- Bat Lash
Superherobox
caption = Cover to Bat Lash #3 Art byNick Cardy
character_name = Bat Lash
publisher =DC Comics
debut = "Showcase" #76 (1968)
creators =Joe Orlando Carmine Infantino Sheldon Mayer Sergio Aragonés
alter_ego =
full_name = Bartholomew Alouysius Lash
alliances =
aliases =
supports=
powers = None.Bat Lash is a fictional Western character in the
DC Universe . Bat Lash's adventures have been published byDC Comics since 1968.Character origin
In 1968,
Carmine Infantino , newly installed Editorial Director of DC Comics, and his editor,Joe Orlando , were looking for something new to bolster sales. Marvel's inroads into DC's market position were being noticed and Infantino reasoned a slate of new books would fill the 'hero gap'. Westerns were popular at the moment, with thespaghetti western s ofClint Eastwood breathing new life into a genre that had fallen into disrepute. Western heroes were few in comic books at the time, it was felt they could be revived.Joe Orlando and Carmine Infantino came up with the name and basic premise of the loner whose family had been wiped out by murderous thugs, and then brought in
Sheldon Mayer (former DC editor and creator of "Sugar and Spike ") andSergio Aragonés to further flesh out the concept. Shelly Mayer would write the first appearance ("Showcase" #76). Infantino claimed to have greatly rewritten it. The assignment was then handed to Aragonés, withDenny O'Neil doing the dialog over Aragonés' plots, andNick Cardy providing the art.Citation | last = Wallace | first = Dan | author-link = | contribution = Bat Lash | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 37 | publisher =Dorling Kindersley | place = London | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4119-5]Publication history
Bat Lash first appeared in
1968 , in a house ad running inSuperman DC Comics . It featured a figure, in silhouette, stalking toward the reader, with the legend, "Bat Lash. Will he save the West, or RUIN it?".The character's first published story appeared in "Showcase" #76. It featured a devil-may-care character, a peaceful, violence hating man who attracted trouble wherever he went. He wanted to be left alone ... with the exception of the many females that crossed his path. "Bat Lash" the book possessed a sense of humor that has often been compared by fans to the TV series "Maverick", starring
James Garner .Bat Lash's own series only lasted eight issues. Even though Editorial Director (later Publisher) Infantino claimed it sold well in Europe, sales in the States were not enough to sustain a run of the title. The character and the series bearing his name have been recognized in the industry, including the 1968 and 1969
Alley Awards for Best Western Titles.Bat Lash made several other appearances after his cancellation, in issues of "
Weird Western Tales ", and back ups in "Action Comics " and other titles. He appears in an alternate time-line in "Justice League Europe" Annual #2, written in 1991. An olderCrimson Fox , through a time travel accident, appears in the middle of a card game, allowing Bat Lash the opportunity to save himself (and her) from Bat's own cheating. During the chase, Bat encounters one 'Miss Sally', who is sad that she hasn't seen Bat in months.In 2006, writers
Jimmy Palmiotti andJustin Gray wrote Lash into "Jonah Hex " #3. For Halloween 2007 Bat Lash rides with Jonah Hex to save Lazarus Lanethe host Body ofEl Diablo in "Jonah Hex" #24.In 2008, Bat Lash appeared in a new self-titled, six issue mini-series from DC, written by Sergio, with dialog by acclaimed western novelist
Peter Brandvold , art byJohn Severin and covers byWalt Simonson .Other media
Bat Lash has appeared in "
Justice League Unlimited " voiced byBen Browder . In the episode "The Once and Future Thing", he teamed up withPow Wow Smith , El Diablo,Jonah Hex ,Wonder Woman ,Batman , andGreen Lantern (John Stewart) to stop Tobias Manning. He is portrayed as easy going and good mannered. He calls Manning a poor cheater when it comes to cheating at cards.ee also
*
Jonah Hex
*Western genre in other media
*Weird West References
Other sources
*Interview: Sergio Aragonés, Comic Book Artist #1,
*"Bat Lash" 1-8,
*Carmine Infantino, "Amazing World of Carmine Infantino"
* [http://users.rcn.com/aardy/comics/awards/] Comic Book Awards Almanac
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
