Blue Max (also known as Shivering Blue Max Baron) is a villain that appeared in Batman newspaper strips from the 1960s. He made his first appearance in the July 10th, 1967 strip, and his final appearance in the March 24th, 1968 strip. These comic strips weren’t seen again until they were republished in Batman - the Silver Age Newspaper Comics Collections by IDW decades later.
History[]
"Killing" Batman:[]
After defeating the Riddler, Batman and Robin were flying the Bat-copter when they were attacked by a mysterious plane (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 10th, 1967). The Bat-copter crashed, and Robin managed to pull an unconscious Batman out of the wreckage (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 13th, 1967).
Blue Max is electrified by B.G. Trubble. Drawn by Joe Giella.
Blue Max believed that Batman had died in the wreckage. He called the underworld boss B.G. ("Big") Trubble, a member of the crime group known as the Syndicate, to claim the million dollar reward (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 16th, 1967). Blue Max attempted to collect his reward, but was electrified by it. Big Trubble refused to give Blue Max the reward unless he could provide proof that Batman and Robin had been killed(Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 19th, 1967). Robin had hidden Batman away in the Batcave. Him and Alfred had not answered Commissioner Gordon's calls because they were busy attempting to heal Batman (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 21, 1967). When Batman finally awoke, he had amnesia, with no memory of Batman, Robin, or Alfred (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 22, 1967). With no answer from Batman and Robin, Commissioner Gordon believed that they were dead, and released this information to the public. Blue Max received the million dollar reward (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 23-25th 1967).
Five Million Dollars Worth of Counterfeit Money:[]
Blue Max investigates Elmo the Etcher’s printed money, Drawn by Joe Giella.
With his newly gained fortune, Blue Max moved to a Caribbean island 1873 miles from Gotham (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder September 28th, 1967) called St. Swithins (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, October 3rd, 1967). He claimed he was "...warm for the first time in years" (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, August 20th, 1967). During his time on the island he would occasionally wonder if Batman and Robin were really dead (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, August 22nd, 1967). Blue Max also began to worry about running out of money, deducing that if he spent fifty thousand per annum as he planned, he would be broke within twelve years (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, September 7th, 1967). To avoid this fate, Blue Max travelled to an island called Ayo Cay where he could meet with Elmo the Etcher who ran a money printing business. Blue Max claimed that Elmo's counterfeit money was perfect (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, September 8th, 1967). Elmo offered to sell Blue Max five dollars worth of counterfeit money for every real dollar, claiming that if he tried to pass it, he would be suspected, but no one would suspect Blue Max. Max accepted, paying him one million dollars (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, September 10th, 1967). Blue Max hid the five million dollars worth of counterfeit money in his suit case and used tear gas as a booby trap for anyone who attempted to steal it (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, September 17th, 1967). Blue Max was no longer worried about using up his money, paying his rent a month in advance as well as giving the secretary an extra hundred dollars (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, September 28th, 1967). He was very protective with it though, holding onto his suitcase wherever he went (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, October 1st, 1967).
Rematch with the Dynamic Duo:[]
The Syndicate had discovered that Batman and Robin had survived and wanted their money back from Blue Max. Big Trubble came up with a plan that would get them back their money and allow them to capture Batman. The gang set a trap for Batgirl and held her hostage, threatening to kill her if Batman and Robin didn't find Blue Max. Batman's only memory from before he had amnesia was the formula SB1. Robin deduced that it must have been the license number on the plane. After checking the Batcave's files, Alfred confirmed that Blue Max owned a plane with that number. Batman and Robin left to capture him. (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, September 17th-October 1st, 1967).
Blue Max’s plane crashes. Drawn by Joe Giella.
Listening to the radio, Blue Max learned that Batman was still alive (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, October 4th, 1967). To prepare him self for their arrival, Blue Max spent four hours doing target practice (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, October 8th, 1967), before attempting to leave the island. On his way out, he encountered Batman and Robin who had just arrived. He managed to slow down Batman with the tear gas he had hidden in his suitcase, but lost the money in the process. Robin chased after him, and disarmed Blue Max after tricking him into thinking he shot him. Blue Max knocked Robin unconscious with a nearby rock and ran to his plane. He attempted to take off, but crashed because he failed to warm up his engine. The sound of the crash allowed Batman's memory to return, as he had blocked everything out because he believed that Robin died in the Bat-copter crash. Batman and Robin left to find the money, believing that Blue Max was dead but Blue Max managed to escape thanks to the scuba gear he had on board (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, October 15th-24th, 1967).
Meeting "Pretty Boy" Floy:[]
Blue Max meets "Pretty Boy" Floy. Drawn by Joe Giella.
Blue Max sinks to the bottom of Gotham Harbour. Drawn by Joe Giella.
After escaping his demise, Blue Max snuck back into Gotham City by hiding in a plane's cargo hold. While planning his revenge on Batman, he realized that he needed help from a criminal who was vicious, but not too smart. He decided to call on "Pretty Boy" Floy (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, November 4th, 1967). When Blue Max arrived at Floy's flat, Floy was surprised that Blue Max was still alive (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, November 5th, 1967). Blue Max discussed his plans to beat Batman with "Pretty Boy" Floy. He believed that to beat him, they required brains, organization, and unlimited funds. He proposed that they could do this by manipulating the respectable billionaire Tyrone Koom to kill Batman for them. He even provided the whole plan written out for Floy and his twin sister, since he doubted Floy's intelligence. In return Blue Max wanted half the underworld payoff for Batman's murder (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, November 11th-13th, 1967). "Pretty Boy" planned to steal Blue Max's plan. He tricked Blue Max relaxing with his feet in a bucket of hot water and epsom salts, but the salts were actually cement. With Blue Max trapped, "Pretty Boy" and his henchman Louie drove him out to the Gotham Docks in a hearse and dumped him into the water (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, November 14th-17th, 1967).
