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Batman: The Golden Age #Omnibus #4
Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 4
Groundbreaking Golden Age classic stories--which cemented Batman's place as the medium's most popular hero--are gathered for the first time in this singular, expansive hardcover collection with a foreword by comics historian Michael Eury.
As World War II comes to an end, Batman and Robin continue to fight crime on the streets of Gotham City and beyond. In these thrilling adventures, the Dynamic Duo battle old foes like the Penguin, the Cavalier and the Joker, while also meeting such classic characters as the Three Musketeers, Professor Moriarty and Santa Claus. All this, plus Alfred starts an amateur detective agency and Catwoman debuts an all-new costume.
BATMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS VOLUME FOUR collects all of the Dark Knight Detective's tales from DETECTIVE COMICS #93-112, BATMAN #26-35 and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #15-22.
As World War II comes to an end, Batman and Robin continue to fight crime on the streets of Gotham City and beyond. In these thrilling adventures, the Dynamic Duo battle old foes like the Penguin, the Cavalier and the Joker, while also meeting such classic characters as the Three Musketeers, Professor Moriarty and Santa Claus. All this, plus Alfred starts an amateur detective agency and Catwoman debuts an all-new costume.
BATMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS VOLUME FOUR collects all of the Dark Knight Detective's tales from DETECTIVE COMICS #93-112, BATMAN #26-35 and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #15-22.
784 pages, Hardcover
First published June 5, 1946
1 person is currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Bill Finger
645 books105 followersWilliam "Bill" Finger was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the uncredited co-creator, with Bob Kane, of the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the co-architect of the series' development. In later years, Kane acknowledged Finger as "a contributing force" in the character's creation. Comics historian Ron Goulart, in Comic Book Encyclopedia, refers to Batman as the "creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger", and a DC Comics press release in 2007 about colleague Jerry Robinson states that in 1939, "Kane, along with writer Bill Finger, had just created Batman for [DC predecessor] National Comics".
Film and television credits include scripting The Green Slime (1969), Track of the Moon Beast (1976), and three episodes of 77 Sunset Strip.
-Wikipedia
Film and television credits include scripting The Green Slime (1969), Track of the Moon Beast (1976), and three episodes of 77 Sunset Strip.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 13, 2025
Batman Settles Into Legend: A Review of The Golden Age Batman Omnibus, Volume 4
There is a certain permanence to Batman, a sense that he has always existed, lurking in the cultural imagination like a shadow on a Gotham rooftop. But, of course, this was not always the case. He was, once, an experiment—a pulp-fiction vigilante borrowing as much from The Shadow and Zorro as from the nascent superhero boom of the late 1930s.
By the time we arrive at The Golden Age Batman Omnibus, Volume 4, collecting Detective Comics #92-112, Batman #26-35, and World’s Finest Comics #10-14, we are no longer looking at an experiment. We are looking at an institution.
These are the Batman stories of 1944-1946, an era in which Batman has not only survived but has been fully absorbed into the American cultural fabric. The war is over, Gotham has become more recognizable, and Batman himself is no longer just an avenger of the night—he is an icon, a character whose mythology has begun to calcify into something permanent.
This is, in many ways, Batman’s first “stable” era—a period where his character, supporting cast, and storytelling structure are no longer in flux but are instead establishing a template that will last for decades.
The War Ends, But Batman Continues
One of the most fascinating aspects of Volume 4 is its placement in historical context. These are the stories that span the final months of World War II and the immediate aftermath, a time of transition for both the real world and the world of Batman.
During the war, Batman had been a patriotic figure—not quite the flag-waving propaganda machine that Captain America or Superman had become, but still a hero who embodied American resilience. His enemies had included saboteurs, spies, and criminals exploiting wartime shortages. But now, in the postwar era, Batman’s focus shifts.
With victory secured, the American psyche turned toward stability, prosperity, and the future. The Gotham of these stories reflects that shift. No longer a purely noir cityscape of crime and corruption, Gotham is evolving into something larger, more grandiose—a city not just of shadows and crime bosses, but of fantastical adventure.
