focusing on groups, and those groups then reporting an uptick in violence. Something I know is a fact, and something Brennert threw in subtley for people to read here. Also, 70s Jim Aparo is amazing. I think his 70s work might be in my all time top 10 now. On to the next issue.

IM HAWK IM ALWAYS ANGRY.

Brave and the Bold 181

Mark: So we pick this up months later. Life has been doing its things. Onward.

Michael: Brennert returned to B&B just three issues later, and once again he’s teaming Batman up with some more Ditko creations, Hawk and Dove (or, as Dove says this issue, “They call me THE DOVE, gentlemen…”). First of all Aparo is on fire as usual for this time period. He peppers the first few pages with a couple cool panels of Batman swinging on his line through San Francisco. He tracked a mobster there from Gotham and, whoch means we get a brief opening interlude with Hal (Green Lantern) and Barry (Flash). Bruce is humorless and tells them he has to jet to do some crime fighting, then Hal challenges Barry to a race down to his place in Los Angeles. I love their relationship, so fun during that era. 

Mark: This is Brennert's commentary on the 60s, as looking at what became of the spirit by 1981. Like Henley says “ We haven't had that spirit here, since 1969.” Also cool to see Kennedy, King and Lennon mentioned in the intro. He really only writes when he has something major to say.

Michael: Batman has a run in with Hawk, who is clearly losing his marbles. He’s seriously on edge, aggrieved by society’s inability to give him everything he wants out of life (seriously, he is SO Trumpy in this issue), and then raises his hand to his wife when she tells him he’s out of control. Whoa. I always hated this character but he’s loathsome so far in this issue. Meanwhile Dove is more my speed, lamenting stuff like “When did humanism become a dirty word?” I relate hard to this character so far. 

Mark: Well, we're both Doves haha. The humanism line hits today. Brennert is using them as political standins for his beliefs and I am loving it. Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates also threw their politics in, and I had heard Ditko left early because he really didn't agree with Skeates’ politics. And holllyyyyyy shhhitttt Jim Aparo's work in this is amazing. Batman swinging in moonlight, I want that as a poster! I'm literally 6 pages in and I LOVE THIS ISSUE. 

They're both fighting with their ladies, and it's the dichotomy of life. Perspectives, but the pain is the same. Brennert is so good.. 

Michael: This issue really showcases Brennert’s television writing skills. It reads like an episode of one of those great 1970s cop show dramas. I love it! It’s also amazing to consider now, 40+ years after this issue was written, how at the time they were only a decade or so out from Hawk and Dove’s debut, but Brennert makes clear how vastly different the ‘70s were from the late ‘60s. The growing disillusionment of the ‘70s feels baked into this issue, but Brennert is such a humanist that it’s filled with signs of hope and positivity. I love it so much. 

Mark: Hope is dangerous to a guy like, to misquote Lana Del Rey. Yeah, this issue is top 50 comics I've ever read. From Hawk and Dove having to face their issues, to Brennert playing out a complete commentary on two decades, to the Jim Aparo art. Just wonderful. I think we move onto the next jammy jam, cause I have nothing more to say on this one. Please go buy it.

I'm feeling things too Batman.

Brave and the Bold 182

Michael: Okay, just in the first half of this amazing issue we have our earth’s Batman being transported to Earth-2, teaming up with Earth-2 Robin, then meeting Earth-2 Kathy Kane/Batwoman. Robin is emotional because his Batman died, now he’s getting the chance to work with his dimensional counterpart, while Batman is emotional because Batwoman died on his earth the year before. Brennert makes these characters feel like real people dealing with real grief. It’s catnip for this Bat-fan. Plus: Hugo Strange! He played a big role in Batman when I was first getting into comics, so I’ve always had a soft spot for the megalomaniacal madman. 

Mark: Man, life comes at you fast. And then slows everything down. Right off the bat (man), the storms, the switching from Earth 1 to Earth 2, it's got a bit of a pre-crisis vibe to it. Also, Jim Aparo's style is starting to take more of his 80s style versus his 90s. Is this the issue that happened? Man, seeing Starman also reminds me of how much I loved Earth 2 as a kid.

This issue is early 80's X-Men levels of emotions and inner dialogues. I'm really enjoying it. And Brennert changes his style again. I've realized that every single issue he works on feels different, he doesn't stick to any repetitive storytelling constructs. 

Michael: You and I talk about this a lot, how we’re feeling our mortality more and more these days. This issue really brings that up for me. I feel old and young all at the same time, meanwhile time is flying by so fast. I relate to Batman’s existential crisis here. He’s trapped in a world that’s not his own, with expectations from others about the kind of man he should be. That’s some HEAVY stuff, man. This hits hard. It’s like Brennert looked into our souls and said, “Okay, I gotcha. I’ll write this for you.” Damn. Rereading Brennert’s Batman as an aging Gen Xer gives me an even greater appreciation for the way he writes so powerfully about life and death and everything in between. Such a beautiful issue. 

