BRONZE TIGER versus BATMAN
The Vengeance Vow! (DC)
Where: Detective Comics #485 When: September 1979 Why: Denny O'Neil How: Don Newton & Dan Adkins
The Story So Far...
The path of The League of Assassins has drawn Batman to the circus for a night of murder!
Under the big top the Dark Knight joins owner Kathy Kane for a battle with League thugs, but the main attraction is still yet to come!
For unknown reasons the former Batwoman has been targeted and The League has sent one of their deadliest assassins to complete the mission! Brainwashed into following their every order: The Bronze Tiger intends to see that The Batman doesn't get in the way of seizing their prey!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Bronze Tiger 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Draw 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Batman 29 (Metahuman)
For a long time we've talked about Bronze Tiger and his famous victory over Batman. It was once one of the character's greatest claims to fame -- instantly affording him credibility as one of the DCU's best hand-to-hand combatants.
In context it was a source of great shame for Benjamin Turner: a skilled martial artist whose fighting prowess was twisted to serve The League of Assassins.
Penance for his actions whilst brainwashed led Bronze Tiger to join the Suicide Squad. His knowledge of nerve holds employed to control the Enchantress during the first mission when she threatened to go rogue in Legends #3.
So skilled is Bronze Tiger that he was even able to hold his own against the super-powered Stalnoivolk just by using speed and technique. He memorably teamed with Vixen to take the Russian down. Of course, no clash better represents his fighting spirit and skill than his first battle with rival Ravan in Suicide Squad #2.
Batman is broadly presumed to be one of DC's standard-bearers for high-level martial arts. He isn't the best practitioner, but he is one of them. Despite this fact -- or perhaps because of it -- most of the challengers we've observed have been super-human mountains to climb, rather than hand-to-hand equals.
Bronze Tiger's Suicide Squad teammate, Rick Flag, is a soldier trained in unarmed combat techniques, but found himself inevitably outmatched whilst brawling with Batman in Suicide Squad #10. Marvel's resident super-soldier Captain America fared a little better until fate upended him in Marvel versus DC #3.
Bane holds one of the most famous victories over The Dark Knight, but despite his fighting prowess, the back-breaking win in Batman #497 relied on performance-enhancing drugs and pre-emptively exhausting Batman, rather than skill.
Batman is a stalwart of the top of the Comic Book Fight Club rankings, but the only way we can really find out whose martial arts is supreme is to take a look!
The Tape: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)
What Went Down...
Where: Detective Comics #485 When: September 1979 Why: Denny O'Neil How: Don Newton & Dan Adkins
The Story So Far...
The path of The League of Assassins has drawn Batman to the circus for a night of murder!
Under the big top the Dark Knight joins owner Kathy Kane for a battle with League thugs, but the main attraction is still yet to come!
For unknown reasons the former Batwoman has been targeted and The League has sent one of their deadliest assassins to complete the mission! Brainwashed into following their every order: The Bronze Tiger intends to see that The Batman doesn't get in the way of seizing their prey!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Bronze Tiger 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Draw 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Batman 29 (Metahuman)
For a long time we've talked about Bronze Tiger and his famous victory over Batman. It was once one of the character's greatest claims to fame -- instantly affording him credibility as one of the DCU's best hand-to-hand combatants.
In context it was a source of great shame for Benjamin Turner: a skilled martial artist whose fighting prowess was twisted to serve The League of Assassins.
Penance for his actions whilst brainwashed led Bronze Tiger to join the Suicide Squad. His knowledge of nerve holds employed to control the Enchantress during the first mission when she threatened to go rogue in Legends #3.
So skilled is Bronze Tiger that he was even able to hold his own against the super-powered Stalnoivolk just by using speed and technique. He memorably teamed with Vixen to take the Russian down. Of course, no clash better represents his fighting spirit and skill than his first battle with rival Ravan in Suicide Squad #2.
Batman is broadly presumed to be one of DC's standard-bearers for high-level martial arts. He isn't the best practitioner, but he is one of them. Despite this fact -- or perhaps because of it -- most of the challengers we've observed have been super-human mountains to climb, rather than hand-to-hand equals.
