Batman Newspaper Strip - Story 5

August 14 - October 28, 1944

(The Swann and the Spaniel)

To date, I have not been very impressed with the Batman newspaper strips. Some have been all right, but none have really stood out - until now.

The story is basically about a man named Swann who is a known racketeer who comes to Gotham claiming he's gone straight. He now engages in finding lost heirs and he uses associates Tiny and the Spaniel to help him.

But Batman is suspicious, of course. What makes no sense is that Swann is not making much in commissions with his new service. And there's a reason for this. He's setting himself up as legitimate in order to go after a big win. A man by the name of Jenkins is dying in a hospital and has only one heir, a son, who has been missing for fifteen years. Swann sets up a close lookalike to the son who is willing to help as long as no one is hurt. (I'm guessing he doesn't understand the concept of heirs.)

This is a dark story as we see the butler of the dying man is killed in order to obtain a gold watch belonging to son to use as proof. Murders often happen in the comic, but to show how ruthless Swann is, he kills a kitten belonging to the simple Tiny who had grown an attachment to the animal.

In addition, this is the first comic strip story featuring Linda Page in her role as a nurse who is tending to Jenkins. After an attempt to kill Jenkins as he is being transported to his home as seeing his son proves to rally his spirits so that he manages to survive, Swann goes directly to his home to kill him. Batman and Robin, of course, save the day. In the end, Jenkins admits he knew the phony wasn't his son as the son was lost at sea several years earlier.

It's a well paced out story that includes a moment for Linda to be impressed by Bruce as he saves a farmer who is drowning in a river. If only they could be all like this. And what's next, Citizens? We're back to the pages of Detective Comics.