Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot. So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible... a . a... a bat! That's it! It's an omen. I shall become a bat! 
Detective Comics #33 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1939. It was published on September 30, 1939.
Synopsis for "The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom"
Legend: The Batman and How He Came to Be
Fifteen years ago, Bruce Wayne is walking home from a movie with his father Thomas Wayne and his mother. They are approached by a mugger who tries to grab his mother's necklace. Thomas Wayne shouts for the mugger to leave her alone, and menaces him. The mugger shoots Thomas Wayne dead, saying that he asked for it. Bruce's mother is horrified and calls for the police. The mugger shoots and kills her also so she'll stop screaming. The young Bruce is horrified. Several days later, he kneels next to his bed by candlelight and makes a solemn vow. He swears by the spirit of his parents to avenge their deaths, by spending the rest of his life warring on all criminals. Years pass and Bruce Wayne prepares for this career. He becomes a master scientist, and trains his body to physical perfection. Finally, one night he is sitting in his father's mansion thinking about his future. His father's estate left him wealthy, but he needs a disguise. He knows that criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot, so his disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. He must become a black, terrible, creature of the night. Just then a huge bat flies through the open window, like an answer to his question. Bruce Wayne declares that this is an omen, and he shall become a bat. Thus was born this weird figure of the dark... this avenger of evil... The Batman.
The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom
Bruce Wayne is walking through Manhattan when a giant red dirigible appears. The dirigible shoots red beams that make the buildings crack and explode, hurling debris on the crowds below. The dirigible announces that it has come to rule the world. It is driven by a group called the Scarlet Horde, who swear that they will attack again if they are met with resistance. Bruce Wayne helps in the disaster relief efforts. Thousands are dead.
When Bruce Wayne returns home to Wayne Manor, he presses a panel and part of the wall opens. This reveals his secret laboratory. He goes through his files and determines that the culprit is Dr. Carl Kruger, a man with a Napoleon complex. Kruger recently escaped from an insane asylum, and is said to have been working on a new type of death-ray. Bruce opens the chest where he stores his Batsuit and prepares his silk rope. He drives to Kruger's mansion in his car.
The Batman climbs up the side of Carl Kruger's house, and sees the Scarlet Horde inside. Carl Kruger is commanding three other scientists named Bixley, Ryder, and Travis. They have an army of two thousand men. The scientists leave and Kruger talks to himself about how he will be the next Napoleon. The Batman enters and throws a batarang at his face. Kruger reveals that there is a sheet of invisible glass protecting him. Batman is knocked out from behind by a hand with a gun reaching out of a painting. Kruger ties Batman up and sets a bomb to go off, in an attempt to fake his own death. Batman has a steel blade hidden in his boot, so he's able to cut his bonds and escape. The bomb goes off seconds after Batman leaves.
The Batman visits Ryder and threatens him in bed. Batman tells Ryder that he'll be back later. Ryder immediately drives to find Kruger, and Batman follows him in the Batgyro. This leads Batman to the secret hangar of the dirigible. Batman breaks a glass vial that covers his plane in black smoke so it's invisible from the ground. He climbs down and infiltrates the hangar, taking out the guards with gas. He destroys their stockpile of death rays by shooting them with a gun, which makes them all explode. Batman tries to destroy the dirigible with an axe, but Kruger arrives and shoots him in the back. Kruger tells a guard to watch Batman's body while he prepares a death ray. Kruger uses the death ray to completely disintegrate Batman. He explains that the death ray is a fusion of ozone gas and the gamma ray.
While Kruger was setting up and explaining all this, Batman has knocked out his guard and switched costumes with him. Kruger believes he is dead, but he makes it safely home in his plane. His bulletproof vest saved him from more serious harm. He works all night in his laboratory and sprays his plane with a mysterious chemical. The next day, the dirigible attacks again. This time Batman is ready in his plane. The dirigible tries to blast him with its death ray, but the chemical he used makes his plane immune. The dirigible sends a fighter pilot out to shoot Batman down. Batman pilots his plane straight into the dirigible, destroying both of them in a massive explosion. Batman parachutes to safety, but Carl Kruger is still in the fighter plane trying to kill him. Batman ties his rope to Kruger's plane and drops his parachute. He climbs onto the wing and Kruger tries to shoot him with a gun, but misses. Batman throws a gas pellet at Kruger, which knocks him out and causes the plane to crash. Batman leaps out before the plane hits the water, and Kruger dies. Bruce Wayne later relaxes at home. The radio announces that they have recovered Kruger's corpse and captured the entire Scarlet army.
Appearing in "The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Martha Wayne (First appearance) (Dies in flashback) (not yet named)
- Thomas Wayne (First appearance) (Dies in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Joe Chill (First appearance) (Flashback only) (not yet named)
- Carl Kruger (Single appearance; dies)
- The Scarlet Horde (Single appearance)
- Bixley (Single appearance)
- Ryder (Single appearance)
- Travis (Single appearance)
- The Scarlet Horde (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Manhattan, New York City (Gotham City)
- Crime Alley (First appearance) (Flashback only) (not yet named)
- Wayne Manor (Flashback only)
Items:
- Batarang
- Batrope
- Batsuit
- Joe Chill's Gun
- Kruger's Death Ray
- It works by fusing ozone gas with gamma rays.
