Batman #144: "Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl"

Batman #144
"Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl"
December, 1961

Script: Bill Finger
Pencils: Sheldon Moldoff
Inks: Charles Paris

Bat-Girl returns -- along with Bat-Mite! With those two in the picture,
anything is possible -- and can come true. The double-trouble begins
when Bat-Mite decides to help the teenaged crime fighter in her quest to
win the Boy Wonder's heart. Robin's got a ringside seat when "Bat-Mite
Meets Bat-Girl"

At police headquarters, the Dynamic Duo meet with Batwoman and Bat-Girl
in Commissioner Gordon's office. Batman and Batwoman are to travel to
Washington and testify before a senate crime committee. While they're
away, Gordon would like Bat-Girl to join Robin in patrolling Gotham City.
The Boy Wonder shivers at the thought of Bat-Girl following his every
move. Once they are alone, the teenaged crime fighter admits that she's
always wanted to work with him, and moves closer to kiss him. Before she
can get any further, Robin admits to her that he's devoted to another
woman. The news causes Bat-Girl to begin sobbing, and at Batwoman's
underground lair, the young girl is greeted by the sudden appearance of
Bat-Mite. The imp wants to know why such a cute kid would be crying so.
After telling her tale, Bat-Mite promises to make the Boy Wonder forget
about the other woman in his life, and boyoboyoboy won't that be fun.
When the imp decides to play Cupid, anything can and will happen.

That evening when Bat-Girl and Robin are about to begin their patrol,
they spot the night watchman from the Gotham City Playground Equipment
Company, and learn that he's been attacked by burglars. With the Boy
Wonder leading the way, he is unaware that an invisible imp is following
their every move. Bat-Mite whispers to Bat-Girl that he's about to make
Robin appreciate her all the more. As the three crooks split in an
attempt to escape, the Boy Wonder tackles one, and tells Bat-Girl to
stall the other two. She leaps onto a swing, where Bat-Mite uses his
powers to send a crook reeling harder from her punch than normal. The
imp also controls the running feet of the other hood, and makes him walk
onto a seesaw. The falling hood lands onto the seesaw, sending his
partner on the other end into the air.

Bat-Girl leaps from the swing and takes out the other crook with a punch.
Robin admires the double-play, but doesn't say a word so that she won't
be overconfident, and take any unnecessary risks. Back at Batwoman's
lair, Bat-Girl is convinced that the Boy Wonder hasn't fallen for her
yet. The imp assures her that this was only the first step in his plan.
The next night finds Bat-Girl telling Robin to begin their patrol in the
direction of the Spangle Brothers outdoor circus. At that moment, in the
center ring, Chip Danton the young movie idol is making a guest
appearance. A tiger has gotten loose and is heading right for him. What
Chip and the others don't see is the invisible figure of Bat-Mite riding
on the tiger. Controlling its movements, the imp signals to Bat-Girl for
her part to begin.

Prepared for this particular emergency, Bat-Girl uses a bottle of perfume
from her crime-compact to distract the tiger. Robin figures that the
teenaged crime fighter must have been prepared for this sort of trouble,
but that couldn't be. While the tiger is sniffing the perfume, Bat-Girl
flips a trapeze safety net over the animal. Chip Danton thanks her for
saving his life. He admires her beauty and courage. Before the eyes of
the audience, he demonstrates his appreciation with a kiss. The
invisible imp sees that the Boy Wonder is jealous, just as he expected.
Bat-Mite succeeded in making Robin admire Bat-Girl's crime fighting
skill, made him jealous of another kissing her, and now he'll make him
worry about her. The imp will use his powers to grow some toys to the
proper size, and animate them. She is to meet Robin at a prearranged
spot at eight o'clock.

The following evening finds Bat-Girl arriving earlier than eight o'clock.
The animated toys will resemble underworld types who will capture her,
and take her away in their getaway car. The Boy Wonder will find a clue,
save her, and realize how much he truly cares for her. As it happens,
real crooks are on the scene, and spot Bat-Girl. They'll take her along
on their job, where she'll serve as "insurance" against any police
interference. Believing them to be Bat-Mite's handiwork, Bat-Girl allows
herself to be captured, but when she spots the third man, she knows that
this is the real thing. When the invisible imp arrives on the scene, he
waits impatiently for the teenaged crime fighter. When the Boy Wonder
appears, he spots a bottle of luminous ink from Bat-Girl's crime-compact,
and knows that she's in trouble. Bat-Mite reappears before Robin, and
confesses his role in the affair.

Since the bottle is nearly empty, Bat-Girl must have splashed some of the
ink on the getaway car, and the ink would leave a luminous trail. It
would be easier to see such a trail from the air, and just as the Boy
Wonder is about to retrieve the Whirly-Bat from the Batmobile, the imp
gets a better idea. Bat-Mite turns a sea gull into a giant creature, and
they are able to follow the trail much better now. The crooks are
cracking the safe of a gold-plated sports trophy company. They barely
have enough time to enjoy their golden haul, when Robin bursts on the
scene to haul them away. As he punches out one of the hoods, the others
remind him that they have Bat-Girl at gunpoint, and he better not stop
them from leaving.

Bat-Girl insists that he stop the bandits from escaping, but the Boy
Wonder knows that he can't risk her life. The invisible imp decides to
intervene by animating several of the gold-plated sports statues. The
gold-plated statue of a golfer swings and sends the golf ball at the gun
hand of the hood holding Bat-Girl. A boxing trophy punches out a crook,
while a bowler uses his ball to trip over another hood, and the third
thug gets the third out by a baseball trophy. Once the gang have been
turned over to the authorities, Bat-Girl admits that she was a fool for
trying to get Robin to care for her, and that she was jealous of the
other woman. The Boy Wonder understands and decides to show her the
"other woman" he's devoted to. Her rival is none other than the statue
of Justice.

Since the Caped Crusader had told his protege that crime fighting is a
full-time job, he can't risk romance now -- not until he's ready to
retire. If Batman can make such a sacrifice, Robin figures that he can
do the same, too. At that moment, Batman and Batwoman return. Having
heard what his partner said, the Masked Manhunter points out that since
he's a teenager, the Boy Wonder will have enough time to make such a
decision when he's an adult. In that case, it's all right for Bat-Girl
to kiss him now, and she does just that. The imp realizes that his job
is done, and it's time for him to return to his own dimension. As he
disappears from sight, Bat-Mite promises to return once again. Bat-Girl
is able to thank her "Cupid" for what he's done on her behalf.

This story was reprinted in Batman: From The Thirties To The Seventies.

Bat-Girl is a swinger when it comes to fighting crooks on their own
playground.

To Robin, the teenage crime fighter is nothing but a hound dog.

Rather than looking like he's been attacked, the night watchman looks
like he's had one too many.

Although the Boy Wonder tackles one hood, Bat-Girl is able to take down
two, with help from Bat-Mite.

Luckily for the young movie idol, the imp has got a tiger by the tail,
and it's not "Goodbye Mr. Chip Danton."

Just how much stuff can one keep in a crime-compact or a utility belt,
for that matter?

What better way to see a trail than with a giant sea gull?

The three crooks who take Bat-Girl hostage aren't as good as gold, but
the gold-plated sport statues certainly are.

Having overcome a statue of limitations, and with the blessings of
Batman, Bat-Girl is able to kiss Robin to her heart's content.

One can see by story's end that Robin is blushed with her success.

Steve Chung
"Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Review"