Hindu idol worshipers, death-notes. All sounds very melodramatic. Maybe I'll write a story about it! 
Detective Comics #35 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1940.
Synopsis for Batman: "The Case of the Ruby Idol"
A man named Weldon begs Commissioner Gordon for police protection. He tells him of a business rival named Sheldon Lenox who had sold him a ruby statuette of the Hindu god of destruction, Kila. Several days later, Weldon received death threats from Hindu idol worshipers demanding Weldon's life.
Batman investigates the case, which leads him to a fencing operation in Chinatown led by Sin Fang. Batman raids the place, and is jumped by some giant Mongol swordsmen, one of whom Batman kills with his own sword. Batman recovers the idol and learns that Sin Fang is actually Sheldon Lenox in disguise. The two fight and Batman throws the idol at Lenox, who falls out of a window to his death. The idol claims its final victim.
Appearing in Batman: "The Case of the Ruby Idol"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Sheldon Lennox, as Sin Fang (Single appearance; dies)
- Joe (Single appearance)
- Mike (Single appearance)
- Mongol bodyguards (one dies)
Other Characters:
- Police Department
- Weldon (Single appearance; dies)
- Wong, the "unofficial mayor of Chinatown" (First appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Utility Belt
- Batrope
- Ruby Idol of Kila
- The Tribune
Vehicles:
- Batmobile (First appearance)
Synopsis for Bart Regan, Spy: "The Unknown Sub"
Passenger steamships from Boralia are being sunk by a submarine from Luxor. Bart Regan infiltrates the submarine's crew. A Boralian spy does so also. They succeed in ending the submarine's murderous operations.
Appearing in Bart Regan, Spy: "The Unknown Sub"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Boralian spy (Single appearance; dies)
Antagonists:
- Ambassador Ludorf (Single appearance)
- Von Klotz (Single appearance; dies)
- Luxorian submarine crew
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Boralian passenger ships (some destroyed)
- Luxorian submarine
Synopsis for Buck Marshall: "Branded Yellow"
Appearing in Buck Marshall: "Branded Yellow"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hooded Gang (Single appearance)
- Zeke Brown (Single appearance; dies)
- Rod Kuhn (Single appearance)
Locations:
- American Old West
- Sage City
Vehicles:
- Stagecoach
Synopsis for Steve Malone: "The Kidnapping Racket"
Appearing in Steve Malone: "The Kidnapping Racket"
Featured Characters:
- Steve Malone, District Attorney
Supporting Characters:
- Malone's men
Antagonists:
- Mr. Von Snagworthy (Single appearance)
- Munk (Single appearance)
- Munk's men
Other Characters:
- Nancy
- Larry
Synopsis for Speed Saunders: "The Voodoo Vengeance"
Appearing in Speed Saunders: "The Voodoo Vengeance"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Snake Master (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Yolanda (Single appearance)
- Rita from Rio (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
Synopsis for Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Strange Death of Doctor Dupre"
Cosmo's old enemy Gaston Dupre fakes his own death, escapes from prison, sets up a series of death traps, and lures the Phantom of Disguise to come after him. So he does, and navigates all the traps, and busts Dupre again.
Appearing in Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Strange Death of Doctor Dupre"
Featured Characters:
- Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise
Supporting Characters:
- Inspector Grey
Antagonists:
- Doctor Gaston Dupre (Final appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mc Nary (Single appearance)
Synopsis for Bruce Nelson: "The White Goddess, Part 3"
Having grabbed the White Goddess, set fire to the village, and escaped in a canoe, Bruce and Mambu barely avoid being swept over the Great Kanyak Falls by catching an overhanging palm tree. The White Goddess turns out to be Toni Hutton, daughter of the long-missing, now-dead, big game hunter Dwight Hutton. She returns with Bruce to the USA.
Appearing in Bruce Nelson: "The White Goddess, Part 3"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mambu (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Warriors of the Great White Goddess (Flashback only) (Final appearance)
Other Characters:
- Toni Hutton aka The White Goddess (Flashback and main story) (Final appearance)
- Dwight Hutton (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Africa
- French Kongo
- Great Kanyak Falls
- Great Kanyak Falls
- French Kongo
Synopsis for Slam Bradley: "In the Foreign Legion"
Appearing in Slam Bradley: "In the Foreign Legion"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Aba Cadabra (Single appearance)
- Scar Jensen (Single appearance)
- Tony Caputo (Single appearance)
- Hassan (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Clyde Winthrop (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
Notes
- Published by Detective Comics, Inc.
- First issue for Maurice Kashuba on Bart Regan, Spy.
- Batman:
- "The Case of the Ruby Idol" is reprinted in Batman Archives, Volume 1 and 'Batman Chronicles Vol 1'.
- First appearance of the Batmobile. Batman previously drove Bruce Wayne's personal red roadster, but this blue car is exclusively Batman's. It has not yet been referenced as the Batmobile at this time.
- Batman fights a gang of giant Mongols armed with curvy swords, one of whom he stabs dead with his own sword. Then he punches Sheldon (Sin Fang) Lenox out a window to his death.
- Sheldon Lenox, who was very fluent in Chinese, murdered and replaced the real Sin Fang.
- Slam Bradley:
- The character of Aba Cadabra from "In the Foreign Legion" is not to be confused with the 64th century Flash villain Abra Kadabra or the Earth-C character Alley-Kat-Abra.
Trivia
- This issue's cover art features a scene from the Batman story in the previous issue. Next issue's cover will do the same thing.
- The Batman story's title page shows Batman holding a smoking gun. In the story this does not happen.
- The "Ruby Idol of Kila" in the Batman story, is later spotted in the Trophy Room, along with other trophies in Detective Comics #676.
- Batman switches his cape & cowl from Black to Blue.
- Also appearing in this issue of Detective Comics was:
- "Mystery With Music" (text story) by Richard Lawlor
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.