| April 2044 | Edition nº50 |
Detective Comics #135: Batman and Frankenstein
What is Detective Comics #135’s About?
This article is for everyone who loves our Gotham Knight, of course, but also for those who are into horror stories. This name must not be unfamiliar for you anymore: Frankenstein. This edition of the DC Comics was published on March 22, 1948, which means more than 70 years ago, and was written by Edmond Hamilton. Just like the other editions of Detective Comics, we have more stories than just Batman and Frankenstein. Make sure you read through to find out more about the story!List of Stories in Detective Comics #135
The stories that we can read in this edition are as follows:Synopsis of Detective Comics #135
This Batman and Robin’s story brought us to the 19th century. Yes, to the past! Professor Carter Nichols, the one that did the time travel at first, wanted to learn the truth of the legend of Frankenstein, the monster. It turned out that Frankenstein was not the name of the monster, but rather, a baron of that era. Baron Frankenstein had a servant called Ivan, and this Ivan had an enormous body.
The unfortunate part was the time travel actually caused this problem to occur. Ivan was shocked by an electric generator. He was unconscious for a little while before Ivan was revived using adrenaline. When Ivan woke up, he was no longer Ivan, but a mindless creature that we all know as the Frankenstein monster. This new Ivan was used by the baron’s cousin, Count Mettern, to kill the baron so that the count could claim his treasure. But apparently the mindless giant Ivan failed the “mission”. Instead, he got out of Frankenstein's castle and started terrorizing the village. Having no other options, Nichols finally summoned Batman and Robin. Well, at least Nichols used his sense here!
Once the duo came, they started following the Ivan monster into Count Mettern’s castle. Unfortunately, they were captured there. Batman, who was unconscious, was revived using adrenaline just like what Nichols did to Ivan. The plot twist was, it was Mettern who did it, and Batman somehow became mindless as well and obedient to Mettern. So, instead of saving the day (at least for now), Batman was used to terrorizing the village–these poor townsfolk really couldn’t catch a breath. Meanwhile, Ivan was sent back to Frankenstein’s castle to, once again, kill the baron. One would think if Mettern wanted his original plan to succeed, he should’ve sent Batman. But no, that did not happen. Why, you might ask?
Apparently Mettern was planning to trick everyone. When Ivan arrived at the castle, Batman was already there, and conscious somehow. He stunned Ivan, and Nichols revived him again with adrenaline, but this time with proper dose. Ivan went back to normal and fortunately, he remembered everything. At the time, the townsfolk already gathered together to kill the monster that Frankenstein made. But how? Frankenstein didn’t even make anything, right? Yep, that’s because Count Mettern got into the people’s heads and made them think that the baron actually did. He was also the one leading the people from the village!
The next thing we know is that Ivan took Mettern with him to Frankenstein’s chemical laboratory–so he actually did have a laboratory. Using some chemicals, Ivan blew up the castle and destroyed everything in it, including himself and Mettern. This story was told by Batman and Robin to a lady named Mary Shelley, who later on, wrote a fairy tale out of it. Batman, Robin, and Nichols finally went back to present time, and they realized that they were the only people who knew the truth behind the Frankenstein story. How fascinating!
Detective Comics #135 Characters
We have mentioned everyone above, but let’s recap! We have Batman and Robin, obviously, and then we also have Professor Nichols. As for the characters from the past, we have Baron Frankenstein, Count Mettern, and Ivan–and also Mary Shelley who played a huge part in making the story less… scary, so to speak.Detective Comics #135 Locations
The story itself mainly took place in a village in Europe in the 19th century. However, judging from the name “Frankenstein”, it is most likely a village in Germany. As for the present time, of course, Batman, Robin, and Nichols went back to Gotham City in the 20th century.
Other Stories
Unfortunately, not a lot of information is given about the other stories. Probably people don’t want to give spoilers to this old edition? However, we do have some information on the characters! In Unscrambled Proverbs, you would see Air Wave the crime fighter. In The Chimp and the Chump, you would see Slam Bradley the private detective and Shorty Morgan his sidekick–he is skilled in pickpockets though. And lastly, in Crimes by Television, you could see The Boy Commandos, an international squad consisting of orphaned children. A lot of fun stories for sure, so make sure to read the actual comic book!Detective Comics #135 Artists and Writers
The amazing people who brought this edition to us are: the writer: Edmond Hamilton; the pencilers: Bob Kane, Harris Levy, Howard Sherman, and Curt Swan; the inkers: Charles Paris, Harris Levy, Howard Sherman, and Steve Brodie; the editor: Jack Schiff; the executive producer: Whitney Ellsworth executive producer; and the cover artists: Win Mortimer, Bob Kane, and Charles Paris.Would you want to read this comic book? Or have you already read it? Let us know all about it in the comments and maybe you will receive a small gift!