Review by Win Wiacek

This re-presents more ten page tales from the late 1940s recapturing the dash, verve and universal appeal of one of fantasy literature’s greatest youth icons – albeit with a greater role for Batman. Bill Schelly’s foreword adds layers of historical perspective and canny insight to the capers to come.

Although unverified, Bill Finger, Don Cameron, David Vern Reed and Jack Schiff are considered the writers. Easier to ascertain is Jim Mooney as penciller of almost all and inker of the majority, initially inked by Win Mortimer.

Continuing from Volume 1, action-packed, relatively carefree high jinks recommence with ‘The Barton Brothers!’ as the Boy Wonder hunts a trio of killers whose crime spree includes gunning down Batman. Then racketeer Benny Broot discovers he’s related to aristocracy and patterns all his subsequent vicious predations on medieval themes as ‘The Sinister Baron!’.

Defying his mentor, Robin goes AWOL to exonerate the father of a schoolmate in ‘The Man Batman Refused to Help!’, although his good intentions clearing a framed felon almost upset a cunning plan to catch the real culprit. Then ingenious hoods acquire ‘The Batman’s Utility Belt!’ and sell customised knock-offs until the Dynamic Duo crush their racket. The murder of a geologist sends the partners in peril out west to solve ‘The Mystery of Rancho Fear!’, acting undercover as itinerant cowboys to deal with a gang of extremely contemporary claim-jumpers.

With Mooney now handling all art chores the Boy Wonder instigates a perplexing puzzle to stump his senior partner in ‘A Birthday for Batman!’ The crimebusting kid plays only a minor role in ‘Movie Hero No. 1’ wherein Batman surreptitiously replaces and redeems an action film actor who is a secret coward, but resumes star status for ‘The Riddle of the Sphinx!’ when a mute, masked mastermind seemingly murders the Dark Knight.

Entertainment motifs abound and ‘The End of Batman’ has the Dynamic Duo stumble on a film company crafting movies tailored to the unique tastes and needs of America’s underworld. Greed and terror grip Gotham’s streets when a crook employs an ancient artefact to apparently transform objects – and even the Boy Wonder – to coldly glittering gold in ‘The Man With the Midas Touch!’

‘The Boy Who Could Invent Miracles!’ – pencilled by Sheldon Moldoff – sees the kid crusader encountering a well-meaning bright spark whose brilliantly conceived conceptions revolutionise the world… prior to almost exposing the masked avenger’s secret identity. With Mooney back on full art, the Clock returns yet again in ‘The Man Who Stole Time!’, determined to publicly humiliate his juvenile nemesis through a series of suitably-themed crimes. Next, Dick Grayson’s classmate briefly becomes ‘Robin’s Rival!’ after devising a method of travelling on phone lines as Wireboy.

Gambling gangster Sam Ferris breaks jail, turning circles into a campaign of ‘Crime on Wheels!’ until Robin sets him straight again in advance a powerfully moving tale of the Boy Wonder giving shelter to ‘The Killer-Dog of Gotham City!’ High School elections are elaborately suborned by ‘The Campaign Crooks!’ employing a bizarre scheme to make an illicit buck from students, whilst ‘The Boy with Criminal Ears!’ develops super-hearing.

‘Roberta the Girl Wonder!’ (sample art) is class polymath Mary Wills attempting to catch the ideal boyfriend by becoming Robin’s crimefighting rival, before ‘Born to Skate’ shows classmate Tommy Wells’ freewheeling passion leading Robin to a gang using a roller-skate factory to mask crimes. The wholesome adventures end with a rewarding tale blending modelmaking and malfeasance, in ‘The Disappearing Batplanes!’

Beautifully illustrated, wittily scripted and captivatingly addictive, these superb Fights ‘n’ Tights classics are something no Bat-fan or Robin-rooter will want to miss.