OVERLOOKED DARK KNIGHT EPISODE 60: SOME TRULY OVERLOOKED BATMAN STORIES 2021

Episode 60: Some Truly Overlooked Batman Stories 2021

Welcome to the sixtieth episode of The Overlooked Dark Knight. The is a non-index index show where the hosts, Andrew Leyland and Michael Bailey, look at Batman comics that rarely, if ever, get talked about.

This time out Andy and Mike end the year by going back to what the show was supposed to be about in the first place.  The guys have eached picked a handful of stories to talk about and then…well, they talk about them.  Just in time for Christmas even!

From the Golden Age to the Present.  From an imaginary story involving Alfred to a heartfelt story about Alfred’s and Bruce’s relationship.  From a second Two Face to the origin of Matches Malone.  From a new status quo to another new status quo.  Detective stories.  Tales of madness.  Stories of Bruce’s misspent youth.  This one has it all!

Below is a gallery of the covers and select pages from the comics discussed during this episode.

Andy and Mike want your feedback on this episode so they can read it on an upcoming show!  You even have options in how you leave your feedback.  The most direct way is to leave a comment right here on the site.  You can also send all questions, concerns, fears and trepidations to overlookeddarkknight@gmail.com.  Then there’ the Facebook page, where you can also leave a Batman related question for Andy and Mike to answer at the beginning of the show.  If you talk about this show on the social medias please include a #overlookeddk so the guys know where to find it.

The beginning and ending theme to the show is “The Descent” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

If you want to subscribe to the show here’s the RSS Feed and the Apple Podcast link.  If you use iTunes please leave us a review.  Not only will we read that on the air like the other feedback but it really helps the show out.  The show is also available on the Google Play Store and Spotify.

Next Time: Andy and Mike start off the New Year with some fancy crossovers with the Marvelous Competition!

2 thoughts on “OVERLOOKED DARK KNIGHT EPISODE 60: SOME TRULY OVERLOOKED BATMAN STORIES 2021”

  1. Thank you, gentlemen, for this marvelous Christmas gift. I’ve read a few, but certainly not all, of the stories you discussed, and I enjoyed listening to your views on them, but I especially enjoyed your talk about what your picks say about you as individuals. It’s always interesting to hear your insights.

    I also enjoyed your talk about the changes in comics and the comic industry over time, and how there comes a time when, to maintain sanity/maturity, you have to let go of strict continuity, and, in some cases, just stop reading certain comics. That’s not generally a happy realization, I guess, but it does make sense, and it’s a point of view I’ve come to agree with over the years.

    I found myself laughing when, in the synopis of “Blood Secrets” from Detective Comics Annual #2, Michael mentioned that Bruce adopted the name “Frank Dixon” when seeking to have Harvey Harris teach him to be a detective. I took that pseudonym to be a reference to Franklin W. Dixon, the pen name of the author of the Hardy Boy series of boy detective books. I devoured those books as a boy, myself, and it makes me smile to think that maybe young Bruce Wayne did, too.

    Happy Holidays and joyful and healthy new year!

  2. I also heard “Frank Dixon” and immediately picked up on the Hardy Boys reference, especially since young Bruce would have been just about the same age as the teen detectives. And then I went and read Detective Comics Annual #2 because it’s a great story.

    Great episode and great picks all around. You guys made me think of what issues or stories I would consider adding to the list. After I eliminated the ones that were Robin stories and not Batman stories (i.e. Detective Comics #650), I found three that are worth another look …

    “The Two Futures” from Batman #15. This is a straight-up “Support the War Effort” story from 1943 where Batman and Robin talk to a college professor about the possibilities of how life would be depending on who wins the war. The cover of the issue is a WWII propaganda piece as well. I have a love for this one because I used it in my classes back when I would do a mini-unit on propaganda as a lead-in to various novels.

    The Brave and the Bold #182. Not sure if this is truly “overlooked” considering it was re-printed in the Alan Brennert collection and also has been covered on a few podcasts, but I still think this Batman/Robin of Earth-2 team-up vs the Earth-2 Hugo Strange is a deep dive for those who just know DKR/Year One/Killing Joke/Hush/Long Halloween, etc.

    Batman: Night Cries. This was the Archie Goodwin-written, Scott Hampton-painted graphic novel centering around child abuse (don’t want to give the plot away too much here). It’s gorgeously rendered and Goodwin does a fairly good job of toeing the line between a well-written detective story and an Afterschool Special. Plus, it’s a mature readers book that actually feels mature (as opposed to gratuitous gore, nudity, and cursing).

    Again, LOVED the episode!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *