I Love Ya But You're Strange - Batman and Plastic Man Have a Buttlegging Christmas!

CBR

By Brian Cronin

Published Dec 21, 2012

Every week, I will spotlight strange but ultimately endearing comic stories (basically, we're talking lots and lots of Silver Age comic books). Here is the archive of all the installments of this feature. Feel free to e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have a suggestion for a future installment!

This classic issue of Brave and the Bold by Bob Haney, Joe Staton and Jim Aparo (#148) still brings a smile to my face every time I read it. Read on to see how Batman and Plastic Man stopped a buttlegging ring!

So the bad guys in the story are stealing cigarettes and then smuggling them into Gotham City. Bob Haney has decided to refer to their scheme as "buttlegging," a play on cigarette butts and bootlegging. It also, of course, involves using the term "buttlegging," which is hilarious.

Note how often Haney tries to work it into the script.

I love how Haney has Batman screw around with Gordon. There should be more instance of Batman saying stuff like, "Sorry, Gordon, I can't investigate this murder, Honey Boo Boo is on!"

Plastic Man shows up in the story as only Haney could write - random and arbitrarily...

But then the Lacey's display is stolen! Plastic Man, luckily, is along for the ride and he gives Batman hints as to where the display is being taken. Batman catches up to the bad guys (who are using a convoy to bring the display somewhere in the South) but then he and Plastic Man are delayed. Luckily, Plastic Man knows where they're headed.

That must be Batman's catch phrase from here on out. Do you hear me, Scott Snyder? If Batman doesn't remark that he has to high-ball somewhere fast in a future issue of Batman, I will be so, so disappointed.

The display was brought down south to lure other gangsters to show up for an opulent Christmas party at which point the head gangster was going to kill them all...