When you're a superhero in the DC Universe, you can expect to encounter the...strange. For a certain Dark Knight, that is no exception. In his years both operating solo and in various teams, he's encountered supervillains, monsters, aliens, time travel, you name it, he's likely encountered it.
In 1994, DC published a crossover storyline called Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! A spiritual sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, it attempted to address some of the continuity issues that was left behind in the wake of Crisis. Like many crossovers at the time, other books tied into it. The Batman books were no exception. Many of these tie-ins dealt with chronal chaos as a result of the event. Let's take a look at one of these tie-in stories: Batman: Shadow of the Bat #31!
The cover is a Brian Stelfreeze piece. It's really cool. It has the vibe of a Golden Age comic book cover, which fits the story very well.
"The Battling Butler!
Writer: Alan Grant
Penciler: Bret Blevins
Inker: Bret Blevins
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editors: Jordan B. Gorfinkel, Dennis O'Neil
Executive Editor: Jenette Kahn
The story starts off seemingly pretty normal. Bruce Wayne, the Batman, and Tim Drake, aka the third Robin (Well, technically fourth, as there was a Robin between Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, but he was a one-off character and likely is no longer canon...or is and is not at the same time) return to the Batmobile after a patrol. Bruce notices that there are some lights on and finds it a bit odd. After all, he's regularly left the Batmobile here for years, and this is the first time that the lights are on here. Bruce and Tim sneak inside and find a man taking some stuff out of a safe.
The man's name is Howard Stein. He owns this company...and the last thing he remembered is feeling really sleepy and wanting to go to bed. I don't blame him, it's pretty late at night. But he has no idea how he ended up in his own office, robbing his own safe.
You know, it's quite sad he ended up in this pickle. He was two days away from retirement.
Ah well, better than being a cop in that position, I guess. Later, the two discuss this event as they head back to the Batcave. Tim wonders if it's some kind of insurance scam. Bruce is not so sure. Stein seemed genuine in his shock regarding his actions. It seems to remind him of an old case he once tackled...
Anyway, Tim is feeling a bit down. Not because he didn't get to punch some criminals, but because of Alfred resigning from his butler duties. Bruce doesn't show it, but it has hit him hard. After all, Alfred was there when Bruce began his journey to become the Batman. Tim laments with Alfred gone, there's no peanut butter sandwiches waiting for him at the cave. Mmm, peanut butter sandwich...
However, Tim has a pleasant surprise waiting for him at the Batcave: Peanut butter sandwiches.
A man tackles Tim, claiming him to be an imposter and not his "Mawster Richard". The two scuffle, but Batman breaks it up, realizing who it is.
It's Alfred...well, not the Alfred these two know. This Alfred is based on the Golden Age version of the character, heavyset and cleanshaven, presumably based on his debut appearance in Batman #16 (April 1944). Presumably, this version also goes by the surname Beagle, as he did originally back in the Golden Age. And him saying Tim is an impostor also makes sense. Robin was introduced in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940), and that Robin was Richard "Dick" Grayson.
The two wonder how he got here. Alfred explains that he left for a vacation that morning...and he ended up here. He reveals that he is also an amateur detective in his own right. This is another nod to the Golden Age as well. In some stories in the era, he was given a feature of a comedic nature in which he'd solve crimes and catch criminals...entirely by accident.
Elsewhere, in a building that once housed a business called "Taylor's Dummies". One of the gangsters there, a man named Biff, is not angry about the Stein heist being wrecked thanks to Batman. Why? Because despite the heist being a failure, it proved that a certain mind-control formula worked.
You see, Biff met this doctor who was doing some prison time. During his sentence, he was secretly working on a hypnotic formula. And it gave Biff an idea for a cunning plan.
Biff plans to arrange for Doc's formula to be given to every bank manager in Gotham City. Once the stuff has them under his power, Biff'll order them to rob their own banks and give him and his gang the money. One of his gang, a man named Morry, points out that there is a problem with the plan: The Batman. But Biff has thought about that. He plans to take out the Gotham Guardian before the job. The others are understandably not up for this. After all, they're mooks. When mooks go up against Batman, they tend to get Mighty Punched and a spell in the clink.
