Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Batman #196

Batman #196 (On Sale: September 5, 1967) has a another great cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson. Once again, a comic you would be compelled to purchase.

Inside "The Psychic Super-Sleuth" is by Gardner Fox, Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella. Batman and Robin team up with Petru Dubrov, a famous psychic detective, to solve a jewel theft with no clues. Dubrov successfully locates the crooks, but they claim to be innocent. After Dubrov helps solve another crime with similar results Batman becomes suspicious.

Batman finds a letter in which Dubrov told Commissioner Gordon that he was coming to Gotham. Analysis of the letter leads Batman to a farm house where the real Dubrov is being held captive. The other Dubrov was an imposter.

The back-up batman story "The Purloined Parchment Puzzle" is also by Gardner Fox, Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella. After stopping a bank robbery, Batman helps with a locked room mystery at a museum. The curator inside the room was knocked out and a rare document stolen. The two guards outside saw no one enter the room. The curator, Donald Connery is accused of the crime and goes to trial.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

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