Bronze Tiger's Suicide Squad teammate, Rick Flag, is a soldier trained in unarmed combat techniques, but found himself inevitably outmatched whilst brawling with Batman in Suicide Squad #10. Marvel's resident super-soldier Captain America fared a little better until fate upended him in Marvel versus DC #3.
Bane holds one of the most famous victories over The Dark Knight, but despite his fighting prowess, the back-breaking win in Batman #497 relied on performance-enhancing drugs and pre-emptively exhausting Batman, rather than skill.
Batman is a stalwart of the top of the Comic Book Fight Club rankings, but the only way we can really find out whose martial arts is supreme is to take a look!
The Tape: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)
What Went Down...
A warm reunion between old acquaintances is cut short when The Bronze Tiger steps into the big top of Kathy Kane's circus!
Flanked by knife-wielding assassins: Bronze Tiger announces himself and the trio's intention to take the woman.
Flanked by knife-wielding assassins: Bronze Tiger announces himself and the trio's intention to take the woman.
Batman stands defiant. Bronze Tiger will have to get past the Dark Knight if he wants to claim Kathy Kane. A challenge he's all too happy to take.
In the blink of a tiger's eye the cat-masked fighter moves at Batman with lightning speed and precision!
He feints a punch at Batman's head, but finds The Dark Knight's reflexes just as fast as his own! Batman blocks the blow with an instinctive sweep of his forearm and elbow. A strong defense -- but not enough against a master martial artist!
Bronze Tiger responds to the block in an instant, whirling his body to bury a stiff straight kick deep into Batman's gut!
The devastating blow forces even the steely composure of Batman to break. He has no choice but to sink to his knees as oxygen leaves him and his vision begins to blur. His mind a thumping drum as he fights to maintain consciousness.
Before the darkness overwhelms him he is witness to the glint of a knife as it darts upward and suddenly down. Kathy Kane's cry is the last thing he hears, distant as he slips into unconsciousness.
When he recovers mere minutes later a trail of bloodstained sand leads him to a grim discovery: Kathy Kane has been murdered! Dead, still clutching the costume she once wore as Batwoman. Another soul lost at the circus.
The Hammer...
The Hammer...
As fights go it was awfully brief. It hardly seems fair! A split-second decision costs Batman victory and Kathy Kane her life. Such is the grim reality that life should be so fragile. A single lapse is all it takes to end a very precious thing indeed.
Bronze Tiger secured his victory with the abrupt execution of only two definitive offensive strikes: a punch and a kick.
This isn't the main event of Detective Comics #485. More of a primer for their inevitable rematch come issue's end. Yet in some ways its the encounter that feels most applicable to later claims to fame. A necessary piece of a larger puzzle.
It may feel short of a legendary comic book showdown, but the brief exchange has all the technical hallmarks of an adrenalizing prize fight finish.
Occurring within the confines of a single page: this skirmish is a study in martial arts precision. A simulation of the real-time combination of chess-like tactics and physical intuition that resides deep within the best of modern mixed martial arts.
Batman shows strength and skill in blocking Bronze Tiger's aggressive opening strike. The sweeping elbow shows instinct and training. He's ill prepared for the follow-up, but I'd be reluctant to characterize that as a lack of foresight.
Bronze Tiger allows the sweeping block to deflect his fist and continues through the punching arc, turning the momentum of the twist into a penetrating sideways thrust kick. The shift from right hand to left foot happens in less than a second, requiring only a 180 degree pivot. Batman is good, but Bronze Tiger is better!
By 1979 the world had already loved and lost Bruce Lee. The phenomenon of his movies in the United States, particularly the Warner Brothers co-production, Enter the Dragon, had directly inspired a wave of martial arts enthusiasm, and comic book creations like Shang-Chi, Richard Dragon, and Bronze Tiger himself.
"Sensei" Richard Hill is credited for providing martial arts advice to this story. It would be a few years before Batman would become the infallible fighting machine of modern interpretation, but the seeds of Frank Miller's Dark Knight can be seen forming under Denny O'Neil's attention to researched combat, and gritty detail.
Of course, artists Don Newton & Dan Adkins were charged with putting the action onto the page, and they do a good job communicating the kinetic information so it's clear to understand, and reasonably pleasing to look at.
