Bat-Manga, Examined (part two)

Because of my quest to pursue the sharing of knowledge (and mostly because I am completely bored at work), here is part two of our in-depth look at some things that caught my fancy in the Japanese Batman manga stories.  Today we will look at the villains featured in the translated stories.

In one of the opening pages of the book, the Joker is shown, and you can see plenty of neat-o Japanese toys from the 60's that feature the Penguin and the Riddler, but by a strange twist of fate, only one real Batman villain appears in these stories.  The rest were invented by the author, and fall somewhere between:  Golden Age villain stereotypes from American comics, and the average episode of Speed Racer.

Yes.  That is really his name.  Pretty much equivalent to naming a Super Villain "King Bank-Robber Guy" or "President Malfeasance Gentleman," but there it is.  His power is, he can die and come back whenever he wants.  That's why he is called Lord Death Man.  What does he want to do to our heroes?

Heh heh, yeah, that's right.  He wants to...wait, what?

Hmm, that's strange.  It seems to make sense to the Caped Crusaders.  At least that's over for now--

Okay, WHAT IS THE OBSESSION WITH BEEHIVES? In America, we say "Swiss Cheese," or use a metaphor of something that has several holes, hence the getting-shot-with-a-gun thing.  From my experience, beehives typically have one hole...the entrance.  Let's move on to the next villain.

Yes, that is also really his name.  With his collar up (which it is the rest of the time) and hat off, he looks like Nightwing did in the 1970's, and he has a magic wand thingy that can control the weather, not unlike another D.C. villain that has a magic wand thingy that can control the weather.  I have no understanding of his name, but luckily for us, this guy does NOT dance in giant bird cages wearing bikinis and body paint.

Next, Batman and Robin fight Jim Carrey.  No, actually, it's a guy who is sort of a cross between Two-Face from the comics, and False-Face from the TV show.  To sum it up, this happens to him:

We have all had days like that.  And then he goes on a crime spree:

He can't quite decide whether to wear masks, or go around as the Incredible Melting Man and gross out people.

He also doesn't know the difference between a Rock Pulverizer and a shiny gemstone.

Moving on, we encounter a villain we have acutally heard of:

 

Clayface, although this is a guy who falls into a pool of slime in a cave, and gains the ability to turn into Pterodactyls and stuff.  Unfortunately, this ability wears off after a while, allowing this to happen:

Batman, too, gains the ability to turn into dinosaurs, and if this shocks you (like it did me, briefly), remember that far, far stupider stuff than this was done in the late 40's and 1950's in American comics.

But I will call you Grodd, because you are a giant talking gorilla.  And why draw all the anatomy and stuff that gorillas have, panel after panel, when you can just have him wear a sheet and a helmet? That's much easier, and much less hairy.  He does disrobe at the end, when he is easily defeated.  Oh, and he turns stupid again, and probably goes back to the circus.

Next time, in Part Three, we will examine some "What THE heck?!" moments, but for now, I will leave you with the "Quote of the Day":

Isn't that what guns DO?

Bat-Manga, Examined (part one)

Today, we begin a four-part, in-depth look at a very strange book indeed, BAT-MANGA! - THE SECRET HISTORY OF BATMAN IN JAPAN, by Chip Kidd, and translating the manga of Jiro Kuwata.  It seems that Japan had their own Batmania in the mid-60's, and the result was lots of tin toys, and this bizarre series of fever-dream comics.

Now, don't get me wrong; we are going to have our fun with this, but it was a fun, fast-paced, and entertaining read....also as nuts as a box of frogs.  Personally, I would rather read this stuff than anything that's not Godzilla (or Popeye reprints) on the comic stands now. Your mileage may vary, of course.

The real problem is, there is a fever-dream approach to the layout of the book, as well...most of the stories are woefully incomplete, and it adds to the non-sequitur feel (read: mindscrew) of the entire thing...I have no idea, but maybe it wasn't possible to track down more examples of these stories than what is here, but they could have at least pointed that out a bit better...one second stuff is happening, and there's a cliffhanger, and the next, there are some pleasant pictures of Japanese toys, and then before you know it, a new story is starting (or picking up in medias res....my, I'm really dropping the Latin today.)

