While Altus Press is reprinting the original Black Bat stories over multiple volumes, they are a long-time coming. The two volumes that are currently available were released almost exactly three years apart. Keeping to that glacial pace, volume three will be available in April 2016 or so.
Adventure House is another option then. They have been publishing reprints of pulp stories, including those of The Black Bat, bi-monthly for a number of years.They began in issue #90 with "Brand of The Black Bat", the character's first published tale from 1939. But from there, the stories selections seem somewhat random. The Bat returns to HA in #96 but that book features "The Blackout Murders" from March 1942.
Some books seem to faithfully reprint the Black Book Detective issue of the time which means that in some cases, in addition to the "main event" Black Bat story, you also get whatever other content was included. #96, for example, also includes stories called "Snatchers Are Suckers" by Robert C. Donohue and "A Grave for Grogan" by primary Black Bat writer Norman A. Daniels.
On the other hand, some issues of High Adventure are "double issues", containing two Black Bat stories. That's the case with issue #112 which reprints "Murder Among the Dying" and "The Skeleton's Secret", both originally from 1945.
If you're just finding out about the character and want to sample his adventures, this seems like a great method by which to do that. It bears pointing out that issue #90, with the "Brand of The Black Bat" origin story, is available at a the "special price" of $3 (plus shipping, of course). I may just take advantage of that deal for the sake of the other Daniels story that's included.
Click on the cover above to taken to the Adventure House website.
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