The Bat #0

This was a pleasant Christmas morning surprise. It was added to Drive-Thru Comics on December 22nd, but I only happened to see it yesterday. 

The Golden Age Black Bat's legend continues with the Adventures of Michael Quinn --The Bat!

This issue: The Origin of the Bat is revealed. Michael Quinn must don the mantle of the dark avenger to save his one true love.

Story by John Michael Helmer

Art by Kent Clark

Lucky packs a lot into this book's 8 pages. The main story accounts for four of them, but we are also treated to a character fact sheet and some details about his crime-fighting equipment. It's an encouraging sign that at least the modern-day version of the character has not been forgotten.

John, if you happen to read this, I hope you're doing well and I wish you and your family all the best.  

The Bat, Volume 1

Well, ain't that something? Only a few days after stating that a Lucky Comics compilation of its three 8-page The Bat books didn't appear to be on the horizon, there it is on Amazon.

The Bat Volume I

The Golden Age Black Bat's legend continues with the Adventures of Michael Quinn --The Bat!

A string of murders in Hill Top City leaves only one credible suspect: The Bat! Can Detective Kelly and Cyber Jane uncover the truth behind the crime spree or will the mysterious caped vigilante rule the streets? 

Collects The Bat 1-3 (24 pages)

Words John Michael Helmer and Dan Solano

Art by Dan Solano

Edited by Michael Waggoner

I tracked it down by searching for Lucky Comics on Amazon, then selecting John Michael Helmer as an author from the write-up for one of the anthology books. Trimming down the search results this way helped a great deal.

It would be easy to take a wrong turn here, however. There's a separate author named Michael Helmer as well and Amazon seems to be confusing the two, so make sure you select the "John Michael" version.

The book is also available on drive-thru, as usual. You can take advantage of that option at this link. 

It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to enjoy a (Black) Bat comic book! Looking forward to its arrival!

The Black Bat's ASPC Streak to Resume!

Airship 27's 55th podcast, released earlier today (on YouTube at least) dropped a little bit of good Black Bat news.

Airship 27 publishes novels and anthologies, but Redbud Studio is comics-focused. they have published, among many other books, four volumes of All-Star Pulp Comics, the first three of which included Black Bat stories.

Unfortunately, the character's streak ended after issue #3 but he appears set to start a new one.

Ron Fortier: John Helmer, The Publisher of Lucky Comics...this is according to Mark Davis...supposedly has a new 8-page Black Bat script that he wants to offer us for this volume.

This is somewhat surprising because Lucky Comics has its own Black Bat book in Black Bat Tales. They have two, in fact, if we consider the modern-day version of the character, The Bat.

Now the stories set in the 1930s (Tales) are written by Lou Mougin so perhaps Mr. Helmer preferred to not interfere with that process and/or to ship his own story out because it didn't quite fit into the plans. Regardless, cooperation between publishers is rarely (never?) a bad thing.

Rob Davis warns that there is no set release date for this book so let's not sit on the Redbud website and refresh our browsers repeatedly, but it's good to hear the Black Bat mentioned on an Airship 27 podcast in any case.

Here's the cover to the book which contained the Black Bat's last appearance. Hey, being that he's been a part of most of these books, maybe he's due for cover treatment?

Other stories will include the Crimson Mask and a Purple Scar / Secret Agent - X team-up. You can listen to the show here but the ASPC portion in particular is at the 15:30 mark or so.

Just Out: The Bat #3 by Lucky Comics

The third issue of Lucky's "The Bat" book came out earlier today and it concludes the first story of the series entitled "All Points Bulletin". It is written by (Lucky publisher) John M. Helmer and drawn by Dan Solano.

As is standard procedure for Lucky, this is an 8-page digital book but at one point I wondered if Lucky didn't release an extended version. It is not greater in length but it feels longer than usual. Solano packs a lot onto a page. Cyber Jane guest-stars.

This is not the end for the current-day Bat (Michael Quinn, not Tony). We are told as much in the inside cover. More stories are forthcoming involving human trafficking and corrupt cops and such. Bring it on!

Lucky Comics at DriveThruComics.

The Bat #2 Coming Soon From Lucky Comics

We don't have a specific release date for the second issue of Lucky Comics' The Bat series but we do have a Daniel Solano cover to feast our eyes on.

It can't come too soon because the last issue ended on a cliffhanger. It is almost inevitable that #2 will also include Cyber Jane, another popular character for Lucky Comics who's had four issues of her own series published thus far.

Lucky's Black Bat offerings can be found on Drivethru Comics. If you're just joining us, note that there are two versions; one set in the late 30s using the traditional version of the name and the above, apparently a modern-day legacy character.