Anyhow, the point is, it's great fun, and comics should be fun, right? So buy it, or something.

Now, in Part One, we are going to examine how Japanese Batman is a complete jerk:

Exhibit A: Considers himself superior to any criminals.

Exhibit B: Can hardly contain his loathing for Robin (also inferior). Through gritted teeth: Yes, Robin, it's a High-Pressure Rock Thingy....sheesh! Clownbag.

Exhibit C: Rambling incessantly about his own intelligence, even though nobody is listening. I think Japanese Batman ended up in our American Super Friends...."Photo-Physics"? Is that even a thing?

Exhibit D: Did you know that Japanese Batman has "powers"? That's because he doesn't.

You have to read right-to-left (because it's manga), but basically, Robin is wounded and gives Batman one of those "Go on without me, the mission is too important..." speeches.  So Batman just takes it, and drives off, leaving a maimed Robin in the street, and advising him to seek medical care....thanks, Batman!

Here's a great one--I don't know much about the Japanese legal system, but I doubt that a guy in tights can declare a murderous super-villain "not guilty by reason of insanity"...who made you Bat-Judge and Bat-Jury?

Oh, wow.  Just, WOW...an ego the size of Gotham City here.  Poor Robin....and why is the child driving the Batmobile here? And why, if you squint at this panel, does it look like the Lone Ranger is chauffeur to a small house cat?

And speaking of Robin, he has his moments of rebellion too:

Somebody needs a spanking...

In Part Two, we will look at the kind of Super-Villains that Japanese Gotham City actually has, and what their odd plans are for our heroes, and the keeping of bees.

Mickey Mouse Club Newsreel Game (Russell Mfg, 1955)

Here's a nifty little item I picked up this weekend, the Mickey Mouse Club "Newsreel" Card Game, made in 1955 and complete in the box.  You have to admire the lithography on these cards; they are lovely, if random! There are four suits or ten cards each:

R is for the "Kids Rodeo" suit. Some of these are hilarious...especially the "Calf Branding," but the "Shooting" one is rather politically incorrect!

W is for the "World's Wonders" suit, which is my favorite. Note the inclusion of the brand-new D*SNEYLAND, and some Wonders which don't even exist anymore...

D is the "Davy Crockett" suit, which was a huge hit at the time of course. Uh oh, injuns, more political incorrectitude!

F is for "Game Fish," and a few D*sney characters finally make an appearance.

The instruction card, and an ad card.

Not only can you file this under "They Don't Make Them Like That Anymore," but it struck me that today, that company would never publish a game where most of the cards don't reflect any characters or properties that they own! Much less cards with gun-toting tykes!

Godzilla BIG TRUMP Playing Cards

If you were a super villain, and you placed a block of radioactive poison in front of me, I would give you a weird look.  However, if you put down one with a cute superdeformed kaiju on it, I would snatch it up in an instant, and you would defeat me.

That said, take a look at these playing cards I just received. They have no date, and I can't discern a manufacturer either.  They are oversized, almost post-card size, nearly six inches tall.  They come in a handy plastic case, which, as I've seen before in other examples, has rather delicate hinges prone to breaking.  The face cards are adorned with cutesy kaiju, which of course is the whole point here.  Check these out:

Blister card - front artwork

Blister card - back artwork

Handy plastic carrying case!

 

 

King Ghidorah Joker (!) and card back artwork

Pretty sweet.  Sets of these rarely come up for sale, but if you see one, you may want to grab it....just in case you ever need them for any Super Evil Plans of World Domination you might be concocting!

Pac-Man & Ms. Pac-Man Tokens (1982)

Here's an awesome oddity I rediscovered while organizing my collection of random coins and tokens--these are Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man tokens from the Video Expo at the 1982 World's Fair, which was in Knoxville, Tennessee.  I was actually there! There was a giant motorized Rubik's Cube, and a robot going around and dispensing promotional pins for Heinz that were shaped like a tiny pickle (still have that too!)

