"The Bat-Man: "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate"": Commissioner Gordon relaxes at home entertaining his young socialite friend Bruce Wayne. Wayne asks if anything exciting has happened lately, and Gordon explains that a fellow called

Bruce Wayne is a nice young chap - but he certainly must lead a boring life... seems disinterested in everything. — Commissioner Gordon

Detective Comics #27 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1939. It was published on March 30, 1939.





Contents show]

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Alfred Stryker (Only appearance; dies)

Jennings (henchman)

Other Characters:

Locations:

New York City (not yet identified, see "Notes" below) Apex Chemical Corporation (Mentioned only) Crane Residence Gordon Residence Lambert Mansion Stryker Laboratory Wayne Manor (First appearance)



Items:

Vehicles:

Bruce Wayne's red sedan





Commissioner Gordon relaxes at home entertaining his young socialite friend Bruce Wayne. Wayne asks if anything exciting has happened lately, and Gordon explains that a fellow called the "Bat-Man" is puzzling him. Gordon receives a call that chemical manufacturer Lambert has been found murdered. They have Lambert's son in custody, whose fingerprints were found on the knife. Gordon invites Bruce Wayne to the Lambert mansion with him, and Bruce Wayne says he has nothing better to do.

When they arrive at the crime scene, young Lambert insists he is innocent. The lad explains that he arrived home early and saw his father lying on the floor. When he entered the library, he saw a figure escaping out the window. He pulled a knife out of his father's back, and his father's last word was "contract." Lambert's son recalls that his father had three associates, Alfred Stryker, Paul Rogers, and Steve Crane. Steve Crane calls Gordon on the phone. Lambert told Crane that he had received a death threat the previous day. Crane has received a similar death threat, and asks for police protection. Bruce Wayne decides to go home, and Gordon rushes over to the Crane residence.

Steven Crane is killed by a gunman who enters through the window. The thug and his partner steal a paper from Crane and climb onto the roof. They are confronted by a figure they recognize as the Bat-Man, standing in the moonlight. The Bat-Man punches the first thug out, then grabs the second one in a headlock and throws him off the second-story roof. He grabs the paper and escapes as Gordon is pulling up. The GCPD try to arrest the Bat-Man, but they are unable to catch him. Gordon learns that Crane has been murdered, and moves on to the next business partner. The Bat-Man smiles when he reads the paper he stole, and drives off in his automobile.

Paul Rogers visits the laboratory of Alfred Stryker, having learned of Lambert's death by news broadcast. Stryker's assistant Jennings clubs Rogers over the head and ties him up. Jennings explains that he will lower a gas chamber over Rogers and kill him the same way he puts animals to sleep. Jennings leaves to activate the gas. The Bat-Man leaps into the room through an open transom . The Bat-Man grabs a wrench and dives inside the gas chamber before it closes.He plugs the gas jet with a handkerchief, and busts through the glass with his wrench. Jennings returns and tries to pull a gun on the Bat-Man, but the Bat-Man punches him in the face really hard. Alfred Stryker enters and demands to know what happened. When Rogers explains that Jennings tried to kill him, Stryker pulls out a knife to finish the job. The Bat-Man is hiding in the shadows, and he grabs Stryker from behind to stop him.

The Bat-Man explains to Rogers that they were all partners in the Apex Chemical Corporation. Stryker had made secret contracts with all of them to pay them a sum of money each year until he owned the business. He grew tired of waiting and decided to kill them so he wouldn't have to pay. Stryker breaks out of the Bat-Man's grip and pulls a gun on him. The Bat-Man punches Stryker so hard in the face that Stryker breaks through a railing and falls into a tank of acid. The Bat-Man remarks that this is a fitting end for his kind, and leaves via transom. Rogers tries to thank the Bat-Man, but he is already gone.

Later at his house, Commissioner Gordon relates this story to Bruce Wayne. Bruce remarks that this is a lovely fairy tale, and leaves. Gordon thinks to himself that Bruce Wayne is a nice young chap, but he seems to lead a very boring life. Bruce returns home to Wayne Manor, where it's revealed that he is in fact the Bat-Man.





Appearing in Speed Saunders: "Killers of Kurdistan"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

The Veiled Prophetress of the Killers of the Kurdistan (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Trel Awney (Only appearance; dies)

Tom (Appears only as a corpse)

Locations:

New York City

Kurdistan



Synopsis for Speed Saunders: "Killers of Kurdistan"

Synopsis not yet written.





