Batman #4 - Story 2
January 13, 1941
"Blackbeard's Crew and the Yacht Society"
It's a story of modern day pirates with a look of pirates of the past. It's not a bad little tale as it does introduce us to the idea that the Batplane can transform into the Batboat. (Wonder if that was repeated often if at all?)
The story opens with Dick and Bruce practicing their swordplay. In some ways, this little opener reminds me of the 66 series in that we'd sometimes see Dick and Bruce engaged in an activity at the start of the story that would either be integral to the story or useful in their investigations.
We cut to members of the "Yacht Society", a group that meets yearly to cruise on one of the members yachts. It looks like something out of the Love Boat in that each has his or her own story that should be resolved by the end of the cruise. One woman must decide between two suitors. A man puts up with an obnoxious rich boss. Another man wants to end his life as he has been wiped out. It's perfect pickings though for a criminal.
Sure enough, the yacht is boarded by pirates, dressed as in the past; their leader - Blackbeard. The radio operator manages to get a message out that is laughed at by authorities as they cannot believe that actual pirates are boarding the ship. But Dick picks it up as well and shares it with Bruce. It sounds odd, but is worth investigating, so they fly the Batplane out to the yacht's location.
They quickly discover the yacht has been abandoned and soon find a pirate ship. Batman sets the Batplane down in the water, transforming it into a boat. They sneak aboard and take on the pirate crew. Both are subdued and Robin is forced to walk the plank. He falls off into the water.
Batman breaks free from his captors and dives in after Robin. Beneath the water, he defends Robin from a tiger shark, stabbing the creature with a knife. The pirates see the shark's blood on the water's surface and think it's the end of Batman.
The two climb up the side of the yacht and free the prisoners. Together, the two, with the passengers, overtake the pirates that includes a sword fight between Batman and Blackbeard. Once defeated, Blackbeard is found to be the gangster Thatch.
