If you suddenly feel as if you were hit on the head... If you're weak in the knees, and you can't see straight... Brother, that's love!
- — Batman
Batman #34 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1946.
Synopsis for "The Marathon of Menace"
A racing super-star, Marty Steele is deemed as too old to keep racing and to prove the media wrong, he organizes a cross-crountry race, where anybody could compete. Many people prepare their best vehicles for the race including Batman and Robin. However, the Dynamic Duo are not competing in the race and all they want is to try the latest upgrades on their iconic vehicles.
While racing, Batman and Robin have to stop a series of sabotage attempts against various of the racers, but despite the delay caused by this, they still manage to get to the finish line in first place. Since they're not part of the competition, the winner of the race is actually Marty Steele, proving that despite his age, he is still a fast racer.
Appearing in "The Marathon of Menace"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- George Kale (Single appearance)
- Nix (Single appearance)
- Smokey (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Marty Steele (Single appearance)
- Preston (Single appearance)
- Lem (Single appearance)
- Eb (Single appearance)
- Roy Damon (Single appearance)
- Glenda West (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Colorado River
- Grand Canyon
- Colorado
- Gotham City
- Gotham City Airport (First appearance)
- Wayne Manor
- Batcave
- Lake Michigan
- San Francisco
- South Dakota
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Ally Babble and the Four Tea Leaves"
Ally Babble gets his fortune told by a gypsy and following "destiny", he gets in all sorts of troubles and has to be saved by Batman and Robin. Fortunately by the end of the day, Ally's destiny has not been fulfilled and he has finally learned when to shut up.
Appearing in "Ally Babble and the Four Tea Leaves"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Ally Babble (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Newsie Newts (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Chissum (Single appearance)
- Madame Patio (Single appearance)
- Doctor Peters (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- GCPD Headquarters
- MollyClinic Hospital
Synopsis for "Tired Tracks"
Alfred continues his detective training and this time he is learning to track tire marks. This training leads Alfred to capture a notorious gang of criminals, once again, entirely by accident.
Appearing in "Tired Tracks"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Slinky (Single appearance)
- Shifty (Single appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for "The Master Vs. the Pupil"
Batman notices that Robin has become overconfident and he decides to test the youngster's abilities. In order to do this, Batman poses as a thug and Robin has to capture him in less that 24 hours. Robin is able to track down Batman, but in the ensuing battle, Robin is knocked unconscious and placed inside a cage in the Batcave, to test his escaping skills. Robin breaks free in a few minutes with help from some tools. Batman then tells Robin to try to escape the cage without the tools and this time, Robin is unable to get out. After a few hours pass, Batman allows Robin to come out, but not without informing him that the cage's door was unlocked and Robin overlooked the most obvious answer. With a new lesson learned, Robin stops being overconfident and the Dynamic Duo are ready for the next challenge.
Appearing in "The Master Vs. the Pupil"
Featured Characters:
Other Characters:
- Alfred (Cameo)
- Commissioner Gordon (Cameo)
- Joker (Cameo)
- Penguin (Cameo)
Locations:
Items:
- Penguin's Umbrella (Cameo)
Notes
- This issue was reprinted on the Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol 8 and Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 4.