Appearing in Buck Marshall: "Bullet Bluff"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Pepper

Sheriff

Antagonists:

Jack Stark (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Matt Doyle (Single appearance)

Jerry Kane (Appears only as a corpse)

Locations:

American Old West Sage City





Synopsis for Buck Marshall: "Bullet Bluff"

Synopsis not yet written.





Appearing in Bart Regan, Spy: "The Mysterious Murders"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

Enemy spies (Only appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

Congressman Booker (Single appearance)

Congressman Stoker (Single appearance)

Booker's secretary (Single appearance)

Congressman Little (Only appearance; dies)

Locations:

Synopsis for Bart Regan, Spy: "The Mysterious Murders"

Summary Needed

This page is missing a well-written and detailed synopsis. If there is already a synopsis here, it might need to be modified or expanded. You can help the DC Database by adding a summary of the story.

Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.

Appearing in The Crimson Avenger: "Murder on the Oceanic Line Docks"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Frank (Single appearance)

Mike Moran (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Alan Gold (Single appearance)

Beard (Single appearance)

Locations:

New York City Globe Leader, newspaper office Oceanic Line Docks Frank's Place





Synopsis for The Crimson Avenger: "Murder on the Oceanic Line Docks"

At the Oceanic Line Docks, a man named Abe Gold was murdered. Twenty minutes later, a car crowded another into a post, causing the driver, who was badly mutilated, to be rushed to the hospital. Suddenly, three men came in from an ambulance and held the doctors at gunpoint, demanding that the driver came with them. The doctor refused, so the gunman attacked him.

Lee Travis learned that a nightclub owner named Abe Gold was murdered and so was a nurse in a hospital kidnapping. Later, he went to a police garage where he found a wrecked car. He searched the car and found a camera without its film. Next, he told Wing How that they were going to recover the missing film that could lead them to the murderer. Lee speculated that Beard, the driver of the car, took a picture of Gold's murder and was kidnapped from the hospital to silence him. Later, the Crimson Avenger went to a gambling den known as Frank's Place, where he had a brief encounter with its owner. Meanwhile, in a dark alley, two policemen found Beard's body. Next, Crimson went to Mike Moran's office, where he encountered its owner. Crimson told Moran that he was looking for the murderer of Abe Gold. However, Moran responded that it was a gang who killed him and that he had no gang. Next, Crimson went to Sol Simon's dog racetrack, where a guard spotted and apprehended him, restrained him and incarcerated him. However, due to Crimson's strength, he easily broke free of his restraints and attacked Moran's men. Crimson confronted Moran about the murders of Abe Gold and Beard. Next, Moran attempted to shoot Crimson, but was quickly disarmed. However, he fired a shot, which was heard by the police. At the jail house, one officer informed the chief that he received a check for $8,000 from Moran, for the Crimson Avenger, confused about its meaning. Later on, the chief noticed that the check had suddenly disappeared. The Crimson, who had taken the check, decided that it should go to charity.





Appearing in Bruce Nelson: "The New Orleans Mardi Gras Murders, Part 1"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Ed Lane (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Lili Gravet (Appears only as a corpse)

Locations:

Synopsis for Bruce Nelson: "The New Orleans Mardi Gras Murders, Part 1"

Synopsis not yet written.





Appearing in "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu"

Featured Characters:

Denis Nayland Smith

Supporting Characters:

Dr. Petrie

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Greba Eltham (Flashback and main story)

Rev. J. D. Eltham

Vernon Denby

Locations:

London Limehouse District





Synopsis for "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu"

Synopsis not yet written.





Appearing in Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "Illegal Aliens"

Featured Characters:

Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise

Antagonists:

Kwan Joy Lo (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Ven Lo (Single appearance)



Synopsis for Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "Illegal Aliens"

Synopsis not yet written.





Appearing in Slam Bradley: "The Murderer on Vacation"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Blackjack Benson (Single appearance)

Helger Wetjen (Single appearance)

Gale Dennis (Single appearance)

Nickey (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Dick Kelly (Only appearance; dies)

Heine (Single appearance)

Locations:

Synopsis for Slam Bradley: "The Murderer on Vacation"

Synopsis not yet written.







Notes

Trivia

Also appearing in this issue of Detective Comics was: "Death on the Airwaves" (text story) by Gardner Fox.

was: The cover to this issue is iconic, and many artists have done homages. This are some examples.









See Also

Recommended Reading