In Remember to Forget, we spotlight comic book stories that I wish I could forget, but I can't, so I instead share them with you all!
Today, we look at a hilariously weird romance Batman had in a 1965 issue of "Brave and the Bold."
Earlier today, I had a list of Batman's most embarrassing moments. One of them was how Batman used to be really into spanking. That was oddly not that out of place in 1940s popular culture, but by the 1960s, you began to see a lot less of it. However, it still made its way into "Brave and the Bold" #64 (by Bob Haney and Win Mortimer) in a big way.
The issue opened with Batman saving a mysterious woman from an attack in one of the most badass ways possible, by lassoing a freakin' ARROW!
The woman explained that her ex-boyfriend robbed a gem and then got himself killed. So she asked Batman to return the gem for her. Why would he do that? We get a flashback and see that Batman met Marcia Monroe when she was a socialite who messed around a lot and got drunk and partied and did stupid shit...
That spanking awoke something inside of her and she became obsessed with Batman...
The two were now sort of a team, which is hilarious, but then she broke Batman's heart...
I love Haney's Batman dialogue! "Who can cure Batman's broken heart?!"
Anyhow, Batman helps her out, but it turns out that it was just a way to frame HIM for stealing the gem. He gets thrown in prison and he's super sad...
Marcia turns out to be the Queen Bee and is working with Eclipso for a crime syndicate. However, when Batman breaks out, she insists that she did it all to protect him...
Eclipso is taken out (through some sunlight) but Marcia escaped, never to be seen again.
That was some crazy, crazy stuff. Haney has such weird ideas, but he's so good at expressing them! But yeah, not the best take on Batman.
If you have a suggestion for a story that you wish you could forget, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!