Batman 403
“One Batman Too Many”
Published Oct. 1986
Writer: Max Allan Collins
Pencils: Denys Cowan
Inks: Greg Brooks:
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Cover: Cowan and Dick Giordano

Synopsis

An insane former cop believing he’s Batman escapes from Arkham Asylum and, discovering the Batcave, steals a Batman costume and the Batmobile. The real Batman hunts him down.

What’s going on here?

This is an interesting issue, for a few reasons which editor Denny O’Neill very helpfully explains in a note at the end. First, this is the last issue before Batman: Year One, the Frank Miller/ David Mazzucchelli tour de force that would rock my (and lots of comic readers’) world starting with Batman 404. Secondly, it’s written by Max Collins, who I knew was the writer of the indy Ms. Tree comic but who also wrote the Dick Tracy newspaper strip. The man knows detectives!

Thirdly, the art is by a relatively young Denys Cowan, drawing his first Batman comic on his way to a long and distinguished comics career.


What I liked

This is an entertaining noir-ish comic that is technically a sequel of the previous issue but works as a one-and-done comic. This was written before the “Bat-God” of Grant Morrison—the all-knowing, all-powerful character without humor or pity—and instead Batman here is pretty much a normal hero, juggling a secret identity, telling jokes and having his car stolen by the bad guy.

Collins has fun playing Bruce Wayne against his secret identity and he wins and dines Vicki Vale, who has no patience for masked vigilantes.

Here he is hanging out with Jason Todd —yes, this is when Todd was Robin—and telling him about his date.

Collins also has fun with the two Batmen and the stolen Batmobile, first with the imposter finding it:

And the real Batman recovering it:

Cowan’s art looks great here, too. It’s appropriately dark and gritty but easy to follow.


What I didn’t like

Not much! I suppose the action wraps up pretty conventionally, and there’s not a lot of angst about the Batcave being discovered, but I’d rather the story be told in 22 pages than over six issues, like it would be today. And I’m not sure the cover does a great job of capturing the story, but these are quibbles.

Overall

Almost a text book version of a great Batman story.