Bat Man

by Lew Merrill

Spicy Mystery, Feb 1936
BAT MAN
by Lew Merrill

Was he animal or was he human? Sometimes he loved the woman who had been his fiancée; at other times he cared only for his furry mate. What had happened to John Charters?

Some credit this story as one of the many inspirations for Bob Kane's Batman.

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 4, 2011

About the author

Pseudonym of pulp fiction writer Victor Rousseau Emanuel

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short "spicy pulp" story I found for free online about a guy who gets his brain surgically implanted into a bat, and it is HYSTERICAL. Highlights:

"I could hear them speaking in low tones, and, bat though I had become, I understood what they were saying to each other."

"For a few moments the blind, impotent rage of a bat filled my heart as I realized how helpless I was."

"I remembered Alice, and the quiver of a man's desire ran through my furry body."

"A sweet, warm fragrance came from her naked throat and shoulder, making me forget the sweeter fragrance of my companions in the cave!"

"But I'm a bat, you see. I live in the quarries, and I have a mate who brings me food. Am I frightening you?"

"If I were a man, I should ask you to let me creep into your arms and lie there."

"Could a human being understand the joy and the wonder of the bat life?"

"You're not afraid that I'll get into your hair?"

And so on.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reading - both the story and its possible link to Batman as a comic hero. The copy I read also included a early history of the comic book version and other same-time period incarnations of Bat and Black Bat characters - many of which were presented in magazine or pulp incarnations. It is very interesting that almost all of them were trying to be Shadow clones. The Bruce Wayne version also took from Doc Savage and others as well per Kane's admission.

[MB Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very bizarre story from 1936 in Spicy Mystery.

[Jim Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mysterious story and it kept me guessing about what was really going on. It had nothing to do with the later Batman comic book series but is actually a look at a man's very distorted perception of himself and the world around him. It's almost impossible to say much about the story without giving everything away so I will just recommend it to those who like weird SF and I actually consider it as SF horror not just the usual horror story that the title and beginning of the story suggest. The writing is creepy and very evocative of what it would be like being a man trapped in a bat's body. There's some sexual overtones that may seem a little crude but it probably helped get the story published in Spicy Mystery Stories 1936.

[Emmanuel]

I ban't what to stay