Batman is no longer a reactionary figure fighting for immediate survival; he is now an established part of Gotham’s law-and-order structure. He works openly with Commissioner Gordon. His enemies, while still dangerous, are now also theatrical—their crimes driven as much by ego as by greed.
In short, Batman has moved out of the trenches and into the mythos.
The Villains: Crime Becomes a Spectacle
Batman’s rogues’ gallery, already rich with personality, continues to grow in these stories. The most notable development in Volume 4 is that Batman’s villains are no longer merely criminals; they are now performers.
The Joker, by this point, has solidified his role as Batman’s greatest enemy. He is still a murderer, but his crimes are now more elaborate, more whimsical in their brutality. No longer a mere killer, he is now a showman of destruction, orchestrating elaborate heists and traps not just to succeed in crime, but to delight in the process. The seeds of every great Joker story to come—The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight, The Man Who Laughs—are already present in these tales.
The Penguin, meanwhile, has evolved into something even more refined. His obsession with birds remains intact, but his role as Gotham’s aristocratic crime lord is fully established. He is not a thug; he is a gentleman criminal, a man whose vanity and love of the high life are as central to his character as his schemes.
Catwoman, too, is evolving. She is still a thief, still morally ambiguous, but the flirtation between her and Batman is becoming more explicit. She is no longer merely a femme fatale—she is a true foil, a character whose presence challenges Batman’s rigid morality.
And then there are the lesser-known but no less fascinating villains, such as The Cavalier, a flamboyant, sword-wielding rogue, and The Crime Surgeon, a doctor who applies medical precision to the art of criminality. These are not just bad men committing crimes; these are personalities, characters whose very existence requires Batman to engage with them on their own thematic terms.
The Dynamic Duo: Batman and Robin in Full Swing
Robin, introduced in Volume 1 and integrated into the storytelling in Volume 2, is now fully entrenched as an equal partner. Gone are the days when Batman was a solitary figure; these are the stories of the Dynamic Duo, with Robin present in nearly every adventure.
Robin’s role, it must be said, is indispensable. He is not merely a sidekick—he is the catalyst for Batman’s evolution. With Robin in the mix, Batman is less of a grim loner and more of a mentor, a leader, and a strategist. Their chemistry, honed over years of storytelling, gives these stories a lively, bantering quality that would become the foundation for all future Batman-and-Robin tales.
If Volume 1 was the shadowy pulp Batman, and Volume 2 was the wartime Batman, then Volume 4 presents the Saturday morning serial Batman—a hero of daring escapes, ingenious traps, and larger-than-life heroics.
The Art: Gotham’s Grand Transformation
Visually, Volume 4 is polished, confident, and dynamic. Artists such as Dick Sprang, whose influence is now fully evident, bring a new level of grandeur to Gotham.
Sprang’s Gotham is not merely a city; it is a world. His architecture is larger-than-life, his action sequences are fluid and exaggerated, his character designs bold and expressive. This is the first Gotham that looks like Gotham, the first Batman who feels fully designed for mass appeal rather than as an experiment in crime fiction.
Final Verdict: The Batman Who Endures
If The Golden Age Batman Omnibus, Volume 4 proves anything, it is that Batman was no longer just another costumed hero. By 1946, he was a brand, a legend, and a certainty.
These stories are the foundation upon which all later Batmen would stand. The Gothic detective of the 1970s, the Dark Knight of the 1980s, the brooding strategist of the 2000s—all of them, in some way, can trace their lineage to the Batman of Volume 4, the Batman who had not only found himself but had become inescapable.
Final Thought: Why Batman Still Matters
There is something profound in Batman’s ability to persist. Superman, for all his virtues, has always existed slightly outside of time—an eternal, unchanging beacon of goodness. Batman, by contrast, is a survivor, a character who evolves not by rejecting change but by absorbing it, adapting to it, and making it part of his myth.
By Volume 4, Batman is no longer a mere pulp hero or a wartime figure. He is something greater, something enduring.
Because Gotham will always need him.
And so will we.
