Published DC; June 1977
Cover by Jim Aparo

Title: “The Master Plan of Doctor Phosphorus”
Synopsis: Batman battles Doctor Phosphorus inside an offshore nuclear plant; meanwhile, Silver St. Cloud enters Bruce Wayne’s life.

Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciler: Walter Simonson
Inker: Al Milgrom

Review: Steve Englehart continues to settle into what would become one of the defining runs of the middle Bronze Age. His first villain, Doctor Phosphorus, offers a subtle twist on the Joker’s origin; instead of chemical exposure, the new villain’s backstory plays off the nuclear anxieties of the 1970s. It’s also tied to corruption in Gotham politics, an underlying theme that serves as a backdrop for Englehart’s tenure. As with the previous issue, Walter Simonson’s potential-laden pencils are again wasted, his signature style blunted by the overpowering inks of Al Milgrom.

Grade: B

Second opinion: Included on Alan Brightmore’s “Individual Comics That You Should Not Be Without” list, from “A Consumer’s Guide to D.C. Comics, Part 2,” Comics Unlimited #51 (October-November 1979).

Cool factor: Hello, Silver. Thanks for bringing a hint of romance to Detective Comics.
Not-so-cool factor: Mr. Milgrom, we’re going to need you to step away from those pencils.

Notable: First appearance of Silver St. Cloud.

Character quotable: “I moved to the city to be more accessible – but I left my soul behind at Wayne Manor!” – The Batman, Gothamite

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