Holy Gettysburg, Batman!

Civil War Batman as written by Elliot S. Maggin, with art and cover by Alan Weiss and
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez had the rarest of all Bat-qualities: a sense of humor and a smile!

Not long after developing an fanboy affection for Man-of-Bats, the Native American Batman most recently seen in the pages of the fantastic monthly, Batman Incorporated, I began looking for appearances of other Western-themed "Batmen." There is, of course, Cowboy Batman from Grant Morrison's time-displaced Caped Crusader tale in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, but fortunately there are some pretty cool comic books and one-shots available in the local comic shop's deep discount long box. It was there that I learned of President Abraham Lincoln and Colonel Bruce Wayne's friendship.

Who knows? Given the recent success of Bat-films and Lincoln biopics, it probably won't be long before someone options this comic as a potential summer tent pole, though Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter may have killed that possibility...

In 1992, outside of their mainstream continuity, DC Comics creators would often play in that magical comic book world known as "Elseworlds," a place where decades old origins, settings and character takes could be cast aside in favor of interesting, fresh variations. Batman The Blue, The Grey, and the Bat (1992) was one such Bat-title, which seemingly never reached the "classic:" status of still widely read issues such as Batman Gotham by Gaslight featuring Victorian-era Batman tracking Jack the Ripper.

Who knows? Given the recent success of Bat-films and Lincoln biopics, it probably won't be long before someone options this comic as a potential summer tent pole, though Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter may have killed that possibility...

Written by Elliot S. Maggin, with art and cover by Alan Weiss and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Batman The Blue, The Grey, and the Bat is the story of how Abraham Lincoln sends the foppish Colonel Bruce Wayne, in his much more masculine disguise as Batman, on a secret mission in the American West during the Civil War. Wayne even credits the President with indirectly inspiring the costume and code name--it was a bat-through-the-window "omen" on the night he received Lincoln's request for assistance, that prompted the disguise. As Batman relentlessly pursues a threat to the Union, Batman, and his alter ego Bruce Wayne, encounter Samuel Clemens, Wild Bill Hickok and other luminaries of the Old West. His servant and friend, the ever-droll Alfred, makes his contribution to the action, as does the Bat-Man's Native American partner, Redbird (who nearly always seems to be smiling and posing).

A single issue one-shot, this Bat-story hearkens back to an older style Batman (not just Wild West old), when the character was written and drawn with equal parts fun and action rather than consistently being saddled with the dark, dreary sad sack version popular as a result of the Nolan film$. This Batman rides a horse, has a sense of humor, flirts with damsels, and relentlessly fights the good fight, just like his pal Honest Abe.

This "prestige format" comic book, with special ivory matte-textured stock, to give it that Old-Timey feeling, cost me almost less than half the original 1992 cover price of $5.95. Certainly worth picking up for Bat-fans and Western lovers alike.