Batman Part V

No comic has had more anniversary issues than Detective Comics. In addition to being the oldest continuously published comic with issue and year anniversaries, there is Batman's first appearance in Detective 27 (May 1939) to remember. The most important was the 25 year anniversary for Detective 27 - Detective Comics 327(May 1964). This is also the 301st appearance of Batman in Detective. Neither anniversary was mentioned. Interestingly DC messed up the anniversary of the 600th appearance which was in Detective 626 but celebrated in 627 (March 1991).

That issue introduced the "New Look" Batman which is pretty much the Batman we have today. Out went most of the accumulated baggage of the old Batman - Bat-Mite, Bat-Hound, Batgirl etc. Gone were the alien and time travel stories; art and stories more sophisticated. A new second feature, Elongated Man, replaced Manhunter from Mars. And, most importantly, a new editor.

The Batman story in that issue, "The Mystery of the Menacing Mask!", was not reprinted until 2003 in the first volume of Batman: The Dynamic Duo Archives. But the Elongated Man story, "Ten Miles to Nowhere" was reprinted in the 1970s, in Detective Comics 445 (Feb-Mar 1975).