As well we should.
There is a certain permanence to Batman, a sense that he has always existed, lurking in the cultural imagination like a shadow on a Gotham rooftop. But, of course, this was not always the case. He was, once, an experiment—a pulp-fiction vigilante borrowing as much from The Shadow and Zorro as from the nascent superhero boom of the late 1930s.
By the time we arrive at The Golden Age Batman Omnibus, Volume 4, collecting Detective Comics #92-112, Batman #26-35, and World’s Finest Comics #10-14, we are no longer looking at an experiment. We are looking at an institution.
These are the Batman stories of 1944-1946, an era in which Batman has not only survived but has been fully absorbed into the American cultural fabric. The war is over, Gotham has become more recognizable, and Batman himself is no longer just an avenger of the night—he is an icon, a character whose mythology has begun to calcify into something permanent.
This is, in many ways, Batman’s first “stable” era—a period where his character, supporting cast, and storytelling structure are no longer in flux but are instead establishing a template that will last for decades.
The War Ends, But Batman Continues
One of the most fascinating aspects of Volume 4 is its placement in historical context. These are the stories that span the final months of World War II and the immediate aftermath, a time of transition for both the real world and the world of Batman.
During the war, Batman had been a patriotic figure—not quite the flag-waving propaganda machine that Captain America or Superman had become, but still a hero who embodied American resilience. His enemies had included saboteurs, spies, and criminals exploiting wartime shortages. But now, in the postwar era, Batman’s focus shifts.
With victory secured, the American psyche turned toward stability, prosperity, and the future. The Gotham of these stories reflects that shift. No longer a purely noir cityscape of crime and corruption, Gotham is evolving into something larger, more grandiose—a city not just of shadows and crime bosses, but of fantastical adventure.
Batman is no longer a reactionary figure fighting for immediate survival; he is now an established part of Gotham’s law-and-order structure. He works openly with Commissioner Gordon. His enemies, while still dangerous, are now also theatrical—their crimes driven as much by ego as by greed.
In short, Batman has moved out of the trenches and into the mythos.
The Villains: Crime Becomes a Spectacle
Batman’s rogues’ gallery, already rich with personality, continues to grow in these stories. The most notable development in Volume 4 is that Batman’s villains are no longer merely criminals; they are now performers.
The Joker, by this point, has solidified his role as Batman’s greatest enemy. He is still a murderer, but his crimes are now more elaborate, more whimsical in their brutality. No longer a mere killer, he is now a showman of destruction, orchestrating elaborate heists and traps not just to succeed in crime, but to delight in the process. The seeds of every great Joker story to come—The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight, The Man Who Laughs—are already present in these tales.
The Penguin, meanwhile, has evolved into something even more refined. His obsession with birds remains intact, but his role as Gotham’s aristocratic crime lord is fully established. He is not a thug; he is a gentleman criminal, a man whose vanity and love of the high life are as central to his character as his schemes.
Catwoman, too, is evolving. She is still a thief, still morally ambiguous, but the flirtation between her and Batman is becoming more explicit. She is no longer merely a femme fatale—she is a true foil, a character whose presence challenges Batman’s rigid morality.
And then there are the lesser-known but no less fascinating villains, such as The Cavalier, a flamboyant, sword-wielding rogue, and The Crime Surgeon, a doctor who applies medical precision to the art of criminality. These are not just bad men committing crimes; these are personalities, characters whose very existence requires Batman to engage with them on their own thematic terms.
The Dynamic Duo: Batman and Robin in Full Swing
Robin, introduced in Volume 1 and integrated into the storytelling in Volume 2, is now fully entrenched as an equal partner. Gone are the days when Batman was a solitary figure; these are the stories of the Dynamic Duo, with Robin present in nearly every adventure.
Robin’s role, it must be said, is indispensable. He is not merely a sidekick—he is the catalyst for Batman’s evolution. With Robin in the mix, Batman is less of a grim loner and more of a mentor, a leader, and a strategist. Their chemistry, honed over years of storytelling, gives these stories a lively, bantering quality that would become the foundation for all future Batman-and-Robin tales.
