Batman: Serial Hero?

Batman: Serial Hero?

An in-depth look at the 1943 serials featuring the Caped Crusader

In 1943, there were basically no superhero comic adaptations, mostly because the genre of superhero comics was so new. Superman had gotten a radio show (which introduced Kryptonite, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen!), and animated shorts, while Captain Marvel got his own live action movie. Once the US entered the war, a lot of the focus on media like serials and movies was on supporting war efforts. 

To this effect, Batman’s debut outside comics, Batman (1943) was a series of short serials featuring Batman and Robin, and occasionally Alfred, working to flush out and take down Doctor Daka, a Japanese man who’d somehow escaped the internment camps and was intent on causing chaos and gaining control in Gotham City. It specifically involved the heroic duo “on assignment from the State Department” in that regard, as well. This villain, as well as the heroes’ relationship with the government, were invented for the serials and luckily not quite adapted as specifically into comics as previous major details from other media (like Jimmy, Perry and kryptonite) were. 

The serials themselves were extreme products of their time, with a white actor cast in the role of Daka, and several mentions of how “sensible” the decision for the US government to open the internment camps was. Speaking on a personal level, the narrator saying this in the opening few minutes of the movie-length compilation of the serial episodes shocked me so much I turned it off for several minutes. 

We see a mix of things lifted from canon and shifted to adapt into the story the creators wanted to tell, with the main connection between Bruce and Dick and Daka being that Bruce’s love interest, Linda Page (the first of his love interests adapted to any media outside comics, mostly because Julie Madison didn’t get the chance), had an ex-con uncle who was captured and turned into a zombie henchman of Daka’s, using a contraption! 

From there, things kick off fairly quickly, with a series of fights between the dynamic duo and both the gang and zombies at the command of Daka, in a wide variety of locations. 

Of course, in the end the heroes win, but that’s to no one’s surprise. So, the question remains: Is this worth seeing?

First, let’s speak on content. Obviously, the racism and complicated politics of the time mean that a large amount of modern audiences will watch this with unease. This is as good a reason as any to decide against watching it! That kind of content isn’t something everyone needs to stomach if they don’t have to, and if I’m being honest it’s the reason I will never revisit this now that I’ve finished watching each episode. 

However, if you’re something of a completionist, and want to understand the history of Batman and/or superhero media in general by reading and watching a massive amount, or if you are motivated to check it out for some other reason (any reason is your own), here’s what you have in front of you! 

In his first appearance in comics, Dick Grayson’s first disguise on a job is that of a newsboy, in an echo of the first disguise Bruce put on months prior, as a journalist. It was a pleasant surprise for me when I saw that they referenced that here, with the first true disguise Dick dons in the serials is also that of a newsboy! The creators clearly had an affection for the materials, and wanted to utilize aspects and references that would make fans happy. 

In addition, the performance of the lead actor playing Bruce Wayne/Batman, is very impressive. There’s a clear throughline between the two versions of the character, but they’re also different enough that you can feel a layer of performance within performance (the air put on by Bruce’s socialite persona) while also understanding how impressive that performance is in itself. The idea of secret identity, in this film, is done with incredibly believable care. 

But does that make it worth it?

In all honesty, though it’s up to you if you fall into the category of an exception (curious, completionist, or however else you want to consider it), I’d say no. Like I said, I will never revisit it now that it’s done, and it’s unlikely it will ever be truly referenced meaningfully in the future by comics or movies. 

But if, after all this, you’re curious, it is streaming on Tubi in one 3+ hour movie-length compilation!