The Batman Adventures #26

“Tree of Knowledge”

Cover Price: $1.50
Bargain Price: $0.50
Cover Date: Late November 1994

Here we have another great teaming of Batgirl and Robin, once again by Puckett and Parobeck. What sets this issue apart from #18 is that Puckett stages this story so that Dick and Babs spend as much time working on the mystery out of costume as in, resulting a better dichotomy of the duo’s love/hate relationship (they love each other in costume but hate each other’s guts in civvies) that evokes more of a classic screwball comedy dynamic than the somewhat straightforward flirtation of the previous issue. This extra layer, previously only hinted at in a single page, really takes the dynamic to the next level. Kelly’s story isn’t the only thing firing on all cylinders here, though, as the always amazing Mike Parobeck turns in an absolute masterpiece. Parobeck is definitely an underappreciated master and his cartoony style fits this book so well. It would be easy to assume that books like The Justice Society of American, El Diablo, and Impact’s The Fly, where he wasn’t restricted by an established look and model sheets, would be better showcases, but, as I said before, Parobeck perfectly evokes the feel of the Batman cartoon while always keeping his art his own and this issue is really top notch. His dynamic storytelling, the fluidity of motion he effortlessly brings to his figures, and the retro, minimalist sensibility he brings to his design work combine to create just as much substance as style, easily placing him on par with Cooke, Allred, and Timm.

The Batman Adventures #18

“Decision Day”

Cover Price: $1.50
Bargain Price: $0.50
Cover Date: March 1994

The Batman Adventures may be the most underrated comic of the nineties, featuring excellent Batman stories, usually written with an unparalleled cleverness and brevity by Kelley Puckett and drawn by Mike Parobeck whose style, much like Puckett’s writing, perfectly evokes the feel of the weekday afternoon cartoon show, while still being distinctly original. While the series is always an enjoyable read and an easy pick-up from the quarter bins, this issue, which shines the spotlight on Batgirl and Robin is even better than most. Batgirl, in her civilian identity of Barbara Gordon has just witnessed a would-be bombing of police headquarters. Rather than sit back under witness protection while the GCPD prosecutes the case, she dons her cowl to investigate on her own, which is when she runs into Robin, who is working the same case. The plot then quickly takes a backseat to a charming flirtation that underscores how much fun each has in their masked identities and how their crime fighting styles differ; Robin is more the more experienced, better trained fighter and crime solver, while Batgirl depends more on instinct and intuition. Best of all, though, is the one page exchange between the two when they bump into each other in their secret identities the next day. Expertly combining the tropes of a standard Batman adventure with a post modern romance comic, it’s a delightful forgotten treasure of an issue and one that makes me long for a similar dynamic in the DCU proper.