Thing is, Biff is not giving them a choice. He and the doc slipped some of the formula in their coffee, so they're now his zombies to command. Biff orders the men to beat up Morry, as both a test and because he was annoyed with Morry's whining. The test goes swimmingly.
Meanwhile, Bruce goes to see Tim at the Batcave. Tim's been looking into how this version of Alfred appeared, but he has no idea how. He contacted Oracle (aka Barbara Gordon), but she is clueless as well. All she knows is that these weird time-anomalies seem to be increasing, both in number and intensity. Heck, Batman and Robin themselves recently encountered a younger version of Barbara Gordon during her Batgirl days in Batman #511 (September 1994). Batman's mentality is that if there's nothing they can do about the anomalies, they just have to keep going as normal. That means looking into the Stein case. Earlier, Bruce remarked it reminded him of an old case, and he finds his answer in the files.
Yup, as we saw earlier, it's Biff Bannon, at it again. We also learn the doctor's name: Andy Goodwin. I can't help but wonder if it's an homage to Archie Goodwin. They do seem to slightly look alike...it couldn't be a posthumous tribute as Goodwin was still alive in 1994, and would live for four more years afterward... Anyway, drugging businessmen to rob their own companies and give the loot to Bannon while being unaware the whole time was their MO, and yup, they appear to be at it again.
According to Bruce, Bannon was released from Blackgate last week. He's a creature of habit, so he's clearly up to his old tricks. The lure of riches, indeed. The two go to suit up, but they check on Alfred first, who said he'd rest up. They find him hard at work cleaning the place up. In fact, he was at it while they were researching. Alfred finds a photo of this universe's version of him. He likes the mustache. 😊
...and he accidentally drops it.
Bruce and Tim do some more research at the Batcave. They found the fate of three of Bannon's old hangouts. One was demolished, so that's out. He used to have offices, so they got sold. But there's still the Taylor's Dummies warehouse. Alfred comes down with some tea and sandwiches for Bruce and Tim. After all, they may not be his Batman and Robin, but they're still a Batman and Robin, and even they can't fight crime on empty stomachs. Unfortunately, he stumbles over, causing a tea spillage on the computer.
The two head out. Alfred wants to come, but Bruce tells him to stay behind, as he is a butler, not a detective. Alfred laments that he can't get to exercise his detective skills. He does get some inspiration to follow them. 💡 After all, a good detective does need some initiative...
Batman and Robin make their way to the warehouse, and they notice that it's rather quiet. A bit too quiet. Biff tries to ambush the Dynamic Duo, but they manage to get the drop on Biff's zombified compatriots. Doc Goodwin comes to Biff's rescue, delivering his mind-control formula to the Caped Crusaders via blowpipe dart. Now with them unable to act, Biff plans to put a bullet in them, but Doc Goodwin objects.
Goodwin wants the Gotham Guardians dead too, but it would keep the police off their trail if they make it look like an accident. After all, even Batman and Robin can have a bit of bad luck...
Biff orders them to go to the roof. Once there, he tells the two to take a nice long leap to the bottom. Unseen by either Bannon or Goodwin, Alfred had followed them. He climbs onto the top of a sign to ambush the two criminals, but he ends up falling off and landing nearby. A furious Biff points his gun at the heavyset butler, and the sight of it causes Batman to fight off the drug through sheer willpower. He takes down Biff and Goodwin.
This adventure convinces Alfred that maybe he should leave the detective work to the pros, and he should dedicate himself to being the best butler he can. He'll make Batman and Robin proud, but Batman tells him he already has. The butler repeats his vow as he fades away. The story ends with Bruce and Tim swinging away with the rising sun.
I enjoyed this comic. It may seem a bit goofy for a modern Batman story, but here's the thing: this is a Golden Age-style story. Yeah, the villain's scheme, Batman fighting a gang boss, said boss's stereotypical gangster accent. That's all straight out of a 1930s/40s Batman story. And that's what makes this particular issue so fun. It pays homage to Batman's roots while being a fun read.
The only real issue I have is the art. Blevins' art is fine for a regular Batman story, but I wish the art was more in the style of a Golden Age comic. Would have really fit the story.
If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2017 trade paperback Batman: Zero Hour. Thanks for reading this blog entry! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!
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