- It has knocked down several big buildings in New York City.
Vehicles:
- Batgyro
- Bruce Wayne's Automobile
- Dirigible (of Doom)
- catapult planes
- catapult planes
Synopsis for Bart Regan, Spy: "Thoria Invades Luxen"
In Europe, the nation of Thoria annexes the neighboring nation of Luxen, whose president flees to the USA. Bart Regan is assigned to safeguard him from assassination, and get him safely back to Luxen, where he incites the citizens to resist the Thorian takeover. A plebiscite election is held, and the majority of Luxenians vote against annexation.
Appearing in Bart Regan, Spy: "Thoria Invades Luxen"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Thorian Government
Other Characters:
- Karl Palchek, President of Luxen (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Thoria
- Luxen
- United States of America
- Washington, D.C.
- U.S. Spy Headquarters
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
Vessels:
- "Titan", Luxenian passenger steamship
Synopsis for Buck Marshall: "Mine of Mystery"
Appearing in Buck Marshall: "Mine of Mystery"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sheriff
Antagonists:
- Lenaire (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Jim Ward (Single appearance)
- Wyatt (Single appearance)
- Acme Mining Syndicate
Locations:
- American Old West
- Sage City
- Sage City
Synopsis for Larry Steele, Private Detective: "Brenda"
Appearing in Larry Steele, Private Detective: "Brenda"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Brenda, Larry's secretary (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Morton Caleb (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Hartwicke (Single appearance)
- Emilie (Single appearance)
Synopsis for Speed Saunders: "The North Woods Mystery"
Appearing in Speed Saunders: "The North Woods Mystery"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Marcel (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Roster (Single appearance)
- Norton (Single appearance)
- Nogata (Single appearance)
- West (Single appearance)
- Hank Blaentz (Appears only as a corpse)
Locations:
Synopsis for Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Sewer Robberies"
Some robbers tunnel into a bank via the sewers, and Cosmo catches them.
Appearing in Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Sewer Robberies"
Featured Characters:
- Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise
Antagonists:
- "Sparky" Regan
- Hank
Other Characters:
- Kelly (Single appearance)
- Neil
- Baldwin
Synopsis for Bruce Nelson: "The White Goddess, Part 1"
Bruce Nelson travels by steamship to Africa for a hard-earned vacation. In Banan, French Kongo, he hires Mambu and sets out on a big game hunting safari. Far out in the Kongo brush country, Nelson kills a charging lion. Bruce and Mambu are ambushed and captured by the Warriors of the Great White Goddess. Bruce is separated from Mambu and marched at spear-point into the presence of the
Great White Goddess.
Appearing in Bruce Nelson: "The White Goddess, Part 1"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mambu, big game guide (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Warriors of the Great White Goddess (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- White Goddess (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Synopsis for Slam Bradley: "Shorty Swallows a Diamond"
Appearing in Slam Bradley: "Shorty Swallows a Diamond"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Doctor Farnsby (Single appearance)
- Fink (Single appearance)
- Sneer (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Diana Penton (Single appearance)
- Fui Onyui (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Notes
- Published monthly by Detective Comics, Inc.
- Batman:
- "The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom" is reprinted in:
- Batman #1 (pages 1-2)
- Secret Origins #1 (pages 1-2)
- Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 1 (pages 1-2)
- Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (pages 1-2)
- Batman Archives Vol 1
- Batman Chronicles Vol 1
- Batman's origin is revealed for the first time in this issue. The origin is a two-page spread that serves as a prologue to the main story. It is titled "The Batman and How He Came to Be", featuring the first appearances of the Golden Age versions of Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne and Joe Chill.
- Batman appeared previously in Detective Comics #32 and appears next in Detective Comics #34. Chronologically, he appears next in Detective Comics #65.
- The original autogiro Batplane is destroyed in this issue's story.
- Batman gets the second cranial concussion,[1] and the second bullet wound of his career,[2] both in this same story.
- Batman uses a gun, for the second time.[3]
- Batman switches places with the thug that was guarding him, and sets him up to take a hit from the disintegrator ray, which kills him. He then crashes his autogyro into Kruger's dirigible, causing it to crash. Some crewmen survive to be arrested.
- It is revealed that Batman uses a secret laboratory, behind a false wall, at Wayne Manor to develop his weapons. The Batcave has yet to be introduced.
- This story contains the second reference to Batman's hometown as Manhattan, New York. Gotham City has yet to be introduced into Earth-Two continuity.
- Manhattan is attacked, from the air, and thousands of casualties are inflicted. Afterward it's never mentioned again.
- "The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom" is reprinted in:
- Bruce Nelson:
- The port of Banan is described as located in the French Kongo, with a K, but it was actually located in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
- After this issue, Larry Steele by Ken Ernst drops out, and returns in Detective Comics #43.
- First issue for Mart Bailey art on Slam Bradley.
- Also appearing in this issue of Detective Comics was:
- "Coffee-Colored Diamonds" (text story) by Vincent Sullivan, under the alias Frank Thomas.
Trivia
- Bruce Nelson smokes a pipe.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.