"Origin of The (Five Star) Black Bat"

Since starting my primary blog, They Stand on Guard, early last year, I've found myself dealing with more small press publishers than I'd anticipated.  I didn't know that so many publishers included Canadian characters in their books and now I'm finding out how many versions of The Black Bat there really are.

The results of dealing with small publishers are usually very positive.  Supporting those who truly do what they do for the proverbial "love of the game" is in itself rewarding and it's clear that the support is appreciated.

Dealing with Five Star Comics has been as easy as I've ever had it.  I've commented on TSOG about how accomodating Red Leaf Comics has been in providing me with their product.  At least in terms of first impressions, Five Star is very similar.  After some quick e-mail back-and forth, Five Star and I worked out a price and shipping method and I had the three issues of their self-titled book in hand in a matter of days.  I wish it were always that simple.

And so on a windy, cloudy Friday evening at my cottage, I was able to read "Origin of The Black Bat" by the light of my wood stove.  A perfect setting for a moody story.

The Black Bat does not appear in the first issue, aside from the wicked back cover sketch displayed below.  His origin is the kickoff story in the second issue, the cover to which was posted here recently.

It is only six pages long, but covers a lot of ground in regards to Tony Quinn's background and its impact on him on his way to adulthood yet still confounds him in some ways.  The art style makes it particularly interesting.  Both story and art are provided by one Matt Marshall.

The third issue concludes with a 13-page novelette, called "Evil Stalks The Black Bat" (by Terence E. Hanley, the gentleman who ensured I had these books in hand promptly), which builds on the material from issue #2.  There are a few illustrations, most of which are individual panels from the origin story.  There is one new one though, of The Black Bat firing his tricked out pistol (a Five-star customization) from a motorcycle as Manhattan burns around him.  Inserted right on the first page, it helps establish the setting in a story about The Bat seemingly being the only sane person in a city gone mad.

It doesn't appear as though The Black Bat will be included in the fourth issue of Five Star Comics, scheduled to come out in the fall.  However, the character is prominent enough in the publisher's promotion that there's little doubt he'll be used again at a later time.

I'll be keeping an eye open for that.  If you're a fan of Golden Age characters, they also incorporate a number of others, such as Silver Streak and Lady Luck and plan to bring Miss Masque in the next issue.

Makes one wonder about what they'd do with Miss Fury... ;-)