Pre-Crisis Primer: I Can't Wait Until Wonder Woman Appears

Batman 376-381, Detective Comics 543-547

“Who Rules the Night?”

I like his new pajama costume. Why isn't this an action figure?

An 11-part story. Welcome to what will eventually be the first of many Batman epics. I'll through some spoilers up and say that this story delivers both wrapping up every sub-plot, most importantly those regarding Jason Todd's status as Robin as well as the recent assassination attempts on Sgt. Harvey Bullock. We're also treated to the return of Batman's goth girlfriend further complicated his already fucked-up personal relationships.

Jason Todd, 12-year-old boy, has yet to be formally adopted by Bruce Wayne and it looks like he won't ever be as civil services has found what they believe to be evidence of possible abuse and neglect so they've taken custody of the boy. Bad news for Robin. In the meantime, Bruce is so desperate to prove himself a suitable father to the boy that he's directed the Wayne Foundation's significant legal power as well as much as it takes of his own personal fortune to winning custody. It's well-known knowledge that Bruce Wayne has infinite money though, so it's not really much of a sacrifice; the sacrifice comes that he's taken to ignoring his duties as Batman only scowling at the sight of the Bat-Signal and not striking fear in criminal hearts.

Amidst all the soap opera, there is still some axe-based action.

While Batman and Robin are caught up in the days of their own lives, crime runs rampant in fair Gotham City! Mayor Hill, proving himself to be a terrible fictional-city mayor and possibly the most corrupt mayor conceived, continues his vendetta against Sgt. Harvey Bullock for what literally is the imagined slight of him supporting Commissioner Gordon instead of not. This is so worth your freedom and mayoral job, dude. Hill slides even further into incompetence when, armed with the knowledge that Dr. Fang's goons, hired to kill Bullock, failed miserably, decides the best course of action is to spring Fang himself from prison and have him carry out the deadly deed personally. Because Fang is a winner.

With one loss to the Batman under her belt, Nocturna decides it's time to return to fair Gotham City with the goal of winning a man. Seeing as how her dalliance with the Thief of Night came to a violent end, she needs a sugar daddy. This is her plan: win custody of the wayward Jason Todd as a means of living a life for which Bruce Wayne foots the bill. Amid all of this, Alfred's daughter Julia is doing her best to win Wayne's attention because she loves him for some reason, and finally Vicki Vale is attempting to move on from Wayne (because he's a dick to her) but this results in her going to the gym to work out in a bid to, you guess it: impress Bruce Wayne. And Wayne is content to literally whine about what woman he should love. He can't make up his mind. And really, he's more concerned about Jason Todd at this point.

Oh yeah, at one point Mad Hatter shows up to put hats on people. He's so nice.

While this story ultimately is a good, fun story that does a good job of wrapping up a lot of the sub-plots that have been simmering for a while now, one distinct failure is its portrayal of the female characters, Vale in particular. In the earlier articles of this blog, Vale was a much stronger character: her and Wayne's relationship was already on the rocks and she ended it with him, not content to be second-string to whatever it was he spent his time doing (be Batman). She kicked him to the curb and started her own business, but as soon as she hired Julia Pennyworth and learned Julia loved Wayne, she's been a one-note 'jealous ex' ever since. Disappointing. There's really no reason or precedence for her to put up with this shit and I'm not even sure why she claims to love him. It's confusing and kind of aggravating. I hate when superhero comics live up to the stereotype and accusation of second-rate and poorly written female characters. Batman in the 1980s is full of them. Just wait until Catwoman shows up. It should be awesome, but is just disappointing. 

This kind of navel-gazing is most of the hot action in this story.

And potential femme fatale Nocturna is just turned into both a victim in that the Thief of Night now hates her and turned himself into the Night-Slayer because he kills people now and has made it his mission to kill Nocturna as well as just one more non-character only seeking Bruce Wayne/Batman's romantic attention. This is literally her purpose and thus the main conflict in this story.

In the end Dr. Fang is killed by the Night-Slayer (big surprise), Mayor Hill is carted off to prison, and both Nocturna and the Night-Slayer disappear to lick their wounds. On the happy-ending front Jason Todd is returned to Bruce Wayne based on the fact that Nocturna is Nocturna and she's a bad dude. 

Thinking about how he'll be a dick to his ladies next.

Batman and Robin will never die!