Batman 1943 - Chapter 1

"The Electrical Brain"

July 16, 1943

The date given is when the first chapter aired in many movie theaters, but the serial itself would debut in others throughout the rest of the year and into the next. The serial is an odd duck because while it does feature Batman and Robin and some other elements fans of the comic book at the time might recognize, it also takes certain liberties with those elements.

Jim Beard and I broke down each chapter of the serial, but I'm using the Batman-A-Day Blog to revisit each chapter and throw out any other thoughts I come up with. These may be short, but you can also hear what we thought of chapter one by clicking the player here.

Let me start by saying I prefer the theme music used here compared to the 1949 serial. I also like the costume for Batman here better than the 1949 one. There is more here in terms of Batman fighting the Axis compared to the comics.

There is a weird bit at the beginning after the Duo capture two of the main villain, Daka's men and they are driving away. They remove their mask and cowl. There is this weird line between the man and the costume in this serial. Later in the chapter, Bruce and Dick are a little too loud with their exclamation that Batman and Robin are needed as Bruce orders Alfred to drive the car into an alley so they can change while he takes out the cowl in broad daylight.

While we did talk about the Batcave in the podcast and how the serial introduced the idea that was later picked up by the comics, we didn't discuss Alfred. Alfred was just recently introduced in the comics, but he looks more like a cartoon character as he is short and chubby. Here, we get the Alfred we're more familiar with complete with the mustache. It would not be until the start of the next year that we would see this Alfred in the comics.

And there is, of course, the characterization of the Japanese in the serial. In the historical context, it is understandable, but it is unfortunate now. Jim and I discuss how one should approach this on the podcast.

Overall, despite the changes made to Batman's character in that he works for the government, the first episode is not bad as it sets everything up. It's just that this serial will meander in terms of plot as we progress. I forgot about the disintegrator gun which is a cool device, but is forgotten pretty quickly in the story. It all leads to a confrontation with Batman and Daka's men as they rob the safe of a doctor. They are chased to the roof where they get into it and Batman is knocked off the roof. All great stuff to start.

What's next? Chapter two of the serial, so stay tuned, Citizens!