Manga Review: Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga Volume 3 by Jiro Kuwata
Quick recap: The 1960s Batman television show was popular in Japan as well, and a tie-in manga was done by 8-Man creator Jiro Kuwata. It was not based on the show as such, but on the Batman comic books of the time, so had a slightly more serious tone. This is the final volume of the translated collection.
We open with Batman and Robin battling the Planet King, a character who uses superscience gadgets based on properties of the planets of our solar system. The Mercury suit projects heat, the Jupiter suit can make objects giant-sized and so forth. There’s a double fake-out as to the identity of the Planet King, and a motive for his rampage that seems better suited to a Superman comic.
Then there’s a story about three escaped criminals using remote-controlled robots to commit robberies. This one has a “electricity does not work that way” moment that took me out of the story.
This is followed by a Clayface story that chronologically happens before the story in the second volume, which may have confused some readers at the time.
The next story is about a series of robberies committed by criminals in cosplay outfits as part of a contest. Some highlights include Batman disguised as a criminal disguised as Batman, a functionally illiterate crook faced with writing a name, and one contestant’s attempt to rig the contest being foiled by criminals’ congenital inability to follow the rules. In many ways the best story in this volume.
After that, we have a story of Catman, whose cloak supposedly gives him nine lives. (No mention of Catwoman, alas.) His Japanese costume is much cooler looking than the American version.
Then a somewhat longer story about a “ghost” who initially looks like Robin, then Batman, and finally gives up the disguise to be his own character. The main difficulty the Dynamic Duo faces here is that the Phantom Batman can hit them, but not vice-versa.
The final story has our heroes being captured by an alien dictator and forced into gladiatorial combat with representatives of three other planets for the Emperor’s amusement. Naturally, Batman restores good government. “Peace is the best option for everyone.”
There’s a short article about Mr. Kuwata’s adaptation process, and a list of which American issues he adapted.
This is very much an adaptation for elementary school boys, with little in the way of subtlety, and female characters kept to a minimum. The art is often stiff and old-fashioned, and minor character faces are reused quite a bit. Still, it’s fun adventure, and Kuwata often put an interesting spin on the original material. Recommended for the intersection of Batman fans and manga fans.
