Friday, November 6, 2009

Fear THE GONG! Friday!

Some super-villain origins are a little anemic. I give you Batman #55:


We're down to this, are we? I'm waiting for the super-villain motivated by his hatred of traffic lights.



So, how does one prepare for a career in bell-based super-villainy?


We read everything there is to know about bells. Now, granted, I've never actually read up on the subject, but I'd be surprised if that was a lengthy course of study.

Naturally, a guy who is that annoyed by the sound of bells would have something of a weakness:




Yes, despite his mastery of the bell (which never struck me as an overly complicated piece of equipment to begin with), he lands in prison, where he just doesn't see the error of his ways.

Of course, Bruce Wayne does. Bruce Wayne always sees the error of other people's ways:


That's right. Lesson learned, kids! The next time you're late for school, you just tell your teacher, "I refuse to be the servant of your bell." And let me know how that turns out.

See you Monday!

6 comments:

googum said...

Somehow, I'm picturing a Gotham City librarian, sitting on his hands and keeping his mouth shut, as strange kids obsessively check out book after book on bells, or penquins, or kites, or bats...

Sea-of-Green said...

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, JINGLE ALL THE WAAAAAAAAAY ...!

Oops, sorry. That SHOULD be:

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells ...!

Aurora Moon said...

I'm guessing that villain was never seen again after one issue. :P and with good reason...me thinks that he needs go into the villian hall of shame for being the most lamest villain ever...

The Fastest Centaur Alive said...

And yet the Ten-Eyed Man has worse gadget-based theme.

Bob Lilly said...

Thanks for the post.Love your website. This is fun stuff. You seem to focus on the era that the comic publishers skip over when the are issuing reprints and archives. Now I know why.
Actually, these illogical cornball eight and twelve page stories were what I first encountered as a child and for some reason I miss stories of batman turning into a giant buzzsaw. Did you notice that Robin's job on the covers was to be positioned in a lower corner with one hand raised at face level reacting to Batman's problem?
Thanks. Please come visit.

The Fastest Centaur Alive said...

Comics of this period commit the cardinal sin of being whimsical and not allowing your "hero" to mope for two issues straight.