You know, "wealthy yachtsman" is another career option my high school guidance counselor never told me about! I'm also glad that Gotham has crumbling castles built by eccentric millionaires...
Well, that explains how he can be in Batman and Detective Comics and World's Finest and...But holy crap, man...Batman dressed in a business suit, using a gong to summon all the other Batmen?? A scheme to "awe the underworld"??? What the heck is going on here?
Well, the "original" Batman reveals that one of their number recently died, so...
"Brotherhood Of Batmen" = Batman, Incorporated 55 years early!!!Well, except for one thing:
What? What could their devious plot actually be?They provide Judson with athletic and scientific training:
"Ex-science worker employed by the mob"??? I curse you, negligent high school guidance counselor!!They even provide a fake crime for Judson to thwart (while the "real" Batman and Robin, having stumbled upon the scene, watch from afar):
So what, exactly, is the the criminal enterprise here? These crooks are expending an awful lot of time, energy and resources on this scheme. Why, exactly?
Really? it's just a big con game? Really???Well, Bruce and Dick have overheard this, but the Dark Knight won't bust these mooks up yet:
So, basically, Batman refuses to break up a con game because it might embarrass the victim? Talk about soft on crime. Gotham City must be a real haven for con artists...Fortunately, there is a plan here, as the "real" Batman poses as the "fake" Batman, and starts giving Judson real Bat-level training, and letting him beat up real crooks for real. (Yes, your head should hurt here) Then, you see, Judson was man enough to take out the gang himself when Batman reveals the truth, and hence he would be revered as a macho crimefighter, and not a schmuck and victim:
So there it all is: it's too much for one Batman to handle, so he assembles a legion of Batmen. Trouble is, it was a really just a swindle by too-clever-by-half crooks. Hmmmm...From Detective Comics #222 (1955) as reprinted in Batman #259 (1974).
Do you get the feeling that Batman...the REAL Batman was just enjoying himself way too much here? And why would anyone ever need to know that Ned was a faux Bat anyway?
ReplyDeleteStill, you have to admit that it was a pretty slick con job.
Perhaps Batman let the con go on as long as he did because he was thinking about trying out their scheme for real, and actually making Ned Judson Batman #2. An amusing thought, anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, I wrote immense amounts of what I now know is called fanfic. It featured superheroes from many parallel worlds, one of which had a "League of Batmen" founded by Thomas Wayne, with a membership that included Oliver Queen, Charles McNider, John Jameson and Dick Grayson....