Nearly 75 years ago, the Dynamic Duo faced one of the most unexpected mysterious of their caped careers. Who WAS The Red Hood? Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Detective Comics #168 awaits!

DETECTIVE COMICS #168

Writer:  Bill Finger
Penciler: Lew Sayre Schwartz (signed as Bob Kane)
Inker: George Roussos
Colorist: Uncredited
Letterer: Ira Schnapp
Editor: Whitney Ellsworth
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: 10 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $28,000.00
Release Date: December 20, 1950

Previously, in Detective Comics: The legend of The Bat-Man grew over time, thanks to dozens of talented creators, most of whom were never credited, thanks to Bob Kane’s ego. So did the legend of the Darknight Detective (not the Dark Knight, mind you, that’s a different alias) grow, and by the time we reached the ’50s, Batman was considered one of the greatest forensic minds in the world. That’s why Dean Chalmers of State University called on him to act as a guest professor for a class of burgeoning criminologists. His students are uncommonly talented, like young Paul Wong, who wants to take his skills back to his home state of Hawaii, or Jimmy Kale, whose father was a noted gangster, making Jimmy want to redeem the family name. They’re so talented, in fact, that Batman decides to present them with a case that even HE couldn’t unlock: the mystery of The Red Hood!

My favorite part of this story is the fact that it shows that Batman has been active for more than ten years as of 1951, reminding us that it was once possible for DC Comics to exist in real-time. Back in 1940, Batman found himself pursuing a man with a featureless metal hood covering his face, raising important questions like “How could he see?” The more important question doesn’t come up until AFTER Batman confronts him face-to-face.

That question is, “What happened to Red Hood after he leapt into the deadly chemical soup?” The students immediately begin analyzing the clues, and their attempts make the front page of the Gotham Gazette. That publicity leads to a shocking moment, as someone claiming to be Red Hood appears, robbing the college payroll! It’s clearly in response to the hero reviving the mystery, but when Batman and Robin confront him, the Red Hood gets away clean… except for one incriminating clue!

Deflated by the failure of their science, the Dynamic Duo checks in with their brilliant young students. Paul Wong figures out the secret of the Hood (two-way mirrors mounted seamlessly in the steel helmet), and they even figure out his escape routes, as the red hood itself is probably sealed with its own filtration and air supply. That break allows them to figure out a way to incapacitate the criminal when he tries to humiliate Batman again.

But when they unmask him, they find a criminal too young to have been the villain from a decade before, and Batman deduces that he must have caught the REAL Red Hood escaping after the failed payroll heist. The fake Red Hood admits as much, but when Batman opens the toolshed where the real criminal is tied up, all the students are stunned to see… The Joker!

Remember that part where I was amused at real time? The first appearance of The Joker in Batman #1 would have been on the stands a little more than ten years earlier, in April of 1940. Even better still, Batman reveals to the Clown Prince of Crime that he and Robin actually HAD figured out the villain’s identity, thanks to their chemical analysis! While that reveal feels like it could be a bluff on Batman’s part, the upshot of Detective Comics #168 is an entertaining retcon moment, showing off the late Bill Finger’s penchant for clever twists and complicated stories that entertain, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall.

The rest of the issue features a Roy Raymond adventure, a tale of the original Robotman (which surprises me, as I didn’t realize his adventures lasted into the 1950s), and ten pages of weirdness featuring beatnik Native American detective Pow-Wow Smith. Modern readers won’t be surprised by the Hood’s identity, but it does make this the earliest chronological appearance of The Joker, which is part of why a near-mint copy will cost you 28 grand.

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