Batman: The War Years 1939-1945

Title: Batman: The War Years 1939-1945
Publisher: Chartwell Books
With Permission of DC Comics
By: Roy Thomas
Publication date: 2015
Presenting over 20 Classic Full Length Batman Tales from the DC Comics Vault
Reviewed by: Allen Klingelhoets

This is my third in trilogy of The WAR Year stories. The first being about Superman and the second Wonder Woman.

Batman arrived to comic book readers in a year after Superman in spring of 1939. The issue was Detective Comics # 27. Bob Kane created Batman. DC editor Vin Sullivan liked what he saw in Batman. Vin even made Batman the cover feature. Vin also was same person that oversaw the four color debut of Superman. Bill Finger wrote script for Detective Comics # 27.

Roy Thomas again did excellent job telling history of Batman in several page editorial sections throughout 300 page hard cover graphic novel. I enjoyed seeing Batman’s origin. I liked seeing early stories with Robin the Boy Wonder. It was interesting seeing way Batman reacted to WW 2. I got to see early stories with The Scare Crow and The Joker. I got to see things like The Bat Car and Bat Plane.

This book was done all in color as were other two in series. Many covers were also shown in full page format. I liked cover of Detective Comics # 38. This cover was from April 1940. The cover art was from Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson did the inks. Cover showed Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder. It says the Sensational find of 1940... Robin the Boy Wonder.

Bruce Wayne is Batman. His parents were murdered when he was a young boy in robbery. They were both wealthy individuals. Bruce’s Father was shot first and his Mother moments later. This changed Bruce’s life. He learned many athletic skills through constant training and exercise. He wanted to stop crime. He got idea to be Batman from seeing Bat fly into his house called Wayne Mansion. Batman designed costume to instill fear into villains. He always wore mask to keep secret identity. Comics at time of publication cost 10 cents unless special bonus sized which would cost 15 cents. World’s Finest # 9 from spring 1943 was 96 pages. The cost was 15 cents.

I think my favorite story was in Batman # 15 (Feb-March 1943) – script: Don Cameron – art: Jack Burley. The story was called “The Boy Who wanted to be Robin”. A boy about 10 years old named Bobby Deen. He is homeless boy and shines shoes to make money. He is taken in by swindler criminal named Knuckles Conger. Knuckles convinces Bobby that he hunts crooks like Batman. He told Bobby that he would be trained like Robin was trained by Batman. Knuckles motives though were not honest. He was actually doing crimes. Bobby thought was doing good deeds. Knuckles said things like crook was dressed up like cop. Thus Bobby began life of deceit thinking doing positive things. Batman helped Bobby understand things doing were not legal. Knuckles twisted truth to make seem like crimes were things like jewel theft would be gathering evidence. Batman helped end Knuckles crime spree. He also helped work to get Bobby into educational school. I also liked that Commissioner Gordon was involved with helping get Bobby into right path instead of life of crime. Commissioner Gordon was first shown in Detective Comics # 27.

Some of stories were very imaginative like “Atlantis Goes to War” from Batman # 19. I liked another story about Batman in year 3000. There some very patriotic stories also told in Roy Thomas collection of Batman stories. I also liked Detective Comics # 65 which had group of kids called “Boy Commandos”.

I did not see any cross-overs with Superman or Wonder Woman. There were multiple writers and artists that worked on Batman stories. Bill Finger, Don Cameron, Joe Greene were some of the scripters for Batman stories. Bob Kane, Jack Burmley, and Jerry Robinson were some of artists for Batman stories in Golden Age stories.

Batman and Superman did not appear together in Roy Thomas collection. They were though shown on several covers shown in War Years collection. Batman and Robin were even shown in Detective Comics # 78 (Aug. 1943) story called “The Bond Wagon” helping sell War Bonds”.

I really enjoyed “Batman the War Years 1939-1945”.

The time period is about same as when Marvel Comics created The Human Torch and Prince Namor, and Captain America. Comic book characters were becoming very huge sellers. This was also during depression and WW 2 years. I also liked seeing Batman have utility belt and other Bat devices even ones to get up sides of buildings. Bruce Wayne and his accomplice Dick Grayson did not have any super powers. They used incredible athlete and detective skills to solve situations. Batman and Robin were even shown on cover of Batman # 30 (Aug. – Sept. 1945) and Detective Comics # 101 urging people to back the 7th War Loan.

The back cover states:

The poor little rich boy orphaned in the late-night robbery. The lad trained for years so that one day he could avenge his parent’s deaths. The bat that flies through the window at a crucial moment, inspiring Bruce Wayne with a name and a motif. All this are wonderful elements in a timeless tale. By early 1940, both Batman and robin were up and running in no less than two hit comic books. Bob Kane hired a teenager that he happened to meet- Jerry Robinson- to help him churn out what looked like a nice long run of Batman stories. They didn’t know the half of it.

For, as the Second World War loomed ever larger on the horizon. Batman was about to become big business, comic book style.

The ISBN for this graphic novel is: 978-0-7858-3283-6

Batman is hero.

I think young adult to adult rating.



Allen Klingelhoets