Detective Comics

#27 - The Case of the Chemical Syndicate is a comic book published by DC Comics & released on 5//1939
User Rating - 17 votes, 4.0 avg.

Plot Summary

The legendary issue that introduced The Batman to the world.

It starts with Commissioner Gordon chatting with his friend, Bruce Wayne. A call comes to Gordon from the police department, a man has been murdered and fingerprints on the knife shows that it was the man's son. Gordon heads over there immediately, accompanied by Wayne. When they arrive, the man's son explains that when he came home he found his father stabbed to death. He picked up the knife which is why his fingerprints were on it. While still at the crime scene, Commissioner Gordon receives a call from Steve Crane, one of the victim's business partners who claims there has been an anonymous threat on his life.

No sooner has Crane gotten off the phone with police than an armed assailant shoots him and steals a paper from his home climbing out the window to the roof with the help of a partner. The "Bat-Man" knocks one unconscious and tosses the other off the roof, and retrieves and reads the document before jumping into a car and speeding off.

Meanwhile, Rogers, one of the two surviving business partners, pays a call on Stryker, the other living partner. He is admitted to the home by Jennings, Stryker's man servant, who then suddenly and unexpectedly attacks him. Jennings puts Rogers in a gas chamber. Then Bat-man arrives and breaks the chamber with a monkey wrench. Jennings sees Bat-man, and Bat-man tackles Jennings. Then Stryker arrives then tries to stab Rogers, but to no avail due to Bat-man's interference. Then Stryker tries to shoot Bat-man, Bat-man gives a punch that knocks Stryker into an acid tank. Batman responds "a fitting end for his kind.

Commissioner Gordon then talks to Bruce about this case. Gordon notes to himself that Bruce Wayne must have a boring life. Then you see the wealthy Bruce Wayne walk into the closet and come out dressed as Bat-man

Can Commissioner Gordon solve the case of the Chemical Syndicate? And who or what is this man they call The "Bat-Man"?

Creators

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Bill Finger writer
Bob Kane writer, penciler, letterer, inker, cover
Charles Biro writer, penciler, inker
Fred Guardineer penciler, letterer, inker
Gardner Fox writer
Homer Fleming penciler, inker
Jerry Siegel writer
Jim Chambers writer, penciler, inker
Joe Shuster penciler, inker
Leo O'Mealia penciler, inker
Russell Cole writer, penciler, inker
Sax Rohmer other
Sven Elven penciler, inker
Tim Hichey writer, penciler, inker

Characters

Teams

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Locations

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Concepts

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Objects

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Story Arc

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User Reviews
The "Bat-Man" Begins Reviewed by etragedy on Feb. 22, 2011. etragedy has written 671 reviews. His/her last review was for The Avengers. 501 out of 557 users recommend his reviews. 5 out of 5 users found this review helpful.
Every so often I run into some yahoo that pontificates about how Batman comics are for kids and that the Batman movies are "too dark", and "not in the spirit" of Batman. The accusations are usually leveled at the Christopher Nolan movies, and say, "that's not Batman", all-the-while extolling the virtues of the Adam West TV series or (worse), the Joel Schumacher films.
 
To which, I respond, no, that's not Batman. One only needs look to the first appearance of Batman - then called The "Bat-Man" (yes, in quotes). Bob Kane and Bill Finger's shadowy crime fighter was inspired by the pulp hero The Black Bat, and the 1926 mystery film The Bat. This version of Bat-Man didn't have lots of gimmicky devices - he used whatever was at hand, a handkerchief, a wrench, or what have you. He didn't even have a Batmobile - he drove an ordinary red car. And, he had no compunctions about dropping villains off of rooftops, or seeing them take an unexpected acid bath. He lurked in the shadows and fought a grim, merciless battle on crime. That's Batman.
 
While Bob Kane's art may seem extremely crude by modern standards, there's no doubt that this conception of Batman holds up well more than 70 years after it first saw print.
Detective Comics hit Reviewed by BlackPookie on Nov. 15, 2011. BlackPookie has written 1 review. His/her last review was for The Case of the Chemical Syndicate. 0 out of 1 users recommend his reviews. 0 out of 1 user found this review helpful.

The thing with this issue is that is old and its stories belong to past, but heres the first image of what would be one of the best icons of Comics, so thats why my high score!

He saves people, we see he's only human and we see how he dresses and acts... thats definitly something to get us curious.

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Added by: Fark Weaselcramp
Date Added: June 6, 2008
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