Man-Bat

Created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams

In the July 1978 issue of Batman Family (#20, if you’re keeping track), we’re treated to “Private Eye Man-Bat,” a story wherein Kirk Langstrom asks Batman for a little favor: a job reference. Seems Langstrom thinks he’d make a swell partner for Gotham City private detective Jason Bard. Despite Batman’s recommendation, Bard isn’t entirely convinced — until Lanstrom morphs into Man-Bat and takes down an airplane full of terrorists.

For those of you not in the comic book loop, Kirk Langstrom was a sometime ally/sometime adversary of that ol’ Dark Knight and a full-time freakazoid — half-bat and half man, unless he takes his meds. It’s all the result of Langstrom’s own crazy ass medical and scientific experiments gone awry.

The story was scripted by Bob Rozakis, and drawn by Michael Golden with inks by Joe Rubenstein, and is considered part of the official Batman continuity, although as far as I can tell there were only a couple of further stories featuring Langstrom and Bard working together as private eyes.

COMICS

• BATMAN FAMILY
  (1975-78, DC Comics)
  • “Private Eye Man-Bat” (October-December 1978, #20)
• DETECTIVE COMICS
  (1937-present, DC Comics)
  • “The Whittles Snatch” (December 1979, #481)
  • “SST-The Super-Sonic Threat!” (September 1979, #485)

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• To the Batcave
  A listing of P.I. writers who have contributed to the canon of the Dark Knight.
• Detectives in DC Comics
  A preliminary listing of all the private eyes who have shown up in DC Comics.

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith, with a special flash of the cape to Laurent Lehmann.