Batman Annual #3
In "The Mad Hatter of Gotham City," a grotesque twist of science and vengeance sees the criminal George 'Boss' Dyke—executed and resurrected with his mind in a gorilla’s body—plot an even more shocking scheme: transferring his consciousness into Batman’s skull. Written by David Vern and illustrated by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz, and Charles Paris, this 1962 annual delivers a delightfully absurd tale of identity, madness, and the limits of the human (or simian) mind. The cover, a collaborative effort by Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Win Mortimer, Dick Sprang, Sheldon Moldoff, and inkers Win Mortimer, Charles Paris, and Stan Kaye, captures the story’s surreal flair in vivid, classic style.
In "The Mad Hatter of Gotham City," the villain’s obsession with hats reaches a new peak—his collection is nearly complete, but one piece remains: Batman’s cowl. With the Dynamic Duo on the case, they must outwit a series of clever traps designed to steal the Bat-symbol from the Dark Knight’s head, all while the Mad Hatter watches from the shadows, hat in hand.
When a freak accident grants janitor Barney Barrow an impossibly advanced mind, he turns Gotham’s streets into his personal playground—using intellect over brute force to challenge the Dynamic Duo. Now, with a brain that outthinks even Batman and Robin, he’s not just committing crimes… he’s forcing them to play his game.
In "The Joker's Aces!", the Caped Crusader faces his most theatrical foe yet as the Joker recruits a team of specialized criminals—each an "Ace" in their field—to execute a string of high-profile heists. The ultimate twist? Bruce Wayne himself is forced to play the role of one of the Joker’s Aces, turning the billionaire’s own identity into a weapon against Gotham.
When the executed criminal George 'Boss' Dyke has his brain transplanted into a gorilla, Gotham City gets a very unusual new menace—his next scheme? To swap minds again, this time with Batman himself.
In "The New Crimes of Two-Face!", Paul Sloane takes on the role of Harvey Dent for a TV show, only to have his life upended when a jealous prop man swaps fake acid for the real thing, leaving him disfigured exactly like the infamous Two-Face. Now driven to madness, Sloane launches a criminal spree, each crime dictated by the flip of a silver dollar—just like the original.
In "The Mysterious Mirror-Man!" from Batman Annual #3 (1962), convict Ventris breaks free with the aid of a shattered mirror, transforming himself into the enigmatic Mirror Man. Armed with an X-Ray Mirror, he begins a dangerous quest to expose Batman’s true identity, turning reflections into his greatest weapon.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Batman #68 (1951), Detective Comics #184 (1952), World's Finest Comics #59 (1952), Batman #75 (1953), Detective Comics #213 (1954), Detective Comics #217 (1955), Detective Comics #230 (1956)
Reprinted in DC Comics Classics Library: The Batman Annuals #1 (2009)
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