Detective Comics #32

September 12, 1939

"Batman Vs. The Vampire"

So when is a vampire a werewolf? When he's the Monk appearing in a Batman comic. In the last issue, Batman discovers that Bruce Wayne's fiancee, Julie, is under the control of a person called the Monk, a person with the ability to hypnotize others. She travels to Europe with Batman following in his Gyroplane. After an encounter with the Monk and a rescue of Julie in Paris, Batman takes the fight to Hungary where, according to the last panel, he would face werewolves.

And so, we come to the title of the story. Are we dealing with vampires or werewolves or both? Based on the story, it appears it is both and at the same time.

Batman arrives in Hungary and has Julie secured in a hotel while he begins his investigations to find the Monk. He stops a horse drawn wagon and "rescues" a mysterious woman simply because he finds it odd that anyone would be traveling in such a manner alone at night. He takes her back to the hotel where she identifies herself as Dala. That night, she knocks Batman out and attacks Julie, biting her on the neck.

Batman quickly catches up with Dala and forces her to take him to the Monk. She agrees and as they approach his castle, the Batgyro is ensnared in a giant net. The Monk meets them and brings Batman under his control. He calls, mentally, for Julie to join them. He plans to have Batman devoured by his werewolves and to turn Julie into a werewolf, like himself and Dala.

Record scratch - so is he a vampire or a werewolf? From the looks of it, he's both as he transforms into a wolf before the helpless Batman and races off to call forth other werewolves. Once gathered, he throws Batman in a pit for his friends. Batman keeps them at bay with his gas vials while fashioning his Baterang with a rope to use to climb out of the pit.

He finds a silver statue which he melts down and shapes into two silver bullets which he uses to kill the two vampires as they sleep. In the end, Julie looks a little too grateful to Batman for all he's done for her as he returns her to New York.

Now, I know Julie will return in future issues, including a story that introduces us to the first Clayface, but will her appreciation for Batman lead to her losing interest in bored socialite Bruce Wayne? We'll find out. Stay tuned, Citizens!