The Artful Legacy of Bill Scott (FILMFAX 45, 1994)

Here is the second excellent article from FILMFAX #45, this one about the man, the myth, the legend, Bill Scott.  In this interview, conducted in 1982, Scott shares many details of his many  jobs, including the post-Clampett Warner Bros. animation department, UPA, writing for the original BEANY & CECIL puppet show (I never knew THAT!) and his work with Jay Ward.  Extremely enjoyable, so enjoy...

The Things That I See

As I go around, I see a lot of things that catch my attention (holding it is another matter entirely); by this I mean things that are so out-of-place as to be interesting.  If you ever glance at something, and then feel compelled to take a second look because something's not right, then you know what I mean. 

Luckily, technology allows me to document them, since there is a camera built in to my cellular phone.  Thirty years ago, I would have had to walk around with a big honking 35mm around my neck, like some sort of foreign tourist...not to mention the week-long wait for the film to be developed...all before I would even have known if I had a usable picture or a blurry close-up of my own thumb. Thanks be to technology!

Here is a sampling of oddities I have observed in the last several weeks:

At first glance, this looks like a page from a Children's book...at second glance, it is clear that the title should read "Doug and Jan Take Their French Exchange Student to Buy Her First Lady Schick."  (Just keep looking...thanks to my wonderful, eagle-eyed girlfriend for spotting this!)

Seen in my local Target store...I wish I could shake the hand of whoever did this.  The Dadaists would be proud.

 

 

Mascot in front of local Mom-and-Pop hamburger restaurant...which appears to have a whale-like blow hole?

This one is the oldest...a logo on a Pumpkin Carving Kit that included plastic tools...maybe they were going for an "Ajax: Stronger Than Dirt" sort of thing, but I think they failed. Aren't most things safer than Kitchen Knives? You could change the caption to "No Slasher Movies" and it would make more sense.

Really, Bert and Ernie? After all the years of rumors swirling around you, did you REALLY think this was a good idea?

Finally, you know those wallet-sized photos of their children that people give out? If you were lucky enough to buy some of those Star Wars bust-like magnets a couple of years ago, it turns out they fit perfectly over those photos...which was a happy accident, as most things are.

GHIDRAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER Pressbook (Continental, 1964)

This wonder just arrived in the mail.  I have a few of these pressbooks, and they are always enjoyable.  If anything, it makes the reader realize how we have lost the sense of wonder and fun that going to the movies used to provide.  Unfortunately, pressbooks are usually too huge to fit on a scanner, which is the case here, but I have taken some partial images that you simply have to see:

First off, WOW, just WOW.  Do any of these masks still exist?? Maybe there is still a warehouse full of them somewhere?? This is one piece of paper (or probably cardstock) that I have to own, and will probably end up paying way too much for...but I have to find one.

And how much did they cost the theater-owner, in 1964, you ask? The answer below:

What? Ten cents apiece??

I like the suggestion of "teaming up" with your local supermarket...talk about random. "Hm, I need some asparagus......say, why don't we go to the movies?"

Finally, the backs of pressbooks often have a display of different-sized posters and lobby cards that the theater-owner could buy.  I found it interesting that a 24 x 82" banner was offered, and I wonder if any exist anywhere.  The 1-sheet for this great film, which is one of my favorites, hangs in my very bedroom.

"Godzilla's American Cousin" (FILMFAX #45, June/July 1994)

Another gem found while going through my late uncle's piles of magazines.  Written by kaiju scholar Stuart Galbraith IV, so you know it's going to be good.  I think we owe a greater debt to Henry Saperstein than we even know, and some of the most amazing of Toho's output was made in direct cooperation with him (FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, MONSTER ZERO).  You have to give him credit; this is a guy who, when he wanted to contact Toho about a business proposal, actually went to night school to learn about Japanese culture! He also was involved in the animated GODZILLA series, as well as THE TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA.  Sadly, he passed away in 1998.

Would Godzilla be the icon he is today without Saperstein's input?