The Vanguard by Jay Piscopo

Sadly, the image below is not for an upcoming book (to my knowledge).

Artist Jay Piscopo often has fun grouping various pulp / public domain characters into groups including this one which features a Black Bat that is more traditional in appearance.

I mention the traditional appearance because Piscopo was ridiculed by some (or perhaps one person in particular) for a more kid-friendly version of the character which had ears on his mask. That Black Bat was a member of the Gangbusters some time ago (along with Domino Lady, or Lady Domino, whatever).

Piscopo posts art on his Facebook page regularly, you can check that out here.

City of Hate

City of Hate is another book I've owned for several months and only recently got to reading. And if Murder Deals in Ersatz was somewhat disappointing, City of Hate (Nov. 1948) got things back on course.

Once again, Tony Quinn and his crew take their skills to a different setting. The story would not work otherwise. Quinn is hired to prosecute a man accused of double murder in a town called Norwood. The man is named Jonathan Bolton and he is despised by the majority of the population, hence the name of the book. Quinn suspects, correctly, that Bolton is innocent and seeks to clear him of the charges whilst appearing to prosecute him. Nice twist.

There are several suspects to the killings with a variety of motives (in addition to the common trait of loathing Bolton) making the actual guilty party difficult to pin down.

Of course, being that the story takes place out of New York, McGrath is not present to harass the crime-fighting foursome, however he is mentioned several times. One the Norwood cops is trouble enough for the team so it doesn't feel like as much of a loss. Butch provides the comic relief here, He has been given a private investigator's badge by Tony Quinn and he can't get enough of flashing it around.

There is plenty of action in the middle parts of the book. I found a chase in an office building to be a little tricky to follow but there is plenty of excitement later as well as Quinn and Carol Baldwin attempt to evade capture from police.

So a fun, fast-paced read. I'll be directing my attention to other material for a bit but then will tear into 31 Deadly Guns, the story that followed this one.

Murder Deals In Ersatz

Ersatz: (of a product) made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else.
"ersatz coffee" 

synonyms: artificial, substitute, imitation, synthetic, fake, false, faux, mock, simulated; 

antonyms: genuine

Don't pretend you knew, I know you're lying. :-)

I've owned this book for a while now but had held off reading it. For a while, I succumbed to my obsession with readings things in order, but between Altus no longer reprinting the character's stories, and an inability to find The League of Faceless Men at a price I'm willing to pay, I was able to overcome my self-imposed limits.

Tony Quinn and his loyal aides march into battle against a sinister crew of home front enemies whose despicable crimes of sabotage and treachery call for swift and sure punishment.

Sadly, this outing was a little disappointing. There is a note to readers prior to the start of the story that may partially explain why.

TO OUR READERS: Our new format preserves critical materials - but you will find that there has been no reduction in the amount of reading matter per issue.

I would be interested in finding out Ersatz's word count because that story felt shorter than the other Black Bat tales I've read. I suspect there is more "reading matter" in the various short stories in the back of the book than usual.

There are a few moments that stand out. Tony Quinn is immediately on the case as the Black Bat. Typically, at least in the early stories, Commissioner Warner would visit Tony Quinn and suggest that if Quinn happens to be in contact with the Black Bat (nudge nudge wink wink), perhaps he could ask for the vigilante's help. Writer Norman Daniels went off-pattern here and included the Black Bat before even introducing Quinn and it was a refreshing change-up.

Also, McGrath gets a pretty solid win in his ongoing battle (more or less) to unmask the Black Bat and expose Tony Quinn. He doesn't fully succeed, of course, but if he were truly, fully motivated to end the Black Bat's career, he could have done it here. Rivalries can't be compelling when they're one-sided. McGrath was reaffirmed as a threat here somewhat.

There is little mystery to speak of, unfortunately. The usual apparently-nonsensical-but-key clue made an appearance; in this case in the form of paper clippings of auto accidents. The suspects are revealed very early. One is a particularly good fit but so much so that you dismiss him as being too obvious which really only leaves two that are a little too interchangeable.

Another highlight is the full-page image below. If the mystery was lacking, the action was quite good, including a well detailed car chase it illustrates.

Oddly, it appears during the second chapter of the book but features a scene from chapter eight so perhaps its placement could have been better.

I certainly don't regret purchasing this book but while it had its enjoyable moments, it was among my least favourite Norman Daniels stories. It was the 30th published Bat story and is dated Fall 1944.

The Dangerous Corpse

There has been very little news involving the Black Bat of late so I've directed a little time towards updating some of the pages at the top of the blog.

The "Reprint Resource" page now includes a publisher named Mystery House. Or rather, Mystery House is an imprint of Fiction house.

Fiction House has reprinted three of the character's early stories, oddly enough three stories that have already been reprinted (though perhaps FH released theirs first, I'm not certain). It appears as though the three were released in 2014, presumably as a result of the character getting some exposure from the Dynamite Entertainment series.

Also, the "Blitz" page has been updated to display covers and rough synopses of that German publisher's upcoming reprints. In May, they will release volumes 19-22. Must be in nice, in North America, we appear to be stuck at #18 with Altus Press.

Finally, there are been small corrections and additions to both the Black Book Detective and Fledermaus pages. And speaking of BBD...