Just a quick final note: Denny O’Neil (who I normally love) unceremoniously killed off Batwoman a few years before this issue. I always hated how he just callously killed her off camera, basically. With this issue, Brennert restored some of the dignity for Kathy Kane that O’Neil had taken away. One more reason to love Brennert’s work. 

Mark: Yeah, the way Brennert really reflecting the mortality discussions we've been having. I just got though a crisis just this week (not infinite earths kind, very finite earth), and my emotions are raw. The emotions in this book are raw too. I wonder what influenced Brennert to write this issue? We need to interview him. On to the next issue! 

This is the height of comic booking.

The Brave and the Bold 197

Michael: “But lately, I’ve had this feeling that time is somehow running short, that endings are not so very far away…”

Wow. 

Okay, my friend. Here we are, The issue that’s quite possibly my favorite Batman issue of all time. That opening page with Bruce’s inner monologue is so deep. The entire issue is so deep. The characters grapple with so many relatable fears we all experience as we age: being alone, reconciling who we are with who we thought we’d be, and the absolutely devastating finality of life. This issue hit hard for me as a kid, before I had any real clue about life, but now it’s an overwhelmingly emotional read. It’s all I want out of great art: it makes me think about life, death, the universe, and everything. Perfection in 23 pages. Thank you, Alan Brennert for gifting us with this masterwork. 

I’ll write more about the story and art soon, but give me your initial thoughts, Mark. 

Mark: Well, I have it signed by Joe Staton, which is cool. What a nice guy! 1st thoughts? I think George Freeman is a PERECT inker for Joe. I need to find other collabs. And that Aparo cover. Man, what a time for beautiful comic art. Damnmnn yo. “But lately I've had this feeling that time is somehow running short.” Fuckkkkkk.

That age shit. Getting older. The shadow overwhelming

Get her out of jail Bruce.

Michael: Always running from that shadow, never making up any ground. That line really might be one of the most profound things I’ve ever read in a comic. Hey, I got my issue signed by Staton also! He and Freeman together are a dream team, for sure. 

“I was alone, truly alone, for the first time since my parents had been killed.” Jaysus. More deep stuff. Killing me. It’s so refreshing to see Batman portrayed as someone who loves and needs his surrogate family of friends and colleagues. Then when Bats goes to ask Selina for help defeating Scarecrow and they bond over feeling like their worlds are both shrinking…Bruce: “Dead ends and locked doors.” Selina: “Shrinking…yes. I…know that feeling.” Dammit, man! I’m crying now. 

[Interlude: Mark and Michael attended a comic con recently. While we were there, we had a lovely chat with the extremely nice Joe Staton about this particular issue and how much we adore it. Always a pleasure to talk to Joe. What a great guy!]

I love Joe Staton as a human being. 

Mark: I restart this read back in a bad place. Society has fallen apart unfortunately. Things look very bleak, bad news is constant, people's mental states are on constant attack, but we will try to find solice in the fantastic work of Alan Brennert and Joe Staton. 

Michael: Yeah, our hiatus here definitely coincided with the society tanking big time. Returning to that beautiful Brennert story though, is definitely a restorative balm at a time when we need it more than ever. 

I showed this to my wife to show her a scene where Bruce and Selena get down while on fear toxin. 

Mark: I'm going to start Brave and the Bold 197 again. This is the height of comic book creation. Writing, art, coloring, lettering, even publishing, it's just perfect. Right off the greatest fear someone being shot and Jim Gordon reacting reminds me of that amazing Batman Animated series episode where his daughter dies. 

The art is so good. The feelings expressed are strongly relatable. Have Staton and Freeman worked on anything else together? 

Michael: Good question, I don’t know. They should have worked together more though, that’s for sure. The art here is some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. Beautifully melds the Dick Sprang era Batman with Staton’s and Freeman’s own styles. 

Mark: Also, I'm pretty sure this is the first appearance of the back scars on Batman concept. Still a hot concept today and used by alot of subsequent creators like Alex Ross. 

Michael: Yup, this is where that started. Brennert really added something enduring to the lore with that. 

Mark: Damn, that ending. Selina saving him from himself, I've always thought my wife sort of did the same. I was always so self destructive, but love can save you from that. I also think them getting busy in the tower got rid of Scarecrow's fear gas? Fantastic. Thank you Alan Brennert. Thank you Joe Staton. Thank George Freeman. Thank you John Costanza. Thank you Adrienne Roy. Thank you Len Wein. Thank you Jenette Kahn. Thank you Paul Levitz. Thank you Joe Orlando. Thank you Karen Berger. Thank you Dick Giordano. Thank you Alan Brennert again for all you've written.

