The Killer Who Wasn't

It's not entirely necessary to read the original Black Bat material in order of release but it had been my intention to do so when I began collecting the Altus Press Omnibus volumes some years back. I was happy to hear that Altus were "ramping up" (I believe that was the term they used) production of those compilations at one point but after releasing volumes 4-6 over the course of a few months, they have not issued one in almost two years.

If Altus still intends to reprint a complete collection of Black Bat stories, at this rate I'll be long dead before it's completed. Those stories became shorter deeper into the series so perhaps Altus can include four of them instead of three going forward but even if that's the case it would require another ten volumes or so to complete the series as promised.

So I've decided to treat myself recently (through ebay) to the last Black Bat story written by Norman Daniels, entitled The Killer Who Wasn't. If I can not continue reading the series in order from the beginning, I shall start anew at the end and work my way back.

In The Black Bat Companion, Tom Johnson writes that this story would have been a good choice with which to complete the series. Having read it now, by and large I agree with him.

The only downside is that it's a "road game" for the Black Bat and his team. Rather than solve a crime in New York, he travels to a town called Haverton. By then, commissioner Warner was no longer involved in the series and the Black Bat cape was long gone but the rest of the team is there, including McGrath.

In fact, once the mystery is set, when Tony Quinn first appears in the book he is at home playing checkers with McGrath. The dialogue is like that of two old friends who share a long, colourful history. Their relationship had evolved a great deal by then. I can't say with absolute certainty that Mr. Daniels knew this was to be the last Black Bat story he would write, and perhaps I'm simply projecting, but that opening segment had something of an air of finality.

Daniels did a good job of creating suspense in this one by dedicating a chapter towards explaining the outcome of the previous one. For example, one chapter ends with Silk getting a phone call and being told that Quinn has been kidnapped from the house in which they're staying. The following chapter explains how it happened while Silk was elsewhere in the house. Daniels applies that method of story telling a couple of times to set, then explain, an in-story cliffhanger and it works well.

The majority of these original Black Bat stories include a member of the team being abducted at some point and in this case, it is Quinn. His kidnapping creates concern among members of the team, naturally.

The book concludes with Carol jumping into his arms when Tony is reunited with his full crew. While Quinn acknowledges that there's plenty of work to be done as The Black Bat and as a special prosecutor in New York, he also wonders when he finally "won't have to let go" of Carol in order focus on his ongoing mission.

It may not have been intentional at the time but knowing how things worked out in the real world, that question, inserted in the final paragraph as it is, adds a small amount of doubt about Quinn's desire to continue putting his life at risk as The Black Bat. As a result, it would indeed have worked well as a conclusion to the series.

And to my mind, it is exactly that. Again based on the Black Bat Companion, the next story (called Hot, Willing and Deadly) lacks most of the features that made the Black Bat enjoyable including, you know...The Black Bat. Tony Quinn's alter ego is only mentioned occasionally and briefly. Furthermore, the story includes the following line:

...But it had been largely at her (Carol's) insistence that he'd agreed to drop his duel (dual?) role of public prosecutor and private avenger for one (sic) and forever..."

We are then led to believe that some time following the end of The Killer Who Wasn't, Quinn had an epiphany and hung up the black mask for good.

I can live with that. By all appearances, HW&D can only be marginally considered a Black Bat tale anyway. Fans of the character probably would want the series to end with Tony and Carol finally able to be together. As The Killer Who Wasn't ends with them in each other's arms, and is Norman Daniels' last contribution to these characters, let's consider it the final chapter and dismiss the material that came after. "Killer" is a perfectly respectable and satisfying way to go out.