NIGHT.

PEOPLE TEND TO AVOID THE CITY IN DARKNESS,
FEARING THE UNKNOWN WHICH LURKS MENACINGLY IN EVERY SHADOW.

After Pauling and his goon - somewhat shaken by the encounter - have left, Gordon updates the Darknight Detective on his investigations so far and the many circumstantial evidence he has gathered, but that he still lacks actual proof and therefore needs the help of Batman - who is more than happy to offer his services (besides still addressing Gordon as "commissioner").

Meanwhile, somewhere in the North Atlantic, the dumbfounded crew of a surfaced submarine witness a Zeppelin appearing out of the dense fog which clings to the water surface. Initially amazed by the anachronistic flying machine, the crew is soon stunned as the entire submarine is pulled out of the water by what seems to be a powerful magnetic beam coming from the Zeppelin - and as the modern warfaring ship is virtually docked to the vintage cigar-shaped flyer, the latter sets off into the distance...

Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred explains his fears and motives that had him hire Christopher Chance a.k.a. the Human Target in order to impersonate Batman (and thus counteract rumours spread earlier by Vicki Vale that she had photographic evidence of the Darkinght Detective's secret identity). He is more than just relieved to note that his master not only understands but actually appreciates what Alfred has done, and when Chance appears on the scene, Bruce Wayne plays the bored playboy to perfection, dispelling the Human Target's suspicions that there might be more to Wayne than meets the eye...

Meanwhile, at the offices of the Gotham Picture News, editor in chief Monroe takes a rapping from "Boss" Thorne over the story which alledgedly should have proven that Bruce Wayne is Batman but then completely backfired (only due, as readers know, to Alfred's idea of hiring the Human Target to impersonate Wayne, making it possible for the (fake) millionaire and (real) Batman to be seen at the same time in the very same location). Thorne leaves in anger, and the utterly terrified Monroe sees no way out of all of this than to put an end to his life with a gun.

Later on, Bruce Wayne recalls how he was able to slow down his fall with his cape to the navy ship below the Zeppelin, and how he continued his way down from there with the help of the vessel's anchor, finally reaching the safety of solid ground - only to watch the dirigible drift off into the night sky.

REVIEW & ANALYSIS

Midway through the story, as Batman climbs the dirigible, he wonders "who concocted this insane scheme" - and this really sums it up nicely. Even by comic book standards of suspending your belief (plus, in this case, the laws of physics), a Zeppelin pulling heavy duty seagoing vessels into the sky by means of some mysterious magnetic force sounds rather far fetched. It really is the sort of story device one would normally associate with some 1930s serial, and within the context of a Batman comic book you either roll with those kind of punches - or you don't.

Judging from the letters printed in Batman #357 the majority of readers at the time seemed to enjoy Colonel Blimp's criminal escapade for most of what it was worth. One writer felt that "'The Killer Sky' was a superior Batman story", whilst another simply stated that "Batman #352 was a joy to read", adding that it reminded him "of the old scripts by David V. Reed and Denny O'Neil (...) because it was down to earth." Leaving praise and involuntary metaphorical jokes aside, even those who didn't like the dirigible's captain that much found points of merit in Gerry Conway's plot and the script by Paul Kupperberg (who was 27 at the time): "My dislike for Blimp and the major plotline around him is belied by my praise for the thoroughly engaging action scenes he prompts."

Nobody at the time seemed to put Batman's encounter with Colonel Blimp into perspective - in essence missing the point that Gerry Conway was continuing his quest of digging deep into the Darknight Detective's past and unearthing his very first villains.

First, there was Doctor Death - Batman's very first arch-villain from Detective Comics #29 (July 1939), reintroduced to the Batman Universe in Batman #345 (March 1982) after an absence of 43 years. Then came the vampiric Monk and Dala, first seen in Detective Comics #31 (September 1939) and reappearing again for the first time since in Batman #349 (July 1982). As for Colonel Blimp, he is clearly modelled after the Darknight Detective's third super-villain in chronological order, even though the captain of "the dirigible of doom" featured in Detective Comics #33 (November 1939) was one Professor Carl Kruger, suffering from "Napoleon Syndrome" yet aided by his loyal Scarlet Horde - which, of course, explains his later incarnation's rather garishly coloured outfit.

Professor Carl Kruger in Detective Comics #33 (1939) and Colonel Blimp in Detective Comics #519 (1982)

Conway and Kupperberg did however modify the villain's motives and modus operandi: whereas Kruger used a "death ray" from his Zeppelin in 1939, Blimp has toned down his actions somewhat by employing a mere magnetic force field.

The choice of name seems to be a tongue in cheek wordplay as blimp is one of many terms (first coined, according to the Oxford Dictionary, by the Royal Navy in 1915) used to name non-rigid and free-floating aircrafts - others being zeppelin or dirigible; a reference to the 1930s British cartoon character Colonel Blimp seems unlikely as the two characters share no common trait - the 1930s Blimp was a satirical portrait of British establishment, whereas Batman's Colonel Blimp is ultimately revealed to seek revenge for his father.

If that background can't save the story for some readers of today, the artwork should go a long way in that respect. Don Newton's pencils have an extraordinary dynamic flow, and some panels just stand out as iconic portrayals of the Batman - the splash page sets the tone, and if Batman #352 may have one or two issues in claiming that status for its story, the artwork is classic Bronze Age beyond a doubt and gives it all a tremendously entertaining spin.

FACTS & FIGURES

Batman #352 continues the plot and story crossovers between Detective Comics and Batman launched in early 1982 and was one of only very few issues not coloured by Adrienne Roy between 1982 and 1995.