Michael: This is my favorite Batman or Catwoman story of all time. I echo your heartfelt thanks to all those amazing creators who gifted us with such lasting work. Is this the Greatest Batman Story Ever Told? Yes, I think it is. It’s the perfect Batman-Catwoman story and ending, the one they and we deserve. Thanks for reading this with me, Mark. This issue means the world to me. 

Mark: The end. Our article, and society. Until next time.

Superman and Batman in Golden Look-Look Books

Hey children of the eighties, let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit those softcover Golden Look-Look Books that were so influential to us during our formative years:  

Superman vs the helicopter backpack bandits. Mine came with a free sticker

Golden Look-Look Books were an integral component of the Child of the 80s Grade School Experience™, along with a lunchbox and matching thermos set of your favorite cartoon characters and running shoes with velcro straps. Marketed as early learning educational material, Look-Look Books featured a vast array of then-popular characters from licensed properties and were often found in the children's section in libraries and department stores.

Since I'm dredging up memories from thirty-something years ago, I'll set the scene for you: you're in primary school and, after a long morning of managing two dozen unruly grade schoolers, your teacher decides to assign the class some 'quiet time' so she can nurse her headache under the guise of encouraging early childhood development. This usually involved siccing you and your classmates on the school library so the librarian can deal with you guys for an hour or so. Since most of us were still learning to read and most of the books were above our reading skill, we all made a mad dash for the most interesting books with lots of pictures of our favorite characters to look at -- this is where Golden Look-Look Books came in.

pile of Golden Look-Look Books.
image source: ebay.ca

Golden Look-Look Books were a line of inexpensive 21cm x 21cm softcover books published by Golden Books, and not to be confused with Little Golden Books (also published by Golden Books) which were roughly the same size but hardcovered. You may also remember Golden Super Adventure Books, Golden Book n' Tapes (children's books that came with an audio cassette) or the large-sized hardcover Golden Book movie storybooks that provided child-friendly summaries of then-popular films. When you think about it, Golden Books, an imprint of Western Publishing, appeared to have cornered the market on children's edutainment since they also published activity books, coloring books, and puzzles. As 80s kids, we were inundated with Western Publishing products and just didn't realize it at the time.

Since Western Publishing had licenses to characters from Walt Disney, Warner Bros, MGM and Universal Studios (among many others), Golden Look-Look Books had a wide assortment of popular characters from cartoons and movies to choose from when deciding who to feature in their books (such as My Pet Monster, Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Bugs Bunny, Sesame Street, Pac-Man, Garfield, Barbie, G.I. Joe, Winnie the Pooh, Snoopy and friends, Peter Pan, The Rocketeer...and a few more I'm sure I'm forgetting). 

Even Nintendo had a few characters featured in Look-Look Books.
image source: ebay.ca

Kids of the 80s were extra lucky because we were oversaturated with Saturday morning cartoons and action figure toylines who had no qualms with licensing themselves out to a publishing company who then marketed to us via "educational material" targeted towards youth. It was essentially advertising disguised as education. Did reading adventures about the Masters of the Universe remind me of MOTU toys and increase their value in my eyes? Hell yeah! Marketers, take note: this is how you create life-long brand loyalists.

Okay, enough history, on to today's feature presentation. As much I'd love to showcase ALL of these books, I'll have to stick to the ones with DC characters since we're a DC comics fansite. Let's start with The Adventures of Superman (Golden Look-Look Book edition):

This book used to belong to Jamie. Well, now we know who put the sticker on the cover.

While I'm not familiar with Patricia Relf or David Hunt, Kurt Schaffenberger started illustrating for Fawcett Publications back in the late 1940s and had wound up working for DC comics on the Superman titles from the late 1950s and onwards as penciller and/or inker. He had a notable run on New Adventures of Superboy as penciller from 1979 to 1984 (which is probably what he was doing when he got this gig -- the book was copyrighted in 1982). Unsurprisingly, a lot of comic book writers and artists (that only the hardcore comic book fans might be familiar with) often contributed to these books.

Superman's escape from Krypton pretty much sticks to the comic interpretation. Superman was a pretty big deal at this time (thanks to the success of the 1978 Superman film), and I'm relieved to see that they went with the colorful Silver Age costumes for Superman's parents rather than the dystopian movie versions. 

The page layouts of this particular book were very "comic book"-ish, and by that I mean the colors were vibrant and the story followed sequential steps and were separated by borders. It was probably stipulated from Golden Books that a brief origin story was included in this book so that kids could realize Superman's was from another planet and don't try these stunts at home.

Ma Kent knits tiny Clark Kent a pint-sized Superboy costume. Pa Kent gives lil' Clark about "doing the right thing". This is like a mini morality play. 

Flash forward twenty-odd years, and it's a grown-up Clark working with (his friend) Lois Lane. We're finally introduced to the villain(s) and see a bit of action.