If Volume 1 was the shadowy pulp Batman, and Volume 2 was the wartime Batman, then Volume 4 presents the Saturday morning serial Batman—a hero of daring escapes, ingenious traps, and larger-than-life heroics.
The Art: Gotham’s Grand Transformation
Visually, Volume 4 is polished, confident, and dynamic. Artists such as Dick Sprang, whose influence is now fully evident, bring a new level of grandeur to Gotham.
Sprang’s Gotham is not merely a city; it is a world. His architecture is larger-than-life, his action sequences are fluid and exaggerated, his character designs bold and expressive. This is the first Gotham that looks like Gotham, the first Batman who feels fully designed for mass appeal rather than as an experiment in crime fiction.
Final Verdict: The Batman Who Endures
If The Golden Age Batman Omnibus, Volume 4 proves anything, it is that Batman was no longer just another costumed hero. By 1946, he was a brand, a legend, and a certainty.
These stories are the foundation upon which all later Batmen would stand. The Gothic detective of the 1970s, the Dark Knight of the 1980s, the brooding strategist of the 2000s—all of them, in some way, can trace their lineage to the Batman of Volume 4, the Batman who had not only found himself but had become inescapable.
Final Thought: Why Batman Still Matters
There is something profound in Batman’s ability to persist. Superman, for all his virtues, has always existed slightly outside of time—an eternal, unchanging beacon of goodness. Batman, by contrast, is a survivor, a character who evolves not by rejecting change but by absorbing it, adapting to it, and making it part of his myth.
By Volume 4, Batman is no longer a mere pulp hero or a wartime figure. He is something greater, something enduring.
Because Gotham will always need him.
And so will we.
As well we should.
March 29, 2020
Volume 4 collects material from 1944 to 1946 and shows Batman at his Golden Age best. The crudity of the early years has been left behind; the comic is now a finely tuned machine, the art is better than ever before and the writers have risen to the challenge of telling a mystery-thriller in 12 pages. If you're used to the grim post-1970s Batman, you need to understand that these comics had a different aim and audience. They were written for kids and barely literate servicemen and should be considered children's literature. That is no insult; editor Jack Schiff (who happened to be a socially conscious Stalinist) took his work seriously and its shows in the craftsmanship of these tales. Most were written by the two greatest Golden Age bat-scribes, Bill Finger (Batman's co-creator) and Don Cameron. Finger's stories demonstrate his wide-ranging research and eclectic imagination, while Cameron's display his customary light humor and heart. A third notable writer is Alvin Schwartz, an intellectual whose stories have a veneer of clever sophistication. The art is by another set of stars: Dick Sprang, the most dynamic and stylized Batman artist of the Golden Age; Jerry Robinson, distinguished for his graceful, flowing figures; and Win Mortimer, whose style was more illustrative and down-to-earth. The least impressive artwork is credited to "Bob Kane and Ray Burnley," but that is a mistake. Kane did not draw any stories in this volume (he was busy with the Batman newspaper strip). The artwork is actually by Paul Cooper, a journeyman artist.
August 15, 2025
1944-6 gems include Cavalier tries to feed Robin to a blue whale, Blaze donates gangsters in sarcophagi to Gotham Museum, Batplane becomes Santa’s sleigh, PI Alfred, Sgt. Shirley Holmes is smitten w/ Alfred, Batman becomes King of the Hobos & Penguin the Ice King, Batman & Robin work the night shift, Punch & Judy debut, Battle of the Billboards, Joker founds a fraternity, Bat v. library spook & Scorpio the alchemist, double swing crimes, & Bat gets a trophy from Dinosaur Island & arrests a Cat impostor
April 6, 2019
This runs from 1944 into the early post-war era. I do love this period of Batman with its mix of supervillains, human-interest stories, cunning crooks with gimmicks and comedy fillers with Alfred bumbling through detective work. The stories aren't deep, but most of them are good and I'd take it any day over the oh-so-grim-and-angsty Batman we have in the 21st century.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews