DC; August 1980
Cover by Jim Aparo
Title: “Prescription for Tragedy!”
Synopsis: The Batman busts a smuggling ring that imports illegal prescription drugs – but will his actions doom the Man-Bat’s daughter?
Writer: Marin Pasko
Penciler: Don Newton
Inker: Dan Adkins
Review: Writer Martin Pasko delivers a serviceable story, though his talkative Batman is more Chatty Cathy than Dark Knight Avenger. With the exception of a lackluster splash page, the art by Don Newton and Dan Adkins is quite nice. Newton is an excellent penciler when it comes to the human figure, and he handles faces especially well. Not so strong is his storytelling, which ranges from average to awkward (an artist shouldn’t have to resort to arrows to let readers know which panel to read next). Still, his reputation as one of the classic Batman artists is well deserved.
Grade: B
Cool factor: It’s Don Newton drawing Man-Bat.
Collector’s note: According to The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, there’s a Whitman variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “What you’re carrying, mister, is death, plain and simple … and that makes you the filthiest kind of scum I know!!” – Batman, verbose creature of the night
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