While I didn't question these things as an eight year-old, now I wonder -- of all the villains they could've used -- why go with complete unknowns like "propeller backpack"-wearing henchmen? They could've literally used anyone else (i.e. Intergang, Lex Luthor thugs, etc...). Maybe they're from a Superman comic or cartoon I'm completely blanking on? Either way, not really a big deal -- it still works for the story.

...and now we're at the denouement: Superman discovers the culprit behind all this and brings him to justice. Prior to learning Schaffenberger used to draw Captain Marvel Jr comics for Fawcett I was going to comment that the Evil Mastermind was a dead-ringer for Captain Marvel arch-enemy Dr. Sivana (albeit with a bad toupée), but I think this kind of explains itself now.

The story ends with Clark giving a knowing wink to the reader that they're both in on the secret of who Superman actually is and that Lois is completely clueless. Hey, it's kind of like Superman is building a rapport with the reader. All in all, this was a pretty harmless book and a quick read with nothing too complex or offensive. Well done, Ms Relf.

Golden Look-Look Books would be absent of DC characters until the second wave of Batmania hit North America as precipitated by the 1989 Batman film.

A 'Special Edition' Golden Look-Look Book featuring Batman and the Joker was released in 1990:

image source: ebay.ca

I don't own this one so I don't have much to tell you about it.  I do know that it was written by Jack C. Harris and illustrated by Al Bigley, Mike DeCarlo and Tad Zar Chow (penciller/inker/colorist, I'm guessing). Note that they went for the classic Super Powers designs of Batman and Joker as opposed to the Keaton Batman and Nicholson Joker designs.

Even the Super Powers Batmobile was adapted into this book. Image source: ebay.ca

  

Another 'Special Edition' Batman book was released in 1991, 'The Purrfect Crime' featuring Catwoman:

Andrew Helfer wrote this one, but the Bigley, DeCarlo & Chow artistic team remained the same. Let's just cruise through this one real quick:

The only thing I'm noticing here is that Catwoman's costume is looking very much like the one she wore in Mindy Newell's 1989 Catwoman mini-series -- which pre-dated Selina's Batman Returns black leather catwoman suit by at least 2 years -- and remained her main costume throughout Knightfall. [After which she switched back to a purple costume.]

Hey look, it's the "Cat-van"!

It took a tracer to find Catwoman's secret location? Why didn't he just get Robin, Huntress and Nightwing to drive around town until they spotted a van with cat ears parked on the street?

As you've undoubtedly noticed by this point, these 'Special Edition' Golden Look-Look Books are laid out less like comic books and more like illustrated stories. 

As the reader learns more about the motive for Catwoman's thefts they are left with an ethical dilemma: is it right to commit crime even if it's for the greater good? In this case, liberating felines from cruel conditions and neglectful owners. This is pretty heavy stuff for a kid; I think the Animal Liberation Front gives these books out for free as recruitment propaganda.

I would also like to give credit to the writer for not adding any romantic tension between Batman and Catwoman. Which would've came off as awkward.    

Thankfully, extremely rich Bruce Wayne is able to find a solution that makes everyone happy -- proving once again that money can fix everything.

Another Golden Look-Look Book featuring Batman was released in 1992, but this one just took several scenes from Batman Returns featuring The Penguin and the Red Triangle Circus gang and condensed it into a 24-page children's book:

There was a different creative team on this one: Michael Teitelbaum wrote it, and Rick Hoberg and Tad Chow illustrated it. Hoberg pencilled a lot of stuff for DC comics, and was probably best known for being the regular penciller on Mike Grell's Green Arrow in the early 90s.

Since this book featured the Red Triangle Circus gang, I would've been all over this. I do remember flipping through this book as a youth but for the life of me can't remember how it ends.

Since it incorporated aspects of the plot where the Ice Princess is kidnapped and falls to her death in a trap baited for Batman, I'm kind of wondering how/if they watered this down for a juvenile audience.

There were a few more Golden Look-Look Books set in the Batman The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited universe, but these were all released after 1995. Oh yeah, the Batman & Robin film got it's own Golden Look-Look Book, too. This has been a pretty exhausting article to research and write about, and I'm running out of things to say...

...so, I'm going to leave on a high note and link to another blog's review of a Golden Super Adventure Go-bots book. Hope you enjoyed this article on Golden Look-Look Books and it brought back some fond memories of your youth.

Cheers,

Justin

Kenner's Batman The Animated Series action figures wave 2 (1993)

Justin: Well, we're back for round two. Or 'wave' two, rather. We discussed the first wave of BTAS action figures in this article. As per my collection of Wizard and Hero Illustrated magazines that I've combed through, I've deduced that the second wave of BTAS figures were released sometime mid-1993. Some of the wave two cardbacks read '1992', so that's a bit misleading.

Mark: When you first said Wave 2, I thought you meant the re-designs. This is the 2nd wave of the first original style.

