This reprint of Detective Comics #27 contains the very humble debut of Batman--a poorly drawn (sorry, Bob Kane) six-page story--and that will be its chief attraction to the average reader. What I found more entertaining were the backup features, particularly Fred Guardineer's suave "Speed Saunders: Ace Investigator" and "The Crimson Avenger" (the only other costumed hero in the book) by Jim Chambers. There are two stories by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster: "Spy," featuring Secret Service agent Bart Regan, and tough private eye "Slam Bradley." Naturally, both Regan and Bradley are dead ringers for Supes; that's the only way Shuster could draw 'em. For those of us who weren't around in 1939, these tales paint a fascinating picture of a vanished world populated by no-nonsense, square-jawed protagonists and sinister assassins from exotic lands. (Most of the artwork is quite primitive, of course, but note the finely detailed renderings in "The Crimson Avenger" and Tom Hickey's "Bruce Nelson.") ( )

A reproduction of the comic book that introduced Batman to the world. The concept and artwork were superior to the more popular Superman books. There are a couple of non-Superman stories in this book by Siegel and Shuster. ( )