Detective Comics #37 saw the publication of the Batman story "The Screaming House/The Spies". The story sees Batman investigate the operations of an espionage outfit after an encounter with a government spy. The story was written by Bill Finger and presumably drawn by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson.
"The Screaming House"[]
Synopsis[]
Whilst navigating the outskirts of his city, Batman hears screams coming from an old house and investigates. Inside, he finds a group of thugs torturing a man named Joey who has been leaking information about their boss, "Turg". Deciding to intervein, Batman subdues the group and frees Joey. As he restrains the goons and questions him, Joey knocks Batman unconscious, kills the group to prevent them from reporting their findings and flees the scene. Batman regains consciousness later and decides to investigate further, suspecting Joey's goals.
Having heard Turg's name, Bruce Wayne compiles a list of people in the city and begins visiting them to find Joey. Whilst many prove to be respectable figures, he eventually notices Joey whilst visiting a grocer. That night, Batman infiltrates the business to find the group discussing plans. After attracting the attention, Batman turns out the lights, using a set of night-vision goggles to navigate the room and subdue several members.
After he fakes fleeing to hide, Turg realizes that Joey had lead him to their location. He attacks and stabs him, sending his other henchmen to execute their plans that night. After they leave, Batman confronts the dying Joey to learn that they are actually spies sent to create an international crisis, whom he had fallen in with for need of income. Having been unable to betray his country, he has been leaking information to hinder their operations. Before he dies, Joey gives Batman a number used by Turg and reveals their plans to sink a foreign ship.
Tracking the goons to a downtown pier, Batman confronts them as they load TNT into a boat. However, he is subdued when one of the henchmen drop a bag of grain on him. After emptying its contents, the group place Batman into the bag and throw him into the bay, though he regains consciousness and manages to escape through use of a hidden knife. After subduing the group, Batman boards their boat as it leaves and is able to prevent it from crashing into a luxury steamship.
After returning to land, Batman traces the phone number from Joey to a Count Grutt. Confronting him at his home, Batman learns that the Count is Turg, having applied a disguise to coordinate their attack. During it, Grutt is fatally stabbed when he is knocked into a sword. As he leaves, Batman considers the damage that his plans would have brought if he hadn't intervened at the farmhouse.
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Batman/Bruce Wayne
- Elias Turg/Count Grutt (Only appearance; dies)
- Joey (Only appearance; dies)
- Carl (Only appearance)
- Al (Only appearance)
- Turg Hood in Brown Pinstripe Suit (Only appearance; dies)
- Turg Hood in Baggy Blue Suit (Only appearance; dies)
- Turg Hood in Green Suit (Only appearance; dies)
- Turg Hood in Brown Coat (Only appearance)
- Turg Hood in Smart Blue Suit (Only appearance)
- Turg Hood in Light Blue Suit (Only appearance)
- Turg Hood with Monocle (Only appearance)
- Grutt's Butler (Only appearance)
Locations[]
- New York City (Original Intention) / Gotham City (Retconned Appearance)
- Unnamed Farmhouse (Only appearance)
- Grutt's Mansion (Only appearance)
- Wayne Manor
- Turg's Grocery
- Waterfront
Objects[]
- Batman's Costume
- Utility Belt
- Night-Vision Goggles (First Appearance)
- Hidden Blade
- Utility Belt
Vehicles[]
- Batman's Car
- Grutt's Rigged Boat
Notes[]
- Other stories in this issue include an untitled Spy story, an untitled Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise story, an untitled Crimson Avenger story, "The Crime Roundup" (Speed Saunders, Ace Investigator), an untitled Steve Malone, District Attorney story, an untitled Cliff Crosby story, and an untitled Slam Bradley story. This is the first appearance of the Cliff Crosby feature in Detective Comics, and the final appearance of the Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise feature.
- Some sources have identified the story as "The Spies". This title is also used in the Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus published in 2016.
- The story features the first time Batman makes use of night-vision technology in his operations.
- The story ends with the promise that the next Batman story will feature the return of Hugo Strange and his Monster Men. However, that story would later be published in Batman #1, with the next issue featuring the introduction of Robin.