Justin: Wave two of Kenner's BTAS toyline consisted of eight new figures (three of which were some variation of Batman), and some snazzy new vehicles... including <dramatic pause> The Batmobile.

Mark: I had the Batmobile. It never fit anywhere. It was so big.

Justin: Some vehicles and playsets released by Kenner's various toylines came packaged with a pamphlet/catalog marketing all the other rad toys they were producing in 1993. Flipping through it reminded me that Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and Aliens were some of the other "big name" toylines Kenner was hawking at the time; I'd kind of "aged out" by the time these were released but still took a passing interest when I saw them on the toy shelves. Here's a few pages from the BTAS section of the pamphlet:

page from 1993 Kenner catalog
image source: Shogi's Toy Catalog Scans

page from 1993 Kenner catalog
image source: Shogi's Toy Catalog Scans

page from 1993 Kenner catalog
image source: Shogi's Toy Catalog Scans

page from 1993 Kenner catalog
image source: Shogi's Toy Catalog Scans

page from 1993 Kenner catalog
image source: Shogi's Toy Catalog Scans

Mark: I loved the villains. I still have the Man-Bat, Two-Face, Catwoman. Also, on a date in 2001, I bought a variation of the Batcave. I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to buy a huge Batman playset while I was on a date with a girl I was courting. I don't think she really minded, but it was a pain getting it home on the subway. I regretted buying it forever. It was just so big. I'm an action figure guy. I also want that Penguin now.

Justin: Alright, so let's start with the action figures. We'll begin with the heroes and conclude with the villains. It's worth noting that, starting with this wave, Kenner's BTAS action figures were starting to get more innovative: less spring-loaded projectile accessories, and more 'power actions'.

image source: ebay.com

Justin: Infared Batman. This burgundy Batman came with a backpack accessory that fired plastic orange discs. I believe he came with two discs. This was just your standard repainted Batman fig that came with a new accessory -- Kenner did this a lot starting with the 1990 Dark Knight Collection toyline. Hey, if the kids want Batman, give them Batman. I've never seen this one on the toy shelves or at any flea markets. Of course, if I had, I probably would've overlooked him since he didn't seem that 'special' to me. All things considered, his burgundy/black color scheme wasn't terrible and remained conducive to him sulking around in the shadows -- so yeah, not the worst of the bunch. 

Mark: Not to be a Negative Ned over here, but I'm not a fan of "Let's repaint the original mold and give it a new accessory" model of toy making. Was this even ever in the cartoon? A red chest piece? Bat signals being fired? What does that even mean?

image source: ebay.com

Sky Dive Batman (left) next to Turbojet Batman (right)
source: ebay.com 

Justin: Remember in our last article when I said that Turbojet Batman looked like he was wearing parachute straps? Well, I guess someone at Kenner thought the exact same thing, since Sky Dive Batman is just a repainted Turbojet Batman, but with a parachute accessory so you could launch him in the air. They wisely opted to repaint him to bright orange so he was easier to spot when he was stuck in a tree or on the roof of a neighbor's house. He came with a cape, so even without his parachute accessory, he was still playable. Still, I wasn't very interested in this version of Batman whatsoever. 

Mark: Pass on all of these re-paints. Although, as a Dad, I do like your theory on why they paint it, so it doesnt get lost in a neighbor's tree.

image source: ebay.com

Justin: Bruce Wayne with snap-on Batman armor... I had him and loved him! He was one of the few BTAS figs I ever bought that didn't require much deliberation. Actually, it was a no-brainer: for the price of one action figure you got Bruce Wayne AND Batman. His snap-on armor looked far better than Kenner's Dark Knight Collection/Batman Returns quick change Bruce Wayne figure... who looked like a guy who bought the cheapest Batman cosplay costume he could find on Amazon. Armored-up, he looked a bit like Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns Batman. It would've been nice if he had knees so he could've sat with the rest of the Justice League at the computer console of my Hall of Justice, but I made do. I also remember using an exacto knife to remove the tip of his gun accessory so I can use it as a makeshift batarang -- I felt it was more comic accurate than Batman carrying a gun.

Finding a complete, loose Bruce Wayne with snap-on Batman armor is a bit daunting. Most of the time, people will be selling it missing some of the armor pieces and swearing to you that it's complete. You can live without the gun, but you're really going to want all six of those snap-on armor pieces [helmet + cape, 2 x arm pieces, 2 x leg pieces, and chest plate]. 

Mark: I have never seen this one, but I love it. It does have a Dark Knight fighting Superman feel to it.

image source: ebay.com

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Justin: Ninja Robin here was kind of interesting. His right arm had some extra articulation at the elbow joint so that when you squeezed his legs together it would swing downwards in a chopping motion. This is feels like a welcome throwback to Kenner's Super Powers Collection with the 'power action' feature. Ninja Robin also came with a detachable black helmet, nunchucks, a bo staff, and a black cape. Overall, I like this figure -- being a ninja is in-theme with the Batman family thing, he has a neat power action and still looks good without his helmet [but the helmet is definitely a bonus]. He was re-released in a two-pack with Ninja Batman the following year, albeit with a different paint job and accessories.

