Description

Batman Family #1                                      Comic
Cover by: Mike Grell w/ Nick Cardy & Tatjana Wood

The Batman Family was published by DC Comics and ran for twenty issues from October 1975 to October–November 1978 and featured stories starring supporting characters to Batman. Many issues of The Batman Family featured Batman supporting characters such as Batgirl, Robin Alfred Pennyworth, Vicki Vale, the Elongated Man, the Huntress, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Batwoman. Also Man-Bat began appearing as a regular feature. The Batman Family comic book series featured reprints of Golden Age and Silver Age Batman stories as well as new original material.

DC Comics presents, The Batman Family #1! This 66 page, Giant-Size issue may have Batman’s name in the title, but it’s Batgirl and Robin who take center stage in this premiere issue! The first story in the first issue has Batgirl and Robin teaming up to fight a minion of Satan in “The Invader From Hell!”. Plus, a 1-page text article of the origin of the Batgirl and Robin team. Reprint back-up stories feature; Alfred, starring in “The Great Handcuff King!”, Batman and Robin starring in “Commissioner Gordon’s Death-Threat!” (art by Bob Kane), Batman starring in “Challenge of the Man-Bat” featuring the origin of Man-Bat and finally Batman and Robin tell us a little about their friend and closest confidant and most faithful friend in “The Alfred Story!”. Essential “Batman” reading for every Dark Knight enthusiast!

Batman Family #1 contains:

“The Invader From Hell!”
Writer: Elliot S! Maggin
Artist: Mike Grell
Editor: Julius Schwartz

Benedict Arnold returns from hell to battle Batgirl and Robin and the American spirit. Barbara Gordon has summoned Dick Grayson to be her assistant for during the Congressional hearings. As the people at the Capitol Building prepare to celebrate the Bicentennial, the evil spectre of Benedict Arnold appears and starts creating havoc in order to rehabilitate his soiled reputation. Batgirl and Robin take action against the ghost of Benedict Arnold when he attempts to control Washington, D.C.. The heroes are lead to a place outside, where they fight the army of Arnold and they manage to overcome their enemies. However, they are eventually confronted by Arnold himself, who has help from a mysterious man that provides them with mystical swords. Batgirl and Robin work together as a team in order to defeat Arnold and when the ghost is defeated, his mysterious companion reveals himself to be a Demon from hell, who takes Arnold back after his failure to defeat the heroes. Batgirl and Robin finally realize that Arnold was trying to destroy them, but that their teamwork overpowered his evil nature. After a successful mission, Robin tries to give Batgirl the “quit the crusade” bit, but she is faster than him and shuts him up by giving him a powerful kiss. The young heroes part ways and later, they meet again as Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson back at the Capitol Building, where the bicentennial celebration continues. Original story.

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“The Adventures of Alfred – The Great Handcuff King!”
Writer: Joe Samachson
Artist: Jerry Robinson
Inker: George Roussos
Letterer: George Roussos
Editor: Whitney Ellsworth

Alfred decides learn to use handcuffs and while practicing his handcuffing skills, he shows Ronny Lowndes some handcuffs that he bought and encounters The Hurton Gang. Alfred ends up inadvertently foiling a robbery and capturing an entire gang… by accident! Originally published in Batman (1940) #28.

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“Commissioner Gordon’s Death-Threat!”
Writer: Gardner Fox
Artist: Bob Kane
Inker: Joe Giella
Editor: Julius Schwartz

A forty-year-old case comes back to haunt Commissioner Gordon. Holy grudge holding! It’s Batman and Robin to the rescue…maybe! Commissioner Gordon is the hostage of a crook whom he put away forty years earlier, who has now come back for revenge on Gordon. The death threat brings the attention of Batman and Robin who fights their way through the crooks’ hired goons and booby traps and eventually saves Commissioner Gordon’s life and put the crook back behind bars. Originally published in Batman (1940) #186.

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“Challenge of the Man-Bat!”
Writer: Frank Robbins
Artist: Neal Adams
Inker: Dick Giordano
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Julius Schwartz

Batman battles a gang that only operates in the dark, while Kirk Langstrom’s experiments turn him into the Man-Bat! Zoologist Kirk Langstrom is working late at the Gotham Natural History Museum putting together a bat habitat. Curator Wilkins bids him goodnight and leaves Langstrom alone in the museum. Now Langstrom can pursue his true interests — perfecting a serum that can endow people with enhanced auditory abilities via a specialized bat gland extract. Elsewhere in the city, a group of thieves known as the Blackout Gang break into a vault. They equip themselves with black body stockings, infrared goggles and ultra-sonic tools that enable them to conduct themselves effectively in total darkness. For all their prowess however, the Batman still manages to get the drop on them. The criminals have a momentary advantage as Batman cannot see where they are, but for every punch one of them lands against him, the Batman is able to throw one right back at them. Realizing that their heist has gone sour, the Blackout Gang escapes from the building. One of them, however, mistakenly leaves behind his ultra-sonic cutter. Batman recovers it and brings it back to the Wayne Foundation for analysis. Back at the museum, Kirk Langstrom is pleased with his progress and decides to test his new formula upon himself. The serum produces immediate results and Langstrom’s hearing increases to superhuman levels. The dripping sounds from a leaky faucet drive him from the room. He quickly determines that his eyes have now become greatly more sensitive to light and he deftly shuts off all the lights in the laboratory and dons a pair of sunglasses. At the Wayne Foundation, Bruce inspects the ultra-sonic cutter and determines the frequency that the device operates off of. He develops a sonar detector calibrated to the cutter’s unique frequency. He has Alfred help him to test out his new crime-fighting tools. Back at the museum, Kirk Langstrom continues to mutate. He grabs his coat and hat but grows frightened when something pushes his hat off of his head. Finding a mirror, he learns to his horror what is happening. Kirk Langtrom is physically turning into a Man-Bat. He decides that he must go into hiding until he can affect a cure for his condition. He telephones the curator and tells him that he has to leave town for a little while. He neglects to mention the true reason for his departure. That evening, the Blackout Gang decides to rob the Gotham Natural History Museum. Once they activate the sonic cutter, Batman is able to locate them and track them down. The leader of the gang suspected that Batman might have divined a way to find them, so he confounds his efforts by casting a handful of ping pong balls across the floor. As Batman is wearing a special hearing aid to find the gang members in the dark, he becomes instantly disoriented from the amplified sound of the bouncing metal balls. Although the Blackout Gang were prepared for Batman, they were not prepared for the museum’s “other” nocturnal guardian — the Man-Bat. The Man-Bat and Batman team-up and together they bring down the Blackout Gang. Once everything calms down, Batman casts his flashlight upon the Man-Bat’s face and thanks him for his assistance. Batman is impressed by the Man-Bat’s awe-inspiring “disguise”, but the Man-Bat shies away, declaring that he is not wearing a disguise. As the Man-Bat runs off into the night, Batman wonders if he just made a formidable friend… or a foe. Reprints the first appearance and origin of Man-Bat from Detective Comics (1937) #400.

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“The Alfred Story!”
Batman and Robin tell of how Alfred became their butler, and of his previous experiences as a villain called The Outsider.

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Comic is bagged & triple boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

First Printing
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: October 1975
Format: FC, 66 pages, comic, 10.20″ x 6.65″
UPC: None Stated

Collectible Entertainment note: Comic is in Fine to Fine + condition.  Very Nice!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Batman collector and/or enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Highly Recommended.

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