Man-Bat Pt. 15: Batman Family #14

Man-Bat returns home after a long night’s work…

Kirk Langstrom’s downstairs neighbor and monster movie fanatic, Ambrose Robertson, sees him and thinks he’s a real-life creature like one on TV. (I love these transformation panels, as you know.)

Ambrose goes on the offensive using a variety of tactics:

• Good ol’ reliable electricity! It fried the giant carrot in The Thing—

• Gas bombs like Carl Denham used on Kong!

• …flamethrower! I’ll burn the fiend like they did the Frankenstein monster and the mummy!

• …freeze you with this liquid oxygen – the way Godzilla was defeated!

Man-Bat ultimately decides to play along and swallows one of his special pills to return to his human form.

Notes

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While Batgirl and Robin share “an all-new double-length story” in Batman Family #14, Man-Bat is back on his own in an “Extra! A New Man-Bat Thriller.” It’s called, Cinemattack, and has some fun with the theme. Instead of writers and artists for the story, we have screenplay, photography, processing, and developing.

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On the splash page, I didn’t like Howard Chaykin’s art. This doesn’t look like Man-Bat at all:

That’s because it isn’t. It’s the Man-Bat-like monster in a late-night movie. The boy watching it then sees the real Man-Bat and believes he’s a monster. I loved the references to monster movies as Ambrose tries all the tricks to defeat him.

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Of course, I didn’t love that he was trying to defeat Man-Bat, but it’s nevertheless a fun one-off story.

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Last issue, someone knocked on the door of the Langstrom’s apartment. This issue, Francine tells Kirk,

That man was here again! Bart or Bard – something like that! He insists on talking to you—

Could this be Jason Bard? Is the writer screenwriter setting up something here?

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Title: Batman Family

Issue #: 14

Cover Date: Oct., 1977

On Sale Date: July 28, 1977

Writer(s): Bob Rozakis

Penciller: Howard Victor Chaykin

Inker: Josef Rubinstein

Editor: Julius Schwartz