Mark: Why not just make him all black, with a little splash of red, green and yellow? Feels a tad disjointed, but I like the illustration and the helmet.

image source: ebay.com

Justin: The first female character in the BTAS toyline: Catwoman. There's some major similarities between her and Kenner's Batman Returns Catwoman if you look beyond the accessories and color scheme: she had the same 'power action' [put a whip in her right hand, push arm upwards and she'll snap it back down -- creating a 'whipping motion'], and the same pose [but was actually able to stand upright unassisted]. This version of Selina Kyle comes with a few interesting accessories... in addition to her whip, she came with 'cat claws' that you could snap onto her wrists and a little plastic cat that sat on her shoulders. While the little plastic cat actually doesn't do anything except sit there, this would be the beginning of little plastic animal accessories being included with some figs. 

I don't have much to add except that I don't run across flea markets or toy vendors selling BTAS Catwoman very often -- so that makes her pretty rare. Kenner only made one Catwoman figure in the BTAS toyline -- she and Poison Ivy were the only female figures in a collection of thirty-something action figures. 

Mark: I gave this to my wife. She wore a similar Catwoman costume to our law school Halloween Party, and I gave it to her to hang in the room she studied for the bar in. I think its a great figure, and sad that the only two female figures were Ivy and Catwoman. NO HARLEY QUINN!?!?!??!?!?! That just struck me. How is that even possible? I do remember there was a Batgirl in the updated figures.

image source: ebay.com

Justin: It's the Joker! As mentioned before, I can't believe they waited until the second wave before releasing Batman's arch-nemesis. This is very much a 'what you see is what you get' figure. It's Joker, in his classic purple suit, with an obnoxiously large water cannon. You filled his little backpack up with water, attached the cannon to his arm, and squeezed his backpack to squirt water from the cannon. [For anyone keeping track, this was the third Joker figure in the last 5 years to somehow incorporate water into his gimmick See: ToyBiz Joker and Dark Knight Collection Sky Escape Joker.] Joker also came with a little plastic gas mask that looked cool.

There was another BTAS-styled Joker that had a similar look and color scheme to him. If you're ever rummaging through a vendor's bin of loose figs, you can quickly tell the two apart because this version had a small hole in his back that his backpack could hook onto, whereas the other one doesn't.

This version of the Joker had a small hole in his back.
image source: ebay.com

 Mark: Classic joker. I never put water into the little watergun. Does it work? That gas mask is hot. Could you technically fill the watergun with gas and spray gas like a villain?

image source: ebay.com

Justin: Scarecrow. Sorely needed to fill out my Legion of Doom roster, I never bought this guy because I never saw him on the toy shelves. Scarecrow had two things going for him: first, when you shone light through the top of his hat, his red eyes lit up (a la Super Powers Collection Darkseid). Second, he had a 'thumb wheel' on his back that caused his right arm to start spinning -- if he was holding his sickle weapon accessory in his right arm it made for a very impressive 'power action' feature. Scarecrow also came with a little plastic crow accessory that could be perched on his arm. Overall, a very cool figure and I wish I had one.

Thumb wheel on the back of Scarecrow.
Image source: ebay.com

Mark: I loved this figure. He might be my favorite of the original waves. Kind of off kilter and scary. The sickle would always fall out of his hand though. That happened with a lot of the little weapons. The crow didn't want to stay on him either. Still a fun figure, my 10/10 in the collection.

image source: ebay.com

Justin: I remember Man-Bat quite vividly. Man-Bat was massive in scale compared to all the other figs (except maybe Clayface). He also included a button on his back that, when pressed, caused his wings to flap and his head to rise up. This, included with a tow cable that could be used to wrap around other figs, made for a very cool-looking and fun action figure. Interestingly, Man-Bat was one of those 'lesser know' Bat-villains that received a lot of attention in BTAS, and became an example of a character the cartoon elevated from obscure to not-so-obscure. How obscure could he have been? It's been confirmed that if Kenner's Super Powers collection toyline hadn't been cancelled in 1986, we would've gotten a Man-Bat action figure. 

Mark: This one was a favorite of my wife and daughter because it flapped. I actually got this one in the 8 villain collection that they put out. The flapping wings was an accomplishment, for sure.

