So what makes this March 1972 gem so great?
In “BLIND JUSTICE…BLIND FEAR!” Batman must find a way of keeping a convict who has served his time alive during a prison break so that he can divulge information about corrupt politicians, despite a black militant con who wants to bargain for freedom and a hired killer out to get the man Batman wants to protect.
The genesis of this story was probably the Attica prison riot when 1200 inmates took over a prison for five days in September 1971, resulting in the loss of 43 lives. Robbins may also have been inspired by the 1969 book “Accomplices to the Crime” about the 1967 Arkansas Prison scandal.
I doubt that Frank Robbins had seen Two Way Stretch (1960) (one of the great prison break movies), but a number of classic prison movies existed by 1972. The films Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954) ( “The Best prison movie ever made” - Quentin Tarantino), The Big House (1930) , Brute Force (1947) and most recently RIOT (1969) (a colour-blind break-out partnership between Jim Brown and Gene Hackman) were probably uppermost in Frank’s mind when he wrote “Blind Justice - Blind Fear!’
A lot has been written about Frank Robbins’ artwork on Batman and The Shadow, but his writing ability has been mostly overlooked, despite his long tenure on Batman and Detective Comics from 1968 to 1974.
Comics are melodrama. Batman is melodrama. No pedestrian openings with Batman on patrol for Robbins; Robbins’ stories start bang in the middle of the action, with scenes of desperation and our hero on a mission with few choices. And that is something that writer/artist Frank Robbins well understood, starting with his daily work on adventure newspaper strip Johnny Hazard since its inception in 1944, which started with a prison-camp breakout (see here for more info).
Frank Robbins was influenced by popular culture. 1971 was the year of the TV movie; the Mystery Movie. And the year of some of the greatest neo-noir crime movies ever put to celluloid.
Detective #421 is a great story containing a prison break-in AND break-out ; it had topicality and social relevance, with some of some of Robbins' best, most dynamic Batman artwork. Sadly it was not coloured by Neal Adams, as Adams had done in Man-Bat story featured in Detective #416 (see last year's blog entry for more detail), and the cover (again by Adams) is a little lacklustre.
Detective #421 is not strictly a Batman story; it could have been a Shadow story, or a Doc Savage story, or a Mission Impossible story, or a Dirty Harry story. It is a story designed for a TV or B-movie sensibility, one expertly directly by a Don Siegel or a Sam Fuller. The story is sooooo tight… it crackles. This story is better than any Batman movie.
It combines social commentary, racial tensions and distrust, and torn-from-the-headlines excitement in a package that never stops. It starts in media res; Batman is high up on the walls of a prison, attempting to break in. The stakes could not be higher “If I don’t ….[break-in] Justice Dies in Gotham!!” ; society is a powder-key of corruption, and unless Batman can achieve his aim as time clicks down, a that powder-keg will explode. And I love the way it ends. Suddenly - with a sombre exchange between Batman and Gordon. The story is soooo lean.
Robbins manages to fit in a reference to the corruption which drove the railroaded trial of the Chicago Seven. Batman naively mentions that the "Seven" and the "Eleven" got a fair trial, and subsequently ruefully admits that this wasn't the case
 |
| Love the low angle on the car and Batcopter |
Most shocking of all, Robbins even manages to slide racial epithets, most notably the "N-Word" into the prison dialogue. This was not the first time that the N-Word was used in a DC comic (that dubious honour goes to GL/GA #85 "Snowbirds Don't Fly" a couple of month's earlier as part of a casual discussion between two hoods - one black and one asian) but this was the first time the word had been used in an antagonistic exchange between a white man and black man in a DC comic issued under the aegis of the Comics Code Authority.
Reading the Comics Code Authority rules as revised in 1971, the use of the racial epithets broke the General Standard rules on both dialogue and racial respect.
General standards—Part C
All elements or techniques not specifically mentioned herein, but which are contrary to the spirit and intent of the code, and are considered violations of good taste or decency, shall be prohibited.
Dialogue
- Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity, or words or symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings- judged and interpreted in contemporary standards- are forbidden.
