THE BRAINSTORMS

A decade before Marvel had one of their own! Wait, Doctor Doom? That guy’s Marvel, right? In 1950, DC would have you believe Doctor Doom is their guy (if only because Marvel wasn’t really a thing, yet). Detective Comics #158 features a villain by that name, but he’s inconsequential enough that eventually Marvel could get away with their own Doom. But in the 50s, the only Doom was this one! In April 1950, we see Batman and Robin celebrate their “1000th” case (implying being a

But wait, where's the giant penny? When we think of Batman’s trophies in the Batcave, we see in our minds a life-sized T-Rex, a giant penny, a Joker card, and more. This makes sense, because for decades that’s the image we see and have seen. It’s the nostalgia bait, the obvious callback to the past, the hallmarks of iconic cases and people even if you haven’t read anything where he got those trophies from. Would you believe me if, the first time we hear any mention, let alon