Issue: Detective Comics #235

Cover Date: September 1956

Writer: Bill Finger

Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff

Inker: Stan Kaye

Cover Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Synopsis: One day, while Bruce and Dick are cleaning the attic in Wayne Manor, Dick accidentally touched a spring hidden in a desk that had belonged to his father, Bruce. Reveals a secret compartment, and that Bruce comes out … a bat suit! The gears are starting to turn into Bruce’s mind, as he recalls seeing his father’s suit when he was a child. Dick remarks, this means that Thomas Wayne was a Batman before Bruce, but Bruce said that this is impossible, since he became Batman many years after the death of their parents. Returning to the compartment, Bruce finds a roll of film and a newspaper. The film reveals that Thomas Wayne had been a farce on the ball, which was the subject of flying creatures, when he was forced to leave by armed men who had need of a doctor. The newspaper continues the story, revealing that Thomas Wayne had been taken to remove a bullet from a bank robber named Lew Moxon.

Moxon, knowing that do not allow you to live after the operation, Thomas Wayne Moxon blows to the chair from under him and his cohorts punches. Moxon is arrested by police and sentenced to ten years in prison. Wayne Thomas running on Moxon ends after his conviction, saying that Thomas Moxon will hire someone to kill in exchange for putting them in jail. The newspaper has two revelations of Bruce, that the bat that had burst through his window subconsciously reminded him of his father in a “Bat-Man” and the suit that the murder of his parents at the hands of Joe Chill was not a robbery, but hired a murder. Bruce also realizes that was left alive to serve as a witness, preventing Moxon of being connected with the murder º. Bruce tells her gift Dick Robin suit, announcing that the case of Wayne murder is reopened.

Through Gordon Commissioner of police contacts, Batman and Robin Lew Moxon know that lives in the coastal city, running a cartel blimp business. The dynamic duo of the air through Batplane and is a fight between them, Moxon and his men when they arrive. Batman and Robin, of course, going out on top and Moxon to the local police station where they were said to have never heard of Thomas Wayne. Even, according to a lie detector test and ends happening. Confused by this turn of events, phones Commissioner Gordon and Batman discovers that Moxon received a head injury in a car accident, resulting in amnesia. Batman and Robin follow the blimp Moxon, knowing that they were not missed by the men under Moxon was involved in criminal activities, and the capture of men Moxon right on the spot. With the evidence they need, Batman and Robin will face Moxon, with Robin and Bruce said that should not spare a Batman costume after the wear of the current has suffered. Without a spare suit Batman, Bruce gets his father’s bat costume (which had brought along, as he felt that his father was the case with him). When faced with Bruce Moxon, the vision of Wayne Thomas costume restores his memory and flees thinking that this is Thomas back from the dead. He is so for fear of flu that is not aware of their surroundings and is beaten by a truck, ending the Wayne murder case once and for all.

Thoughts: This story of a trilogy Batman origin (to borrow a phrase from Bill Jourdain of The Golden Age of Comics podcast) of the type that ran throughout the gold and Silver Age, all written by Bill Finger. The first part of the trilogy is the story of two-page “The Batman and how he became” Detective Comics # 33. While only two pages, which contains all the elements of the origin of Batman: the death of Bruce’s parents before their eyes after a movie, Bruce sworn to avenge his dead parents, their training, “Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot “and, of course, the bat crashing through the window. The second part of the trilogy is “The origin of The Batman” in Batman # 47. In this story, Batman discovers that the murderer was Joe Chill parents, confronts him and is able to obtain a degree of closure in connection with the death of their parents. The story synopsis above complete the trilogy, revealing more about the death of Wayne, Bruce how the father influenced him to become Batman, and brought a greater sense of closure to the case of Wayne murder. Jourdain law covers three stories with great detail in Episode 27 of the Golden Age of Comic Books _ podcast you can listen here.

As for “The First Batman” itself is undoubtably a classic Batman story. Explained the origins of Batman and further strengthens the bond between Bruce and his father. What was the original inspiration because of a bat flying through a window, in addition to becoming an inspiration for Bruce subconscious memories of his father. This story is also much more severe compared to the tone of the stories from this period. Instead of adding a history of a family member to bat Batman or visit a foreign world, we see a return to the grim Dark Knight. Armed with new information on the death of his parents, Bruce is filled with a burning desire to close the murder case of Wayne once and for all, and There is no laughing matter. While the story is the most serious, is an appropriate time lighhearted; Bruce enthusiastically cheering her father as they land a punch on one of the gunmen on the ball. For a split second, the mask of Batman is gone, and Bruce is a happy child again. But only for a moment.

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