With Blue Max believed dead, "Pretty Boy" Floy and his sister Flo began to exercise his plan to kill Batman. Tyrone Koom's personal astrologer had recently died, making it impossible for him to make his own decisions. Flo read up on astrology, becoming an astrologer named Madam Zodiac. She sent a message to Mr. Koom, telling him to sell all of his oil holdings. "Pretty Boy" Floy then burnt down the Koom Oil Refinery. This convinced Koom to hire her (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, November 19th-December 10th, 1967).
After destroying the Oil Refinery, Floy thought he saw Blue Max standing in the shadows. His sister convinced him that there was no one there, telling him to pull himself together before he ruined their plans (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, December 14th-15th, 1967). Madam Zodiac convinced Mr. Koom that Batman was coming to murder him, and they managed to capture Batman. Instead of killing him though, Mr. Koom decided to send him to Xanadu, Mr. Koom's private island, where he would be his prisoner (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, January 14th, 1968).
Alliance with the Boy Wonder:[]
Meanwhile, Blue Max was alive, and purchased a Batman costume from a costume shop (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder Januarary 17th, 1968). Meanwhile, Robin and Alfred were searching for a missing Batman, and tracked him to an airstrip. Before Robin could arrive though, Mr. Koom's plane had already taken off with an unconscious Batman inside. Blue Max had arrived at the airstrip as well, hoping to do some flying in order to keep his pilots license (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, January 20th, 1968). Robin spoke to the owner of the airstrip, learning that Mr. Koom's plane had left. Defeated, he spotted Blue Max, about to leave in the airstrip's last plane. Blue Max offered to help Robin, his need for revenge against Madam Zodiac and "Pretty Boy" Floy stronger than against Batman and Robin. Robin accepted the offer and they took off after them (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, January 22nd to 27th, 1968).
Robin goes after Batman. Drawn by Joe Giella.
After a struggle, "Pretty Boy" threw Batman from the plane, sending him plummeting towards the earth. Blue Max and Robin caught up to them just in time to see Batman fall. Despite Blue Max claiming they could never catch up to him, Robin grabbed the only parachute on the plane and jumped after Batman. Robin managed to grab onto him and together they went down with the parachute. When they hit the ground, Robin broke his leg and became unconscious. Batman, still tied to Robin, was unable to escape from "Pretty Boy" as he captured Batman again, leaving Robin lying alone in a field (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, January 28th- February 11th, 1968). Alfred managed to find Robin and brought him to his car (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, February 13th, 1968). Blue Max landed his plane, telling Robin that he had lost Mr. Koom's plane in a cloud bank. He noticed Alfred and the car, who Robin explained to be a kind passerby who was driving him to a doctor. Blue Max didn't believe this story and wrote down the license number, planning to trace it (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder February 18th - 22nd, 1968).
Discovering the Duo's Identity:[]
Blue Max deduces the identities of Batman and Robin. Drawn by Joe Giella.
Blue Max tracked the license plate all the way to Wayne Manor. Alfred answered the door and Blue Max immediately recognized him as the man who had been driving Robin to the doctor. After pushing past Alfred into the house, he saw Dick Grayson with a cast around his broken leg. Not believing it was a coincidence, Blue Max deduced that Dick Grayson must be Robin, meaning Bruce Wayne must be Batman. Blue Max assured Robin that he had no plans of revealing their secret identities, and revealed that he had intercepted a radio message from the plane which proved that Batman was alive. Blue Max told Robin and Alfred that he had a plan which could give him a million dollars and help get Batman back. He revealed the Batman costume which he had bought, but refused to share any further details. He then gave Robin the phone number that he could use to reach him before leaving to complete his plan (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, February 28th - March 5th, 1968).
The End of Blue Max Baron:[]
While "Pretty Boy" and Madam Zodiac were revealing their plans to Tyrone Koom, Blue Max barged into the room, holding everyone at gunpoint. "Pretty Boy" was terrified, believing that Blue Max was dead. Blue Max revealed that he had survived because Floy forgot to wait until the cement had hardened. Blue Max told Floy that he had initially planned to kill him and sell his body to the underworld as Batman's, but changed his mind. He decided to be partners with them to finish off Batman as he had originally intended, Floy agreed. To finish off Batman, Floy ignored Mr. Koom's cries in protest and pressed a button which would destroy the island that Batman was on in five hours. With Batman defeated, Blue Max suggested they kill Robin and Alfred as well. Before he could reveal the location, Mr. Koom pressed a "emergency exit" button, which actually flooded the room with cyanide gas. Koom believed that it was a "far better death that any of (them) deserves." Their bodies were discovered by Koom's secretary, who called the police (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, March 11th - March 17th, 1968).
Blue Max dies from cyanide gas poisoning. Drawn by Joe Giella.
In Blue Max's final moments, his skin finally changed from blue to it's natural colour (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, March 24, 1968).
Appearance:[]
Blue Max has blue skin and is constantly shivering. According to Underworld boss Big Trubble, this is because he is "...always cold..." (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, July 23, 1967). He dresses in a world war 1 pilot outfit and never removes the helmet.
Equipment:[]
Blue Max owned a single-engine "Apache" plane with license number SB1 (Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, October 1st, 1967).