I took the time to read The Dangerous Corpse again, one of the last Black Bat stories published (spring 1951).

When I read The Killer Who Wasn't (the issue following this one), I thought it would have made a great conclusion to the series. That description may be even more applicable to this story.

There are a couple of references to how long this group has been in the crime-fighting business. McGrath, early in the story, mentions that he's gotten old for the job. Carol, referring to a prank played on McGrath, confirms that they've been hiding Anthony Quinn's secret for at least ten years. And we get a "as long as there is villainy, team Bat will be there" kind of speech at the end. Again, it may be just me projecting, but it sounded like the series was winding down. If we were referring to a film, credits would roll.

As for the story itself, it's a decent enough mystery. A young lady is making her way to various businesses around a city neighborhood looking for someone named Whitey. When she returns to her rented room, a man is waiting for her inside. In a fit of anger, he strangles her to death and runs off. The people she spoke to earlier in the day are also targeted so many questions are raised around her identity, who Whitey is, why she sought him, the motive for the assault on her, etc. Being that she is young and clearly in need of help, Norman A. Daniels created a compelling victim for his story.

There is another unique (or at least rare) aspect; someone else has concluded that Anthony Quinn is the Black Bat and attempts to expose him. It makes for a nice change from McGrath trying to do so.

This was a pleasant read. The early Black Bat stories often feature large-scale organized crime, Nazis and/or flamboyant villains. These final couple of stories were far more down-to-earth and the variety was appreciated.

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.

"Stay Strong, Black Bat Fans..."

"...he and the Domino Lady will return in a huge Moonstone Comics collection this winter."

These words appeared on the Black Bat facebook page some time yesterday evening.

I assume this refers to a compilation of a Black  Bat / Domino Lady mini-series which has been in the works for years but for a variety of reasons, has yet to see the light of day. In mid-2017, we were told that the book would instead be collected with the three issues of Guns Of The Black Bat from a couple of years ago.

At the time, I'd said "This is Moonstone. Make yourself comfortable, it could be quite some time before this thing sees the light of day."  And here we are almost 18 months later. I would issue the same warning, however that we now have a cover to ogle is certainly cause for optimism.

Let's Look In On Miss Fury

This blog initially split its attention between the Black Bat and Miss Fury around the time that Dynamite Entertainment was preparing to release series about each character. When news and material involving Miss Fury dried up, the blog was made Black Bat-specific.

Perhaps it was inevitable that the situation would one day reverse itself. While there are a few projects involving the Black Bat on the horizon, we're pretty much in a holding pattern for the time being. Miss Fury is recapturing some of her spotlight, however.

Dynamite Entertainment announced in July that they will be publishing a third volume featuring the character. The first issue should be available on October 3rd.

The debut issue marking the return of one of the most influential characters in Comics History comes this October with "Miss Fury - Joy Division."  

Multi-Eisner nominee Billy Tucci (Shi, Sgt. Rock) and rising star Emma Kubert recapture the legend of the original "Cat Woman" Marla Drake and her army of "Black Furies" that take readers from the warring skies above NYC and into the heart of Hitler's Third Reich in spirit of an all-female "Inglourious Basterds."

The above cover is by Ken Lashley is one of several variants, in standard Dynamite fashion.

I may be more interested in a smaller publisher's offering, mind you. Miss Fury will appear in a book called Sleuth Comics by Atomic Pulp. The series will focus (at least initially) on another public domain character named The Black Owl.

Ooh, so close...Miss Fury will show up at least in the second issue. She shared the "regular" cover with the lead character but a variant was revealed on which she is the main focus.

Ain't that pretty?

I actually hadn't realized that Atomic Pulp had already published a couple of books. I thought they were strictly webcomics at this point with plans to kickstart their way into publishing in the future.

As a (small, granted) gesture of support today, I purchased digital copies of two of their titles; Perils On Planet X and Femme Noir.

Looks like something I can get into...As for Sleuth Comics, I believe the plan is for that title to appear some time next year so hopefully Dynamite satisfies our Miss Fury appetite in the meantime. Here's a  glimpse at what else Atomic pulp has in store for us for 2019.

Get your Atomic Pulp news here while we wait. 

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.

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.

More Black Bat Awesomeness From Andres Labrada

I have a spot on my wall dying to be covered with Black Bat art and while there are many images available that I would love to purchase, doing so doesn't appear to be particularly easy. Many artists display their work, but few of the ones I would purchase from offer that option. Perhaps it's more complicated than I realize, I truly don't get it.

In any event, I thought I would seek out one Andres Labrada about buying a print of the following image.

I love this and it would be perfect for my blank wall spot. It appeared in the second volume of Airship 27's Black Bat Mystery.

In my search, I came across a blog that the artist used to manage between 2010 and 2013 and some other scans of his from work done for that book. The two below caught my eye.

The blog post in which they're displayed is entitled "Pulp Covers" yet I doubt a cover would have the word "Meanwhile" running across the top.

It is further puzzling to note that a similar image appears in BBM2.  Same idea; a Frankenstein-looking monster crashes through a wall towards the Black Bat. It is far less detailed and makes me wonder why it would have been chosen over the above.

Doesn't make this one any less awesome though.