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The above cover is from an issue Baggsey from Super Stuff In The Bronze Age listed in my Desert Island Comics post - in fact he considered it the best Batman tale ever written. Well, I had to see what it was all about, so I promptly bought a copy via eBay and it arrived today. Before I show you its interior splash pages, study the cover and see if you can spot what I consider to be a glaring error. I'll fill you in on what it is after the following impressive images.
First, however, it's interesting to note that the words 'nigger' and 'spade' are used in the main tale, something that most likely wouldn't be allowed nowadays. The first word is used by a black man, the second by a white, but they're used in the context of demonstrating (not condoning) the racism that existed at the time. It probably wasn't really necessary to introduce the subject, but writer and artist Frank Robbins doubtless wanted to make a point and it isn't too laboured.
Anyway, ready for the pretty piccies? Then let's go! (And don't forget to spot the cover mistake.)
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11 comments:
Yay! I worked out what the mistake was! I didn't post my top 10s on your desert island posts because it was much too difficult a task for me. I like so many different things it was impossible for me to choose. Maybe I'd have a chance with records and films but thousands of comics and books have passed through my hands, I couldn't single out specific ones.
I used to have that comic but lost it at some point but at least I have it in a collection . I know a lot of folk don't like Robbins art but as a big fan of his I loved this issue. I suppose the scissors were used to make the cover more exciting.
I'll trust you not to have worked it out until after you read the answer, M. (Suspicious? Me?)
I'm wondering if they were drawn in as an afterthought to try for that effect, McS, though I'm not sure they achieve it. Perhaps a big knife would've looked better, but it would still have been redundant.
I had this issue….my first exposure to the art of Frank Robbins. I actually enjoyed some of his art, mostly with Batman and the Invaders, less so with The Shadow and modern-day Captain America and the Falcon. He was a good fit with Batman to me.
Man, I loved those big comics with the extra pages for a quarter and later 100 pagers. Learned a lot about DC via those reprints.
There's a nice selection of stories to read in them, rather than just one, which is something I liked, G. Frank Robbins was indeed a good fit on Batman, but I didn't mind him on some of the other strips you mention, like Captain America. Depends on who was inking him, I suppose, when it wasn't himself.
Thanks for the plug for the SuperStuff blog, Kid. Much appreciated. Did you enjoy the story? I just love the start of it, dropping the reader right in the action. It would make a brilliant 1-hour TV episode, I think.
Re the use of the "N-word" ; this was not the first time that the N-Word was used in a DC comic (that honour goes to GL/GA #85 "Snowbirds Don't Fly" a couple of month's earlier as part of a casual discussion between two hoods - one black and one asian) but this was the first time the word had been used in an antagonistic exchange between a white man and black man in a DC comic issued under the aegis of the Comics Code Authority. Julie Schwartz was the editor in both cases.
I can’t think of any other DC or Marvel comic from that era that used the “N-word” - can you? I have a feeling that if not a unique occurrence, it's certainly rare.
Is that your copy of the cover? No T&P stamp in evidence.
I wrote a fair bit about this issue on the SuperStuff blog a couple of years ago at https://superstuff73.blogspot.com/2023/02/favourite-comic-detective-421-frank.html if anyone's disposed to take a look.
I enjoyed the story, B, but I wasn't blown away by it. That's usually the case though, when someone gives a glowing review and perhaps builds up unrealistic expectations. (I'm sure I've done it myself from time-to-time.)
In reference to the word 'nigger', it's actually the black man who uses it, not the white guy, but back then the word wasn't as anathema as it appears to be nowadays. I have no qualms in saying or writing the word, though I wouldn't use it to describe black people - I think there's a difference in discussing a word and calling someone it, though others may disagree.
Like you, I can't offhand think of any other examples of the word back in the '70s, but that's probably because, to white ears and eyes, it wasn't viewed as an offensive or insulting term in general (unless used by racists) as it is today - not in the UK anyway.
Yes, that's the copy I received, freshly scanned, must've come from America outside of Thorpe & Porter perhaps. I'll take a wee look at your post in a wee while, after I finish my cuppa.
B, I've just noticed the cover does actually have a T&P price stamp on the cover. I just took your word that it didn't without checking.
The scissors do add a visual element of suspense. There's no suspense to seeing whether someone releases his hold on something, but the descent of scissor blades can be more riveting, not to mention the fear of sharp things.
Normally I'd agree, GP, but large as they are, they're not really prominent enough to add to the 'visual suspense' of Batman looking as though he's choking with an agonised look on his face and a hefty drop below him. The page screams pure drama even without the scissors. And, of course, they're unnecessary. Just let go off the bat-buggah!
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