Religion
- Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible
Yet reading the letters commenting on this issue in Detective #425, there was no mention of the N-Word at all. The letters were full of praise, apart from one dissent from a Lori Mead who hated the artwork. Editor Julie Schwartz responded that letter writers are now 75-25 in favour of Robbins’ artwork.
Clem Robins of Sheffield, Mass said it was "the finest story the magazine has ever featured".
 |
| Neal Adams cover for 'Tec #421. |
Interestingly, much of the original artwork for Detective #421 has found its way into the hands of private collectors, unlike the pages of the other published Robbins' artwork of Batman in contemporary issues of Detective in the 1971-72 period. I won't tell you which page I own (but it's not the Adams cover, recently auctioned for in excess of $100k! ).
 |
| Classic Eaglemoss Batcopter from Detective #421 |
Interesting stuff as usual baggsey . I’m a massive Robbins fan (after initially really not liking him at all) and I still find it strange that so many fans from back in the day still don't appreciate his art style and/or his storytelling technique. I agree 100%, that Detective comics 421 is a cracker and is certainly one of the Caped Crusaders (and Robbins) very best.
ReplyDeleteI have to be honest and say I don’t actually recall reading or at least acknowledging the “N” word in this issue (or GL 85), so much so I went back to re-read GA issue 85 (I no longer have Detective 421 ☹ but its use seems stronger here ) and there it was on page 11. I wonder what the general comic book reaction was to that term at the time. It was certainly used in a way to make a point in GL 85 and Detective 421 but regardless it was strong language even for that time and I assume it was seen as such in the US as well . I wonder if it was edited out in the GL facsimile (my copy is stored away) ?
That Adams cover is indeed a tad lackluster , pity as it’s such a great tale and an Adam's classic cover would have been the cherry on the cake.
I have never owned any original comics artwork but would love a Robbins original page - does the page look as good /better than the printed version?. Anyway hope you enjoyed your G&T’s.
Hi Paul. I haven’t come across any research on the use of the N-word in Mainstream comics in the 70s, but it would be interesting to see the evolution of its use in comics. I suspect that the likes of comics writers at the forefront of “relevance” like Denny O’Neil or Mike Friedrich might have used it, or perhaps it appeared in War comics, or something like Luke Cage over at Marvel. That said, I expected to find it in the “John Stewart” issue of GL/GA 87, where Hal Jordan and a deputy GL John Stewart are assigned to protect a racist politician, but "only" the perjorative word “darkies” is used. That’s a pretty powerful comic in its own right - one still relevant, but I can’t see DC publishing anything remotely challenging or socially relevant these days.
DeleteI like your thought wondering if the N-word features in the GL/GA reprint books…I’ll check my copy when I get home at the weekend.
Thinking back to our initial negative reaction to Frank Robbins’ art in 1971/72, of course I had no clue that Robbins had been drawing Johnny Hazard since 1944, or even knew that Johnny Hazard even existed. And I bet most US comic readers were unaware either. I must say I’m quite intrigued , and might take a punt at the colour Sunday strip reprint book of Johnny Hazard, on Amazon at $80 though.
The Gin-and-Tonics and a four-hour flight were just what I needed to finish off a blog that I’d started a few months back! In fact, I was listening to the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service soundtrack; the track “Gumbold’s Safe” (where Bond breaks in an office to crack a safe) made me think it would be a great soundtrack to Batman breaking into prison as in Detective 421.
I’ll have to get around to a side-by-side comparison of the Robbins page I own and the page from the comic. I am pleased to own a Robbins page; I notice that his Invaders work at Marvel comes up for auction from time to time, should you wish to secure a copy. A couple of the pages he did in Daredevil 155 (I think that’s the issue) came up for auction recently, but the Frank Springer inking really spoiled the artwork (IMHO). Of course, that Daredevil was the last comic Robbins did at Marvel. Comic art is so expensive these days ; I was looking at the prices Alan Austin was charging for original pages of Aparo back in 1973/74 - the likes of £4 per page! Of course, when having only enough pocket-money to buy a few 7.5p comics, £4 was just as unattainable!