With Bruce Wayne at Commissioner Gordon's house, Bruce and Jim enjoy puffing away on some pipes talking about something or someone called 'The Bat-Man' when the phone rings and ....
I get it... we have to know what the other person is saying so Commissioner Gordon repeats it all out loud...
Apparently Lambert the chemical king was stabbed to death by his own son and Commissioner Gordon asks Bruce Wayne to tag.
Certainly not normal police protocol
Lambert's son screams his innocence and explains that he found his father there, and pulled the knife from his back. He noticed the safe being opened as his father spoke the words , 'contract....contract' before he died. When questioned whether his father had any enemies, or people he did business with, he mentioned his three former business partners, Steven Crane, Paul Rogers and Alfred Stryker. The phone rings and it's Steven Crane who wishes to speak to Commissioner Gordon after he learns that Old Lambert has passed away.
Now, I'm not one for coincidences, but this is a bit odd
Steven Crane claims that Mr. Lambert called him yesterday and received an anonymous death threat, and today he received a death threat as well.
I'm not one for coincidences, but this is a bit odd
Bruce Wayne finds this a bit boring an excuses himself, and at that moment, Steven Crane is murdered and the thief opens the safe and secure a paper.
Woah, that crook is fast!
There is an accomplice waiting for him on the roof, but so is 'The Bat-Man'.
The very introduction gives him a 'The' and a hyphenated title 'Bat-Man'. The cover 'The Batman' versus 'The Bat-Man'. In time we know it becomes simply Batman. It will be interesting to see the progression in demeanor, appearance and tactics as we go through this journey.
The Bat-Man shouts one of the thieves as he is surprised with his presence.
The appearing silently from the shadows being used is either clever in design or based on the limitations of artistry or real estate...Interesting
After The Bat-Man subdues his foes, he takes the paper removed from Steven Crane's safe. The Commissioner just arrives to the Crane's residence to see 'The Bat-Man', as Crane's butler tell the commissioner that Crane has been murdered. Seeing that two of the four have been murdered, he suggests getting to Paul Roger's house immediately.
So a couple of things here, for one 'The Bat-Man' moves quickly through the city, and at this time, readers included, no one knows if 'The Bat-Man' is a good guy or a bad guy.
The scene cuts to Paul Rogers arriving at his erstwhile partner Stryker's laboratory
Okay, will use copilot to ask somethings that will help me. When I do it will be highlighted in green,
"Erstwhile" is an adjective meaning "former" or "previous." It is often used to refer to something that was once in a certain state or role but is no longer. For example:
"The erstwhile champion was defeated in the final match."
"They met with their erstwhile colleagues at the reunion."
It essentially denotes something or someone that belonged to an earlier time or a former position.
okay his former partner.
Rogers is met by Jennings, Alfred Stryker's butler
Apparently everyone had butlers in the 40s...Well at least the well to do did...
where he is secured to the floor in an area where a glass dome is slowly automatically lowered when Jennings pulls and handle, and tells Rogers he must go downstairs and turn on the poison gas.
Much like the serials, I am sure this was meant to be a cliff hanger moment. It's unfortunate that DC didn't go this route, to make the reader buy the next comic...It's one thing I know Marvel did before DC did it...
Just before the dome is completely lowered, The Bat-Man enters through a transom, grabs a wrench off a nearby lab table and enters the trap area below the lowering dome.
One thing I wanted to note was the ears on The Bat-Man's cowl, they aren't super long and raies above his head, but smaller and closer to the sides of his head.
The dome lowers and The Bat-Man stuff a handkerchief in the tube that carries the poison gas into the dome.
Handkerchiefs, a thing of the past, I wonder if this is a common item The Bat-Man carried or a tool from his utility belt. The belt is seen throughout the comic but never mentioned.
The Bat-Man quickly unties Rogers and smashes the glass dome with the wrench he grab just before entering trap area. This gets the attention of Jennings who comes and sees the two no freed individuals as he reaches for his gun. The Bat-Man take him down and out with a flying tackle. The shattering glass also draws the attention of Alfred Stryker, and enters the lab to see what is going on. Stryker startled by Rogers appearance, asks Rogers what happened here? as The Bat-Man remains hidden in the shadows. Rogers explains that his butler, hmm maybe lab assistant but I doubt it, tried to kill him. Rogers finds out that Jennings didn't act alone in this and that Styrker is also involved as he pulls a knife. The Bat-Man leaps from the shadows and pinches Stryker's wrist until the knife falls to the floor. Rogers isn't clear what is going on at all?
The Bat-Man explains... STRYKER, WHO WISHED TO BE SOLE OWNER, BUT HAVING NO READY CASH, MADE SECRET CONTRACTS WITH YOU, TO PAY A CERTAIN SUM OF MONEY EACH YEAR UNTIL HE OWNED THE BUSINESS. HE FIGURED BY KILLING AND STEALING THE CONTRACTS, HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY THIS MONEY.
Alfred Stryker breaks free from The Bat-Man grip and goes for his gun. The Bat-Man lands a left hook and the impact forces Stryker of the end of a guard rail and plummets into a vat of acid. When Rogers turns to thank The Bat-Man, he is alone as The Bat-Man silently exited through the same transom he entered.
The first 'magical', silent disappearance from the scene by The Bat-Man, as well as some foreshadowing of villains falling into acid.
The entire events are in the next morning news paper as James Gordon reads them to an uninterested Bruce Wayne. Bruce eventually leaves and we as readers get the secret, Bruce Wayne is The Bat-Man.
Now it's not confirmed but assumed that The Bat-Man killed Alfred Stryker, unintentionally nonetheless, but still solely responsible for his death. There isn't an indication of friend or foe from James Gordon.
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