The Caped Crusaders battle a murderous criminal who won't stay dead...during the midst of 1960s Batmania?! Holy tone shift, Batman!
(Originally posted on The Comics Bolt) The Caped Crusaders battle a murderous criminal who won't stay dead...during the midst of 1960s Batmania?! Holy tone shift, Batman! A new villain, Death-Man, is menacing Gotham City, embarking on a campaign of theft and murder. However, every time Batman and Robin apprehend him, he seemingly dies, only to turn up alive again. With Batman haunted by Death-Man's taunts, and more lives in danger, can the Dynamic Duo stop this seemingly undying foe once and for all and learn the secret of his resurrections? With Robert Kanigher on writing duties, and Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella providing the art, "Death Knocks Three Times" is an entertaining read. The dialogue is charmingly over the top, and while the story is nothing exceptional plot-wise, the secret of Death-Man's power to resurrect himself will most likely keep you guessing. The artwork, however, is somewhat stiff, which lessens the dramatic impact of numerous scenes, particularly Batman's nightmares about Death-Man and some of the action sequences. What really makes this comic stand out is its publication date of May, 1966 - five months after the Adam West Batman series premiered. Batmania was everywhere, and the Batman comics - already decades into their lighter and softer approach to Batman - followed the campy tone of the show. So to see a villain killing policemen, dying, and haunting Batman from beyond the grave in the midst of all this was quite a surprise. If this had come out in the 1970s or later, I doubt it would have been as noteworthy (although it would have been interesting to see someone like Neal Adams or the late Norm Breyfogle doing the artwork for the nightmare scenes). Death-Man was originally a one-shot villain, but he got a new lease on life in a rather interesting way. This story was among those adapted by 8-Man co-creator Kuwata Jiro for his Batman manga series, with Death-Man getting "Lord" added to his name and the hyphen removed. After "Bat-Manga" made it to the United States, Grant Morrison adapted Lord Death Man into modern continuity in 2010, making him a Japanese crime lord who genuinely is immortal and unable to die. This version even made its way into the pages of Batman '66, set in the continuity of the aforementioned 1960s TV series, as well as an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. You might be lucky enough to be able to snag this on eBay at a decent price, although the black-and-white reprint in Showcase Presents Batman, Vol. 2 is also an option. And, of course, there's Kuwata's Bat-Manga version if you're curious. Either way, this one's worth a look.
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