Detective Comics #201
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeDetective Comics #201 is the birthplace of the Human Target concept — the idea of a master impersonator who literally takes the place of a murder target to draw out killers — a narrative engine with enough vitality to fuel DC stories across seven decades. Writer Edmond Hamilton and penciller Sheldon Moldoff introduced Fred Venable, whose single-issue debut planted a seed that Len Wein and Carmine Infantino later grew into the enduring Christopher Chance incarnation in 1972, which itself spawned Vertigo runs, DC Black Label prestige series, and multiple television adaptations. The issue also quietly marks two in-continuity editorial milestones: Commissioner Gordon's 200th appearance in the title, and the renaming of the long-running backup strip 'Impossible — But True!' to 'Roy Raymond, TV Detective,' reflecting the era's fascination with the new medium of television. As a late Golden Age anthology number, it captures DC's Batman office at full creative stride under editor Whitney Ellsworth, juggling four genre strips in a single 44-page package.
In "Human Target!", Batman and Robin cross paths with Fred Venable, a man who takes on dangerous disguises to protect others—motivated by a desperate need to save his daughter’s life. When a mobster forces Venable to become a human target himself, the Dark Knight and his partner must navigate a deadly game of deception and survival. Written by Edmond Hamilton and illustrated by Sheldon Moldoff, with inks by Charles Paris, the issue features a striking cover by Win Mortimer.
In "Human Target!", Batman and Robin track down Fred Venable, a man who risks his life impersonating targets to save them—driven by the desperate need to fund his daughter’s medical treatment. When a mobster forces Venable to take his own place in a deadly hit, the Dark Knight must protect him from a syndicate that won’t stop until the job is done.
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The story was scripted by Edmond Hamilton, the prolific science fiction pulp veteran — nicknamed 'World Wrecker' for his space-opera work — who had been writing Batman and Superman scripts for DC since 1942. Art on the lead Batman story was handled by Sheldon Moldoff, who would remain one of DC's primary Batman ghost-pencillers through the 1960s; the pair would collaborate again three years later to introduce Batwoman in Detective Comics #233. Editor Whitney Ellsworth oversaw the issue, with Jack Schiff credited as a writer contributor, consistent with Schiff's long tenure shepherding Batman's editorial direction from 1942 to 1964. The cover was painted by Win Mortimer, DC's dependable house cover artist of the period.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Fred Venable, the original Human Target — a professional impersonator who poses as murder targets for hire — in the lead Batman story titled 'The Human Target.'
- Created by writer Edmond Hamilton and penciller Sheldon Moldoff; inked by Charles Paris; cover by Win Mortimer; edited by Whitney Ellsworth.
- Fred Venable made only one additional comics appearance after this issue, in Gangbusters #61, making Detective Comics #201 essentially his sole defining story.
- The Venable concept directly inspired Len Wein and Carmine Infantino's creation of Christopher Chance (the second, far more prominent Human Target) in Action Comics #419 (December 1972), nineteen years later.
- Marks Commissioner James Gordon's 200th appearance in the Detective Comics title.
- The backup strip 'Impossible — But True!' is retitled 'Roy Raymond, TV Detective' beginning with this issue, reflecting the mid-1950s cultural shift toward television.
- The issue is a four-story anthology also featuring Robotman ('Safety-First Robot'), Pow-Wow Smith ('Deadline in Red Deer Valley'), and the newly renamed Roy Raymond strip ('Riddle of the Unseen Man').
- The Christopher Chance iteration of the Human Target concept that originated here has since appeared in two live-action television series (1992, 2010), the Arrowverse series Arrow, a Vertigo ongoing series by Peter Milligan, and a 2021 DC Black Label limited series by Tom King and Greg Smallwood.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Super Adventure Comic #57 (1955), Seriemagasinet #1/1956 [8/1956] (1956), Colossal Comic Annual #2 (1957), Superman Presents World's Finest Comic Monthly #15 (1966), MV Comix #18/1969 (1969), Batman #816 (1976), Batman Classics #93 (1978), Läderlappen #2/1978 (1978), Lynvingen #2/1978 (1978), The Best of DC #30 (1982), Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus #9 (2021), Batman #54
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