Products You May Like
My Rating
“The Demon Of Gothos Mansion!”
A woman’s silhouette stands in the pale light of a tower window. The mansion belongs to Clifton Heathrow—a man whose wealth stretches back generations. Gothos Mansion. An ominous name, but Batman has no time to research its history or meaning. Alfred’s niece is in danger within those walls. This calls for action, not words.
Below the ancient oak where the Caped Crusader hides, a group of men follows a darkened path, carrying an ornate altar. An altar to what, exactly? In less than a minute, Batman will have his answer.
“Tonight, for the first time in two centuries, we raise the spirit of the Demon Ballk!”
It seems Daphne Pennyworth has stumbled into something far more sinister than a private teaching job. Her employer leads a coven, and tonight’s lesson involves a demonic summoning. What role does Daphne play in this ceremony? Batman had better find out before Alfred’s niece becomes the evening’s sacrifice. Black magic at Gothos Mansion? Most definitely. But the Dark Knight has a few tricks of his own!
“Casey the Cop”
Casey the Cop has just nabbed the city’s most notorious bank robber, Baby-Face Willie! The question now is how a beat cop will get the cook and the bags of money back to the precinct. Nothin’ is never easy for Casey.
“Help Me!… I Think I’m Dead!”
Hudson University is abuzz as the state elections heat up over pollution in the Gotham River. Industry means jobs, but what good are those jobs if the river becomes a chemical dumping ground? A congressman and a professor stand on opposite sides of the argument. Meanwhile, Robin has a more immediate problem.
A young man needs help after a chemical accident leaves him convinced he is dead. Dead? He certainly has enough life left to call for help! The Teen Wonder must get to the bottom of this strange encounter while the controversy over the river threatens to boil over.
Review
This week, DC Comics released a facsimile edition of one of my Holy Grail books—Batman No. 227 from 1970. Featuring that highly sought-after Neal Adams cover, this issue drips with supernatural spookiness before you even turn a page. I’ve yet to add an original copy of this gem to my comic book library. Someday, perhaps. Until then, this edition will do nicely.
Inside these pages lives a version of Batman and Robin that deserves more attention. Their detective skills, martial arts training, and quick thinking carry them through danger. Yes, they have their toys. This is Batman, after all! But the equipment never overshadows the men using it. There is something refreshing about watching our heroes work through a problem with their brains and a well-placed punch.
“The Demon of Gothos Mansion!” delivers the kind of chilling adventure I love finding in these older comics. Writer Dennis O’Neil sends Batman into a world of sinister rituals, ancestral secrets, and a young woman in desperate need of help. A remote mansion and a coven preparing to summon a demon? That sounds like trouble worth investigating!
The Artists
Irv Novick and Dick Giordano give the story its wonderfully eerie atmosphere. Deep shadows, darkened grounds, and looming architecture make Gothos Mansion a place I would happily visit—from the safety of my reading chair. The setting brings to mind older gothic mysteries, particularly Sherlock Holmes’ “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Batman fits comfortably into that tradition. Put the world’s greatest detective outside a sinister mansion, and half the appeal is already there.
Robin’s solo feature, “Help Me!… I Think I’m Dead!”, rounds out the issue with a different kind of mystery. Its pollution controversy brings the danger closer to everyday life, offering a change of pace after the horrors of Gothos Mansion. Still, Batman’s encounter with the coven is the main attraction for me.
Batman No. 227 earns a rock-solid four out of five stars. That Neal Adams cover may draw collectors to this issue, but the gothic adventure inside makes it worth reading. For a fan of both Batman and DC horror comics, this one belongs on the shelf. Now, about finding that original copy…
Four out of five stars.