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Justin: And now for the wave two vehicles. Mark previously expressed that he didn't have much interest in the non-iconic vehicles, so I'll just go through these myself:

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Bat-Signal Jet with missile attached to nose of craft.
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Justin: The Bat-Signal Jet didn't do very much; it could probably be best described as a flashlight that Batman could lie on. On yeah, and it launched a spring-loaded missile from the nose of the craft. In short, it was a very lackluster vehicle and required two AA batteries [housed under the section Batman lay on].

image source: ebay.com

Justin: One of Batman's more unique vehicles; it's the B.A.T.V.. I'm having a bit of trouble describing this... it was like a ski-doo with tractor treads, but you could slightly raise the hood of the vehicle to activate 'Battle Mode'. When you raised the hood, the front skis became 'rollerblades' and guns popped out of the hood (which also doubled as an armored shield). No matter which mode you chose, there was still a spring-loaded projectile that could be fired from the front of the vehicle. I kind of like the idea of this: the transformation from regular vehicle to attack mode. The look and feel of the vehicle kind of gives me a 'G.I. Joe' vibe. Anyways, I don't think I've ever seen this at flea markets in one whole piece -- kids were pretty rough on this toy.

'regular mode'
image source: ebay.com

'battle mode'
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I'm going to boldly guess that this vehicle was meant for Kenner's Batman Returns toyline, but for whatever reason was cancelled and re-purposed for the BTAS toyline. I'm saying this because, incidentally, there were NO snow or ice-themed villains in this wave, so why would this vehicle be relevant? However, this would've been perfect when Batman battled Oswald Cobblepot and his legion of penguins strapped with rockets. Just a wild guess, of course. The third wave would bring us a Mr. Freeze action figure and the aptly-named 'Ice Hammer' vehicle meant for thwarting Mr. Freeze. 

image source: ebay.com

Justin: The Robin Dragster. This vehicle is so stupidly rare that I've never even seen one in person -- I've never know anyone who owned one, and I've never seen it being sold by any vendors. Apparently, it was determined that this vehicle was considered a rarity shortly after its release, since my 1997 Toyfare Special lists a Mint-In-Box Robin Dragster at $310 USD and a loose Robin Dragster at $110 USD. Why does Robin even need a 4x4 off-road vehicle? I thought he was more of a motorcycle and hang-glider type of guy? Probably for the same reason Superman needs a Justice Jogger, I guess. 

***UPDATE: Thanks to @TheAllen_Knight and Sean from Batman-News.com for confirming that the Robin dragster was super rare due to the original mold being destroyed in a factory fire. Only a small number of dragsters made it out to retailers before the fire, and it was too expensive for Kenner to create new ones.*** 

This vehicle did a few things: you could pull on the cross bar at the back of the vehicle to raise it into the 'high-rider' position and make it taller, the green windshield could be pulled back to expose two guns, and there was a yellow spring-loaded batarang projectile on the back.

regular position
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'high rider' position
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weapons exposed
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FUN FACT: Both the Robin Dragster and the Joker Mobile were actually vehicles slated for Kenner's Dark Knight Collection toyline, but were cancelled and re-designed for the BTAS toyline. I only know this because I stumbled upon a 1991 Kenner catalog showcasing these exact vehicles but with different names and color schemes:

page from 1991 Kenner catalog
image source: Shogi's Toy Catalog Scans

image source: ebay.com

Justin: The heroes weren't the only ones getting vehicles. Introducing the Jokermobile... another vehicle I don't remember seeing in the BTAS cartoon. As previously mentioned, this was actually the Joker Mobile from Kenner's Dark Knight Collection, but modified to fit the BTAS aesthetic. This was a fun toy: it was a roadster that, when you slid the yellow hood back, turned into an assault vehicle exposing two anti-aircraft guns and a joker face. In addition, the lower jaw of the joker face at the front of the Jokermobile doubled as a spring-loaded projectile.

roadster mode
image source: ebay.com

attack mode
image source: ebay.com

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Justin: Saving the best for last, the second wave brought us the most iconic vehicle of the BTAS collection: the Batmobile. Really, if you had to pick only one vehicle from the entire toyline, this is the one you wanted. Curiously, there was only one Batmobile released in the BTAS toyline, making it quite a sought-after piece.

The Batmobile was made of sturdy plastic and was pretty long. It could only seat one action figure, who needed to be slid in through the top of the cockpit, and of course that figure needed to be pretty slim. As the BTAS toyline was more-or-less in scale with Kenner's Super Powers Collection and Toy Biz DC comics figs, you had quite few options on who could drive the BTAS Batmobile. As for weapons, it had little claws that extended from the front wheels, but the vehicle itself was devoid of any spring-loaded projectiles to be fired. (Imagine that!) Instead, you could extract the Launching Pursuit Jet (that neatly tucked into the driver's cockpit), which included a bomb that could be dropped. I thought this was a pretty fun toy; it kept with the sleek BTAS aesthetic and was basically two-vehicles-in-one. I actually still own one, and here's a few pics:

Claws extended from the Batmobile's two front wheels.

Crime Busters Torpedo Batman posing with the BTAS Batmobile.
The Batmobile had an ejector button that released the canopy so you could slide a driver into the cockpit.

