I managed to catch up on current comics and I figured I should probably read some of the Batman golden age omnibuses that I spent way too much money on, so I gave this issue a read. There's really not much to say about this story in terms of plot. It's very simple. Doctor Death is being woke and demanding reparations from the wealthy elite, and so of course everyone's favorite fascist Batman has to shut that down. Doctor Death has an Indian caricature sidekick. That's worth noting. Hmm, what else? Oh! I've been critical of Nolan's Batman for a long, long time, but it turns out I'm the asshole. Batman hasn't been killing, yet also not saving people since this issue. It's an integral part of the character that he's a murderer by inaction, which is hard to charge in court, so is therefore moral.

What's actually interesting about reading these old comics is their construction. If you're a big nerd, you'll be able to tell a comic's age just by how it looks. Comic book storytelling is an ever evolving thing and... boy, is that clear when you try to go back. I understand that comics were a very different medium in the late 30s compared to now and the last thing on these creator's minds was reader's experience, but man, there is no sort of pacing, there is barely any establishment of space. It's fascinating how we get from this to what comics have become. If I weren't doing this on such a whim, I'd probably be much more in-depth and analytical about it, but for now I just have to resign myself to pointing it out. more