Detective Comics #52

April 29, 1941

"The Secret of the Jade Box"

I've said before how I like the continuity that Batman wove long before many other comics, in particular, Superman, did. And here we have a story that throws all the way back to Detective Comics #39. And what's interesting is that the editors do not make an effort to remind the reader of the references made in the story. You either know it or not. And not knowing it doesn't take away from the story, while knowing it adds another level of enjoyment.

The story opens with Potter visiting a curio shop where the owner has a jade box to sell that Potter is clearly interested in. That evening, as Potter waits for Bruce Wayne to arrive for dinner, he discovers a fake bottom on the box and is shocked to find something - something we do not learn about as he is then murdered. Bruce and the butler, Thomas, discover the body.

Batman visits Potter's house and is shown the jade box that Potter purchased. Batman heads to the curio shop while our unnamed bad guy goes to Potter's house to retrieve the jade box. He is upset as the box will be connected to him. He learns from Thomas that Batman is on the case.

Filmation wasn't the first to forget that Batman has an emblem on his chest. I guess the artist was too busy singing along with Batman?

As Batman leaves the curio shop, he is attacked by the henchmen of our unnamed person. He is able to take them out, singing as he does. He races off when the police arrive, but the henchmen escape too.

And then we get, what appears at first, a weird twist in the story as stores in Chinatown are shaken down by a protection racket. The shop owners go to the new unofficial mayor, Loo Chung. They demand he call in Batman who helped them once before. But Batman is already there as he wants to ask Chung about the jade box.

He learns the story of the Ring of Khan, a ring of power handed down since Ghengis Khan. Whoever holds the ring gets to command a band of thieves. And it appears that person is heading up the protection racket in Chinatown.

Batman offers to help and then talks with Chung about the box. Chung reveals he is our unnamed leader who has the ring and is running the protection racket. He traps Batman in a pit and has a giant dog attack him. Batman takes the beast out with a solid punch to the head.

He is attacked by Chung's men, including one who has a whip which he was using on an old man bound to the wall. Batman looks defeated when Chung arrives with a gun aimed at him, but Chung is startled by a figure in a dragon mask. It's Robin who helps Batman round up the gang.

The old man turns out to be the father of Wong, the last mayor of Chinatown from Detective Comics #39. Wong was a descendent of Khan and had the ring, but refused to use it. When he died, Chung found the ring and planned to form a gang. The father stole it and hid it in the box. He was tortured then for the location of the ring.

Now, I get why Batman feels he should destroy the ring, but then again, it is an artifact from the past. There's the part of me that feels it should be preserved. In any event, this is a really good story and I'm hoping we will visit Chinatown again. What's next? We're on to the World's Finest, Citizens!