Comic book depicting the debut of fictional superhero Batman
Detective Comics #27 is an American comic book of the Detective Comics anthology series known for debuting the superhero Batman in a featured story called "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate" during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It is considered one of the most important and valuable first appearance debuts from DC Comics alongside Action Comics #1, released the previous year.
"The Case of the Chemical Syndicate"
Plot
A man named Lambert has been stabbed to death. Lambert had had three other business partners: Steven Crane, Alfred Stryker and Paul Rogers. His son's fingerprints have been found on the knife. Commissioner Gordon investigate, bringing with him his friend, socialite Bruce Wayne. Lamberts son asserts his fingerprints got on the blade while he pulled it from his father's neck. Crane calls to say that Lambert had received an anonymous death threat the previous day. Crane himself received one today. Wayne departs, saying that he is going home. By the time the police go to Crane's house, they find him dead by gunshot.
Crane's murderer meets his accomplice and shows him the contract he stole. A masked figure called "the Bat-Man" appears, wins out in combat, and has a look at the contract.
Rogers goes to Stryker's house after hearing about the murders on the radio. Stryker's assistant, Jennings, forces Rogers into a bell-shaped gas chamber to kill him. The Bat-Man arrives, defeats Jennings and saves Rogers. Stryker reveals himself to have killed Lambert and Crane's murder. He attacks Rogers, but the Bat-Man subdues him. The Bat-Man reveals that Stryker killed the others in order to take over the Apex Chemical Corporation. He hired murderers to kill his business partners and steal the secret contracts he had signed with the victims. After attempting to kill the Bat-Man, the latter knocks him into an acid tank where he is killed. The Bat-Man says "A fitting end for his kind", before disappearing through an open skylight.
The next day, Commissioner Gordon talks to Wayne and tells him about the Bat-Man's caper. Wayne feigns incredulity, but it is revealed to the reader that he is in fact the Bat-Man.
Reprints
Remakes
Having a special place as Batman's first published adventure, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate" has been remade several times. In 1969, the thirtieth anniversary of the story, an update written by Mike Friedrich was published in Detective Comics #387 with art by Bob Brown and Joe Giella. The story, entitled "The Cry of Night is -- Sudden Death!", modernized the story and introduced an element of generational gap, playing on a small aspect of the original in which the victim's son was suspected of the crime.
Another remake apepared in Secret Origins #6 (1986) by Roy Thomas and Marshall Rogers, more closely mirroring the original's plot, with updated art.
Detective Comics #627 was a special issue including four different versions of the story. It contained the 1939 original, the 1969 update (retitled "The Cry of Night is -- Kill!"), and two new takes on the story, one by Marv Wolfman and Jim Aparo, and another by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle.
Brad Meltzer wrote an updated version of this story with art by Bryan Hitch for The New 52's Detective Comics volume 2 #27 which was released in January 2014 as part of Batman's 75th anniversary.[2] The plot and characters are largely the same, but with a twist ending implying Stryker becomes the Joker after falling into the vat of acid.
Legacy
Though not being the first of the Detective Comics series, the issue is considered a landmark as the first appearance of Batman.[3][4][5] Originally starting out of an anthology series focusing on original crime series stories, the iconic superhero known as Batman would be introduced by Bob Kane and Bill Finger to National Comics Publications (now DC Comics) with inspiration to create a new Superman that first appeared in Action Comics #1. Due to the character being a household name, the original comic has endured as one of the most valuable comic books of all time alongside the likes of Action Comics #1 and Spider-Man's first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15.[6][7][8] The comic book is cited to be very rare to find in mint condition in comic book collecting.[9][10][11]
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