A couple of Batman questions...

[babyblob]

When did detective comics become exclusively a Batman title? And what issues did Earth two Batman die? I am not looking for trades I am looking for issue numbers. Thanks in advance for all the help.

[jb681131]

When did detective comics become exclusively a Batman title? And what issues did Earth two Batman die? I am not looking for trades I am looking for issue numbers. Thanks in advance for all the help.

Well Batman appeared in Detective Comics in 1939 in issue #27.
He appeared in Detective Comics since then.
In issue #61, there seems to be only a Batman Story.
But up until the Modern Age (1986), Detective Comics add accationaly other stories than Batman.
I remember a very good Manhunter story from 73/74 by Goodwin.

[MajorHoy]

When did detective comics become exclusively a Batman title? And what issues did Earth two Batman die? I am not looking for trades I am looking for issue numbers. Thanks in advance for all the help.

The death of Earth-2 Batman (Gotham City Police Commissioner Bruce Wayne) was in Justice Society of America stories back in $1.00-size Adventure Comics in late 1978.

[Jim Kelly]

If you don't count the quarter page "Scienti-Fact" and the various ads like Rockie and Bullwinkle for Cheerios, DETECTIVE COMICS 331 was the first issue to only have one story in the issue. And that story was a Batman and Robin story guest-starring Elongated Man. Unless you count that as a team-up story. But that would be the first issue where Batman took over the book. Ralph had the back-up feature, but they planned to have him team with Batman on an annual basis for a full issue story, however this only was done the next year after that in 343 and then they gave up on the annual tradition.

The next issue that Batman takes over is the special 387, the 30th anniversary issue, which had one new Batman story and one reprint of the original Batman story (from 27). Also 448 that wraps up the Bat-Murderer saga.

Another team-up story that takes over the whole issue doesn't happen again until 468, Batman teaming with Green Arrow, the Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary and Elongated Man. But in the issues immediately after that Batman takes over the comic for several issues (this intersects with the famous Englehart and Rogers issues).

[MRP]

Detective Comics continued to have back up features up through 1986, with issue 567 (cover dated Oct. 1986) having the last of the long running Green Arrow back ups in it. Issue 568, which was a Legends cross-over issue, was exclusively Batman and from that point on there were no longer back ups in 'Tec for some time. There had been previous issues that were Batman only, but they were the exception not the rule, usually special issues or special full length stories where the back up features took a break or were switching out and the full length issue was break between features. sometimes the back ups were Bat-family related (usually Batgirl) but other features/characters appeared regularly in 'Tec for a long while (both Green Arrow and Hawkman had back up features in the book for example). Batman was definitely the lead feature for most of that time, but it was not exclusively Batman until after Legends when the post-Dark Knight Returns surge in Batman's popularity was taking hold. I believe that was about the time Denny O'Neil took over at the Bat-editor, and I believe it was his decision to end the back ups in 'Tec.

-M