Despite my best efforts, Torpedo Batman couldn't fit in to the cockpit -- his shoulders were too broad.
Well, so much for my original statement about all BTAS Batmen being able to drive.

I tried a few other Kenner Batmen figs from the Dark Knight Collection and none of them fit. Thankfully, Robin here from Batman Returns did the trick.

One of the more interesting things about the BTAS Batmobile was the Launching Pursuit Jet hidden inside the cockpit. There was no release button to extract it, so you had to pull it out manually. The jet had fold out wings and a little plastic bomb underneath.

My Launching Pursuit Jet is missing it's bomb, so here's what you should be looking for.
Image source: ebay.com

Justin: When buying a BTAS Batmobile from a vendor ensure the cockpit canopy isn't missing or broken, as they are the most common issue. There's a 75% chance the Launching Pursuit Jet's bomb will be missing, too. 

Mark: I never knew what to do with mine. It was a really hot design, but just so big. I used to sit the figures on it, like Robin would be in the driver's seat, and some villains would sit on the hood.

Justin: So, Mark, of all the Batmobiles from Batman '66 to 1997's Batman & Robin film, where would you rank the BTAS Batmobile? 

Mark: This is the best design ever for the Batmobile. In the comics, movies, whatever, THIS is my favorite.

Justin: For my money, it will always be the Batman 89 Batmobile. I'm also including the Batman Returns Batmobile in there, since both essentially had the same design.

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Justin: It was around this time that the only BTAS playset was released... The Batcave Command Center:

image source: nowandthencollectibles.com

Justin: The Batcave Command Centre was the exact same Batcave playset from Kenner's Batman Returns collection, just repainted and re-packaged. Kenner re-used this playset a third time when it was re-released again as the Wayne Manor Batcave playset for 1997's Batman & Robin collection (based on the film). Regretfully, I've never owned any of the three. Having never owned this, I can only speculate how it would've enriched my life. Let's take a look at all the snazzy things it did: 

image from side of box
image source: ebay.com

Based on this box, The Batcave Command Centre had 1) a chamber that allowed two action figures to swap places with each other, 2) 'break-away' skylights so Batman could come crashing through, and 3) a 'break-away' catwalk so an action figure could unwittingly fall to their doom (probably due to hubris). And then, of course, there were the other little embellishments that made it interesting: the secret entrance to the Batcave via the grandfather clock, a computer console (but how can he sit when he doesn't have knees?), a zip-line so Batman could swing through the front doors and make an entrance, a garage door for the Batmobile, and anti-gravity hooks (how do you think he gets those chiseled abs?). Yeah, I would've loved this as a kid.

I don't have the exact dimensions, but this playset was pretty large... much bigger than the ToyBiz Batcave. I mean, this thing was sprawling. Note the hinges between the sections? It's so you could fold it up and make it more compact, hence not take up so much room in the house when you put it away:

one side of the 1993 BTAS Batcave Command Centre 
image source: www.neogaf.com

The playset actually three locales in one: a Batcave, the front entrance and interior of Wayne Manor, and some sort of industrial-looking chemical plant (Ace Chemicals?).   

front of Wayne Manor when Batcave Command Centre was folded up
image source: ebay.com

Other than that, I don't really have much to add since I've never seen one in person. Based on photos I've seen, this Kenner Batcave playset appears to be far superior in quality and design than the ToyBiz Batcave. I can't tell you how rare they are or what pieces are commonly missing since I've never seen a complete one up close. In the early 2000s, Hasbro re-released the Batcave Command Centre in its Gotham City Darkstorm collection, and it seemed pretty accurate to the original (and included an exclusive Alfred action figure). BraveFortress.com wrote a review about it, and if it's as good as they say do in their review, I can see this being a real trophy piece. 

Mark: I owned the 1997 one. It was such a hassle for me to figure out what to do with it. I never knew how to display it in my small Brooklyn apartments, and whenever I moved, I always had to put it in a box so it wouldn't break in transit. I sold it at some point. I remember when I was 9 I was OBSESSED with getting Castle Grayskull from Masters of the Universe. I imagined my life would be perfect if I would just get it. My Dad got it for me for my 10th birthday, and within a week I had no idea what to do with it. Action figures I could create worlds with, playsets would somehow limit the worlds I created. Same with displays. Just me. Fun design though. Good stickers.

Justin: Yeah, as a fellow toy collector, I can totally relate to your first statement. Sometimes, playsets are like white elephants: they're too sacred to get rid of, but you don't really have the room in your living space to display them... so they end up getting packed away in storage.

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Justin: Alright, that wraps up our review of the BTAS wave two collection. I know there were deluxe BTAS figures released around this time, but we'll dedicate an article to that someday in the future (if we feel like it). Not sure how much steam Mark and I have left to cover the next few wave of this toyline, since there was, like, 6 waves of figures released.