You may have noticed I've scanned and included panels from the 1991 Tales of The Demon trade reprint, where Adrienne Roy's colours, if unaltered, really pop against the thick black inks of the era. I particularly enjoy the oranges used for Bronze Tiger, and although I prefer a black Bat, the blue works nicely, as well.
At some point we will reconvene to take a closer look at the Batman/Bronze Tiger rematch. I'd also like to revisit the preceding battle with Kathy Kane, which would be her last. The erstwhile red & yellow Batwoman isn't a character I have a great deal of affection for, but her ignoble end warrants another look.
This entry is inspired by the release of the animated DC feature Batman: Soul of the Dragon -- a seventies-infused kung fu thriller that unites a young Batman with DC's martial arts icons. If you enjoy the basic premise, I strongly recommend the "Return of the Fearsome Fangs" episode of Batman: Brave and the Bold.
If you'd like to see today's featured fight in its full context - you're in luck! The collected Batman: Tales of The Demon received a new printing in 2020! Shop with the Amazon link provided and you'll not only get a good read delivered to your door -- you'll also help the site at no extra cost!
Bronze Tiger secured his victory with the abrupt execution of only two definitive offensive strikes: a punch and a kick.
This isn't the main event of Detective Comics #485. More of a primer for their inevitable rematch come issue's end. Yet in some ways its the encounter that feels most applicable to later claims to fame. A necessary piece of a larger puzzle.
It may feel short of a legendary comic book showdown, but the brief exchange has all the technical hallmarks of an adrenalizing prize fight finish.
Occurring within the confines of a single page: this skirmish is a study in martial arts precision. A simulation of the real-time combination of chess-like tactics and physical intuition that resides deep within the best of modern mixed martial arts.
Batman shows strength and skill in blocking Bronze Tiger's aggressive opening strike. The sweeping elbow shows instinct and training. He's ill prepared for the follow-up, but I'd be reluctant to characterize that as a lack of foresight.
Bronze Tiger allows the sweeping block to deflect his fist and continues through the punching arc, turning the momentum of the twist into a penetrating sideways thrust kick. The shift from right hand to left foot happens in less than a second, requiring only a 180 degree pivot. Batman is good, but Bronze Tiger is better!
By 1979 the world had already loved and lost Bruce Lee. The phenomenon of his movies in the United States, particularly the Warner Brothers co-production, Enter the Dragon, had directly inspired a wave of martial arts enthusiasm, and comic book creations like Shang-Chi, Richard Dragon, and Bronze Tiger himself.
"Sensei" Richard Hill is credited for providing martial arts advice to this story. It would be a few years before Batman would become the infallible fighting machine of modern interpretation, but the seeds of Frank Miller's Dark Knight can be seen forming under Denny O'Neil's attention to researched combat, and gritty detail.
Of course, artists Don Newton & Dan Adkins were charged with putting the action onto the page, and they do a good job communicating the kinetic information so it's clear to understand, and reasonably pleasing to look at.
You may have noticed I've scanned and included panels from the 1991 Tales of The Demon trade reprint, where Adrienne Roy's colours, if unaltered, really pop against the thick black inks of the era. I particularly enjoy the oranges used for Bronze Tiger, and although I prefer a black Bat, the blue works nicely, as well.
At some point we will reconvene to take a closer look at the Batman/Bronze Tiger rematch. I'd also like to revisit the preceding battle with Kathy Kane, which would be her last. The erstwhile red & yellow Batwoman isn't a character I have a great deal of affection for, but her ignoble end warrants another look.
This entry is inspired by the release of the animated DC feature Batman: Soul of the Dragon -- a seventies-infused kung fu thriller that unites a young Batman with DC's martial arts icons. If you enjoy the basic premise, I strongly recommend the "Return of the Fearsome Fangs" episode of Batman: Brave and the Bold.
If you'd like to see today's featured fight in its full context - you're in luck! The collected Batman: Tales of The Demon received a new printing in 2020! Shop with the Amazon link provided and you'll not only get a good read delivered to your door -- you'll also help the site at no extra cost!
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Winner: Bronze Tiger
#41 (+15) Bronze Tiger
#1 (--) Batman
#941 (new) Kathy Kane
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