This is a review of Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway Vol. 1, which consists of comics penned by famed comic writer Gerry Conway in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Unfortunately, the most impressive thing about this volume is the price tag, so wait until Comixology has one of their periodic Bat-sales to purchase.
Anyway, this graphic novel is the proverbial mixed bag. Mr. Conway writes Batman as a detective/escape artist, which means the trope of him getting bashed in the Bat-skull and then tied up in a Bat-Death Trap persists. It’s a strange thing, perhaps a call-back to the Bat-TV show. We have storylines involving Solomon Grundy – I mean Blockbuster, a Z-grade Batman villain – and another evildoer named The Black Spider, a vigilante who kills drug dealers just like the Punisher (whom Conway co-created).
The highlight of this volume is the two-issue storyline about Alfred’s (Batman’s butler) days in the French Resistance during World War Two. This story is affecting and features a proper ending; when I read a few of the older comics in this volume, it felt like I was getting the cliffs note version of the story.
I also enjoyed the stories from The Brave and The Bold, one of the first series I cut my comics-reading teeth on. The Brave and The Bold features team-ups, and in this volume Batman joins forces with Adam Strange, Wonder Woman, Firestorm, and the Guardians of the Universe. I enjoy the art of Jim Aparo, who did many of the Brave and Bold team-ups and draws a great Batman.
It’s tough to judge Mr. Conway’s work here, as he’s mostly writing fill-ins, single issues, and one-shots, but if such things are of interest, you can trace his growth as a writer within the pages of this volume. If you are a Batman fanatic or completist, go for it, otherwise you can skip this graphic novel.
Abandoned Places 