Coming Next Year: The Bat #1

At this rate, I might as well self-appoint myself as the unofficial Lucky Comics blog...

The Bat #1 Arrives This Winter! 

Michael Quinn, the Modern Black Bat, is unleashed in his own title from Lucky Comics this winter with The Bat #1!!! 

This two part story titled "All Points Bulletin" will set the tone and kick off this ongoing series as Hill Top PD hunts the mythical Bat creature. With story by John Michael Helmer and stunning art by Daniel Solano, The Bat will hit Lucky Comics with a bang. 

Dan Solano is no stranger to the Lucky Comics Universe as he brought his creator-owned title "Cyber Jane" and her ultra police force "Unit Black" on board in 2016. Now, Daniel is helping launch the Black Bat, spilling from the pages of Beetle Girl, as a modern vigilante bent on bringing his own brand of justice to the world where the police and the justice system cannot. Co-starring Cyber Jane and Unit Black. 

Join us for The Bat #1 in early 2018.
Pages: 8
Format: B & W
Price: $2.00 (print) .75 (digital)

Black Bat Tales will continue to provide, well, tales of the '30s version of the character, no doubt.

Wait a minute...Michael Quinn? Have we got a multi-generational thing going on here? Let's find out in a couple of months!

"The Bat Prowls, Part 1!" From Lucky Comics

Lucky Comics is first out of the gate in providing Black Bat fans with new material in 2017.

Danni Garret takes over her grandfather's legacy of the Blue Beetle and rises to meet every challenge as the new, daring Beetle Girl! 

This issue: Three grusome murders at the dockyards of Hill Top City and the police are baffled. Can Beetle Girl uncover who's responsible before murder number four? 

Words & Letters by John Michael Helmer

          Art by Saulo Veiga

Cover B by Daniel Vardi & Saulo Veiga

The standard Lucky Comics format is eight story pages per book, 11 with cover, inside front cover and back cover included, all for $0.75. These are typically available digitally first (in pdf format) but some have recently been added to indyplanet as well to offer a print option. Lucky's first Black Bat offering, Black Bat Tales, is among the books currently listed.

Lucky had mentioned that The Black Bat would appear in a Beetle Girl book a few months ago but provides more details in the "behind the scenes" section of this book.

Having read both Beetle Girl #9 and Black Bat Tales #1, I would submit that the former is (deliberately, judging from the text above) closer to Batman and that the latter is more traditional. Beetle Girl takes place in the present, or close to it (she is the granddaughter of the 1940s hero) while BBT1 was set in the 1920s. Obviously two different versions of the character, catering to both purists and those who prefer updated/modernized takes.

Clicking on the cover image above with direct you to drivethrucomics fro where you can purchase both Black Bat Tales and Beetle Girl issues.

The Beetle and The Bat

November should bring us the second issue of Lucky Comics' Black Bat Tales but I recently found out that The Masked Nemesis of Crime will also make a guest-appearance in one of the publisher's other books.

Lucky Comics has several irons in the fire but Beetle Girl is arguably its flagship book and character with five issues available as I write this. The above image is the cover to a compilation of issues one through ten and is expected to be available in March. Furthermore, she will be one of the main character in an all-female team book coming soon (December?) which will include this blog's former co-star, Miss Fury.

While promoting the book on Facebook, publisher John Helmer mentioned that issue number seven will feature "BG vs Black Bat".  So we have that to look forward to.

And who is this Beetle Girl? The following bio is provided inside the front cover.

There you have it. Her current issues, and number seven once it is available, can be downloaded from drivethrucomics. Print versions coming soon.

Coming Soon: Black Bat Tales from Lucky Comics

Being Canadian, I've been a supporter of Red Leaf Comics for a number of years as they published stories about Canadian characters past, present and future.

Roughly two years ago, Red Leaf publisher (and writer) John Michael Helmer launched Lucky Comics with a goal of releasing books about, in part, golden age characters.

And that now extends to The Black Bat!  Below is the solicitation text for the first issue Black Bat Tales, due out later this month.

Battling gangsters and crimelords in the 1940's, the Black Bat wages a never ending battle against those who would do wrong. 

Art by Pedro Cruz
Written by John Michael Helmer
Cover A by Eric Douthitt & Federico Sioc

Available in Print and digital format.
Pages: 8
Format: B&W
Price: $2.00
​Release Date: July 2016

The Lucky Comics website has a fact sheet about The Black Bat on its "characters" page and a small art preview on the blog (dated tomorrow, I just noticed).  Take a peek at those in anticipation in the book coming out later this month!