Batman 1943 - Chapter 9

September 10, 1943

"The Sign of the Sphinx"

As always, you can check out what writer Jim Beard and I thought of the chapter in our podcast. The player is attached here. But here are a few other thoughts I had as I rewatched it for the blog.

I never realized how strong Lewis Wilson's accent was until he screams in warning that one of the gang is falling on "Dah plunger!" setting off the explosives.

And COLTON is gone. Linda, mind you in grief, says she doesn't even want to talk about it as she gets frustrated by Bruce and the fact that he and Dick took a nap by the side of the road while all this went down. But that's it. No further mention of COLTON. We even get a scene with Daka where he learns the mine is useless now, so that ends that entire story line.

COLTON deserved better. He was smarter and much more resourceful than Batman in this story. Sadly, it was his last bit of cunning that done in him. Rest In Peace, good sir.

And as we discussed on the podcast, Jim and I loved the phone that was being watched by Batman as Daka's captured man made a call.

And then there's Chuck White. How is it Chuck White is more interesting in this movie than Batman? I had to wonder if Linda was strangely attracted to him while being repulsed as she meets him for the first time. It's just Bruce in disguise, but Wilson makes more effort into the role of Chuck White than he does Bruce Wayne or Batman.

And this leads to the cliffhanger as Chuck gets in over his head and so Robin has to lure some of the men he's meeting away as they chase him to the dock. It gives Bruce a chance to change to Batman and he does do very well from leaping from a high point which is nicely shot to fighting off four men for some time.

But it takes its toll and eventually he succumbs, falling just under the gangplank of a ship. They drop the plank on him. But what's next? There were quite a few weeks between comic issues it seems, so we're moving on to chapter 10 of the serial. Stay tuned, Citizens!