Cover: Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella

Detective Comics #338

Apr 1965 · DC · 0.12 USD

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“Batman's Power-Packed Punch!”

About this Issue

Detective Comics #338 is a representative midstream entry in the celebrated 'New Look' Batman era inaugurated by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox, and artist Carmine Infantino beginning with Detective Comics #327 in 1964 — an editorial retooling that pulled the Batman titles back from the brink of cancellation and grounded them in detective storytelling rather than science-fiction whimsy. The issue illustrates the two-feature structure that defined the title throughout this period: a Batman lead built around a tightly plotted single-issue mystery and an Elongated Man backup that kept Ralph and Sue Dibny's globe-trotting detective series before readers every month from #327 through #383. Though it introduces no new characters of lasting significance, it exemplifies the consistent craft — Gardner Fox scripting both features, Sheldon Moldoff (ghost-penciling under the Bob Kane byline) on Batman and Carmine Infantino on the Elongated Man backup — that made this stretch of Detective Comics a coherent creative statement for the Silver Age.

In "Batman's Power-Packed Punch!", a mysterious chemical spill grants Batman super strength in his right arm, turning the Dark Knight's usual agility into something far more forceful. Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Sheldon Moldoff, with inks by Joe Giella, this 1965 issue delivers a classic, action-driven tale with a unique twist on the Caped Crusader’s abilities. The cover, by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, captures the moment of transformation with dramatic flair.

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writer Gardner Fox · artist Sheldon Moldoff · inker Joe Giella · cover Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella

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History

Julius Schwartz took over as editor on the Batman titles with Detective Comics #327 (May 1964), bringing with him Flash collaborators Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, and inker Joe Giella to execute the 'New Look' redesign after DC's executive VP flagged falling sales. By issue #338, Schwartz's editorial approach was fully in stride: Fox scripted both the Batman lead and the Elongated Man backup, with Sheldon Moldoff ghost-penciling the Batman story under the contractually mandated Bob Kane credit — a practice now confirmed by Julius Schwartz's own editorial records preserved at DC Comics — while Infantino continued to draw the Elongated Man feature he had co-created in The Flash.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover date: April 1965; part of the Silver Age 'New Look' Batman era launched with Detective Comics #327 (May 1964) under editor Julius Schwartz.
Lead story: 'Batman's Super-Powered Punch!' — Batman accidentally acquires super-strength after an experimental formula is spilled on his hands during a lab visit as Bruce Wayne, and must solve crimes without killing criminals before the power fades. Written by Gardner Fox, penciled by Sheldon Moldoff (published under the Bob Kane byline), inked by Joe Giella.
Pencil credit discrepancy: DC's own editorial records, confirmed from Julius Schwartz's files, show Sheldon Moldoff as the actual penciler of the Batman lead, though Bob Kane received the published credit per his contractual arrangement with DC.
Backup story: 'Case of the Curious Compass!' — Ralph and Sue Dibny investigate a recurring compass anomaly aboard a cruise ship. Written by Gardner Fox, penciled by Carmine Infantino, inked by Sid Greene.
The issue also contains 'The Greatest Robberies of All Time!' — a one-page text/humor feature scripted by Julius Schwartz himself, with art by Morris Waldinger and Tom Nicolosi — and a 'Warden Willis' humor strip by Henry Boltinoff.
The Elongated Man backup series ran continuously in Detective Comics from #327 through #383, with Ralph and Sue Dibny modeled by Schwartz and Fox after the Nick and Nora Charles archetype of the detective-couple genre.
Both main features were later collected in DC's black-and-white Showcase Presents reprint line: 'Batman's Super-Powered Punch!' in Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 1 (2006) and also in Batman: The Dynamic Duo Archives Vol. 2; 'Case of the Curious Compass!' in Showcase Presents: Elongated Man Vol. 1 (2006).
Cover art is by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, consistent with the house style Infantino established as the visual signature of the New Look Detective Comics.