Detective Comics #106

October 24, 1945

"The Phantom of the Library"

Before we get into the main story, let's take the opportunity to explain to Dick Greyson the wonders of visiting your library. It's more than books. If you're blind, you can rad Braille or listen to a book. And there are various collections one can appreciate including a large stamp collection. Plus, it's got an awesome criminilogy section, so there is that.

Now, on to the story. a retired police inspector is injured by a falling bust. There's clues that it's an attack by the Phantom of the Library, a former librarian who murdered a fellow librarian seven years previous. The inspector and Batman were responsible for his apprehension.

The Phantom has a series of people he wants dead for convicting him of what he saw as not murder, but justified killing as the murdered librarian was going to discharge him. He sends a note to the former DA, now judge who prosecuted his case, luring him to the library.

There, he is nearly killed by an explosive book. Batman and Robin pursue the murderer who captures the judge, first by shooting him, then by crushing him with a chandalier. But the maniac himself is killed when he falls from the chansalier while Batman tries to stop him.

A cute, but not very memoralable story with an interesting, but limited villain. Next we'll return to the world of World's Finest comics.